Radar system and method for radar system

Abstract

The invention relates to a radar system and a method for a radar system. Methods and systems for a radar system are disclosed. The method includes determining, by a computing device, a first reception time of a reflected electromagnetic wave associated with a transmitted electromagnetic wave by a first receiver. The method further includes determining, by the computing device, a second reception time of a reflected electromagnetic wave associated with the transmitted electromagnetic wave by a second receiver. The method further includes determining, by the computing device, a direction of movement of the object relative to any one or a combination of the first receiver and the second receiver based on a difference between the first reception time and the second reception time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the operation of radar systems and, more particularly, to detecting the direction of movement of objects within a field of view of the radar system. Background Art

[0002] Generally speaking, in a radar system such as a Doppler radar system, a transmitted electromagnetic (EM) wave may hit an object in the field of view (FOV) of the radar system and be reflected. A receiver of the radar system may receive the reflected EM wave. If the object has a velocity relative to the receiver of the radar system, the reflected EM wave is shifted relative to the transmitted EM wave due to the Doppler effect. The Doppler effect can be used to determine the relative velocity of the object.

[0003] However, in some cases, the radar system may be mounted on the ceiling of an area and may be adapted to detect the movement of objects in the field of view across the floor of the area. In such cases, while the radar system may be able to determine the presence of a moving object, they may not be able to determine the direction of movement of the object. Summary of the invention

[0004] A radar system is disclosed herein. The radar system includes a transmitter configured to transmit electromagnetic waves in an area defining a field of view (FOV) of the radar system. The radar system further includes a plurality of receivers configured to detect reflected electromagnetic waves generated in response to reflection of the transmitted electromagnetic waves from an object located within the FOV of the radar system. The radar system further includes a computing device communicatively coupled to the plurality of receivers. The computing device is configured to determine a first reception time of a reflected electromagnetic wave associated with the transmitted electromagnetic wave by a first receiver. The computing device is further configured to determine a second reception time of a reflected electromagnetic wave associated with the transmitted electromagnetic wave by a second receiver. The computing device is further configured to determine a moving direction of an object relative to any one or a combination of the first receiver and the second receiver based on a difference between the first reception time and the second reception time.

[0005] In one or more embodiments, at least the first receiver and the second receiver are separated by a predefined distance.

[0006] In one or more embodiments, the computing device is configured to determine, in response to the first reception time occurring before the second reception time, that the object has a motion vector component from the first receiver to the second receiver along an axis between the first receiver and the second receiver.

[0007] In one or more embodiments, the computing device is configured to determine, in response to the second reception time occurring before the first reception time, that the object has a motion vector component from the second receiver toward the first receiver along an axis between the first receiver and the second receiver.

[0008] In one or more embodiments, the computing device is configured to determine, in response to the first reception time and the second reception time occurring simultaneously, that the object has a motion vector defined as orthogonal to an axis between the first receiver and the second receiver.

[0009] In one or more embodiments, the plurality of receivers are arranged in a two-dimensional array, and each receiver of the plurality of receivers is separated from an adjacent receiver by a predefined distance.

[0010] In one or more embodiments, the plurality of receivers include a first receiver, a second receiver, and a third receiver. The first receiver and the second receiver are arranged adjacent to each other along the first axis. The third receiver is arranged adjacent to any one of the first receiver and the second receiver along the second axis.

[0011] In one or more embodiments, the computing device is further configured to determine a third reception time of the third receiver. The computing device is further configured to determine a moving direction of the object relative to any one or a combination of the first receiver, the second receiver, and the third receiver based on a difference between the first reception time, the second reception time, and the third reception time.

[0012] Further disclosed herein is a method for a radar system. The method includes: determining, by a computing device, a first reception time of a reflected electromagnetic wave associated with a transmitted electromagnetic wave by a first receiver. The method further includes: determining, by a computing device, a second reception time of a reflected electromagnetic wave associated with a transmitted electromagnetic wave by a second receiver. The method further includes: determining, by the computing device, a moving direction of an object relative to any one or a combination of the first receiver and the second receiver based on a difference between the first reception time and the second reception time.

[0013] In one or more embodiments, at least the first receiver and the second receiver are separated by a predefined distance.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, the method further includes: determining, by the computing device, in response to the first reception time occurring before the second reception time, that the object has a motion vector component from the first receiver to the second receiver along an axis between the first receiver and the second receiver.

[0015] In one or more embodiments, the method further includes: determining, by the computing device, in response to the second reception time occurring before the first reception time, that the object has a motion vector component from the second receiver to the first receiver along an axis between the first receiver and the second receiver.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, the method includes determining, by the computing device, in response to the first reception time and the second reception time occurring simultaneously, that the object has a motion vector defined as orthogonal to an axis between the first receiver and the second receiver.

[0017] In one or more embodiments, the plurality of receivers are arranged in a two-dimensional array, and each receiver of the plurality of receivers is separated from an adjacent receiver by a predefined distance.

[0018] In one or more embodiments, the plurality of receivers include a first receiver, a second receiver, and a third receiver. The first receiver and the second receiver are arranged adjacent to each other along the first axis. The third receiver is arranged adjacent to any one of the first receiver and the second receiver along the second axis.

[0019] In one or more embodiments, the method includes: determining, by a computing device, a third reception time of a third receiver. The method further includes: determining, by the computing device, a moving direction of the object relative to any one or a combination of the first receiver, the second receiver, and the third receiver based on a difference between the first reception time, the second reception time, and the third reception time.

[0020] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, features, and techniques of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the subject disclosure of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the subject disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the subject disclosure.

[0022] In the drawings, similar components and / or features may have the same reference label. In addition, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description applies to any of the similar components having the same first reference label (regardless of the second reference label).

[0023] Figure 1A is a schematic representation of a radar system according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 1B It is a method according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 1A Schematic block diagram of a radar system;

[0025] Figure 1CIt is a method according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 1A A schematic block diagram of another radar system;

[0026] Figure 2 According to one or more embodiments of the present invention Figures 1A to 1C A detailed schematic block diagram of a computing device of any radar system of any one of the above;

[0027] Figure 3 According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, Figures 1A to 1C A schematic flow chart of a method of a radar system of any one of the embodiments; and

[0028] Figure 4 It is used to realize Figure 2 An exemplary schematic block diagram of a hardware system of a computing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are so detailed in order to clearly convey the present disclosure. However, the many details provided are not intended to limit the intended changes of the embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives that fall within the scope and spirit of the subject disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[0030] Various terms are used herein. To the extent a term used in a claim is not defined below, it should be given the broadest definition persons in the pertinent art have given that term as reflected in printed publications and issued patents at the time of filing.

[0031] In the specification, the spatial relationship between various components and the spatial orientation of various aspects of the components may be mentioned, as depicted in the accompanying drawings. However, as those skilled in the art will recognize after a complete reading of this subject disclosure, the components of the present invention described herein can be positioned in any desired orientation. Therefore, the use of terms such as "above", "below", "up", "down", "first", "second" or other similar terms to describe the spatial relationship between various components or to describe the spatial orientation of various aspects of such components should be understood to describe the relative relationship between components or the spatial orientation of various aspects of such components.

[0032] refer to Figure 1A, a schematic representation of a radar system 100 is shown. The radar system 100 includes a transmitter 102 and a plurality of receivers 104-1, 104-2, ... 104-N. The plurality of receivers 104-1, 104-2, ... 104-N may be individually referred to as "receivers 104" and may be collectively referred to as "receivers 104". The transmitter 102 is configured to transmit electromagnetic (EM) waves in an area defining a field of view (FOV) of the radar system 100. The receiver 104 is configured to detect reflected EM waves. The reflected EM waves may be generated in response to the transmitted EM waves reflecting from an object 190 located within the FOV. The receiver 104 may be further configured to generate a signal in response to receiving the reflected EM waves.

[0033] In one or more embodiments, the radar system 100 may be a Doppler radar system. Generally, a transmitted EM wave may hit an object in the field of view of the radar system and be reflected. A receiver of the radar system may receive the reflected EM wave. If the object has a velocity relative to the receiver, the reflected EM wave is shifted relative to the transmitted EM wave due to the Doppler effect. The Doppler effect may be used to determine the relative velocity of the object.

[0034] However, in some cases, the radar system may be mounted on the ceiling of an area and may be adapted to detect the movement of objects in the field of view across the floor of the area. In such cases, while the radar system may be able to determine the presence of a moving object, they may not be able to determine the direction of movement of the object.

[0035] Therefore, a means is needed to determine the direction of movement of an object in the field of view of the radar unit using a radar system. In addition, preferably, the means can be cost-effective and can be integrated into existing radar systems without requiring major modifications to the existing radar systems.

[0036] The radar system 100 further includes a computing device 200 that is communicatively coupled to the plurality of receivers 104. The computing device 200 may be configured to operate the radar system 100. The computing device 200 may be implemented as a single device or a combination of a plurality of devices that may be communicatively coupled or networked together. The computing device 200 may be implemented in hardware or a suitable combination of hardware and software. The computing device 200 may be a hardware device including a processor that executes machine-readable program instructions. "Hardware" may include a combination of discrete components, integrated circuits, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, digital signal processors, or other suitable hardware. "Software" may include one or more objects, agents, threads, lines of code, subroutines, separate software applications, two or more lines of code, or other suitable software structures that operate in one or more software applications or on one or more processors. The processor may include, for example, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, a central processing unit, a state machine, a logic circuit, any device that manipulates data or signals based on an operating instruction, and the like. Among other capabilities, the processor may fetch and execute computer-readable instructions in a memory operatively coupled to the computing device 200 for performing tasks such as data processing, input / output processing, feature extraction, and / or any other functionality. Any reference to a task in this disclosure may refer to an operation being or potentially being performed on data.

[0037] The radar system 100 may further include units such as, but not limited to, a display unit, an audio unit, a notification unit, an input unit, an output unit, etc.; however, for the purpose of clarity, Figure 1A These units are not shown.

[0038] Reference now Figure 1B , a schematic block diagram representation of the radar system 100 is shown. Figure 1A and Figure 1B In one or more embodiments, the plurality of receivers may include a first receiver 104-1, a second receiver 104-2, and a third receiver 104-3. In the illustrated embodiment, the first receiver 104-1 and the second receiver 104-2 are arranged adjacent to each other along the axis 160 and are separated by a predefined distance. In addition, the third receiver 104-3 is arranged adjacent to any one of the first receiver 104-1 and the second receiver 104-2. Figure 1B In the illustrated embodiment of , the third receiver 104 - 3 is disposed adjacent to the first receiver 104 - 1 and is disposed along axes 162 and 164 .

[0039] The radar system 100 may further include a plurality of mixers (e.g., mixers 152-1, 152-2, 152-3) corresponding to the plurality of receivers 104. Each of the mixers 152 may be configured to receive a signal from the transmitter 102 in response to the transmission of the transmitted EM wave, and to receive a signal from the corresponding receiver 104 in response to the reception of the reflected EM wave. Each of the mixers 152 is configured to mix the received signal with the transmitted signal and transmit the IF output signal to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 154. The ADC 154 may be communicatively coupled to the computing device 200. In one or more embodiments, the ADC 154 may be communicatively coupled to the computing device 200 via one or more channels, where each channel may correspond to a certain receiver 104.

[0040] Reference now Figure 1C , a schematic block diagram representation of another radar system 101 is shown. The radar system 101 is substantially similar to Figure 1B Radar system 100. Common components between radar system 100 and radar system 101 are referred to using the same reference numerals. However, in radar system 101, the plurality of receivers include a first receiver 104-1, a second receiver 104-2, a third receiver 104-3, and a fourth receiver 104-4. In the illustrated embodiment, first receiver 104-1 and second receiver 104-2 are arranged adjacent to each other along axis 160 and are separated by a predefined distance. In addition, third receiver 104-3 and fourth receiver 104-4 are arranged adjacent to any one of first receiver 104-1 and second receiver 104-2 along axis 166. Figure 1C In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the third receiver 104-3 and the fourth receiver 104-4 are disposed adjacent to the first receiver 104-1 and the second receiver 104-2, respectively, and are disposed along the axis 166. In addition, the third receiver 104-3 and the fourth receiver 104-4 are disposed along the axes 164 and 170, respectively.

[0041] In one or more embodiments, the plurality of receivers 104 may be arranged in a two-dimensional array, and each of the plurality of receivers 104 may be separated by a predefined distance from an adjacent receiver 104. In the illustrated embodiment, the first receiver 104-1, the second receiver 104-2, the third receiver 104-3, and the fourth receiver 104-4 are arranged together in the form of a two-dimensional array.

[0042] The radar system 101 may further include a plurality of mixers (e.g., mixers 152-1, 152-2, 152-3, 152-4) corresponding to the plurality of receivers 104. Each of the mixers may be configured to receive a signal from the transmitter 102 in response to the transmission of the transmitted EM wave, and to receive a signal from the corresponding receiver 104 in response to the reception of the reflected EM wave. Each of the mixers 152 is configured to mix the received signal with the transmitted signal, and transmit the IF output signal to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 154. The ADC 154 may be communicatively coupled to the computing device 200. In one or more embodiments, the ADC 154 may be communicatively coupled to the computing device 200 via one or more channels, wherein each channel may correspond to a certain receiver 104.

[0043] refer to Figure 2 , showing a detailed schematic block diagram of a computing device 200. The computing device 200 includes a processor 202 and a memory 204 communicatively coupled to the processor 202. The memory 204 may store instructions that may be executed by the processor 202 to implement the computing device 200. The computing device 200 further includes an interface 206. The interface 206 may include a variety of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices (referred to as I / O devices), storage devices, and the like. The interface 206 may also provide a communication path for one or more components of the computing device 200. The computing device 200 may be communicatively coupled to a database 250. The database 250 may be configured to store data generated during the execution of instructions by the processor 202 in order to implement the computing device 200. The database 250 may be further configured to store additional data required to implement the computing device 200.

[0044] Reference now Figure 1A to Figure 2 , computing device 200 includes processing engine 210. Processing engine 210 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (e.g., programmable instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of processing engine 210. In some examples, processing engine 210 may be implemented by an electronic circuit module.

[0045] Processing engine 210 may include signal reception engine 212, time difference engine 214, direction determination engine 216, and other engine(s) 218. Other engine(s) 218 ​​may include an engine configured to perform one or more auxiliary functions associated with processing engine 210.

[0046] The signal receiving engine 212 may be configured to determine a first reception time of the reflected EM wave associated with the EM wave transmitted from the transmitter 102 of the radar system 100 by the first receiver 104-1. Specifically, the signal receiving engine 212 may be configured to receive a signal from the first receiver 104-1 indicating reception of the reflected EM wave associated with the transmitted EM wave by the first receiver 104-1. The signal receiving engine 212 may be further configured to extract the first reception time of the EM wave by the first receiver 104-1 from the received signal.

[0047] The signal receiving engine 212 may be further configured to determine a second reception time of the reflected EM wave associated with the EM wave transmitted from the transmitter 102 by the second receiver 104-2. Specifically, the signal receiving engine 212 may be configured to receive a signal from the second receiver 104-2 indicating reception of the reflected EM wave associated with the transmitted EM wave by the second receiver 104-2. The signal receiving engine 212 may be further configured to extract the second reception time of the EM wave by the second receiver 104-2 from the received signal.

[0048] The reflected EM waves received by the first receiver 104-1 and / or the second receiver 104-2 may be caused by reflection of the same transmitted EM wave by an object 190 moving in a direction relative to any one or a combination of the first receiver 104-1 and the second receiver 104-2. The signal receiving engine 212 may be configured to determine that the reflected EM waves received by the first receiver 104-1 and the second receiver 104-2 may be associated with the same transmitted EM wave based on the time when the transmitter 102 transmitted the EM wave.

[0049] The time difference engine 214 may be configured to determine a time difference between the first reception time and the second reception time based on the first reception time and the second reception time. In some cases, the first reception time and the second reception time may be substantially the same, in which case the time difference may be zero. Such a scenario may occur when the object 190 is moving in a direction that may be constantly equidistant from the first receiver 104-1 and the second receiver 104-2.

[0050] In some other cases, the first reception time may have occurred before the second reception time.Such a scenario may occur when the object 190 is moving in a direction from an area close to the first receiver 104-1 to an area close to the second receiver 104-2.

[0051] In still other cases, the second reception time may have occurred before the first reception time. Such a scenario may occur when the object 190 is moving in a direction from an area close to the second receiver 104-2 to an area close to the first receiver 104-1.

[0052] The direction determination engine 216 may be configured to determine a moving direction of the object 190 relative to any one or a combination of the first receiver 104 - 1 and the second receiver 104 - 2 based on a difference between the first reception time and the second reception time.

[0053] In one or more embodiments, the direction determination engine 216 may be configured to determine that the object 190 has a motion vector orthogonal to the first axis 160 between the first receiver 104 - 1 and the second receiver 104 - 2 responsive to the first reception time and the second reception time occurring simultaneously.

[0054] In one or more embodiments, the direction determination engine 216 may be configured to determine that the object 190 has a motion vector component from the first receiver 104-1 to the second receiver 104-2 along the first axis 160 between the first receiver 104-1 and the second receiver 104-2 in response to the first reception time occurring before the second reception time.

[0055] In one or more embodiments, the direction determination engine 216 may be configured to determine that the object 190 has a motion vector component from the second receiver 104-2 toward the first receiver 104-1 along the first axis 160 between the first receiver 104-1 and the second receiver 104-2 in response to the second reception time occurring before the first reception time.

[0056] In an embodiment, the radar system 100 further includes a third receiver 104-3 disposed along the axes 162, 164 (see Figure 1B ), the signal receiving engine 212 may be further configured to determine a third reception time of the reflected EM wave associated with the EM wave transmitted from the transmitter 102 by the third receiver 104-3. Specifically, the signal receiving engine 212 may be configured to receive a signal from the third receiver 104-3 indicating reception of the reflected EM wave associated with the transmitted EM wave by the third receiver 104-3. The signal receiving engine 212 may be further configured to extract the third reception time of the EM wave by the third receiver 104-3 from the received signal. The signal receiving engine 212 may be configured to determine that the reflected EM wave received by the third receiver 104-3 may be associated with the same transmitted EM wave based on the time when the EM wave was transmitted by the transmitter 102.

[0057] The time difference engine 214 may be configured to determine a time difference between the first reception time, the second reception time, and the third reception time based on the first reception time, the second reception time, and the third reception time.

[0058] The direction determination engine 216 may be configured to determine a moving direction of the object 190 relative to any one or a combination of the first receiver 104-1, the second receiver 104-2, and the third receiver 104-3 based on differences between the first reception time, the second reception time, and the third reception time.

[0059] In an embodiment, the radar system 100 may further include a fourth receiver 104-4 (see FIG. 1 ) that is adjusted relative to the receivers 104-1, 104-2, and 104-3 along the axes 160 to 170, respectively. Figure 1C ), the signal receiving engine 212 may be further configured to determine a fourth reception time of the reflected EM wave associated with the EM wave transmitted from the transmitter 102 by the fourth receiver 104-4. Specifically, the signal receiving engine 212 may be configured to receive a signal from the fourth receiver 104-4 indicating reception of the reflected EM wave associated with the transmitted EM wave by the fourth receiver 104-4. The signal receiving engine 212 may be further configured to extract the fourth reception time of the EM wave by the fourth receiver 104-4 from the received signal. The signal receiving engine 212 may be configured to determine that the reflected EM wave received by the fourth receiver 104-4 may be associated with the same transmitted EM wave based on the time at which the EM wave was transmitted by the transmitter 102.

[0060] The time difference engine 214 may be configured to determine a time difference between the first, second, third, and fourth reception times based on the first, second, third, and fourth reception times.

[0061] The direction determination engine 216 may be configured to determine the direction of movement of the object 190 relative to any one or combination of the first receiver 104-1, the second receiver 104-2, the third receiver 104-3, and the fourth receiver 104-4 based on the differences between the first, second, third, and fourth reception times.

[0062] refer to Figure 3 , a schematic flow chart of a method 300 for use with radar system 100 is shown. Referring now to Figures 1A to 3 At step 302, the method 300 includes: determining, by the computing device 200, a first reception time of the reflected EM wave associated with the transmitted EM wave by the first receiver 104-1. At step 304, the method 300 further includes: determining, by the computing device 200, a second reception time of the reflected EM wave associated with the transmitted EM wave by the second receiver 104-2. At step 306, the method 300 further includes: determining, by the computing device 200, a movement direction of the object 190 relative to any one or a combination of the first receiver 104-1 and the second receiver 104-2 based on a difference between the first reception time and the second reception time.

[0063] In one or more embodiments, method 300 further includes: in response to the first reception time occurring before the second reception time, computing device 200 determines that object 190 has a motion vector component from first receiver 104-1 to second receiver 104-2 along an axis between first receiver 104-1 and second receiver 104-2.

[0064] In one or more embodiments, method 300 further includes: in response to the second reception time occurring before the first reception time, computing device 200 determines that object 190 has a motion vector component from second receiver 104-2 to first receiver 104-1 along an axis between first receiver 104-1 and second receiver 104-2.

[0065] In one or more embodiments, method 300 includes determining, by computing device 200 , in response to the first reception time and the second reception time occurring simultaneously, that object 190 has a motion vector defined as orthogonal to an axis between first receiver 104 - 1 and second receiver 104 - 2 .

[0066] In one or more embodiments, the method 300 includes determining, by the computing device 200, a third reception time of the third receiver 104-3. The method 300 further includes determining, by the computing device 200, a moving direction of the object 190 relative to any one or a combination of the first receiver 104-1, the second receiver 104-2, and the third receiver 104-3 based on the difference between the first, second, and third reception times.

[0067] Figure 4 4 is an exemplary schematic block diagram of a computer system 400 for implementing computing device 200. Computer system 400 may include database 410, bus 420, main memory 430, read-only memory 440, mass storage device 450, communication port 460, and processor 470. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a computer system may include more than one processor and communication port. Examples of processor 470 include, but are not limited to, (one or more) or Itanium 2 processor, or (one or more) or Athlon processor, Series processors, FortiSOC TMThe processor 470 may include various modules. The communication port 460 may be an RS-232 port for use with a modem-based dial-up connection, a 10 / 100 Ethernet port, a gigabit or 10 gigabit port using copper or optical fiber, a serial port, a parallel port, or any other existing or future port. The communication port 460 may be selected depending on a network such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or any network to which the computer system is connected. The memory 430 may be a random access memory (RAM) or any other dynamic storage device known in the art. The read-only memory 440 may be any (one or more) static storage device, such as, but not limited to, a programmable read-only memory (PROM) chip for storing static information (e.g., for startup or BIOS instructions for the processor 470). The mass storage device 450 may be any current or future mass storage solution that can be used to store information and / or instructions. Exemplary mass storage solutions include, but are not limited to: Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drives or solid-state drives (internal or external, e.g., with Universal Serial Bus (USB) and / or Firewire interfaces), such as those available from Seagate (e.g., the Seagate Barracuda 7102 series) or those available from Hitachi (e.g., the Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000); one or more optical disks; redundant array of independent disks (RAID) storage devices, such as disk arrays (e.g., SATA arrays) available from various vendors including Dot Hill Systems Corp., LaCie, Nexsan Technologies, Inc., and Enhance Technology, Inc.

[0068] The bus 420 communicatively couples the processor(s) 470 with other memory, storage, and communication blocks. The bus 420 may be, for example, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) / PCI expansion (PCI-X) bus, a small computer system interface (SCSI), a USB, etc., for connecting expansion cards, drives, and other subsystems, and other buses, such as a front-side bus (FSB), which connects the processor 470 to a software system.

[0069] Optionally, operator and management interfaces (e.g., display, keyboard, and cursor control device) may also be coupled to bus 420 to enable an operator to interact directly with the computer system. Other operator and management interfaces may be provided via a network connection connected via communication port 460. Database 410 may be any type of external hard drive, floppy drive, Zip drive, compact disk - read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk rewritable (CD-RW), digital video disk - read only memory (DVD-ROM). The components described above are only intended to illustrate various possibilities. The aforementioned exemplary computer system should in no way limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0070] Although the present invention 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 elements thereof without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. The teachings of the present invention may be modified to accommodate specific circumstances or materials without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but that the present invention encompasses all embodiments falling within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

[0071] In interpreting the specification, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the elements, components, or steps mentioned may exist, be utilized, or be combined with other elements, components, or steps not explicitly mentioned. In the case where the specification and claims refer to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C, ..., and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, rather than A plus N, or B plus N, etc.

Claims

1. A radar system, comprising: a transmitter configured to transmit electromagnetic waves in an area defining a field of view (FOV) of the radar system; a plurality of receivers configured to detect reflected electromagnetic waves generated in response to reflection of the transmitted electromagnetic waves from objects located within the FOV of the radar system; as well as a computing device communicatively coupled to the plurality of receivers, the computing device configured to: determining a first reception time of a reflected electromagnetic wave associated with the transmitted electromagnetic wave by a first receiver; determining a second reception time of the reflected electromagnetic wave associated with the transmitted electromagnetic wave by a second receiver; as well as The moving direction of the object relative to any one or a combination of the first receiver and the second receiver is determined based on a difference between the first receiving time and the second receiving time.

2. The radar system of claim 1, wherein: At least the first receiver and the second receiver are separated by a predefined distance.

3. A radar system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein: The computing device is configured to determine, in response to the first reception time occurring before the second reception time, that the object has a motion vector component from the first receiver to the second receiver along an axis between the first receiver and the second receiver.

4. A radar system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein: The computing device is configured to determine, in response to the second reception time occurring before the first reception time, that the object has a motion vector component from the second receiver to the first receiver along an axis between the first receiver and the second receiver.

5. A radar system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein: The computing device is configured to determine, in response to the first reception time and the second reception time occurring simultaneously, that the object has a motion vector defined as orthogonal to an axis between the first receiver and the second receiver.

6. A radar system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein: The plurality of receivers are arranged in a two-dimensional array, and each receiver of the plurality of receivers is separated from an adjacent receiver by a predefined distance.

7. A radar system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein: The plurality of receivers include a first receiver, a second receiver, and a third receiver, wherein the first receiver and the second receiver are arranged adjacent to each other along a first axis, and wherein the third receiver is arranged adjacent to any one of the first receiver and the second receiver along a second axis.

8. The radar system of claim 7, wherein: The computing device is further configured to: determining a third reception time of the third receiver; and Based on the difference between the first reception time, the second reception time and the third reception time, a moving direction of the object relative to any one or a combination of the first receiver, the second receiver and the third receiver is determined.

9. A method for a radar system, comprising: determining, by the computing device, a first reception time of a reflected electromagnetic wave associated with the transmitted electromagnetic wave by a first receiver; determining, by the computing device, a second reception time of the reflected electromagnetic wave associated with the transmitted electromagnetic wave by a second receiver; as well as The moving direction of the object relative to any one or a combination of the first receiver and the second receiver is determined by the computing device based on a difference between the first receiving time and the second receiving time.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein: At least the first receiver and the second receiver are separated by a predefined distance.

11. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 10, further comprising: In response to the first reception time occurring before the second reception time, determining, by the computing device, that the object has a motion vector component from the first receiver to the second receiver along an axis between the first receiver and the second receiver.

12. The method of any one of claims 9 to 11, further comprising: In response to the second reception time occurring before the first reception time, determining, by the computing device, that the object has a motion vector component from the second receiver to the first receiver along an axis between the first receiver and the second receiver.

13. The method of any one of claims 9 to 12, further comprising: In response to the first reception time and the second reception time occurring simultaneously, it is determined by the computing device that the object has a motion vector defined as orthogonal to an axis between the first receiver and the second receiver.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein: The plurality of receivers are arranged in a two-dimensional array, and each receiver of the plurality of receivers is separated from an adjacent receiver by a predefined distance.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein: The plurality of receivers include a first receiver, a second receiver, and a third receiver, wherein the first receiver and the second receiver are arranged adjacent to each other along a first axis, and wherein the third receiver is arranged adjacent to any one of the first receiver and the second receiver along a second axis.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining, by the computing device, a third reception time of the third receiver; as well as The computing device determines a moving direction of the object relative to any one or a combination of the first receiver, the second receiver, and the third receiver based on differences among the first reception time, the second reception time, and the third reception time.

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