Radar system and target detection method

1. A radar system for detecting a plurality of targets, comprising:

a transmit antenna that includes at least one transmit antenna element and transmits a radio wave from each transmit antenna element;

a receive antenna composed of at least three receive antenna elements for receiving a plurality of reflected waves resulting from the radio wave being reflected off the plurality of targets, the at least three receive antenna elements being arranged in a direction substantially parallel to a plane of travel of the targets;

a transmitter that generates the radio wave to be transmitted from the transmit antenna element;

a receiver that generates at least three first received signals corresponding to the at least three receive antenna elements by demodulating the plurality of reflected waves received by each of the receive antenna elements;

a prefilter that estimates a plurality of main arrival angles representing directions of the targets relative to the radar system using the at least three first received signals;

a direction canceler that generates at least two first extracted signals by using the at least three first received signals to form nulls in eliminating arrival angles, which are all main arrival angles except one main arrival angle as an extracting arrival angle among the plurality of main arrival angles, in directional characteristics of the receive antenna; and

an image generator that analyzes Doppler frequency components around the extracting arrival angle using the at least two first extracted signals and calculates scattering-center arrival angles which each represent the arrival angle for each Doppler frequency component analyzed,

wherein the direction canceler sequentially changes the extracting arrival angle in response to a number of the plurality of main arrival angles estimated by the prefilter.

2. The radar system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the direction canceler generates the at least two first extracted signals by canceling signals that are based on reflected waves that arrived at the receive antenna from eliminating arrival angles, and

wherein the signals are canceled by using at least two sets of two out of the at least three first received signals in different combinations to sequentially generate nulls in the eliminating arrival angles in the directional characteristics of the receive antenna for each of the at least two sets.

3. The radar system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the direction canceler further forms an additional null when the extracting arrival angle is a minimum or maximum of the plurality of main arrival angles, and

wherein the extracting arrival angle substantially coincides with a midpoint between the direction of the additional null and the eliminating arrival angle that neighbors the extracting arrival angle.

4. The radar system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the transmitter generates the radio wave by modulating a carrier wave with a pseudo-noise code, and

wherein the receiver generates the at least three first received signals by demodulating each of the plurality of reflected waves with the pseudo-noise code.

5. The radar system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the transmit antenna has a first transmit antenna element and a second transmit antenna element that are arranged in a direction intersecting with the plane of travel as the at least one transmit antenna element,

wherein the transmitter generates a first radio wave which is the radio wave to be transmitted from the first transmit antenna element by modulating a carrier wave with a first pseudo-noise code and generates a second radio wave which is the radio wave to be transmitted from the second transmit antenna element by modulating the carrier wave with a second pseudo-noise code which is orthogonal to the first pseudo-noise code,

wherein the receiver generates the at least three first received signals by demodulating each of the plurality of reflected waves with the first pseudo-noise code, and generates at least three second received signals by demodulating each of the reflected waves with the second pseudo-noise code,

wherein the direction canceler further generates at least two second extracted signals using the at least three second received signals, and

wherein the image generator further calculates the scattering-center arrival angles in a plane intersecting with the plane of travel using one of the at least two first extracted signals and one of the at least two second extracted signals.

6. A target detection method for detecting a plurality of targets using a radar system, comprising:

generating a radio wave;

transmitting the radio wave;

receiving a plurality of reflected waves resulting from the radio wave being reflected off the plurality of targets with at least three receive antenna elements arranged in a direction substantially parallel to a plane of travel of the targets;

generating at least three first received signals corresponding to the at least three receive antenna elements by demodulating the plurality of reflected waves received by each of the receive antenna elements;

estimating a plurality of main arrival angles representing directions of the targets relative to the radar system using the at least three first received signals;

generating at least two first extracted signals by using the at least three first received signals to form nulls in eliminating arrival angles, which are all main arrival angles except one main arrival angle as an extracting arrival angle among the plurality of main arrival angles, in directional characteristics of the receive antenna;

analyzing Doppler frequency components around the extracting arrival angle using the at least two first extracted signals; and

calculating scattering-center arrival angles which each represent the arrival angle for each Doppler frequency component analyzed,

wherein the generation of the at least two first extracted signals, the analysis of the Doppler frequency components, and the calculation of the scattering-center arrival angles are repeated with the extracting arrival angle sequentially changed in response to a number of the plurality of main arrival angles.