Apparatus and method for detecting alignment of sensor and calibrating antenna pattern response in an automotive detection system

1. A method for calibrating an antenna pattern of a sensor in an automotive detection system, comprising:

transmitting transmitted signals into a region;

receiving reflected signals generated by reflection of the transmitted signals and generating receive signals indicative of the reflected signals;

receiving the receive signals;

generating a signal indicative of velocity of the sensor;

processing the receive signals to generate detections of objects in the region, the objects in the region including one or more ground-stationary clutter objects in the region, each of the detections being associated with a detected azimuth and detected relative velocity of each ground-stationary clutter object;

for each of a plurality of angles with respect to a boresight of an antenna of the sensor, processing the detected azimuth and detected velocity of one of the one or more ground-stationary clutter objects and the signal indicative of velocity of the sensor to generate an actual antenna pattern for the antenna of the sensor; and

using the actual antenna pattern to adjust an assumed antenna pattern and using a correlation azimuth estimate to generate a calibrated antenna pattern for the antenna of the sensor.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, using the calibrated antenna pattern, determining an angle of misalignment of the sensor.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the objects in the region further comprise objects which are moving with respect to ground.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising filtering the detections of objects in the region to substantially eliminate detections of objects which are moving with respect to ground.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the filtering is a statistical filtering.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the filtering comprises using an order statistic.

7. An automotive radar sensor with calibration of an antenna pattern, comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting transmitted signals into a region;

a receiver receiving reflected signals generated by reflection of the transmitted signals and generating receive signals indicative of the reflected signals; and

a processor for:

receiving the receive signals,

generating a signal indicative of velocity of the sensor,

processing the receive signals to generate detections of objects in the region, the objects in the region including one or more ground-stationary clutter objects in the region, each of the detections being associated with a detected azimuth and detected relative velocity of each ground-stationary clutter object,

for each of a plurality of angles with respect to a boresight of an antenna of the sensor, processing the detected azimuth and detected velocity of one of the one or more ground-stationary clutter objects and the signal indicative of velocity of the sensor to generate an actual antenna pattern for the antenna of the sensor, and

using the actual antenna pattern to adjust an assumed antenna pattern to generate a calibrated antenna pattern for the antenna of the sensor; wherein the processor generates a correlation azimuth estimate to generate the calibrated antenna pattern.

8. The automotive radar sensor of claim 7 , wherein the processor uses the calibrated antenna pattern to determine an angle of misalignment of the sensor.

9. The automotive radar sensor of claim 7 , wherein the objects in the region further comprise objects which are moving with respect to ground.

10. The automotive radar sensor of claim 9 , wherein the processor filters the detections of objects in the region to substantially eliminate detections of objects which are moving with respect to ground.

11. The automotive radar sensor of claim 10 , wherein filtering performed by the processor comprises statistical filtering.

12. The automotive radar sensor of claim 10 , wherein filtering performed by the processor uses an order statistic.