IP Library Granted Patent US 12,270,939
Granted Patent B2
US 12,270,939 · App. 17/474,993 · Granted Apr 8, 2025

Radar device

Inventor: Takaaki Kishigami (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Co., Ltd.
G01S7/415G01S7/03G01S13/42G01S2013/0245
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,270,939
App. No.
17/474,993
Granted
Apr 8, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is a radar device, wherein a transmission array antenna includes a plurality of transmission antennas that are linearly disposed in a first direction, the intervals between respective adjacent transmission antennas of the plurality of transmission antennas increase from one side toward the other side in the first direction, a reception array antenna includes a plurality of reception antennas that are linearly disposed in the first direction, and the intervals between respective adjacent transmission antennas of the plurality of reception antennas decrease from one side toward the other side.

Claims (34)

1. A radar apparatus, comprising:

an antenna array which consists of a transmission array antenna and a reception array antenna;

a radar transmission circuit which, in operation, transmits a radar signal by using the transmission array antenna; and

a radar reception circuit which, in operation, receives a reflected wave signal that is the radar signal reflected by a target by using the reception array antenna, wherein

the transmission array antenna consists of a plurality of transmission antennas arranged in a first direction, and lengths of all of a first plurality of spacings between adjacent transmission antennas of the plurality of transmission antennas increase in the first direction, and

the reception array antenna consists of a plurality of reception antennas arranged in the first direction, and lengths of all of a second plurality of spacings between adjacent reception antennas of the plurality of reception antennas decrease in the first direction.

2. The radar apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

a maximum spacing of the first plurality of spacings is greater than a minimum spacing of the second plurality of spacings and less than or equal to an aperture length of the reception array antenna.

3. The radar apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

a maximum spacing of the second plurality of spacings is greater than a minimum spacing of the first plurality of spacings and less than or equal to an aperture length of the transmission array antenna.

4. The radar apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

the radar reception circuit, in operation, determines whether aliasing of Doppler frequency in Doppler analysis of the reflected wave signal is present on a basis of spatial spectrum in a direction estimation result of the reflected wave signal.

5. The radar apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein:

when the aliasing is present, the radar reception circuit corrects a reception phase of the reflected wave signal and performs direction estimation on a basis of the reflected wave signal subjected to phase correction.

6. The radar apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

the radar reception circuit, in operation, performs first direction estimation to estimate a direction of the target on a basis of the reflected wave signal subjected to phase correction regarding the aliasing of Doppler frequency in Doppler analysis of the reflected wave signal, performs second direction estimation to estimate the direction of the target on a basis of the reflected wave signal not subjected to phase correction, and determines whether the aliasing in Doppler analysis of the reflected wave signal is present on a basis of comparison of a result of the first direction estimation and a result of the second direction estimation.

7. The radar apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein:

the aliasing includes primary aliasing and secondary aliasing, and

the radar reception circuit, in operation, performs direction estimation to estimate the direction of the target on a basis of each of the reflected wave signal subjected to phase correction regarding the primary aliasing and the reflected wave signal subjected to phase correction regarding the secondary aliasing in the first direction estimation.

8. The radar apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

a number of the first plurality of spacings is two, and

a number of the second plurality of spacings is three.

9. A radar apparatus comprising:

a radar transmission circuit which, in operation, transmits a radar signal by using a transmission array antenna; and

a radar reception circuit which, in operation, receives a reflected wave signal that is the radar signal reflected by a target by using a reception array antenna, and determines whether aliasing of Doppler frequency in Doppler analysis of the reflected wave signal is present on a basis of a spatial spectrum in a direction estimation result of the reflected wave signal, wherein

a maximum spacing of a first plurality of spacings between adjacent transmission antennas of a plurality of transmission array antennas included in the transmission array antenna is greater than a minimum spacing of a second plurality of spacings between adjacent reception antennas of a plurality of reception antennas included in the reception array antenna and less than or equal to an aperture length of the reception array antenna, and

a maximum spacing of a second plurality of spacings between adjacent reception antennas of the plurality of reception antennas is greater than a minimum spacing of the first plurality of spacings between adjacent transmission antennas of the plurality of transmission antennas and less than or equal to an aperture length of the transmission array antenna.

10. The radar apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein:

when the aliasing is present, the radar reception circuit corrects the reception phase of the reflected wave signal and performs direction estimation on a basis of the reflected wave signal subjected to phase correction.

11. The radar apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein:

the radar reception circuit, in operation, performs first direction estimation to estimate the direction of the target on a basis of the reflected wave signal subjected to phase correction regarding the aliasing of Doppler frequency in Doppler analysis of the reflected wave signal, performs second direction estimation to estimate the direction of the target on the basis of the reflected wave signal not subjected to phase correction, and determines whether aliasing in Doppler analysis of the reflected wave signal is present on a basis of comparison of a result of the first direction estimation and a result of the second direction estimation.

12. The radar apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein:

the aliasing includes primary aliasing and secondary aliasing, and

the radar reception circuit, in operation, performs direction estimation to estimate the direction of a target on a basis of each of the reflected wave signal subjected to phase correction regarding the primary aliasing and the reflected wave signal subjected to phase correction regarding the secondary aliasing in the first direction estimation.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 1, 2024
From: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 066709/0702 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 19, 2022
From: KISHIGAMI, TAKAAKI
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 058699/0638 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2019-053760 · Mar 20, 2019 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2020005732 · Feb 14, 2020
Related Publication 20220050176A1 · Feb 17, 2022
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