Use of dual processing channels for stationary and moving objects illuminated by radar

1. A method for implementing dual processing for stationary objects and moving objects, the method comprising:

converting a received reflected waveform from receive antenna elements into a digitized receive data flow;

generating a first set of range/Doppler images and a second set of range/Doppler images from the digitized receive data flow from a radar system, wherein the first set of range/Doppler images is processed over a first processing time and the second set of range/Doppler images is processed over a second processing time;

using a first clustering algorithm to generate a first set of range/Doppler/angle object detections based on the first set of range/Doppler images;

using a second clustering algorithm to generate a second set of range/Doppler/angle object detections based on the second set of range/Doppler images; and

generating a set of range/Doppler/angle object tracks for stationary and moving objects from the first set of range/Doppler/angle object detections and the second set of range/Doppler/angle object detections.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first processing time is optimized for the moving objects.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the second processing time is optimized for the stationary objects.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first processing time is a fixed duration.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second processing time is a duration over which the radar system travels a fixed distance.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first clustering algorithm is a K-Means clustering algorithm or a morphological closing algorithm.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the second clustering algorithm is a K-Means clustering algorithm or a morphological closing algorithm.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first clustering algorithm clusters a first set of range/Doppler/angle scatterer detections from the first set of range/Doppler images formed over processing time intervals of a fixed duration, into the first set of range/Doppler/angle object detections.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second clustering algorithm clusters a second set of range/Doppler/angle scatterer detections from the second set of range/Doppler images formed over processing time intervals during which the radar system travels a fixed distance, into the second set of range/Doppler/angle object detections.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising generating a first set of range/Doppler scatterer detections to mitigate against the impact of receiver noise on the radar system.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising generating the first set of range/Doppler/angle scatterer detections using the first set of range/Doppler scatterer detections.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising generating a second set of range/Doppler scatterer detections to mitigate against the impact of receiver noise on the radar system.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising generating the second set of range/Doppler/angle scatterer detections using the second set of range/Doppler scatterer detections.

14. An apparatus for dual processing, the apparatus comprising:

a radar transceiver to convert a received reflected waveform from receive antenna elements into a digitized receive data flow;

a set of image formation processors to generate a first set of range/Doppler images and a second set of range/Doppler images from the digitized receive data flow from a radar system, wherein the first set of range/Doppler images is processed over a first processing time and the second set of range/Doppler images is processed over a second processing time;

a first clustering algorithm device to generate a first set of range/Doppler/angle object detections based on the first set of range/Doppler images, wherein the first clustering algorithm device is coupled to the set of image formation processors;

a second clustering algorithm device to generate a second set of range/Doppler/angle object detections based on the second set of range/Doppler images, wherein the second clustering algorithm device is coupled to the set of image formation processors; and

a fused tracking processor, coupled to the first clustering algorithm device and the second clustering algorithm device, to generate a set of range/Doppler/angle object tracks for stationary and moving objects from the first set of range/Doppler/angle object detections and the second set of range/Doppler/angle object detections.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first clustering algorithm device clusters a first set of range/Doppler/angle scatterer detections from the first set of range/Doppler images formed over processing time intervals of a fixed duration, into the first set of range/Doppler/angle object detections.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the second clustering algorithm device clusters a second set of range/Doppler/angle scatterer detections from the second set of range/Doppler images formed over processing time intervals during which the radar system travels a fixed distance, into the second set of range/Doppler/angle object detections.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a first detection processor to generate a first set of range/Doppler scatterer detections to mitigate against the impact of receiver noise on the radar system, and a second detection processor to generate a second set of range/Doppler scatterer detections to mitigate against the impact of receiver noise on the radar system.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a first direction of arrival (DOA) processor to generate the first set of range/Doppler/angle scatterer detections using the first set of range/Doppler scatterer detections and a second direction of arrival (DOA) processor to generate the second set of range/Doppler/angle scatterer detections using the second set of range/Doppler scatterer detections.