Systems and methods for correcting for leakage and distortion in radar systems

1. A method of correcting for leakage in a radar sensor system, comprising:

defining an integration time period, the radar sensor system being configured to integrate a detected signal during the integration time period;

dividing the integration time period into a first sub-period and a second sub-period, the radar sensor system at least partially transmitting a transmission radar signal during the first sub-period of the integration time period, and the radar sensor system not transmitting at all during the second sub-period of the integration time period;

integrating the detected signal during both the first sub-period of the integration time period and the second sub-period of the integration time period to generate a plurality of sampled integrated values; and

subtracting a last sampled integrated value of the second sub-period of the integration time period from a last sampled integrated value of the first sub-period of the integration time period to generate a corrected integrated value for the integration time period.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each integration time period is associated with a transmitted radar signal of a different frequency.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the radar sensor system comprising a first transmitter and a second transmitter;

the first transmitter at least partially transmits the transmission radar signal during the first sub-period of the integration time period and does not transmit during the second sub-period of the integration time period;

the second transmitter at least partially transmits a second transmission radar signal during a first sub-period of a second integration time period and does not transmit at all during a second sub-period of the second integration time period.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first and second transmission radar signals are of the same frequency.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

integrating the detected signal during both the first sub-period of the second integration time period and the second sub-period of the second integration time period to generate a second plurality of sampled integrated values; and

subtracting a last sampled integrated value of the second sub-period of the second integration time period from a last sampled integrated value of the first sub-period of the second integration time period to generate a second corrected integrated value for the integration time period.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first and second integration time periods define a pair of integration time periods.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein each of a plurality of pairs of integration time periods is associated with a different frequency of the first and second transmission radar signals of the pair of integration time periods.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detected signal is one of an in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signal of the radar sensor system.

9. A radar sensor system with correction for leakage, comprising:

a transmitter;

a receiver; and

a controller and/or processor for processing signals associated with the radar sensor system, the controller and/or processor:

(i) defining an integration time period, the radar sensor system being configured to integrate a detected signal during the integration time period,

(ii) dividing the integration time period into a first sub-period and a second sub-period, the transmitter at least partially transmitting a transmission radar signal during the first sub-period of the integration time period, and the transmitter not transmitting at all during the second sub-period of the integration time period,

(iii) integrating the detected signal during both the first sub-period of the integration time period and the second sub-period of the integration time period to generate a plurality of sampled integrated values, and

(iv) subtracting a last sampled integrated value of the second sub-period of the integration time period from a last sampled integrated value of the first sub-period of the integration time period to generate a corrected integrated value for the integration time period.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein each integration time period is associated with a transmitted radar signal of a different frequency.

11. The system of claim 9 , further comprising a second transmitter; wherein:

the first transmitter at least partially transmits the transmission radar signal during the first sub-period of the integration time period and does not transmit at all during the second sub-period of the integration time period; and

the second transmitter at least partially transmits a second transmission radar signal during a first sub-period of a second integration time period and does not transmit at all during a second sub-period of the second integration time period.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first and second transmission radar signals are of the same frequency.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the controller and/or processor:

integrates the detected signal during both the first sub-period of the second integration time period and the second sub-period of the second integration time period to generate a second plurality of sampled integrated values; and

subtracts a last sampled integrated value of the second sub-period of the second integration time period from a last sampled integrated value of the first sub-period of the second integration time period to generate a second corrected integrated value for the integration time period.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first and second integration time periods define a pair of integration time periods.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein each of a plurality of pairs of integration time periods is associated with a different frequency of the first and second transmission radar signals of the pair of integration time periods.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the detected signal is one of an in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signal of the radar sensor system.

17. A method of correcting for leakage in a radar sensor system, comprising:

defining an integration time period, the radar sensor system being configured to integrate a detected signal during the integration time period;

dividing the integration time period into a first sub-period and a second sub-period, the radar sensor system at least partially transmitting a transmission radar signal during the first sub-period of the integration time period, and the radar sensor system not transmitting at all during the second sub-period of the integration time period;

integrating the detected signal during both the first sub-period of the integration time period and the second sub-period of the integration time period to generate a plurality of sampled integrated values;

inverting a polarity of a signal used in generating the detected signal during the second sub-period of the integration time period; and

generating a corrected integrated value for the integration time period using a last sampled integrated value of the plurality of sampled integrated values.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising transmitting a transmission radar signal during the integration time period.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the signal used in generating the detected signal is an intermediate frequency (IF) signal generated by the radar sensor system.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein a controllable switch is used to invert the polarity of the signal used in generating the detected signal.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the controllable switch is a double-pole, double-throw (DPDT) switch.

22. The method of claim 17 , wherein the detected signal is one of an in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signal of the radar sensor system.

23. A radar sensor system with correction for leakage, comprising:

a transmitter;

a controllable circuit; and

a controller and/or processor for processing signals associated with the radar sensor system, the controller and/or processor:

(i) defining an integration time period, the radar sensor system being configured to integrate a detected signal during the integration time period,

(ii) dividing the integration time period into a first sub-period and a second sub-period, the radar sensor system at least partially transmitting a transmission radar signal during the first sub-period of the integration time period, and the radar sensor system not transmitting at all during the second sub-period of the integration time period;

(iii) integrating the detected signal during both the first sub-period of the integration time period and the second sub-period of the integration time period to generate a plurality of sampled integrated values,

(iv) generating a control signal to control the controllable circuit to invert a polarity of a signal used in generating the detected signal during the second sub-period of the integration time period, and

(v) generating a corrected integrated value for the integration time period using a last sampled integrated value of the plurality of sampled integrated values.

24. The system of claim 23 , wherein the transmitter transmits a transmission radar signal during the integration time period.

25. The system of claim 23 , wherein the signal used in generating the detected signal is an intermediate frequency (IF) signal generated by the radar sensor system.

26. The system of claim 23 , wherein the controllable circuit is a controllable switch used to invert the polarity of the signal used in generating the detected signal.

27. The system of claim 26 , wherein the controllable switch is a double-pole, double-throw (DPDT) switch.

28. The system of claim 23 , wherein the detected signal is one of an in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signal of the radar sensor system.