Robust reflection point detection

Abstract

A radar system and method may be based on successively estimating reflection points from strongest to weakest, while adjusting the detection threshold in each iteration based on previous detections and radar pulses.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The subject disclosure relates to radar systems. Background Art

[0002] Vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, airplanes, construction equipment, agricultural equipment, factory equipment, whether user-operated or autonomous) can be equipped with detection systems for monitoring the surrounding environment. Example detection systems can include radar devices for detecting objects / obstacles, tracking objects, and avoiding obstacles. Radar devices can also be used in vehicles to warn users (e.g., drivers or passengers) and / or take evasive action.

[0003] A radar device may include multiple antennas along a given aperture. Sparse arrays can provide high resolution at low cost and low complexity due to the relatively small number of antennas. However, sparse arrays may result in high sidelobes in the array beam pattern. High sidelobes may result in a high probability of false "ghost" detections for low threshold conditions, and / or a high probability of missed detections for high threshold conditions. Therefore, a detection system and method are needed that is robust to high sidelobes in a radar impulse response (e.g., an array beam pattern) and provides a low miss detection probability and a low false "ghost" detection probability. Summary of the invention

[0004] In an exemplary embodiment, a radar system may include a radar device having a sparse array receiving element for receiving a return radar signal and a processing device for performing a beamforming operation on the return radar signal to generate a beamforming spectrum, the beamforming spectrum including superimposed impulse responses having relative power and angle, each impulse response including a corresponding main lobe and a corresponding side lobe. The processing device further compares the beamforming spectrum with a first power threshold, and determines a first tentative detection point as a peak power point in the beamforming spectrum that exceeds the first power threshold at a corresponding angle, determines a first specific detection point as one of the first tentative detection points with the maximum relative power, generates an updated threshold, including centering the impulse response associated with the first specific detection point around the angle of the first specific detection point, multiplying the relative power of the first specific detection point by the impulse response associated with the first specific detection point, and adding the product to the first power threshold. The processing device also compares the beamforming spectrum with the updated power threshold, and determines a second tentative detection point as a peak power point of the beamforming spectrum that exceeds the updated power threshold at a corresponding angle, and determines the second specific detection point as one of the second tentative detection points with the maximum relative power.

[0005] In addition to one or more features described herein, the radar system may also include a processing device that stores the first specific detection point and the second specific detection point in a memory.

[0006] In addition to one or more features described herein, a first specific detection point may correspond to a first target and a second specific detection point may correspond to a second target.

[0007] In addition to one or more features described herein, the beamformed spectrum may include two superimposed impulse responses, wherein a first tentative detection point may correspond to a main lobe of both impulse responses and a second tentative detection point may correspond to a main lobe of one impulse response.

[0008] In addition to one or more features described herein, the first particular detection point may correspond to one of the two impulse responses and the second particular detection point may correspond to the other of the two impulse responses.

[0009] In addition to one or more features described herein, multiplying the relative power of the first particular detection point by the impulse response associated with the first particular detection point may include multiplying a main lobe of the impulse response associated with the first particular detection point.

[0010] In addition to one or more features described herein, multiplying the relative power of the first particular detection point by the impulse response associated with the first particular detection point may include multiplying a sidelobe of the impulse response associated with the first particular detection point.

[0011]

[0013] In addition to one or more features described herein, the first power threshold may include a fixed power threshold at all angles of the beamforming spectrum.

[0012] In another exemplary embodiment, a radar system may include a radar device having a sparse array receiving element for receiving a return radar signal and a processing device. The processing device may be configured to perform a beamforming operation on the return radar signal to generate a beamforming spectrum including superimposed impulse responses having relative power and angle, each impulse response having a respective main lobe and a respective side lobe. The processing device may also be configured to iteratively perform a detection routine, the detection routine including performing a first stage detection, the first stage detection including comparing the beamforming spectrum with an effective power threshold, and determining a tentative detection point as a peak power point in the beamforming spectrum that exceeds the effective power threshold at a corresponding angle, performing a second stage detection, the second stage detection including determining a certain detection point as one of the tentative detection points having the maximum relative power, and updating the active power threshold for subsequent iterations of the detection routine by centering the impulse response associated with the specific detection point around the angle of the specific detection point, multiplying the relative power of the specific detection point by the impulse response associated with the specific detection point, and adding the product to the active power threshold.

[0013] In addition to one or more features described herein, the detection routine may include storing specific detection points in a memory.

[0014] In addition to one or more features described herein, each impulse response can correspond to a respective target.

[0015]

[0013] In addition to one or more features described herein, the tentative detection points may correspond to lobes of the impulse response.

[0016] In addition to one or more features described herein, multiplying the relative power of the particular detection point by the impulse response associated with the particular detection point may include multiplying a main lobe of the impulse response associated with the particular detection point.

[0017] In addition to one or more features described herein, multiplying the relative power of the particular detection point by the impulse response associated with the particular detection point may include multiplying a sidelobe of the impulse response associated with the particular detection point.

[0018]

[0013] In addition to one or more features described herein, during a first iteration of the detection routine, the effective power threshold may include a fixed power threshold at all angles of the beamforming spectrum.

[0019] In another exemplary embodiment, a method for target detection using a radar system may include receiving a return radar signal using a radar device having a sparse array receiving element, performing a beamforming operation on the return radar signal to generate a beamforming spectrum, the beamforming spectrum including superimposed impulse responses having relative power and angle, each impulse response including a corresponding main lobe and a corresponding side lobe. The method may also include comparing the beamforming spectrum with a first power threshold, determining a first tentative detection point as a peak power point in the beamforming spectrum that exceeds the first power threshold at a corresponding angle, determining a first specific detection point as one of the first tentative detection points with the maximum relative power, generating an updated threshold, including centering the impulse response associated with the first specific detection point around the angle of the first specific detection point, multiplying the relative power of the first specific detection point by the impulse response associated with the first specific detection point, and adding the product to the first power threshold, comparing the beamforming spectrum with the updated power threshold, and determining a second tentative detection point as a peak power point of the beamforming spectrum that exceeds the updated power threshold at the corresponding angle, and determining the second specific detection point as one of the second tentative detection points with the maximum relative power.

[0020] In addition to one or more features described herein, the method may further include storing the first specific detection point and the second specific detection point in a memory.

[0021] In addition to one or more features described herein, a first specific detection point may correspond to a first target and a second specific detection point may correspond to a second target.

[0022] In addition to one or more features described herein, the beamformed spectrum may include two superimposed impulse responses, and the first tentative detection point may correspond to a main lobe of the two impulse responses and the second tentative detection point may correspond to a main lobe of one impulse response.

[0023]

[0013] In addition to one or more features described herein, the first power threshold may include a fixed power threshold at all angles of the beamforming spectrum.

[0024] The above features and advantages and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Other features, advantages and details appear by way of example only in the following detailed description, which refers to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] Figure 1 Depicted is a vehicle including a radar system according to one or more embodiments;

[0027] Figure 2 depicts a radar system according to one or more embodiments;

[0028] Figure 3 A process flow is shown that illustrates a method for detecting a precise reflection point in the presence of high side lobes in accordance with one or more embodiments;

[0029] Figure 4 depicts an exemplary sparse array radar antenna according to one or more embodiments; and

[0030] Figure 5 Depicted is a graph illustrating threshold determination in accordance with one or more embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

[0032] According to one or more exemplary embodiments, methods and systems for detecting precise reflection points in the presence of high side-lobes are described herein. More specifically, a detection system and method are described herein that is robust to high side-lobes in radar pulse responses and provides a low probability of miss detection and a low probability of false "ghost" detection.

[0033] For example, the detection system and method can be based on continuously estimating the reflection points from the strongest to the weakest, while adjusting the detection threshold in each iteration based on the previous detection and the shape of the radar pulse response. In this regard, the detection system and method achieve low miss detection and low false detection rate when the minimum number of antenna elements produces high side lobes and in a sparse array with high resolution.

[0034] Figure 1 One embodiment of a vehicle 10 is shown that includes a vehicle body 12 that at least partially defines a passenger compartment 14. Figure 1 1 is shown as a car, but the vehicle 10 can be any truck, aircraft, construction equipment, farm equipment, factory equipment, etc., whether user-operated or autonomously operated. Therefore, the vehicle and body 12 are not limiting.

[0035] The vehicle body 12 may support various vehicle subsystems, including the engine assembly 16 and other subsystems to support the functions of the engine assembly 16 and other vehicle components, such as a braking subsystem, a steering subsystem, a fuel injection subsystem, an exhaust subsystem, and the like.

[0036] The vehicle 10 includes one or more aspects of a detection system 20 for detecting objects / obstacles, tracking objects, and avoiding obstacles, which may be used to warn a user, perform avoidance maneuvers, assist a user in controlling, and / or assist in autonomously controlling the vehicle 10. The detection system 20 includes one or more radar sensing components 22 (e.g., radar devices), each of which may include one or more transmitting elements and / or one or more receiving elements (e.g., a sparse array with an average spacing between antennas greater than half a wavelength). Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle 10 may include a plurality of radar sensing assemblies 22 disposed at various locations on the vehicle body 12 and having various angular orientations.

[0037] Embodiments of the detection system 20 are configured to estimate the position and / or velocity of a target. A target may be any feature or condition that reflects a transmitted radar signal, such as another vehicle, person, road sign, tree, road feature, road obstacle, etc.

[0038] For example, each radar sensing assembly 22 includes a transmitting portion and a receiving portion. The transmitting and receiving portions may include separate transmitting and receiving arrays or have a shared array in a transceiver configuration. Each radar sensing assembly 22 may include components and features, such as a sparse array, a low pass filter (LPF), a controller, and / or other processing devices. In addition, each radar sensing assembly 22 executes one or more software or firmware programs, combinational logic circuits, and / or other suitable components that provide the functionality described via a controller and / or other processing device.

[0039] The radar sensing assembly 22 communicates with one or more processing devices, such as a processing device in each assembly and / or a remote processing device, such as an onboard processor 24 and / or a remote processor 26. The remote processor 26 may be, for example, part of a mapping system or a vehicle diagnostic system. The vehicle 10 may also include a user interaction system 28 and other components, such as a GPS device.

[0040] The detection system 20 is generally configured to acquire radar signals, and process and analyze the radar signals to estimate the position and / or velocity of the target. The position and / or velocity is estimated by integrating the acquired signal pulses within a selected time frame. The length of the time frame is selected to provide the desired resolution. As discussed further below, the detection system 20 provides accurate reflection point detection in the presence of high side lobes. More specifically, the detection system 20 is robust to high side lobes and provides a low probability of missed detection and a low probability of false "ghost" detection.

[0041] Figure 2 Various aspects of an embodiment of a computer system 30 are shown that communicates with or is part of the detection system 20 and can perform various aspects of the embodiments described herein. The computer system 30 includes at least one processing device 32, which generally includes one or more processors for performing aspects of the radar detection and analysis methods described herein. The processing device 32 can be integrated into the vehicle 10, such as as an on-board processor 24, or can be a processing device separate from the vehicle 10, such as a server, a personal computer, or a mobile device (such as a smartphone or tablet). For example, the processing device 32 can be part of or communicate with one or more engine control units (ECUs), one or more vehicle control modules, a cloud computing device, a vehicle satellite communication system, and / or others. The processing device 32 can be configured to perform the radar detection and analysis methods described herein, and can also perform functions related to the control of various vehicle subsystems.

[0042] Components of computer system 30 include processing device 32 (e.g., one or more processors or processing units) and system memory 34. System memory 34 may include various computer system readable media. Such media may be any available media that can be accessed by processing device 32, and includes volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

[0043] For example, the system memory 34 includes non-volatile memory 36 such as a hard disk drive, and may also include volatile memory 38 such as random access memory (RAM) and / or cache memory. The computer system 30 may also include other removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile computer system / readable storage media. The computer system / readable storage media used herein should not be construed as transient signals, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through waveguides or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses through fiber optic cables), or electrical signals transmitted through wires.

[0044] The system memory 34 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules configured to perform the functions of the embodiments described herein. For example, the system memory 34 stores various program modules 40 that generally perform the functions and / or methods of the embodiments described herein. For example, a receiver module 42 may be included to perform functions associated with acquiring and processing received signals, and an analysis module 44 may be included to perform functions associated with position estimation and ranging. The system memory 34 may also store various data structures 46, such as data files or other structures storing data associated with radar detection and analysis. Examples of such data include sampled return signals, radar pulse responses, array beam patterns, frequency data, range-Doppler maps, range maps, and target position, speed, and / or azimuth data. As used herein, the term "module" refers to a processing circuit, which may include a dedicated integrated circuit, an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or grouped) and a memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and / or other suitable components that provide the functions.

[0045] The processing device 32 may also communicate with one or more external devices 48, such as a keyboard, pointing device, and / or any device that enables the processing device 32 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., a network card, a modem, etc.). In addition, the processing device 32 may communicate with one or more devices that can be used in conjunction with the detection system 20, such as a global positioning system (GPS) device 50 and a camera 52. The global positioning system device 50 and the camera 52 may be used, for example, in conjunction with the detection system 20 for autonomous control of the vehicle 10. Communication with the various devices may occur through an input / output (I / O) interface 54.

[0046] The processing device 32 may also communicate with one or more networks 56, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and / or a public network (e.g., the Internet) via a network adapter 58. It should be understood that, although not shown, other hardware and / or software components may be used in conjunction with the computer system 30. Examples include, but are not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, and data archival storage systems, etc.

[0047] Figure 3 According to one or more embodiments, Figure 1 Various aspects of an embodiment of a process flow 300 of a detection system 20 (e.g., a computer-implemented method) include detecting an accurate reflection point in the presence of a high side lobe. In this regard, the process flow 300 may be arranged in Figure 1 The process may be performed by one or more processors (e.g., onboard processor 24 and / or remote processor 26) in or in communication with vehicle 10. For purposes of illustration, the process may be performed by one or more processors (e.g., onboard processor 24 and / or remote processor 26) in or in communication with vehicle 10. Figure 1 The detection system 20 and Figure 2 The processing flow 300 is discussed with reference to the components shown. Figure 4 The sparse array 400 of radar devices 22 and Figure 5 The process flow 300 is discussed with reference to various example diagrams of FIG. 300. Note that various aspects of the process flow 300 can be performed by any suitable processing device or system.

[0048] Process flow 300 begins at block 305, where the sparse array receives return radar signals reflected from one or more reflection points of a target. For example, radar sensing assembly 22 may include, for example, Figure 4An exemplary sparse array 400 is shown. The sparse array 400 may include an aperture 401 and a plurality of linearly arranged antennas 402, with an average spacing of the antennas 402 being greater than half a wavelength λ. One or more receive signals pass through the aperture 401 and are received by the one or more antennas 402, whereupon they are subjected to a beamforming operation. An exemplary beamforming operation may include a Bartlett beamforming algorithm. Alternative beamforming algorithms may be employed within the scope of the present disclosure, the Bartlett beamforming algorithm being merely exemplary and not limiting. The output of the beamforming operation for each received radar signal may be referred to as a beamforming spectrum, which is typically expressed as relative power as a function of direction to the antenna. In the presence of multiple targets, the output of the beamforming operation is a superposition of individual impulse responses from all corresponding reflection points. For purposes of the present disclosure, beamforming spectra and impulse responses may be typically graphically represented as relative power [dB] along the vertical axis and angle [degrees] along the horizontal axis. For example, a beamforming spectrum (e.g. Figure 5 The single target impulse response 408 shown in the graph 405 of FIG. 404 may include a main lobe 406 and one or more side lobes 407. According to one or more embodiments, the beamforming spectrum including the superimposed multiple target impulse responses is sequentially processed through multiple iterations of blocks 320, 325, 330, 335, and 340.

[0049] At block 310, an initial power threshold may be set. The initial threshold may be set automatically or by a user to a value above, for example, an average noise energy level. Figure 5 The initial threshold 411 in the graph 410 of Figure 1 4. The initial threshold 411 may be set by software or firmware program logic within the radar sensing assembly 22 of the radar sensing assembly 22, or by a user who manually configures the radar sensing assembly 22. The initial threshold 411 may be set prior to the operation of block 305. The initial threshold 411 may be set by the software or firmware of the radar sensing assembly 22 to, for example, 8 dB above the noise variance. In some cases, the software or firmware may be initialized by using a default fixed low level threshold that is slightly above the noise variance. The low level threshold may be about 8 dB above the noise variance or lower. The initial threshold 411 is understood to be substantially fixed at all angles, as indicated by the horizontal dashed line setting shown in the graph 410.

[0050] At block 320, all points in the beamforming spectrum that are above an active threshold are identified. The operation of block 320 may be viewed as a first stage to obtain a tentative detection of all points in the beamforming spectrum that are above the active threshold. In the first iteration, the active threshold is the fixed initial threshold 411. Thus, referring to FIG. 410, for points that exceed the fixed initial threshold 411, the beamforming spectrum of the superimposed first impulse response 412 (solid line) and the second impulse response 422 (dashed line) is evaluated. It should be appreciated that the graph 410 shows the main lobe and side lobes of each of the first impulse response 412 and the second impulse response 422. Lobe 413 contains points that exceed the fixed initial threshold 411, and each lobe 413 has a corresponding peak point that is considered a tentative detection point. The fixed initial threshold 411, which is set above the noise variance, ensures tentative detection above the noise level. Lobe 415 does not contain points above the fixed initial threshold and is therefore not considered for tentative detection.

[0051] Thus, at box 320, the effective threshold establishes a first stage metric for determining peak points corresponding to tentative detections, where each tentative detection point corresponds to each peak point above the effective threshold. In the initial iteration, the effective threshold corresponds to the fixed initial threshold 411. The process flow 300 receives the result from box 320 at decision box 325. If no tentative detection point is determined at box 320, decision box 325 directs the process flow 300 to box 326, where the process flow ends. Otherwise, the tentative detection point determined at box 320 is provided to further operation of the software or firmware program within the radar sensing assembly 22, and the process flow 300 proceeds to the second stage box 330.

[0052] At block 330, a tentative detection point with the greatest relative power is identified. Figure 5 As shown in the graph 410 of FIG. 4 , the main lobe 414 of the first impulse response 412 of the beamforming spectrum corresponds to a tentative detection with the maximum relative power at the peak point. Therefore, the tentative detection point at the lobe 414 is designated as the first specific detection point in the current iteration of the second stage. Therefore, the second stage of block 330 is to iteratively determine a specific detection point, which corresponds to the first stage tentative detection point with the maximum relative power. The tentative detection point with the maximum relative power is considered to have the highest reliability among the tentative detection points in the current iteration, and is therefore determined as the first specific detection point.

[0053] Then, at blocks 335 and 340 , the first specific detection point and its corresponding relative power and angle are provided to further operation of a software or firmware program within the radar sensing assembly 22 .

[0054] At block 335, the first specific detection point and its corresponding relative power and angle are added to a detection list, e.g., stored in Figure 1 in the system memory 34 of the vehicle 10 .

[0055] At block 340, the first impulse response 412 in this example and iteration is accumulated onto an effective threshold (i.e., the fixed initial threshold 411 in this example and iteration). In this regard, the first impulse response 412 is centered at an angle from the particular detection point of block 330, and the fixed initial threshold 411 is multiplied by the relative power of the first impulse response 412. According to one or more embodiments, as Figure 5 As shown in the graph 420 of , the fixed initial threshold 411 and the product of the multiplication are added, and an updated threshold 421 is generated based on the accumulation. At block 320, the updated threshold 421 is provided to further operation of the software or firmware program within the radar sensing assembly 22 for subsequent use in at least another iteration.

[0056] At block 320, the next iteration of process flow 300 begins. According to one or more embodiments, for the exemplary second iteration of block 320, all points of the beamforming spectrum are evaluated for points that exceed the updated threshold 421. It should be appreciated that graph 425 illustrates the main lobe and side lobes of each of the first impulse response 412 and the second impulse response 422, which, in the previous iteration, were compared to the fixed initial threshold 411 as described herein. It should now be appreciated that, with the updated threshold as described above, the main lobe and side lobes of the first impulse response 412 will be below the updated threshold 421. Figure 5 In the current example in the graph 425 of FIG. 4 , lobe 413 contains points that exceed the updated threshold 421 and have corresponding peak points that are considered tentative detection points for the current iteration. Lobe 415 does not contain points above the updated threshold 421 and is therefore not considered for tentative impulse response detection in the current iteration. Therefore, at block 320, the effective threshold establishes a first stage metric for the effective iteration for determining peak points corresponding to tentative detections, where each tentative detection point corresponds to each peak point above the effective threshold. In the current iteration, the effective threshold corresponds to the updated threshold 421. Process flow 300 receives the result from block 320 at decision block 325. If no tentative detection point for the current iteration is determined at block 320, decision block 325 directs process flow 300 to block 326, terminating the process flow. Otherwise, the tentative detection point for the current iteration determined at block 320 is provided to further operation of the software or firmware program within radar sensing assembly 22, and process flow 300 proceeds to second stage block 330 for the current iteration.

[0057] At block 330, a tentative detection point for the current iteration having the maximum relative power is identified. Figure 5 As shown in the graph 425 of FIG. 4 , the main lobe 416 of the second impulse response 422 of the beamforming spectrum corresponds to the tentative detection for the current iteration, and the peak point has the largest relative power. Therefore, the tentative detection point at the lobe 416 is designated as the second specific detection point in the current iteration of the second stage. The tentative detection point with the largest relative power is considered to have the highest reliability among the tentative detection points in the current iteration, and is therefore determined as the first specific detection point.

[0058] Then, at blocks 335 and 340 , the second specific detection point and its corresponding relative power and angle are provided to further operation of a software or firmware program within the radar sensing assembly 22 .

[0059] At block 335, the second specific detection point and its corresponding relative power and angle are added to the detection list, e.g., stored in Figure 1 in the system memory 34 of the vehicle 10 .

[0060] At block 340, the second impulse response 422 of the multi-target impulse response in this example and iteration is accumulated onto an effective threshold (i.e., an updated threshold 421 in this example and iteration). In this regard, the second impulse response 422 is centered at the angle of the second specific detection point from block 330, and the effective threshold is multiplied by the relative power of the second impulse response 422. According to one or more embodiments, the product of the effective threshold and the multiplication is added, and a new threshold for subsequent iterations is generated from the accumulation. At block 320, the new threshold is provided to further operations of the software or firmware program within the radar sensing assembly 22 for subsequent use in at least another iteration.

[0061] It will therefore be appreciated that successive iterations update the threshold for which the detection point is determined. The threshold update is implemented as a function of the detection point of the previous iteration and is effectively used to filter out previously detected points and corresponding impulse response sidelobes during the current iteration detection point determination.

[0062] According to the integration of any possible technical details, the embodiments of this article can be systems, methods and / or computer program products. The computer program product may include a computer-readable storage medium (or multiple media) having computer-readable program instructions thereon, for causing a processor to perform various aspects of the embodiments of this article.

[0063] Computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can save and store instructions for use by instruction execution devices. Computer readable storage medium can be, for example, but not limited to, electronic storage devices, magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, electromagnetic storage devices, semiconductor storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of computer readable storage medium includes the following: portable computer disk, hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), static random access memory (SRAM), portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), memory stick, floppy disk, mechanical encoding device, such as a punch card or a convex structure in a groove on which instructions are recorded, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. The computer readable storage medium used here should not be interpreted as a transient signal itself, such as a radio wave or other freely propagating electromagnetic wave, an electromagnetic wave propagated by a waveguide or other transmission medium (e.g., a light pulse by a fiber optic cable), or an electrical signal transmitted by a wire.

[0064] The computer-readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded from a computer-readable storage medium to a corresponding computing / processing device, or downloaded to an external computer or external storage device via a network (e.g., the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, and / or a wireless network). The network may include copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmissions, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and / or edge servers. The network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing device receives the computer-readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer-readable program instructions to be stored in a computer-readable storage medium in the corresponding computing / processing device.

[0065] The computer-readable program instructions for performing the operation of the embodiments herein can be assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-related instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, configuration data of integrated circuits, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including target-oriented programming languages, such as Smalltalk, C++, etc., and process programming languages, such as "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions can be completely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as an independent software package, partly on the user's computer, partly on a remote computer, or completely on a remote computer or server. In the latter case, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or can be connected to an external computer (for example, by using the Internet of an Internet service provider). In some embodiments, the electronic circuit including, for example, a programmable logic circuit, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or a programmable logic array (PLA) can be personalized electronic circuits to perform computer-readable program instructions by utilizing the state information of the computer-readable program instructions, so as to perform the aspects of the embodiments herein.

[0066] The present invention describes various aspects of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems) and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that each frame of the flowchart and / or block diagram and the combination of frames in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

[0067] These computer-readable program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device create a device for implementing the functions / actions specified in one or more boxes of the flowchart and / or block diagram. These computer-readable program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which can instruct a computer, a programmable data processing device, and / or other devices to operate in a specific manner, so that the computer-readable storage medium having the instructions stored therein includes an article of manufacture, which includes instructions for implementing various aspects of the functions / actions specified in one or more boxes of the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0068] Computer-readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operating steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device, thereby producing a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions / actions specified in one or more boxes of the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0069] The flow chart and block diagram in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architecture, function and operation of the system, method and computer program product according to various embodiments.In this regard, each block in the flow chart or block diagram can represent a module, segment or instruction portion, which includes one or more executable instructions for realizing a specified logical function.In some replaceable embodiments, the function marked in the box may not occur in the order marked in the figure.For example, the two frames shown in succession can actually be performed substantially simultaneously, or these frames can sometimes be performed in reverse order, depending on the function involved.It will also be noted that each block of the block diagram and / or flow chart description and the combination of the blocks in the block diagram and / or flow chart description can be realized by a system based on special-purpose hardware, which performs a specified function or action or performs a combination of special-purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0070] The terms used herein are intended only to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that when used in this specification, the terms "include" and / or "have" specify the presence of stated features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, element components and / or groups thereof.

[0071] Although the above disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for its elements without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt specific circumstances or materials to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the basic scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but will include all embodiments falling within its scope.

Claims

1. A radar system comprising: Radar equipment including a sparse array receiving element for receiving returning radar signals; and Processing equipment, configured to: Performing a beamforming operation on the returned radar signal to generate a beamforming spectrum, wherein the beamforming spectrum includes superimposed impulse responses, the superimposed impulse responses include relative power and angle, and each impulse response includes a corresponding main lobe and a corresponding side lobe; and The detection routine is iteratively performed, including: performing a first stage detection, including comparing the beamformed spectrum with an effective power threshold, and determining a tentative detection point as a peak power point in the beamformed spectrum that exceeds the effective power threshold at a corresponding angle; performing a second stage detection, including determining a particular detection point as one of the tentative detection points having a maximum relative power; and The effective power threshold for subsequent iterations of the detection routine is updated by centering the impulse response associated with the particular detection point about an angle of the particular detection point, multiplying the relative power of the particular detection point by the impulse response associated with the particular detection point, and adding the product to the effective power threshold.

2. The radar system of claim 1, wherein each impulse response corresponds to a respective target.

3. The radar system according to claim 1: The tentative detection points correspond to the lobes of the impulse response.

4. The radar system according to claim 1: Wherein multiplying the relative power of the specific detection point by the impulse response associated with the specific detection point includes multiplying the main lobe of the impulse response associated with the specific detection point.

5. The radar system according to claim 1: Wherein multiplying the relative power of the specific detection point by the impulse response associated with the specific detection point includes multiplying the side lobe of the impulse response associated with the specific detection point.

6. The radar system according to claim 1, wherein: During a first iteration of the detection routine, the effective power threshold comprises a fixed power threshold at all angles of the beamforming spectrum.

7. A method for target detection using a radar system, comprising: receiving a returning radar signal with a radar device including a sparse array receiving element; Performing a beamforming operation on the returned radar signal to generate a beamforming spectrum including superimposed impulse responses, wherein the superimposed impulse responses include relative power and angle, and each impulse response includes a corresponding main lobe and a corresponding side lobe; comparing the beamformed spectrum to a first power threshold, and determining a first tentative detection point as a peak power point in the beamformed spectrum that exceeds the first power threshold at a corresponding angle; determining the first specific detection point as one of the first tentative detection points having the maximum relative power; generating an updated power threshold, including centering an impulse response associated with a first specific detection point about an angle at the first specific detection point, multiplying a relative power at the first specific detection point by the impulse response associated with the first specific detection point, and adding the product to the first power threshold; comparing the beamformed spectrum to the updated power threshold and determining a second tentative detection point as a peak power point of the beamformed spectrum that exceeds the updated power threshold at a corresponding angle; and The second specific detection point is determined to be one of the second tentative detection points having the maximum relative power.

8. The method for target detection using a radar system according to claim 7: The first specific detection point corresponds to the first target, and the second specific detection point corresponds to the second target.

9. The method for target detection using a radar system according to claim 7: wherein the beamformed spectrum comprises two superimposed impulse responses; and The first tentative detection point corresponds to the main lobes of the two impulse responses, and the second tentative detection point corresponds to the main lobe of one of the impulse responses.

10. The method for target detection using a radar system according to claim 7: The first power threshold comprises a fixed power threshold at all angles of the beamforming spectrum.

Images