IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,253,590
Granted Patent B2
US 12,253,590 · App. 17/640,421 · Granted Mar 18, 2025

Object detection apparatus, object detection method, and computer-readable recording medium

Inventors: Shingo Yamanouchi (Tokyo, JP); Toshiyuki Nomura (Tokyo, JP); Taichi Tanaka (Tokyo, JP); Tatsuya Sumiya (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
G01S13/34G01S13/04
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,253,590
App. No.
17/640,421
Granted
Mar 18, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An object detection apparatus 1000 includes: a transmission unit 1101 , having a transmission antenna, configured to emit a radio wave toward an object using the transmission antenna; a reception unit 1102 , having a reception antenna, configured to receive the radio wave reflected by the object as a reception signal and generate an intermediate frequency signal from the reception signal received; and a processing device 1211 . The processing device 1211 calculates an amplitude distribution of the radio wave reflected by the object on the basis of the placement of the transmission antenna, the placement of the reception antenna, the frequency of the radio wave emitted from the transmission antenna, and the intermediate frequency signal, and furthermore, using a correction operator calculated from a point spread function indicating characteristics of the transmission unit 1101 and the reception unit 1102 , corrects the amplitude distribution calculated.

Claims (35)

1. An object detection apparatus for detecting an object using radio waves, the apparatus comprising:

a transmission antenna;

an oscillator that emits a radio wave toward the object using the transmission antenna;

a reception antenna;

a mixer that receives the radio wave reflected by the object as a reception signal and generates an intermediate frequency signal from the reception signal received;

an interface circuit that outputs the generated intermediate frequency signal; and

a computer that,

calculates an amplitude distribution of the radio wave reflected by the object on the basis of a placement of the transmission antenna, a placement of the reception antenna, a frequency of the radio wave emitted from the transmission antenna, and the intermediate frequency signal;

calculates a point spread function on the basis of the placement of the transmission antenna, the placement of the reception antenna, and the frequency of the radio wave emitted from the transmission antenna;

calculates a pseudoinverse matrix of a matrix that takes the point spread function as an element; and

corrects the amplitude distribution using, as the correction operator, the pseudoinverse matrix.

2. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the computer accepts an input of the correction operator from outside, and corrects the amplitude distribution using the correction operator for which the input is accepted.

3. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the computer divides a specific region or a specific space in which the object is present into a plurality of parts, and corrects the amplitude distribution for each of the parts obtained from the dividing using the parts as defining regions.

4. An object detection method for detecting an object using radio waves, the method comprising,

in an object detection apparatus including a transmission antenna, an oscillator that emits a radio wave toward the object using the transmission antenna, a reception antenna, a mixer receives the radio wave reflected by the object as a reception signal and generates an intermediate frequency signal from the reception signal received, and an interface circuit that outputs the generated intermediate frequency signal:

calculating an amplitude distribution of the radio wave reflected by the object on the basis of a placement of the transmission antenna, a placement of the reception antenna, a frequency of the radio wave emitted from the transmission antenna, and the intermediate frequency signal;

calculating a point spread function on the basis of the placement of the transmission antenna, the placement of the reception antenna, and the frequency of the radio wave emitted from the transmission antenna;

calculating a pseudoinverse matrix of a matrix that takes the point spread function as an element; and

correcting the amplitude distribution using, as the correction operator, the pseudoinverse matrix.

5. The object detection method according to claim 4 ,

wherein in the correcting, an input of the correction operator from outside is accepted, and the amplitude distribution is corrected using the correction operator for which the input is accepted.

6. The object detection method according to claim 4 ,

wherein in the correcting, a specific region or a specific space in which the object is present is divided into a plurality of parts, and the amplitude distribution is corrected for each of the parts obtained from the dividing using the parts as defining regions.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program executable by a computer to detect an object using radio waves, the program including commands for causing the computer to execute,

in an object detection apparatus including a transmission antenna, an oscillator that emits a radio wave toward the object using the transmission antenna, a reception antenna, a mixer receives the radio wave reflected by the object as a reception signal and generates an intermediate frequency signal from the reception signal received, and an interface circuit that outputs the generated intermediate frequency signal:

calculating an amplitude distribution of the radio wave reflected by the object on the basis of a placement of the transmission antenna, a placement of the reception antenna, a frequency of the radio wave emitted from the transmission antenna, and the intermediate frequency signal;

calculating a point spread function on the basis of the placement of the transmission antenna, the placement of the reception antenna, and the frequency of the radio wave emitted from the transmission antenna;

calculating a pseudoinverse matrix of a matrix that takes the point spread function as an element; and

correcting the amplitude distribution using, as the correction operator, the pseudoinverse matrix.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 7 ,

wherein in the correcting, an input of the correction operator from outside is accepted, and the amplitude distribution is corrected using the correction operator for which the input is accepted.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 7 ,

wherein in the correcting, a specific region or a specific space in which the object is present is divided into a plurality of parts, and the amplitude distribution is corrected for each of the parts obtained from the dividing using the parts as defining regions.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 4, 2022
From: YAMANOUCHI, SHINGO; NOMURA, TOSHIYUKI; TANAKA, TAICHI; SUMIYA, TATSUYA
To: NEC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 059169/0159 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220413115A1 · Dec 29, 2022
References Cited (29)
US 5394151A · Knaell · 1995 [cited by examiner]
US 5519605A · Cawlfield · 1996 [cited by examiner]
US 6999025B2 · Poullin · 2006 [cited by examiner]
US 7487068B2 · Chang · 2009 [cited by examiner]
US 9500746B2 · Miles · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 10154363B2 · Ishida · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 10674261B2 · Nakadai · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 11313960B2 · Yamanouchi · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 11619730B2 · Flynn · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 11906650B2 · Yamanouchi · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20040257270A1 · Poullin · 2004 [cited by examiner]
US 20070282546A1 · Chang · 2007 [cited by examiner]
US 20100188528A1 · Iwata et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20140167784A1 · Ahmed · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20170188171A1 · Ishida · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20180088220A1 · Flynn · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20200011986A1 · Yamanouchi · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200077185A1 · Nakadai · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20210033699A1 · Yamanouchi · 2021 [cited by examiner]
JP H03159482A · 1991 [cited by applicant]
JP 2005253702A · 2005 [cited by applicant]
JP 2008142146A · 2008 [cited by applicant]
JP 2010177919A · 2010 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2018147025A1 · 2018 [cited by examiner]
English translation of Written opinion for PCT Application No. PCT/JP2019/035587, mailed on Dec. 3, 2019. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report for PCT Application No. PCT/JP2019/035587, mailed on Dec. 3, 2019. [cited by applicant]
JP Office Action for JP Application No. 2021-545012, mailed on Jun. 6, 2023 with English Translation. [cited by applicant]
Lu Xinfei et al., “High-resolution Radar Imaging Using 2D Deconvolution with Sparse Echo Denoising”, Journal of Radars, Chinese, June of 2018, vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 285-293, DOI: 10.12000/JR17108. [cited by applicant]
Sherif Sayed Ahmed et al., “Near Field mm—Wave Imaging with Multistatic Sparse 2D—Arrays”, 2009 European Radar Conference (EuRAD),2009, pp. 180-183, ISBN:978-1-4244-4747-3. [cited by applicant]