Radar system and method that utilizes overlapping frequency ranges

1. A radar system comprising:

a) an oscillator;

b) a transmitter controller integrated circuit, configured to control the oscillator such that the oscillator provides a transmit-radar-signal, wherein the transmit-radar-signal comprises:

a transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion, during which the frequency of the transmit-radar-signal either increases or decreases over time;

a transmit-first-returning-frequency-portion, during which the frequency of the transmit-radar-signal changes in the opposite way to the transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion; and

a transmit-second-ramp-frequency-portion, during which the frequency of the transmit-radar-signal changes in the same way as the transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion;

wherein the transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion includes:

a transmit-first-overlapping-portion, and

a transmit-first-non-overlapping-portion;

wherein the transmit-second-ramp-frequency-portion includes:

a transmit-second-overlapping-portion that corresponds to the instantaneous frequency of the transmit-first-frequency-overlapping-portion; and

a transmit-second-non-overlapping-portion;

wherein the transmitter controller integrated circuit is configured to reconfigure the oscillator from a first-operating-mode to a second-operating-mode between the transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion and the transmit-second-ramp-frequency-portion; and

c) a receiver controller integrated circuit configured to:

receive a received-radar-signal that represents a reflected version of the transmit-radar-signal, wherein the received-radar-signal includes:

a received-first-ramp-frequency-portion, during which the frequency of the received-radar-signal changes in the same way as the transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion;

a received-first-returning-frequency-portion, during which the frequency of the received-radar-signal changes in the opposite way to the transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion;

a received-second-ramp-frequency-portion, during which the frequency of the received-radar-signal changes in the same way as the transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion; and

wherein the received-radar-signal includes:

a received-first-overlapping-portion, received at the same time as the transmit-first-overlapping-portion, and

a received-first-non-overlapping-portion, received at the same time as the transmit-first-non-overlapping-portion;

a received-second-overlapping-portion, received at the same time as the transmit-second-overlapping-portion, and

a received-second-non-overlapping-portion, received at the same time as the transmit-second-non-overlapping-portion;

provide a combined-overlapping-portion based on a combination of the transmit-first-overlapping-portion, the transmit-second-overlapping-portion, the received-first-overlapping-portion, and the received-second-overlapping-portion;

provide a combined-first-portion based on a combination of the transmit-first-non-overlapping-portion and the received-first-non-overlapping-portion;

provide a combined-second-portion based on a combination of the transmit-second-non-overlapping-portion and the received-second-non-overlapping-portion;

provide an output signal in accordance with:

the combined-overlapping-portion;

the combined-first-portion; and

the combined-second-portion.

2. The radar system of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter controller integrated circuit is configured to operate the oscillator in the first-operating-mode to provide the first-ramp-frequency-portion of the transmit-radar-signal, and wherein the transmitter controller integrated circuit is configured to operate the oscillator in the second-operating-mode to provide the second-ramp-frequency-portion of the transmit-radar-signal.

3. The radar system of claim 1 , wherein, in order to provide the combined-overlapping-portion, the receiver controller integrated circuit is configured to:

multiply the transmit-first-overlapping-portion by the received-first-overlapping-portion in order to provide a first-overlapping-portion;

multiply the transmit-second-overlapping-portion by the received-second-overlapping-portion in order to provide a second-overlapping-portion

apply a windowing function to the first-overlapping-portion to provide a windowed-first-overlapping-portion;

apply a windowing function to the second-overlapping-portion to provide a windowed-second-overlapping-portion;

combine the windowed-first-overlapping-portion with the windowed-second-overlapping-portion to provide the combined-overlapping-portion.

4. The radar system of claim 3 , wherein the receiver controller integrated circuit is configured to combine the windowed-first-overlapping-portion with the windowed-second-overlapping-portion by adding the windowed-first-overlapping-portion to the windowed-second-overlapping-portion.

5. The radar system of claim 1 , wherein, in order to provide the combined-overlapping-portion, the receiver controller integrated circuit is configured to:

multiply the transmit-first-overlapping-portion by the received-first-overlapping-portion in order to provide a first-overlapping-portion;

multiply the transmit-second-overlapping-portion by the received-second-overlapping-portion in order to provide a second-overlapping-portion;

determine a settled-second-overlapping-portion of the second-overlapping-portion, wherein the settled-second-overlapping-portion has a settled frequency value, and wherein the settled-second-overlapping-portion corresponds to the transmit-radar-signal having a second-settled-frequency-range;

determine a settled-first-overlapping-portion of the first-overlapping-portion, and wherein the settled-first-overlapping-portion corresponds to the transmit-first-overlapping-portion having a first-settled-frequency-range, and wherein the first-settled-frequency-range is the same as the second-settled-frequency-range;

apply a windowing function to the settled-first-overlapping-portion to provide a windowed-settled-first-overlapping-portion;

apply a windowing function to the settled-second-overlapping-portion to provide a windowed-settled-second-overlapping-portion; and

combine the windowed-settled-first-overlapping-portion with the windowed-settled-second-overlapping-portion to provide the combined-overlapping-portion.

6. The radar system of claim 5 , wherein the receiver controller integrated circuit is configured to combine the windowed-settled-first-overlapping-portion with the windowed-settled-second-overlapping-portion by adding the windowed-settled-first-overlapping-portion to the windowed-settled-second-overlapping-portion.

7. The radar system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver controller integrated circuit is configured to provide the combined-first-portion by multiplying together the transmit-first-non-overlapping-portion and the received-first-non-overlapping-portion.

8. The radar system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver controller integrated circuit is configured to provide the combined-first-portion by multiplying together the transmit-first-non-overlapping-portion and the received-first-non-overlapping-portion, and removing an unsettled-portion from the result of the multiplication.

9. The radar system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver controller integrated circuit is configured to provide the combined-second-portion by multiplying together the transmit-second-non-overlapping-portion and the received-second-non-overlapping-portion.

10. The radar system of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter controller integrated circuit is configured to control the oscillator such that the transmit-radar-signal also comprises:

a transmit-first-constant-frequency-portion, during which the frequency of the transmit-radar-signal is kept substantially constant;

wherein the transmit-first-constant-frequency-portion is after the transmit-first-returning-frequency-portion and before the transmit-second-ramp-frequency-portion.

11. The radar system of claim 10 , wherein the transmitter controller integrated circuit is configured to reconfigure the oscillator from the first-operating-mode to the second-operating-mode during the transmit-first-constant-frequency-portion.

12. The radar system of claim 10 , wherein the transmitter controller integrated circuit is configured to set the duration of the transmit-first-constant-frequency-portion such that it is at least as long as the time difference between the transmit-radar-signal and the received-radar-signal.

13. The radar system of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter controller integrated circuit is configured to control the oscillator such that the transmit-radar-signal also comprises:

a transmit-second-returning-frequency-portion, during which the frequency of the transmit-radar-signal changes in the opposite way to the transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion;

wherein the transmit-second-returning-frequency-portion is after the transmit-second-ramp-frequency-portion.

14. The radar system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver controller integrated circuit is further configured to determine a distance to a reflecting object based on the output signal.

15. A method for operating a radar system, the method comprising:

a) at a transmitter controller, controlling an oscillator such that the oscillator provides a transmit-radar-signal, wherein the transmit-radar-signal comprises:

a transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion, during which the frequency of the transmit-radar-signal either increases or decreases over time;

a transmit-first-returning-frequency-portion, during which the frequency of the transmit-radar-signal changes in the opposite way to the transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion; and

a transmit-second-ramp-frequency-portion, during which the frequency of the transmit-radar-signal changes in the same way as the transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion;

wherein the transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion includes:

a transmit-first-overlapping-portion, and

a transmit-first-non-overlapping-portion;

wherein the transmit-second-ramp-frequency-portion includes:

a transmit-second-overlapping-portion that corresponds to the instantaneous frequency of the transmit-first-frequency-overlapping-portion; and

a transmit-second-non-overlapping-portion;

wherein the transmitter controller is configured to reconfigure the oscillator from a first-operating-mode to a second-operating-mode between the transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion and the transmit-second-ramp-frequency-portion; and

b) at a receiver controller:

receiving a received-radar-signal that represents a reflected version of the transmit-radar-signal, wherein the received-radar-signal includes:

a received-first-ramp-frequency-portion, during which the frequency of the received-radar-signal changes in the same way as the transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion;

a received-first-returning-frequency-portion, during which the frequency of the received-radar-signal changes in the opposite way to the transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion;

a received-second-ramp-frequency-portion, during which the frequency of the received-radar-signal changes in the same way as the transmit-first-ramp-frequency-portion; and

wherein the received-radar-signal includes:

a received-first-overlapping-portion, received at the same time as the transmit-first-overlapping-portion, and

a received-first-non-overlapping-portion, received at the same time as the transmit-first-non-overlapping-portion;

a received-second-overlapping-portion, received at the same time as the transmit-second-overlapping-portion, and

a received-second-non-overlapping-portion, received at the same time as the transmit-second-non-overlapping-portion;

providing a combined-overlapping-portion based on a combination of the transmit-first-overlapping-portion, the transmit-second-overlapping-portion, the received-first-overlapping-portion, and the received-second-overlapping-portion;

providing a combined-first-portion based on a combination of the transmit-first-non-overlapping-portion and the received-first-non-overlapping-portion;

providing a combined-second-portion based on a combination of the transmit-second-non-overlapping-portion and the received-second-non-overlapping-portion;

providing an output signal in accordance with:

the combined-overlapping-portion;

the combined-first-portion; and

the combined-second-portion.