Granted Patent B2

US 12,326,515 · App. 17/685,668 · Granted Jun 10, 2025

Inventors: Dongyin Ren (East Brunswick, NJ); Ryan Haoyun Wu (San Jose, CA); Satish Ravindran (Santa Clara, CA)

Assignee: NXP B.V.

G01S7/282G01S7/414G01S13/89

Abstract

Claims (65)

1. A radar system, comprising:

a radio-frequency (RF) transmitter unit connected to a single frequency-scanning transmit antenna which is configured to transmit a linear chirp signal comprising a sequence of chirp signals by sweeping a transmit energy focus across a transmit angle space with each chirp signal;

an RF receiver unit connected to a single frequency-scanning receive antenna and configured to generate digital output signals from one or more target return signals comprising a sequence of target return chirp signals received in response to the linear chirp signal, where the single frequency-scanning receive antenna is configured to receive the one or more target return signals by sweeping a receive energy focus across a receive angle space with each target return chirp signal, and wherein the single frequency-scanning receive antenna comprises a composite right/left-handed leaky wave metamaterial antenna array structure formed with a stack of dielectric layers and patterned conductive layers to provide beam steering across a predetermined receive frequency range; and

a radar control processing unit connected and configured to control the RF transmitter unit and the RF receiver unit;

wherein the radar control processing unit is configured to extract target range-angle information from each target return chirp signal by applying time-frequency analysis processing to the digital output signals to generate a first range-angle map which includes range-biased angle information, and then applying a group delay compensation process to generate a second range-angle map which includes target range-angle information that is generated by selectively adjusting the range-biased angular information in the first range-angle map with an angular adjustment.

2. The radar system of claim 1 , wherein the single frequency-scanning transmit antenna comprises a composite right/left-handed leaky wave metamaterial antenna array structure formed with a stack of dielectric layers and patterned conductive layers to provide beam steering across a predetermined transmit frequency range.

3. The radar system of claim 1 , where applying group delay compensation processing comprises applying a Fourier domain group delay compensation process by:

transforming the first range-angle map into a first Fourier domain map;

calculating or retrieving phase rotation compensation values for each row of the first Fourier domain map;

applying the phase rotation compensation values to each row of the first Fourier domain map to generate a second Fourier domain map; and

transforming the second Fourier domain map into the second range-angle map.

4. The radar system of claim 1 , where applying group delay compensation processing comprises applying a sample domain group delay compensation process by calculating or retrieving angle compensation values for each row of the first range-angle map and applying the angle compensation values to each row of the first range-angle map to generate the second range-angle map.

5. The radar system of claim 1 , where applying group delay compensation processing comprises applying a detection-only Fourier domain group delay compensation process by:

identifying any target peak detections in the first range-angle map;

transforming the first range-angle map into a first Fourier domain map;

calculating or retrieving phase rotation compensation values for each row of the first Fourier domain map;

applying the phase rotation compensation values only to one or more rows of the first Fourier domain map which correspond to the target peak detections to generate a second Fourier domain map; and

transforming the second Fourier domain map into the second range-angle map.

6. The radar system of claim 1 , where applying group delay compensation processing comprises applying a detection-only sample domain group delay compensation process by:

identifying any target peak detections in the first range-angle map;

calculating or retrieving angle compensation values for each row of the first range-angle map; and

applying the angle compensation values only to one or more rows of the first range-angle map which correspond to the target peak detections to generate the second range-angle map.

7. A method for operating a radar system, comprising:

transmitting, from a single frequency-scanning transmit antenna, a linear chirp signal comprising a sequence of chirp signals by sweeping a transmit energy focus of the single frequency-scanning transmit antenna across a transmit angle space with each chirp signal;

generating digital output signals from one or more target return signals received at a single frequency-scanning receive antenna in response to the linear chirp signal by sweeping a receive energy focus of the single frequency-scanning receive antenna across a receive angle space with each target return chirp signal; and

processing the digital output signals at a radar control processing unit to extract target range-angle information from each target return chirp signal by applying time-frequency analysis processing to the digital output signals to generate a first range-angle map which includes range-biased angle information, and then applying a group delay compensation process to generate a second range-angle map which includes target range-angle information that is generated by selectively adjusting the range-biased angular information in the first range-angle map with an angular adjustment; and

receiving one or more target return signals at the single frequency-scanning receive antenna by applying each target return chirp signal to a composite right/left-handed leaky wave metamaterial antenna array structure to provide beam steering across a predetermined receive frequency range.

8. The method of claim 7 , where transmitting the linear chirp signal from the single frequency-scanning transmit antenna comprises applying each chirp signal to a composite right/left-handed leaky wave metamaterial antenna array structure to provide beam steering across a predetermined transmit frequency range.

9. The method of claim 7 , where applying group delay compensation processing comprises applying a Fourier domain group delay compensation process by:

transforming the first range-angle map into a first Fourier domain map;

calculating or retrieving phase rotation compensation values for each row of the first Fourier domain map;

applying the phase rotation compensation values to each row of the first Fourier domain map to generate a second Fourier domain map; and

transforming the second Fourier domain map into the second range-angle map.

10. The method of claim 7 , where applying group delay compensation processing comprises applying a sample domain group delay compensation process by calculating or retrieving angle compensation values for each row of the first range-angle map and applying the angle compensation values to each row of the first range-angle map to generate the second range-angle map.

11. The method of claim 7 , where applying group delay compensation processing comprises applying a detection-only Fourier domain group delay compensation process by:

identifying any target peak detections in the first range-angle map;

transforming the first range-angle map into a first Fourier domain map;

calculating or retrieving phase rotation compensation values for each row of the first Fourier domain map;

applying the phase rotation compensation values only to one or more rows of the first Fourier domain map which correspond to the target peak detections to generate a second Fourier domain map; and

transforming the second Fourier domain map into the second range-angle map.

12. The method of claim 7 , where applying group delay compensation processing comprises applying a detection-only sample domain group delay compensation process by:

identifying any target peak detections in the first range-angle map;

calculating or retrieving angle compensation values for each row of the first range-angle map; and

applying the angle compensation values only to one or more rows of the first range-angle map which correspond to the target peak detections to generate the second range-angle map.

13. A radar apparatus, comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a sequence of linear chirp signals from a single frequency-scanning transmit antenna at a radio-frequency (RF) transmitter unit by sweeping a transmit energy focus of the single frequency-scanning transmit antenna across a transmit angle space with each chirp signal, wherein the single frequency-scanning receive antenna comprises a composite right/left-handed leaky wave metamaterial antenna array structure formed with a stack of dielectric layers and patterned conductive layers to provide beam steering across a predetermined receive frequency range;

a receiver configured to produce digital output signals from one or more target return signals received in response to the sequence of linear chirp signals; and

a digital signal processor configured to process the digital output signals to extract target range-angle information by applying time-frequency analysis processing to the digital output signals to generate a first range-angle map which includes range-biased angle information, and then applying a group delay compensation process to generate a second range-angle map which includes target range-angle information that is generated by selectively adjusting the range-biased angular information in the first range-angle map with an angular adjustment.

14. The radar apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the single frequency-scanning transmit antenna and the single frequency-scanning receive antenna each comprise a composite right/left-handed leaky wave metamaterial antenna array structure formed with a stack of dielectric layers and patterned conductive layers to provide beam steering across a predetermined frequency range.

15. The radar apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the digital signal processor is configured to apply a Fourier domain group delay compensation process by:

transforming the first range-angle map into a first Fourier domain map;

calculating or retrieving phase rotation compensation values for each row of the first Fourier domain map;

applying the phase rotation compensation values to each row of the first Fourier domain map to generate a second Fourier domain map; and

transforming the second Fourier domain map into the second range-angle map.

16. The radar apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the digital signal processor is configured to apply a sample domain group delay compensation process by calculating or retrieving angle compensation values for each row of the first range-angle map and applying the angle compensation values to each row of the first range-angle map to generate the second range-angle map.

17. The radar apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the digital signal processor is configured to apply a detection-only Fourier domain group delay compensation process by:

identifying any target peak detections in the first range-angle map;

transforming the first range-angle map into a first Fourier domain map;

calculating or retrieving phase rotation compensation values for each row of the first Fourier domain map;

applying the phase rotation compensation values only to one or more rows of the first Fourier domain map which correspond to the target peak detections to generate a second Fourier domain map; and

transforming the second Fourier domain map into the second range-angle map.

18. The radar apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the digital signal processor is configured to apply a detection-only sample domain group delay compensation process by:

identifying any target peak detections in the first range-angle map;

calculating or retrieving angle compensation values for each row of the first range-angle map; and

applying the angle compensation values only to one or more rows of the first range-angle map which correspond to the target peak detections to generate the second range-angle map.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (9)