Radar antenna arrangement method and apparatus, radar and electronic device

Abstract

The application provides a radar antenna arrangement method and device, a radar and electronic equipment, and relates to the technical field of radars.The method comprises the following steps: acquiring a beam pattern of a long-distance antenna and a short-distance antenna of a radar; determining direction information corresponding to the intersection of the signal amplitudes of the long-distance antenna and the short-distance antenna according to the beam pattern; determining the distance between the array center positions of the long-distance antenna and the short-distance antenna when the joint amplitude at the amplitude intersection point meets the non-zero point amplitude condition based on the direction information, and obtaining a center distance; wherein the center distance is used to indicate the arrangement positions of the long-distance antenna and the short-distance antenna.The technical scheme provided by the application can realize the simultaneous detection of long-distance and short-distance areas when the long-distance antenna and the short-distance antenna work simultaneously, and improves the utilization rate of radar resources.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of radar, and in particular to a radar antenna array arrangement method and device, a radar, and an electronic device. BACKGROUND

[0002] A radar is a transceiver device for target detection, which can obtain distance, speed, angle, and other information of each detection target by transmitting electromagnetic waves to a detection area space and receiving echo signals returned by the detection target. For example, in the field of transportation, a millimeter wave radar can be used for sensing and detecting targets such as vehicles and pedestrians, and plays an important role in intelligent traffic management and road condition monitoring.

[0003] The detection area of a radar for a road target is usually a long and narrow rectangular area extending in front of the radar. In the related art, a far-near frame switching method can be used on the same radar to achieve detection of the long and narrow rectangular area, that is, a far antenna and a near antenna are used to alternately transmit detection signals to achieve far and near distance detection. This method wastes the transmission power resources of the radar and reduces the utilization rate of the radar antenna resources. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a radar antenna array arrangement method, device, radar, and electronic device to improve the utilization rate of radar antenna resources.

[0005] The present application provides a radar antenna array arrangement method, comprising:

[0006] obtaining a beam pattern of a far antenna and a near antenna of a radar;

[0007] determining direction information corresponding to an amplitude intersection point according to the beam pattern; wherein the amplitude intersection point is an intersection point of signal amplitudes of the far antenna and the near antenna in the beam pattern;

[0008] determining a center distance of the far antenna and the near antenna based on the direction information, the center distance being a distance between array center positions of the far antenna and the near antenna when a joint amplitude at the amplitude intersection point meets a non-zero point amplitude condition; and the center distance being used to indicate arrangement positions of the far antenna and the near antenna.

[0009] The present application also provides a radar antenna array arrangement device, comprising:

[0010] an obtaining module configured to obtain a beam pattern of a far antenna and a near antenna of a radar;

[0011] The first determining module is used to determine the direction information corresponding to the amplitude intersection point based on the beam pattern; wherein, the amplitude intersection point is the intersection point of the signal amplitudes of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna in the beam pattern;

[0012] The second determining module is used to determine the center distance between the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna based on the direction information. The center distance is the distance between the array center positions of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna when the joint amplitude at the amplitude intersection meets the non-zero amplitude condition. The center distance is used to indicate the array positions of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna.

[0013] The present invention also provides a radar, including a long-range antenna and a short-range antenna, wherein the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna are arranged according to any of the radar antenna array methods described above.

[0014] The present invention also provides an electronic device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the radar antenna array method described above.

[0015] The present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the radar antenna array method as described above.

[0016] The present invention also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the radar antenna array method as described above.

[0017] The radar antenna array method, apparatus, radar, and electronic equipment provided by this invention determine the directional information corresponding to the amplitude intersection point of the long-range and short-range antennas in the beam pattern of the radar's long-range and short-range antennas, and determine the distance between the array center positions of the long-range and short-range antennas based on this directional information, thus obtaining the center distance. This center distance ensures that the joint amplitude at the amplitude intersection point satisfies the non-zero amplitude condition, guaranteeing that the joint amplitude of the long-range and short-range antennas will not reach zero. Therefore, arranging the long-range and short-range antennas according to this center distance ensures that the overlapping coverage area of ​​the beams when the long-range and short-range antennas operate simultaneously will not reach zero, thereby enabling the long-range and short-range antennas to simultaneously perform long-range and short-range detection, i.e., achieving detection in a narrow rectangular area, and improving the utilization rate of radar antenna resources. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of radar detection of a narrow rectangular region in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the beam pattern of a one-dimensional linear array long-range antenna and a short-range antenna in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is one of the flowcharts illustrating the radar antenna array method provided in this embodiment of the invention;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the radar coordinate system in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the phase control principle in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the two-dimensional beam pattern of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 7 This is the second flowchart illustrating the radar antenna array method provided in this embodiment of the invention.

[0026] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the array of a one-dimensional linear array antenna in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the combined antenna beam pattern after the one-dimensional linear array antenna is arranged according to the scheme of the present invention in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 10a This is one of the schematic diagrams of the planar array antenna arrangement in the embodiments of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 10b This is the second schematic diagram of the planar array antenna arrangement in the embodiments of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the radar antenna array device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device provided by the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0033] It should be noted that the serial numbers assigned to components or described objects in this invention, such as "first" and "second", are only used to distinguish the described objects and do not have any sequential or technical meaning.

[0034] The terms involved in the embodiments of this invention include: beam pattern, which refers to the distribution map of the radiated energy of the radar antenna along the directional information in space; null point, which refers to the point in the beam pattern where the gain is 0 or approximately 0.

[0035] When radar detects targets on the road, the detection area is usually a long and narrow rectangular area extending into the distance in front of the radar. The characteristics of the radar antenna determine that its detection area is fan-shaped. In order to detect the long and narrow rectangular area, radars with different detection ranges can be used to detect the far and near areas separately, or the detection of both far and near distances can be achieved on the same radar. Figure 1 An exemplary schematic diagram illustrates the principle of radar detection of a narrow rectangular area, such as... Figure 1 As shown, sector 10 represents the near-range detection area, and sector 20 represents the far-range detection area. The detection of the narrow rectangular area 30 can be achieved through sector 10 and sector 20.

[0036] In related technologies, achieving long-range and short-range detection on the same radar can be achieved using a long-range / short-range frame switching method. That is, the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna alternately transmit radar signals for detection; when the long-range antenna is active, the short-range antenna is off, and vice versa. This operating mode allows only one antenna to work at a time, thus wasting radar transmit power resources and reducing the radar's average transmit power. Furthermore, when a target moves from one area to another, the radar needs to match the tracking results of the same target in both areas, increasing the radar's data processing complexity.

[0037] When both long-range and short-range antennas transmit coherent signals simultaneously, there is interference between them. In this case, the beam pattern transmitted jointly by the two antennas is not equal to the sum of the beam patterns transmitted separately by the two antennas.

[0038] For a one-dimensional linear array radar antenna, such as a one-dimensional array antenna arranged along the x-axis, assuming that the one-dimensional array antenna includes N (N is a positive integer) array elements, and the positions of these array elements are x1, x2, ... x3, ... N Then the normalized contribution of each array element to the θ direction is respectively in λ is the operating wavelength of the radar, and j is the imaginary unit. Assuming that the transmit power of each element of the one-dimensional array antenna is 1, the beamforming of the one-dimensional array antenna is the array output obtained by summing the received signals of each element. The array output can be expressed as the following formula (1):

[0039]

[0040] Where B(k) represents the array output, which is a complex number with amplitude and phase.

[0041] Based on the superposition property of Fourier transform, for two one-dimensional array antennas with N1 and N2 array elements respectively, the array output B(k) of the joint antenna is the sum of the array outputs B1(k) and B2(k) of the two one-dimensional array antennas. Specifically, it can be expressed as the following formula (2):

[0042]

[0043] According to formula (2), the signal received in the θ direction when two one-dimensional array antennas are turned on at the same time is equal to the sum of the signals received in the θ direction when the two one-dimensional array antennas are turned on separately.

[0044] Since the phases of two one-dimensional antenna arrays are not necessarily equal in all directions, the beam pattern of the combined antenna |B(k)| ≠ |B1(k)| + |B2(k)|. That is, the beam pattern of the combined antenna is not equal to the sum of the beam patterns emitted at long and short distances respectively, but depends on the phase relationship between the two beam patterns. For example, Figure 2 The diagram illustrates, for example, the beam patterns of a one-dimensional linear array long-range antenna and a short-range antenna, with reference to... Figure 2 As shown, assuming the phases of the long-range and short-range antennas are opposite, the combined amplitude at the intersection points A and B of the two antenna amplitudes is close to 0, which is not equal to the sum of the beam patterns emitted by the long-range and short-range antennas respectively. Thus, the beams of the long-range and short-range antennas are prone to nulling in the overlapping coverage area, creating undetectable blind spots, thereby preventing complete detection of narrow rectangular areas.

[0045] Based on this, embodiments of the present invention provide a radar antenna array arrangement method. This method determines the directional information corresponding to the amplitude intersection point based on the beam patterns of the radar's long-range and short-range antennas. Based on this directional information, it determines the distance between the array centers of the long-range and short-range antennas to ensure the joint amplitude at the amplitude intersection meets the non-zero amplitude condition, thus obtaining the center distance. This center distance can be used to indicate the array positions of the long-range and short-range antennas. After the long-range and short-range antennas are arranged according to the center distance, no zero points will appear in the overlapping coverage area of ​​the beams when they operate simultaneously. This allows the long-range and short-range antennas to simultaneously perform long-range and short-range detection, i.e., to achieve detection in a narrow rectangular area, improving the utilization rate of radar antenna resources.

[0046] The following is combined Figures 3-10b The radar antenna array method of the present invention is described. This radar antenna array method can be applied to electronic devices such as servers, mobile phones, and computers, and can also be applied to radar antenna array devices installed in electronic devices such as servers, mobile phones, and computers. The radar antenna array device can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of both.

[0047] Figure 3 An exemplary flowchart of a radar antenna array method provided in an embodiment of the present invention is shown below. Figure 3 As shown, the radar antenna array method may include the following steps 310 to 330.

[0048] Step 310: Obtain the beam pattern of the radar's long-range and short-range antennas.

[0049] In this embodiment of the invention, the radar may include a long-range antenna and a short-range antenna, which may be array antennas. Based on the array information of the long-range and short-range antennas, their beam patterns can be obtained, for example, by simulating the beam patterns using the array information. The array information may include, for example, the number of array elements and the array type, where the array type characterizes the arrangement of the array elements; the array type may be, for example, a one-dimensional linear array or a planar array.

[0050] Step 320: Determine the directional information corresponding to the amplitude intersection point based on the beam pattern.

[0051] The amplitude intersection point is the point where the signal amplitudes of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna intersect in the beam pattern. Directional information can be used to characterize the spatial orientation of the beam emitted by the radar antenna.

[0052] Figure 4 An exemplary diagram of the radar coordinate system in an embodiment of the present invention is shown, with reference to... Figure 4As shown, the XY plane of the coordinate system is parallel to the ground, and the narrow rectangular area detected by the radar extends along the Y-axis. The phase center of the radar antenna is placed at the origin O. If the radar antenna is a one-dimensional linear array, the antenna elements are distributed along the x-axis; if the radar antenna is a planar array, i.e., a two-dimensional array, the antenna elements are distributed in the XZ plane. An auxiliary line perpendicular to the XY plane is drawn from the target, and the angle between the target's projection onto the XY plane and the Y-axis can be defined as the azimuth angle. Figure 4 The included angle The angle between the line connecting the target and the origin and the XY plane can be defined as the pitch angle, i.e. Figure 4 The included angle θ.

[0053] according to Figure 4 The radar coordinate system defines the direction cosine. And v = sinθ, direction cosine (u, v) and angle These can be converted into each other. In this embodiment of the invention, the beam pattern can be described using the directional cosine domain composed of uv. For a one-dimensional linear array, it can be studied in the XY plane, where θ = 0. v = 0. For a planar array, considering the coordinate space, at this point... v = sinθ.

[0054] by Figure 2 Taking the beam pattern as an example, it is described by a directional cosine domain composed of u and v. The beam patterns of the long-range and short-range antennas intersect at points A and B, respectively, and points A and B can be identified as amplitude intersection points. Taking point B as an example, the values ​​of the u and v domains corresponding to point B can be determined from the beam pattern, thus obtaining the directional information corresponding to point B. The u and v domains can be correlated with angles. They can be converted into each other; therefore, directional information can characterize the direction of the beam emitted by the radar antenna in space.

[0055] Step 330: Determine the center distance between the far-field antenna and the near-field antenna based on the directional information.

[0056] The center distance is the distance between the array centers of the far-range and near-range antennas such that the combined amplitude at the amplitude intersection satisfies the non-zero amplitude condition. This center distance can be used to indicate the array positions of the far-range and near-range antennas. For either the far-range or near-range antenna, the array center position refers to the center position of the array formed by the arrangement of the antenna elements.

[0057] The non-zero amplitude condition refers to the condition that the combined amplitude is not zero. In this embodiment of the invention, the condition that the combined amplitude at the amplitude intersection meets the non-zero amplitude condition may include: the relative difference between the combined amplitude and the individual amplitude at the amplitude intersection is less than a set threshold. The individual amplitude refers to the signal amplitude of the long-range antenna or the short-range antenna at the amplitude intersection.

[0058] For a uniform linear array, the phase of the beam pattern is linear, and its slope depends on the distance between the phase center and the array center. For a uniform linear array with an element spacing of d, an array center position of x0, and the phase center as the origin, its array output B(k) can be expressed as the following formula (3):

[0059]

[0060] Where u = sinθ, N is the number of antenna elements, and j represents the imaginary unit.

[0061] In formula (3), the first term The amplitude is 0, and the phase is a linear phase with a slope related to x0. The second term... Let be a real number, which may be positive or negative. According to L'Hôpital's rule, B(0) = N. The position of the t-th amplitude zero point around u = 0 is... Each time an amplitude zero point is reached, the sign of the second term above changes once. Assuming N = 12, the array spacing d is half a wavelength, i.e., d = λ / 2, and the array center is the phase center, the position of its amplitude zero point can be calculated to be u = 0.17t, where t is a positive or negative integer. It can be obtained that the positions of these amplitude zero points are the transition positions of phase 0 and π in the second term of equation (3). Since the two array elements cannot physically coincide, they cannot have the same linear phase slope, so the two array elements cannot be in phase in all directions.

[0062] Based on the characteristics of high gain but narrow beamwidth of the far-range antenna and low gain but wide beamwidth of the near-range antenna, when both antennas transmit signals simultaneously, the amplitude of the far-range antenna dominates in the main lobe region of the far-range antenna. Therefore, regardless of the phase relationship between the two, the amplitude of the combined antenna (i.e., the combined amplitude) is approximately equal to the amplitude of the far-range antenna. For the region within the main lobe of the near-range antenna but not within the main lobe of the far-range antenna, the amplitude of the near-range antenna dominates. Regardless of the phase relationship between the two, the combined amplitude is approximately equal to the amplitude of the near-range antenna. The only possible location for a null point is in the direction where the amplitudes of the far-range and near-range antennas intersect. If the phases of the two antennas are nearly opposite in this direction, it will cause a null point to appear in the combined antenna in this direction. In order to achieve detection in a narrow rectangular region, it is necessary to ensure that there is no null point in the combined amplitude at the amplitude intersection point. Therefore, it is necessary to control the phase at the amplitude intersection point. According to formula (3), it is necessary to control the relative position of the two antennas.

[0063] Figure 5 An exemplary schematic diagram of the phase control principle is shown below. Figure 5 As shown, B(θ) represents the joint amplitude vector, and B1(θ) and B2(θ) represent the amplitude vectors of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna, respectively. It can be obtained that when the phase difference between the far-range and near-range antennas at the amplitude intersection point is controlled within... or At this point, the relative difference between the joint amplitude at the amplitude intersection point and the signal amplitude at the amplitude intersection point of the far-range antenna or the near-range antenna is less than a set threshold. Here, Δδ represents the phase difference deviation, and the set threshold can be determined based on Δδ.

[0064] Based on this, in this embodiment of the invention, the non-zero amplitude condition may include: when the phase difference is equal to the phase difference at the equal amplitude point, the relative difference between the joint amplitude of the far-distance antenna and the near-distance antenna at the amplitude intersection point and the single amplitude is less than a set threshold; the single amplitude is the signal amplitude of the far-distance antenna or the near-distance antenna at the amplitude intersection point. The phase difference at the equal amplitude point may include... and Accordingly, determining the center distance between the far-field antenna and the near-field antenna based on directional information can include: determining the distance between the array center positions of the far-field antenna and the near-field antenna when the phase difference between the far-field antenna and the near-field antenna at the corresponding positions of the directional information is equal to the phase difference of the equal amplitude points, and thus obtaining the center distance.

[0065] The radar antenna array method provided in this invention determines the directional information corresponding to the amplitude intersection point of the long-range and short-range antennas in the beam pattern of the radar's long-range and short-range antennas. Based on this directional information, the distance between the array center positions of the long-range and short-range antennas is determined, resulting in a center distance. This center distance ensures that the joint amplitude at the amplitude intersection point satisfies the non-zero amplitude condition, guaranteeing that the joint amplitude of the long-range and short-range antennas will not reach zero. Thus, arranging the long-range and short-range antennas according to this center distance ensures that the overlapping coverage area of ​​the beams when the long-range and short-range antennas operate simultaneously will not reach zero, allowing the long-range and short-range antennas to simultaneously perform long-range and short-range detection, i.e., achieving detection in a narrow rectangular area, thereby improving the utilization rate of radar antenna resources.

[0066] based on Figure 3 In a corresponding embodiment of the radar antenna array method, in one example embodiment, the directional information is the target domain value in the target directional cosine domain. Accordingly, determining the directional information corresponding to the amplitude intersection point based on the beam pattern may include: obtaining the array types of the long-range and short-range antennas; determining the target directional cosine domain based on the array type and the beam pattern; and obtaining the target domain value of the amplitude intersection point in the target directional cosine domain. The array type may include a one-dimensional linear array or a planar array.

[0067] For example, determining the target direction cosine domain based on the array type and beam pattern and obtaining the target domain value of the amplitude intersection point in the target direction cosine domain may include: when the array type of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna is a one-dimensional linear array, determining the u domain in the direction cosine domain as the target direction cosine domain, where the u domain represents the sine of the azimuth angle; obtaining the value of the amplitude intersection point in the u domain to obtain the target domain value.

[0068] For example, when the array type of the far-range and near-range antennas is a planar array, the beam pattern of the far-range and near-range antennas is a two-dimensional beam pattern. In this two-dimensional beam pattern, the set of amplitude intersection points can form the boundary of a region, such as the boundary of a rectangular region. The target direction cosine domain and the corresponding target domain value can be determined based on this region boundary. Specifically, determining the target direction cosine domain and obtaining the target domain value of the amplitude intersection points in the target direction cosine domain based on the array type and beam pattern can include: when the array type of the far-range and near-range antennas is a planar array, determining the shortest boundary of the region boundary formed by the set of amplitude intersection points in the beam pattern; determining the direction cosine domain where the shortest boundary is located as the target direction cosine domain; obtaining the maximum value of the region boundary in the target direction cosine domain to obtain the target domain value. Here, the target direction cosine domain is the v-domain or u-domain of the direction cosine domain, where the v-domain represents the sine of the elevation angle, and the u-domain represents the product of the cosine of the elevation angle and the sine of the azimuth angle.

[0069] For example, Figure 6 The illustrations provide schematic diagrams of two-dimensional beam patterns for both long-range and short-range antennas, described in the uv domain. (Refer to...) Figure 6 As shown, the white area represents the region where the amplitude of the far-distance antenna is greater than that of the near-distance antenna, and the black area represents the region where the amplitude of the near-distance antenna is greater than that of the far-distance antenna. The boundary between the two colors represents the set of points where the amplitudes of the far-distance and near-distance antennas are equal, i.e., the set of amplitude intersection points. We can take the central white rectangular region G as the research object and determine the shortest boundary based on the side lengths of the rectangular region G in the u-domain and v-domain directions.

[0070] Further optionally, based on the directional information, the distance between the array centers of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna when the phase difference at the corresponding position of the directional information is equal to the phase difference at the equal amplitude point can be determined to obtain the center distance. This can include: based on the target domain value and combined with the radar's operating wavelength, phase difference deviation, and period parameter, determining the distance between the array centers of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna in the direction corresponding to the cosine domain of the target direction to obtain the center distance; wherein, the period parameter is used to represent the periodic change of the phase.

[0071] For example, based on the target domain value, the center distance can be determined by using the center distance determination formula to determine the distance between the array center positions of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna in the direction corresponding to the cosine domain of the target direction; wherein, the center distance determination formula can be expressed as the following formula (4):

[0072]

[0073] in, This represents the phase difference between the long-range and short-range antennas at corresponding positions of directional information. Δδ represents the phase difference at equal amplitude points, S represents the center distance, E represents the target threshold, λ represents the radar's operating wavelength, m represents the period parameter and m is a natural number, and Δδ represents the phase difference deviation.

[0074] For example, Δδ can be set to 0. In this case, the phase difference between the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna at the amplitude intersection is 120° or 240°, and the combined amplitude of the two is equal to the amplitude of the signal transmitted by either antenna. It is understood that when Δδ is not 0, the relative difference between the combined amplitude of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna at the amplitude intersection and the signal amplitude of either the far-range antenna or the near-range antenna at the amplitude intersection is less than the set threshold corresponding to Δδ.

[0075] Taking Δδ=0 as an example, when the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna are one-dimensional linear array antennas, assuming that the array center of the far-range antenna is located at the origin, and the distance between the array center of the near-range antenna and the array center of the far-range antenna is S, then the phase of the far-range antenna is 0. Assuming that the amplitude intersection of the two beam patterns has a value of u in the u-domain, then according to formula (4), the center distance between the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna can be obtained as follows: formula (5):

[0076]

[0077] When both the long-range and short-range antennas are planar array antennas, such as microstrip patch antennas or waveguide antennas, combined with... Figure 6 Let the array center of the long-range antenna be the origin of the two-dimensional plane, and the array center of the short-range antenna be at (x0, y0). Then the phase spectrum of the short-range antenna is: Once the position of (x0, y0) is determined, the isophase curve is a straight line. Based on this, when controlling the phase at the amplitude intersection point, one of x0 or y0 can be set to 0, and the other can be adjusted. This allows the two parallel sides of the rectangular region G to fully satisfy the condition that the phase difference is 120° or 240°.

[0078] Specifically, let x0 = 0, then take the v domain as the cosine domain of the target direction, and adjust the center distance of the planar array in the corresponding direction of the v domain. According to formula (4), the distance y0 between the array center positions of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna in the corresponding direction of the v domain can be calculated. y0 can be expressed as the following formula (6):

[0079]

[0080] Where v0 is the maximum value of the v-domain in the boundary curve between the long-range and short-range antennas, and... Figure 6 For example, that is Figure 6 The maximum v value of the boundary of the rectangular region G in the v-domain direction.

[0081] Let y0 = 0, then take the u-domain as the cosine domain of the target direction and adjust the center distance of the planar array in the corresponding direction of the u-domain. According to formula (4), the distance x0 between the array center positions of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna in the corresponding direction of the u-domain can be calculated. x0 can be expressed as the following formula (7):

[0082]

[0083] Where u0 is the maximum value of the u-domain in the boundary curve between the long-range and short-range antennas, and... Figure 6 For example, that is Figure 6 The maximum u-value of the boundary of the rectangular region G in the u-domain direction.

[0084] Based on the above method embodiments, the following is combined with Figure 7 The radar antenna array method provided in the embodiments of the present invention will be further illustrated with examples.

[0085] Figure 7 This is an exemplary second flowchart illustrating the radar antenna array method provided in this embodiment of the invention. Taking the application of this radar antenna array method to electronic devices such as servers, mobile phones, and computers, with Δδ = 0, as an example, refer to... Figure 7 As shown, the radar antenna array method may include the following steps 701 to 709.

[0086] Step 701: Obtain the beam pattern of the radar's long-range and short-range antennas.

[0087] Taking millimeter-wave radar for target detection on roads as an example, the number of array elements and array type of the long-range and short-range antennas can be determined according to the requirements of the angular range and resolution of the detection area at different distances. Based on these parameters, the design of the long-range and short-range antennas can be completed. According to the designed long-range and short-range antennas, electronic equipment can call simulation programs to simulate and obtain the beam patterns of the long-range and short-range antennas.

[0088] Step 702: Obtain the array type of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna.

[0089] The array types of long-range and short-range antennas can include one-dimensional linear arrays or planar arrays. Electronic devices can obtain the array type of long-range and short-range antennas, for example, by obtaining type parameters and determining the array type based on the type parameters.

[0090] If the array type of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna is a one-dimensional linear array, proceed to step 703; if the array type of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna is a planar array, proceed to step 705.

[0091] Step 703: Determine the value of the amplitude intersection point in the u-domain to obtain the first target domain value.

[0092] When the array type of the far-range and near-range antennas is a one-dimensional linear array, the beam patterns of the far-range and near-range antennas are also one-dimensional beam patterns. Based on this one-dimensional beam pattern, electronic devices can obtain the amplitude intersection point of the far-range and near-range antennas. For example, using... Figure 2 For example, amplitude intersection points A and B can be obtained. Simultaneously, the electronic device can define the u-domain in the direction cosine domain as the target direction cosine domain, and then obtain the coordinate values ​​of amplitude intersection points A and B in the u-domain, thus obtaining the first target domain value u for amplitude intersection points A and B respectively. A and u B .

[0093] Step 704: Determine the first center distance based on the first target threshold.

[0094] After obtaining the first target threshold value, the electronic device can substitute the first target threshold value into u in formula (5), use formula (5) to calculate the value of S, and obtain the distance S1 between the array center positions of the far-distance antenna and the near-distance antenna, that is, obtain the first center distance.

[0095] It is understandable that m takes the value of a natural number, and there may be multiple values ​​of S calculated using formula (5). However, in practical applications, the positions of the array elements in the long-distance antenna and the short-distance antenna cannot coincide. Therefore, the value of S calculated using formula (5) when the array elements of the long-distance antenna and the short-distance antenna do not overlap can be determined as the first center distance S1. For example, the dimensions D1 and D2 of the long-distance antenna and the short-distance antenna can be obtained, and the value greater than... The S value is determined as the first center distance. For example, if it is greater than... When there are at least two S values, the minimum value can be selected as the first center distance.

[0096] Once the first center distance is determined, the long-range and short-range antennas can be arranged according to this first center distance. For example, Figure 8An exemplary schematic diagram of a one-dimensional linear array antenna is shown, with reference to... Figure 8 As shown, S1 is greater than The array elements of the long-range and short-range antennas can be arranged with a distance S1 between their centers.

[0097] Figure 9 An exemplary diagram illustrates the combined antenna beam pattern after a one-dimensional linear array antenna is arranged according to the scheme of the present invention, with reference to... Figure 9 As shown, the long-range and short-range antennas of the one-dimensional linear array are arranged according to the determined first center distance as follows: Figure 8 After the array is deployed, both antennas are controlled to work simultaneously. The combined amplitude of the two antennas at the amplitude intersection points A and B is equal to the amplitude of the long-range antenna or the short-range antenna. The beam will not have a zero point in the overlapping coverage area, which can simultaneously meet the needs of long-range measurement and short-range measurement, avoid the occurrence of detection blind zone, and achieve complete detection of narrow rectangular areas.

[0098] Step 705: Determine the target direction cosine domain based on the beam pattern.

[0099] When both the long-range and short-range antennas are planar arrays, the set of amplitude intersection points of the long-range and short-range antennas can be obtained from the beam pattern. For example, combining... Figure 6 The boundary between the black and white colors represents the set of amplitude intersection points of the long-range and short-range antennas. If the edge of the shape G formed by the set of amplitude intersection points along the u-domain is longer than the edge along the v-domain, then let x0 = 0, and determine the v-domain corresponding to the shorter edge as the target direction cosine domain, and proceed to step 706; if the edge of the shape G formed by the set of amplitude intersection points along the v-domain is longer than the edge along the u-domain, then let y0 = 0, and determine the u-domain corresponding to the shorter edge as the target direction cosine domain, and proceed to step 708.

[0100] Step 706: Obtain the maximum value of the set of amplitude intersection points in the v domain to obtain the second target domain value.

[0101] When the cosine domain of the target direction is the v domain, the maximum v value of the beam intersection can be obtained from the beam pattern, and this maximum v value can be determined as the second target domain value.

[0102] Step 707: Determine the second center distance based on the second target threshold.

[0103] After obtaining the second target threshold, the second target threshold can be substituted into v0 in formula (6) to calculate the second center distance y0. Since m is a natural number, there may be multiple calculated y0 values. The value that prevents the array elements of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna from overlapping can be selected as the desired y0 value. For example, the y0 value can be selected based on the principle of step 704.

[0104] After determining the second center distance, the long-range and short-range antennas can be arranged in the corresponding directions of the v-domain according to this second center distance. For example, Figure 10a One of the schematic diagrams of a planar array antenna is shown as an example. (Refer to...) Figure 10a As shown, the array elements of the long-range and short-range antennas can be arranged by adjusting the center distance to y0 in the corresponding directions of the v domain.

[0105] Step 708: Obtain the maximum value of the set of amplitude intersection points in the u-domain to obtain the third target domain value.

[0106] When the cosine domain of the target direction is the u-domain, the maximum u-value of the beam intersection can be obtained from the beam pattern, and this maximum u-value can be determined as the third target domain value.

[0107] Step 709: Determine the third center distance based on the third target threshold.

[0108] After obtaining the third target threshold, the third target threshold can be substituted into u0 in formula (7), and the third center distance x0 can be calculated using formula (7). Since m is a natural number, there may be multiple x0 values. The value that prevents the array elements of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna from overlapping can be selected as the desired x0 value. For example, the x0 value can be selected based on the principle of step 704.

[0109] After determining the third center distance, the long-range and short-range antennas can be arranged in the corresponding directions of the u-domain according to this third center distance. For example, Figure 10b The second exemplary diagram illustrates the arrangement of a planar array antenna, with reference to... Figure 10b As shown, the array elements of the long-range and short-range antennas can be arranged by adjusting the center distance to x0 in the corresponding direction of the u domain.

[0110] After the array elements of the long-range and short-range antennas are arranged according to x0 or y0, the long-range and short-range antennas are controlled to work simultaneously. The null points of the two beams in the overlapping coverage area can be well optimized, minimizing the occurrence of null points. This can simultaneously meet the needs of long-range and short-range measurements, minimize the occurrence of detection blind zones, and realize the detection of narrow rectangular areas.

[0111] The radar antenna array method provided in this invention determines the distance between the array centers of the far-range and near-range antennas by controlling the phase at the amplitude intersection of the beam patterns of the far-range and near-range antennas. This ensures that when the far-range and near-range antennas arrayed according to this distance operate simultaneously, the overlapping coverage area of ​​the beams will not have null points, avoiding the occurrence of detection blind zones. Simultaneous detection of far-range and near-range areas can be achieved without the far-range and near-range antennas having the same phase center, thus achieving simultaneous coverage of the surrounding road. On one hand, compared with the detection method using time-division switching between far-range and near-range antennas, there is no need for far-range / near-range transmission switching, reducing unnecessary resource loss and effectively improving the utilization rate of radar resources. On the other hand, the radar receiver does not need to process far-range and near-range signals separately, avoiding the complex signal processing problems at the intersection of far-range and near-range areas in the time-division switching method. Moreover, there is no need to match the tracking data of the same target in both far-range and near-range areas, improving the data transmission efficiency of the tracking end, reducing data processing complexity, and further facilitating target tracking.

[0112] The radar antenna array device provided by the present invention is described below. The radar antenna array device described below can be referred to in correspondence with the radar antenna array method described above.

[0113] Figure 11 An exemplary schematic diagram of the radar antenna array device provided in an embodiment of the present invention is shown, with reference to... Figure 11 As shown, the radar antenna array device 1100 may include: an acquisition module 1110, used to acquire the beam patterns of the radar's long-range antenna and short-range antenna; a first determination module 1120, used to determine the direction information corresponding to the amplitude intersection point based on the beam pattern, wherein the amplitude intersection point is the intersection point of the signal amplitudes of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna in the beam pattern; and a second determination module 1130, used to determine the center distance between the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna based on the direction information, wherein the center distance is the distance between the array center positions of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna when the joint amplitude at the amplitude intersection point satisfies the non-zero amplitude condition; the center distance is used to indicate the array positions of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna.

[0114] In one example embodiment, the second determining module 1130 is specifically used to: determine the distance between the array center positions of the far-distance antenna and the near-distance antenna when the phase difference between the far-distance antenna and the near-distance antenna at the corresponding positions of the directional information is equal to the phase difference of the equal amplitude point, and obtain the center distance; wherein, the non-zero amplitude condition includes: when the phase difference is equal to the phase difference of the equal amplitude point, the relative difference between the joint amplitude of the far-distance antenna and the near-distance antenna at the amplitude intersection point and the single amplitude is less than a set threshold; wherein, the single amplitude is the signal amplitude of the far-distance antenna or the near-distance antenna at the amplitude intersection point.

[0115] In one example embodiment, the first determining module 1120 may include: an acquisition unit for acquiring the array types of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna; and a determining unit for determining the target direction cosine domain based on the array type and the beam pattern, and acquiring the target domain value of the amplitude intersection point in the target direction cosine domain.

[0116] In one example embodiment, the determining unit may include: a first determining subunit, configured to determine the u-domain in the direction cosine domain as the target direction cosine domain when the array type of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna is a one-dimensional linear array; wherein the u-domain represents the sine of the azimuth angle; and a first obtaining subunit, configured to obtain the value of the amplitude intersection point in the u-domain according to the beam pattern, thereby obtaining the target domain value.

[0117] In one example embodiment, the determining unit may include: a second determining subunit, configured to determine the shortest boundary of the region pattern boundary formed by the set of amplitude intersection points in the beam pattern when the array type of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna is a planar array; wherein the beam pattern is a two-dimensional beam pattern; a third determining subunit, configured to determine the direction cosine domain where the shortest boundary is located as the target direction cosine domain; wherein the target direction cosine domain is the v domain or u domain of the direction cosine domain, the v domain represents the sine of the elevation angle, and the u domain represents the product of the cosine of the elevation angle and the sine of the azimuth angle; and a second obtaining subunit, configured to obtain the maximum value of the region pattern boundary in the target direction cosine domain, thereby obtaining the target domain value.

[0118] In one example embodiment, the second determining module 1130 may be specifically used to: determine the distance between the array center positions of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna in the direction corresponding to the cosine domain of the target direction based on the target domain value and in combination with the radar's operating wavelength, phase difference deviation and period parameter, to obtain the center distance; wherein, the period parameter is used to represent the periodic change of the phase.

[0119] This invention also provides a radar system that may include a long-range antenna and a short-range antenna, wherein the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna are arranged according to the radar antenna array method provided in the above-described embodiments.

[0120] Figure 12 An example is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device, such as... Figure 12As shown, the electronic device may include a processor 1210, a communication interface 1220, a memory 1230, and a communication bus 1240. The processor 1210, communication interface 1220, and memory 1230 communicate with each other via the communication bus 1240. The processor 1210 can call logical instructions in the memory 1230 to execute the radar antenna array method provided in the above embodiments. This method may include, for example, acquiring the beam patterns of the radar's long-range and short-range antennas; determining the directional information corresponding to the amplitude intersection point based on the beam pattern; wherein the amplitude intersection point is the intersection point of the signal amplitudes of the long-range and short-range antennas in the beam pattern; determining the center distance between the long-range and short-range antennas based on the directional information, wherein the center distance is the distance between the array center positions of the long-range and short-range antennas when the joint amplitude at the amplitude intersection point satisfies the non-zero amplitude condition; wherein the center distance is used to indicate the array positions of the long-range and short-range antennas.

[0121] Furthermore, the logical instructions in the aforementioned memory 1230 can be implemented as software functional units and, when sold or used as independent products, can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, essentially, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0122] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program that can be stored on a computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the computer can execute the radar antenna array method provided in the above-described method embodiments. This method may include, for example, acquiring the beam patterns of the radar long-range antenna and short-range antenna; determining the directional information corresponding to the amplitude intersection point based on the beam pattern; wherein the amplitude intersection point is the intersection point of the signal amplitudes of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna in the beam pattern; determining the center distance between the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna based on the directional information, wherein the center distance is the distance between the array center positions of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna when the joint amplitude at the amplitude intersection point satisfies the non-zero amplitude condition; wherein the center distance is used to indicate the array positions of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna.

[0123] In another aspect, the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the radar antenna array method provided in the above-described method embodiments. This method may include, for example,: acquiring the beam patterns of a long-range radar antenna and a short-range radar antenna; determining the directional information corresponding to the amplitude intersection point based on the beam pattern; wherein the amplitude intersection point is the intersection point of the signal amplitudes of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna in the beam pattern; determining the center distance between the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna based on the directional information, wherein the center distance is the distance between the array center positions of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna when the joint amplitude at the amplitude intersection point satisfies the non-zero amplitude condition; wherein the center distance is used to indicate the array positions of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna.

[0124] For example, a computer-readable storage medium may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

[0125] The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs. Those skilled in the art can understand and implement this without any creative effort.

[0126] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that each embodiment can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms, and of course, it can also be implemented by hardware. Based on this understanding, the above technical solutions, in essence or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc., and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments or some parts of the embodiments.

[0127] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A radar antenna array arrangement method, characterized in that, include: Obtain the beam pattern of the radar's long-range and short-range antennas; The directional information corresponding to the amplitude intersection point is determined based on the beam pattern; wherein, the amplitude intersection point is the intersection point of the signal amplitudes of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna in the beam pattern; The center distance between the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna is determined based on the directional information. The center distance is the distance between the array center positions of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna when the combined amplitude at the amplitude intersection satisfies the non-zero amplitude condition. The center distance is used to indicate the array positions of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna. Determining the center distance between the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna based on the directional information includes: Based on the directional information, the distance between the array center positions of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna is determined when the phase difference between the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna at the corresponding positions of the directional information is equal to the phase difference of the equal amplitude points, thus obtaining the center distance; The non-zero amplitude condition includes: when the phase difference is equal to the phase difference at the equal amplitude point, the relative difference between the joint amplitude of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna at the amplitude intersection point and the single amplitude is less than a set threshold; the single amplitude is the signal amplitude of the far-range antenna or the near-range antenna at the amplitude intersection point; the direction information is the target domain value in the target direction cosine domain; determining the direction information corresponding to the amplitude intersection point based on the beam pattern includes: Obtain the array types of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna; The target direction cosine domain is determined based on the array type and the beam pattern, and the target domain value of the amplitude intersection point in the target direction cosine domain is obtained.

2. The radar antenna array method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the target direction cosine domain based on the array type and the beam pattern, and obtaining the target domain value of the amplitude intersection point in the target direction cosine domain, includes: When the array type of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna is a one-dimensional linear array, the u-domain in the direction cosine domain is determined as the target direction cosine domain; wherein, the u-domain represents the sine of the azimuth angle; The value of the amplitude intersection point in the u-domain is obtained based on the beam pattern, and the target domain value is obtained.

3. The radar antenna array method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the target direction cosine domain based on the array type and the beam pattern, and obtaining the target domain value of the amplitude intersection point in the target direction cosine domain, includes: When the array type of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna is a planar array, determine the shortest boundary of the region shape formed by the set of amplitude intersection points in the beam pattern; wherein, the beam pattern is a two-dimensional beam pattern; The direction cosine domain where the shortest boundary is located is determined as the target direction cosine domain; the target direction cosine domain is the v domain or u domain of the direction cosine domain, the v domain represents the sine of the pitch angle, and the u domain represents the product of the cosine of the pitch angle and the sine of the azimuth angle. The maximum value of the region's graphical boundary in the cosine domain of the target direction is obtained to obtain the target domain value.

4. The radar antenna array method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The step of determining the distance between the array centers of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna when the phase difference between them at the corresponding positions in the direction information is equal to the phase difference at equal amplitude points, based on the direction information, to obtain the center distance, includes: Based on the target domain value, and in combination with the radar's operating wavelength, phase difference deviation, and period parameters, the distance between the array center positions of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna in the direction corresponding to the cosine domain of the target direction is determined, thus obtaining the center distance; The period parameter is used to represent the periodic change of the phase.

5. A radar antenna array device, characterized in that, include: The acquisition module is used to acquire the beam patterns of the radar's long-range and short-range antennas; The first determining module is used to determine the direction information corresponding to the amplitude intersection point based on the beam pattern; wherein, the amplitude intersection point is the intersection point of the signal amplitudes of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna in the beam pattern; The second determining module is used to determine the center distance between the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna based on the direction information. The center distance is the distance between the array center positions of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna when the joint amplitude at the amplitude intersection satisfies the non-zero amplitude condition. The center distance is used to indicate the array positions of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna. The second determining module is specifically used to: based on the direction information, determine the distance between the array center positions of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna when the phase difference between the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna at the corresponding position of the direction information is equal to the phase difference at the equal amplitude point, and obtain the center distance; wherein, the non-zero amplitude condition includes: when the phase difference is equal to the phase difference at the equal amplitude point, the relative difference between the joint amplitude of the far-range antenna and the near-range antenna at the amplitude intersection point and the single amplitude is less than a set threshold; the single amplitude is the signal amplitude of the far-range antenna or the near-range antenna at the amplitude intersection point; The direction information is the target domain value of the target direction cosine domain in the direction cosine domain; the first determining module includes: an acquisition unit, used to acquire the array type of the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna; determine the target direction cosine domain based on the array type and the beam pattern, and acquire the target domain value of the amplitude intersection point in the target direction cosine domain.

6. A radar, characterized in that, It includes a long-range antenna and a short-range antenna, wherein the long-range antenna and the short-range antenna are arranged in accordance with the radar antenna arraying method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the radar antenna array method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the radar antenna array method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

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