Millimeter wave radar system, and electronic device and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a millimeter-wave radar system and electronic equipment and a control method thereof, and relates to the technical field of radars, and the millimeter-wave radar system comprises a signal receiving and transmitting circuit, a mechanical rotating antenna, a driving structure and a controller. According to the invention, double antennas are adopted to replace a multi-antenna array, the number of radio frequency link assemblies and a complex calibration process are reduced, the driving structure is utilized to realize continuous adjustment of the azimuth angle of the antennas, multi-angle scanning is realized, dependence on a high-frequency phase shifter or a special beam forming chip is not needed, and the system cost is reduced from the hardware architecture level. Meanwhile, the controller accurately and synchronously regulates and controls the rotation angle of the antenna and a radio frequency transmitting / receiving window, so that the beam pointing of the millimeter wave signal keeps time and space consistency in a signal transmitting stage and an echo receiving stage, and a target reflection signal is ensured to be effectively captured in the optimal residence time; therefore, the dynamic detection precision and the anti-interference capability are improved while the system structure is simplified.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of radar technology, and particularly to a millimeter-wave radar system, its electronic device, and control method. Background Art

[0002] Millimeter-wave radar is a technology that uses millimeter-wave electromagnetic waves (frequency range from 30 GHz to 300 GHz, wavelength from 1 millimeter to 10 millimeters) for detection and measurement. Due to its high resolution, strong penetration, and anti-interference ability, millimeter-wave radar technology has been widely used in fields such as meteorological observation, wind speed measurement, and UAV navigation.

[0003] However, existing millimeter-wave radar systems mostly rely on multi-antenna arrays to achieve multi-angle signal transmission and reception, resulting in the following inherent defects: multi-antenna arrays require independent radio frequency front-ends, phase shifters, and calibration modules, significantly increasing the hardware scale and manufacturing cost; the coupling effect between antenna units requires complex compensation algorithms, which have extremely high requirements for signal processing capabilities, further increasing the system power consumption and development difficulty. At the same time, fixed antenna systems rely on electronic beamforming technology to change the detection direction, and their effective scanning angle is limited by the relationship between the antenna aperture and wavelength, making it difficult to achieve large-range continuous coverage. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main purpose of this application is to provide a millimeter-wave radar system, its electronic device, and control method, aiming to solve the technical problems of high hardware cost and low scanning efficiency caused by existing millimeter-wave radar systems relying on multi-antenna arrays.

[0005] To achieve the above object, this application proposes a millimeter-wave radar system, including: A signal transceiver circuit for generating millimeter-wave signals or processing received millimeter-wave signals; A mechanical rotating antenna for transmitting and receiving millimeter-wave signals; A driving structure, drivingly connected to the mechanical rotating antenna, for driving the mechanical rotating antenna to rotate; A controller, connected to the controlled ends of the signal transceiver circuit and the driving structure, for synchronously controlling the rotation azimuth of the mechanical rotating antenna to match the timing of the signal transceiver circuit transmitting / receiving signals according to a preset scanning strategy.

[0006] In one embodiment, the signal transceiver circuit includes: A millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit for generating millimeter-wave signals; A signal processing circuit, with its output end connected to the controller, for processing received millimeter-wave signals and outputting them to the controller; A timing interface circuit, with its input end connected to the controller and its output end connected to the millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit and the signal processing circuit, is used to synchronously trigger the millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit and the signal processing circuit to work according to the instructions sent by the controller.

[0007] In one embodiment, the mechanical rotating antenna includes a dual antenna. One antenna is connected to the output end of the millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit and is used to transmit the millimeter-wave signal generated by the millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit. The other antenna is connected to the input end of the signal processing circuit and is used to transmit the received millimeter-wave signal to the signal processing circuit for processing.

[0008] In one embodiment, the controller includes: A main control circuit, which is used to output corresponding drive structure control signals and timing control signals according to a preset scanning strategy; A drive structure control circuit, with its output end connected to the rotating motor, is used to control the drive structure to drive the mechanical rotating antenna to rotate at a preset angular rate according to the drive structure control signal of the main control circuit; A timing control circuit, with its output end connected to the input end of the timing interface circuit, is used to generate a timing signal according to the timing control signal of the main control circuit and output it to the timing interface circuit, so that the signal transceiver circuit dynamically triggers the millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit and the signal processing circuit to work according to the rotation orientation of the mechanical rotating antenna in the preset scanning strategy.

[0009] In one embodiment, the timing signal includes: A signal transmission trigger signal, which is used to trigger the signal transceiver circuit to generate a millimeter-wave signal; A signal reception trigger signal, which is used to trigger the signal transceiver circuit to start processing the received millimeter-wave signal.

[0010] In one embodiment, the controller further includes: A communication circuit, which is connected to the main control circuit and the upper computer; The main control circuit is further used to upload the data output by the signal transceiver circuit to the upper computer through the communication circuit.

[0011] In one embodiment, the signal processing circuit includes: A signal demodulation circuit, with its input end connected to the mechanical rotating antenna, is used to filter, amplify and demodulate the received millimeter-wave signal to obtain a demodulated analog signal; An analog-to-digital conversion circuit, with its input end connected to the output end of the signal demodulation circuit, is used to convert the analog signal output by the signal demodulation circuit into a digital signal; A digital signal processing circuit, with its input end connected to the output end of the analog-to-digital conversion circuit, is used to perform Doppler frequency shift calculation and phase difference analysis on the digital signal output by the analog-to-digital conversion circuit to obtain processed data.

[0012] In addition, to achieve the above object, the present application also proposes an electronic device including the millimeter-wave radar system as described above.

[0013] In addition, to achieve the above object, the present application also proposes a control method implemented based on the millimeter-wave radar system as described above, including: Controlling the driving structure to drive the mechanical rotating antenna to rotate within a preset scanning angle range at a preset angular rate; When it is detected that the mechanical rotating antenna rotates to a preset angle, output a timing signal to the signal transceiver circuit to synchronously drive the signal transceiver circuit to transmit millimeter-wave signals through the mechanical rotating antenna and process the millimeter-wave signals received by the mechanical rotating antenna.

[0014] In an embodiment of the control method, the specific steps after the step of "when it is detected that the mechanical rotating antenna rotates to a preset angle, output a timing signal to the signal transceiver circuit to synchronously drive the signal transceiver circuit to transmit millimeter-wave signals through the mechanical rotating antenna and process the millimeter-wave signals received by the mechanical rotating antenna" further include: Performing filtering, amplification, and demodulation on the received millimeter-wave signals to obtain demodulated analog signals; Converting the demodulated analog signals into digital signals; Performing Doppler frequency shift calculation and phase difference analysis on the digital signals to obtain processed data.

[0015] The present application uses a dual-antenna to replace the multi-antenna array. While reducing the number of RF link components and complex calibration processes, it uses a driving structure to achieve continuous adjustability of the antenna azimuth angle, enabling multi-angle scanning. It does not rely on high-frequency phase shifters or dedicated beamforming chips, reducing system costs at the hardware architecture level. At the same time, the controller precisely synchronizes and controls the antenna rotation angle and the RF transmission / reception window, so that the beam direction of the millimeter-wave signal maintains time and space consistency during the signal transmission stage and the echo reception stage, ensuring that the target reflection signal is effectively captured within the optimal dwell time, thereby improving the dynamic detection accuracy and anti-interference ability while simplifying the system structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The accompanying drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and form a part of the specification, showing embodiments consistent with the present application and used together with the specification to explain the principles of the present application.

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the accompanying drawings required in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, for those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 It is a structural framework diagram of a millimeter-wave radar system of the present application; Figure 2 It is a structural framework diagram provided for the first embodiment of a millimeter-wave radar system of the present application; Figure 3 It is a schematic flowchart provided for the first embodiment of a control method of a millimeter-wave radar system of the present application.

[0019] Reference numerals in the drawings: signal transceiver circuit 01, millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit 11, signal processing circuit 12, timing interface circuit 13, mechanical rotating antenna 02, driving structure 03, controller 04, main control circuit 41, driving structure control circuit 42, timing control circuit 43.

[0020] The realization of the purpose, functional characteristics and advantages of the present application will be further described with reference to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Specific Embodiments

[0021] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the technical solutions of the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0022] To better understand the technical solutions of the present application, the following will be described in detail in combination with the drawings in the specification and specific embodiments. The flowcharts and block diagrams in the drawings illustrate the possible architectures, functions and operations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present application. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, a program segment or a part of code, and this module, program segment or part of code contains one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order from that marked in the drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks shown may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagram and / or flowchart, and the combination of blocks in the block diagram and / or flowchart, can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system for performing the specified functions or operations, or can be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0023] The modules involved in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in software or in hardware. In some cases, the name of the module does not constitute a limitation on the unit itself.

[0024] This application proposes a millimeter-wave radar system, as Figure 1 shown, including: A signal transceiver circuit 01, configured to generate millimeter-wave signals or perform signal processing on the received millimeter-wave signals; A mechanical rotating antenna 02, configured to transmit and receive millimeter-wave signals; A driving structure 03, drivingly connected to the mechanical rotating antenna 02, configured to drive the mechanical rotating antenna 02 to rotate; A controller 04, connected to the controlled ends of the signal transceiver circuit 01 and the driving structure 03, configured to synchronously control the rotation azimuth of the mechanical rotating antenna 02 to match the timing of the signal transceiver circuit 01 transmitting / receiving signals according to a preset scanning strategy.

[0025] Specifically, radars are classified into multiple types according to different operating frequencies and bands, including millimeter-wave radars. Millimeter-wave radars are a technology that uses millimeter-wave band electromagnetic waves (frequency range from 30 GHz to 300 GHz, wavelength from 1 millimeter to 10 millimeters) for detection and measurement. Compared with traditional microwave radars, millimeter-wave radars have higher frequencies and shorter wavelengths, so they can provide higher resolution and more accurate detection capabilities. This enables millimeter-wave radars to perform excellently in various applications, including autonomous driving, industrial automation, security monitoring, and health monitoring. It has high frequency and low wavelength, enabling it to provide high-resolution target images and accurate distance measurements, be able to work in various harsh weather environments, and has advantages such as strong penetration and high detection accuracy.

[0026] The composition of a millimeter-wave radar is not complex and is mainly composed of the following modules: an antenna, used to receive and transmit millimeter-wave signals; a transmitter, used to generate and transmit millimeter-wave signals. The transmitter generally also includes components such as a signal generator and a power amplifier; a receiver, which receives and processes the reflected millimeter-wave signals. It generally also includes components such as a low-noise amplifier (LNA), a mixer, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC); a signal processing unit, whose main work is to perform data processing and analysis on the received signals, including digital signal filtering, data demodulation, and target detection, etc., and at the same time send the processed data to the display. Generally speaking, the millimeter-wave radar system is initiated by the transmitter, the signal is sent out through the antenna, after the signal encounters the target object, part of the signal is reflected back and captured by the radar antenna, the captured data is fed back to the receiver, and then to the signal processing unit for data processing, and finally presented by the display terminal.

[0027] However, the root cause of the technical dilemmas in existing millimeter-wave radar systems can be traced back to the path dependence of their core architecture on electronic scanning technology and the inherent contradictions in the physical characteristics of the millimeter-wave frequency band. At the hardware level, the setting of multi-antenna arrays directly leads to a sharp increase in system complexity. Taking a typical 64-element phased array as an example, each antenna element must be equipped with an independent power amplifier, phase shifter, and receiving channel, which makes the number of RF links strictly bound to the number of antennas. This "one element, one link" architecture mode not only results in an excessively high proportion of material costs, but also severely restricts the commercialization process due to the high unit price of millimeter-wave frequency band components. Even more severely, maintaining phase consistency among multiple channels has become a continuous challenge - when the operating frequency rises to the millimeter-wave range, the wavelength shortens to the millimeter scale, and a mechanical deformation of micrometers or a temperature drift of 1 degree Celsius between antenna elements can cause a phase error of more than 10°. Therefore, the system has to introduce a complex calibration network, which uses embedded directional couplers and temperature sensors to monitor the status of each channel in real time, and then dynamically corrects the phase deviation with iterative algorithms. This "calibration - compensation - recalibration" closed-loop mechanism can maintain the beamforming accuracy, but it increases the system maintenance cost, and the radar downtime caused by the calibration process directly affects the equipment availability.

[0028] The physical limitations of electronic scanning technology also expose the deep conflicts between wavelength and system performance. According to phased array theory, the maximum beam deflection angle θ_max is restricted by the grating lobe suppression condition, which needs to satisfy d ≤ λ / (1 + |sinθ_max|), where d is the antenna spacing and λ is the wavelength. Electronic scanning faces a cliff-like decline in radiation efficiency when deflecting at large angles. At the same time, the physical characteristics of millimeter waves further intensify the contradiction: although the short wavelength supports antenna miniaturization, the atmospheric attenuation of high-frequency signals forces the system to use higher transmission power; and the power increase requires more complex heat dissipation design and power management, forming a "complexity vortex". This path-locking effect in technological evolution has trapped the industry in a closed-loop dilemma of "performance improvement, complexity increase, cost out of control, and application limitation", and only through underlying architecture innovation can the deadlock be broken.

[0029] In view of the above problems, the present application proposes a millimeter-wave radar system. While retaining the basic functions of the traditional millimeter-wave radar signal transceiver circuit 01 and antenna, through a mechanical scanning architecture and a timing collaborative control mechanism, it solves the inherent bottlenecks of the traditional multi-antenna electronic scanning system in terms of hardware complexity, cost control, and spatial coverage efficiency. The millimeter-wave radar system of the present application consists of four major modules: a signal transceiver circuit 01, a mechanical rotating antenna 02, a drive structure 03, and a controller 04. At the basic function level, the signal transceiver circuit 01 of the present application continues the core technical features of the traditional millimeter-wave radar, and completely retains the basic capability modules for millimeter-wave signal generation, transmission, reception, and processing. It adopts mature signal modulation and demodulation technologies to ensure that the system has signal analysis accuracy and anti-interference performance comparable to traditional solutions.

[0030] The breakthrough is mainly reflected in the structural reconstruction of the antenna system. This solution abandons the complex layout of the traditional multi-antenna array and instead adopts a dual-rotatable antenna design. The mechanical rotating antenna 02 realizes 360-degree full-field scanning or directional scanning within a custom angle range through a precision drive mechanism. With the spatial position change brought by mechanical movement, the dual antennas can complete the wide-area coverage that requires a multi-channel antenna array in the traditional solution, simplifying the hardware architecture. By simplifying dozens of independent radio frequency channels in the electronic scanning system into a dual-rotating radio frequency link, not only the number of high-frequency components, power amplifiers, and beamforming networks is significantly reduced, but also the complex debugging procedures required for multi-channel calibration are significantly reduced. The drive structure 03 and the mechanical rotation achieve low-loss signal transmission under dynamic conditions, enabling the system to maintain signal integrity comparable to traditional solutions while reducing hardware costs. This architectural simplification also extends to the power supply and heat dissipation systems. At the same time, as the execution unit of mechanical scanning, the drive mechanism adopts a closed-loop control system with a motor and a position feedback sensor to ensure the control accuracy of the antenna rotation angle. The scanning angle range can be freely set through software definition, enabling both panoramic continuous scanning and directional gaze monitoring for specific threat areas.

[0031] Based on the setting of the mechanical rotating antenna 02, the controller 04 of the present application is connected to the controlled ends of the signal transceiver circuit 01 and the driving structure 03, and is used to synchronously control the rotation azimuth of the mechanical rotating antenna 02 to match the timing of the signal transceiver circuit 01 transmitting / receiving signals according to a preset scanning strategy. The present application achieves two key collaborations: on the one hand, it implements speed regulation and angle positioning control for the driving mechanism, and on the other hand, it establishes an accurate timing matching relationship with the signal transceiver circuit 01. This timing collaboration mechanism enables the signal transceiver circuit 01 to synchronously trigger the transmission and reception operations of the corresponding beam when the antenna is at a specific spatial azimuth, thereby achieving continuous spatial coverage of the electromagnetic beam during the mechanical movement. By presetting a programmable scanning strategy, the system can flexibly switch between a full-circle scanning mode, a sector enhancement scanning mode, or a multi-frequency scanning mode for key areas according to different application scenarios, improving the monitoring density of key areas while ensuring the detection range, and is applicable to fields such as meteorological observation, wind speed and direction measurement, and UAV navigation. And on the premise of maintaining the basic performance indicators of the millimeter-wave radar, technical improvements in reducing system complexity, optimizing manufacturing costs, and improving scanning efficiency are successfully achieved. It should be noted that the preset scanning strategy in the present application is a control instruction preset by the user, which includes the scanning range, speed of the mechanical rotating antenna 02, the transceiver time of the signal transceiver circuit 01, etc.

[0032] The present application uses a dual-antenna to replace the multi-antenna array. While reducing the number of RF link components and complex calibration processes, it uses the driving structure 03 to achieve continuous adjustability of the antenna azimuth angle, enabling multi-angle scanning. It does not rely on high-frequency phase shifters or dedicated beamforming chips, reducing system costs from the hardware architecture level. At the same time, the controller 04 precisely synchronously regulates the antenna rotation angle and the RF transmission / reception window, so that the beam direction of the millimeter-wave signal maintains time and space consistency during the signal transmission stage and the echo reception stage, ensuring that the target reflected signal is effectively captured within the optimal dwell time, thereby improving the dynamic detection accuracy and anti-interference ability while simplifying the system structure.

[0033] In an embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, the signal transceiver circuit 01 includes: A millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit 11 for generating millimeter-wave signals; a signal processing circuit 12, the output end of which is connected to the controller 04, and is used to process the received millimeter-wave signals and output them to the controller 04; a timing interface circuit 13, the input end of which is connected to the controller 04, and the output end of which is connected to the millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit 11 and the signal processing circuit 12, and is used to synchronously trigger the millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit 11 and the signal processing circuit 12 to work according to the instructions sent by the controller 04.

[0034] The millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit 11, as the signal source, integrates a high-frequency oscillator and a modulation unit inside, and can generate millimeter-wave detection signals with specific frequency modulation characteristics. This circuit adopts a multi-stage gain control design, which can dynamically adjust the transmission power according to the detection distance requirements to ensure a stable signal intensity during the propagation of electromagnetic waves. The transmitted signal is sent to the mechanical rotating antenna 02 through a low-loss transmission line to form a directional electromagnetic wave beam. In the receiving link, when the mechanical rotating antenna 02 captures the echo signal reflected by the target, a high-speed transmission channel is established between the antenna and the signal processing circuit 12. The signal processing circuit 12 adopts a filtering and amplification structure, and is configured at the front end to initially enhance the weak echo, and then converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal containing amplitude and phase information through an orthogonal demodulation module. The real-time azimuth angle data of the antenna is synchronously injected during the processing to provide a spatial position reference for subsequent signal analysis. The timing interface circuit 13, as the center of system collaborative control, integrates a dual-channel synchronous trigger mechanism to ensure strict spatio-temporal alignment of the leading edge of the transmitted pulse, the receiving sampling window, and the dual-antenna beam pointing.

[0035] In this embodiment, the signal processing circuit 12 combines the Doppler effect and phase difference analysis to achieve high-precision wind speed and wind direction measurement. When the transmitted millimeter-wave signal encounters moving particles (such as dust and water droplets in the air), the frequency of the reflected signal will change. This frequency change is related to the movement speed of the particles (i.e., wind speed). By measuring the frequency offset, the magnitude of the wind speed can be calculated. And phase difference analysis may be used to determine the wind direction, because winds in different directions will cause differences in the arrival time or phase of the reflected signal. Especially when the antenna rotates, the phase changes at different angles may indicate the wind direction. It is necessary to ensure that the signal processing circuit 12 can accurately extract the frequency offset and phase information. Involving orthogonal demodulation, the received signal is decomposed into I (in-phase) and Q (quadrature) components for complex analysis to obtain accurate phase and frequency information. At the same time, considering the movement of the mechanical rotating antenna 02, the signal processing circuit 12 may need to be synchronized with the angular position of the antenna to associate the phase difference with the specific antenna pointing angle, and then deduce the wind direction.

[0036] The entire signal link achieves precise coordination under the intelligent scheduling of the controller 04. The controller 04 sends instructions with nanosecond-level accuracy to the timing interface circuit 13 through the preset radar working timing to ensure strict spatio-temporal alignment of the leading edge of the transmitted pulse, the receiving sampling window, and the dual-antenna beam pointing. It not only avoids the interference of the transmitted signal to the receiving channel but also ensures the integrity of the echo signal acquisition. At the same time, the controller 04 continuously monitors the working state of the system, adaptively adjusts the gain parameters of the signal processing circuit 12 according to the environmental noise level, forms a full closed-loop control system from signal transmission, echo reception to data processing, and improves the reliability and environmental adaptability of the radar system.

[0037] In one embodiment, the mechanical rotating antenna 02 includes a dual antenna. One antenna is connected to the output end of the millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit 11 and is used to transmit the millimeter-wave signal generated by the millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit 11. The other antenna is connected to the input end of the signal processing circuit 12 and is used to transmit the received millimeter-wave signal to the signal processing circuit 12 for processing. In the implementation architecture of the mechanical rotating antenna 02, the dual antenna adopts a split coaxial rotating structure design, and independent control of the spatial beam is achieved through a precision mechanical transmission mechanism. A low-loss flexible feeder is used to connect the transmitting-side antenna and the millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit 11, and a rotating joint is used to achieve full-circumferential mechanical deflection while maintaining stable impedance matching characteristics. The antenna forms a fan-shaped beam with sharp directivity during the rotating scan process, and the electromagnetic energy is focused on the target detection airspace through the forward radiation mode.

[0038] The receiving-side antenna is coupled to the input end of the signal processing circuit 12 through a multi-stage rotating joint. The receiving link adopts a double-balanced mixing structure, and the standing-wave ratio stability of the receiving channel is continuously maintained during the mechanical rotation process to ensure the high-fidelity transmission of weak echo signals. In addition, an optical encoder is integrated into the antenna base to real-time feedback the rotation angle information to the control unit, providing an azimuth reference for the spatial positioning of the echo signal.

[0039] The rotation mechanism of the dual antenna adopts a differential cooperative control strategy, and the spatio-temporal synchronization of the transmitting and receiving beams is achieved through the cooperation of a precision gear set and a servo motor. When the transmitting antenna performs periodic reciprocating motion following a preset scanning trajectory, the receiving antenna dynamically adjusts the pointing angle according to the estimated arrival time of the target echo based on the radar equation, forming an enhanced detection area with beam cross-coverage. Radio frequency choke rings are configured inside both sets of rotating joints to effectively block the leakage path of high-frequency signals in the mechanical rotating components. The system realizes the optimal spatial matching of the transmitting radiation field and the receiving sensitivity through the spatial diversity and cooperative scanning mechanism of the dual antenna. When the transmitting beam actively irradiates the target area, the receiving antenna pre-judges the angle deflection and aligns in advance with the signal reflection path, significantly improving the capture probability of high-speed moving targets. This architecture simultaneously has the dual advantages of dynamic adaptation of the transmitting power and adaptive adjustment of the receiving sensitivity, and demonstrates excellent multi-target resolution and tracking capabilities in a complex electromagnetic environment.

[0040] In one embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, the controller 04 includes: The main control circuit 41 is used to output corresponding driving structure 03 control signals and timing control signals according to a preset scanning strategy. As the core decision-making unit of the system, the main control circuit 41 is built-in with a scanning strategy analysis module and a motion planning algorithm, and can convert a preset scanning mode (such as uniform circular scanning, directional dwell scanning or variable-speed segmented scanning) into multi-dimensional control instructions. Among them, the driving structure 03 control instructions include the rotation direction, the angular velocity curve and dynamic response parameters, and are transmitted to the driving structure control circuit 42 in real time through a digital bus; the timing control instructions encapsulate key timing parameters such as the transmitted pulse width and the receiving window duration, and provide a reference for the synchronous scheduling of the subsequent signal link.

[0041] The driving structure control circuit 42, whose output end is connected to the rotating motor, is used to control the driving structure 03 to drive the mechanical rotating antenna 02 to rotate at a preset angular rate according to the driving structure 03 control signal of the main control circuit 41. As an electromechanical conversion hub, after receiving the angular velocity instruction sent by the main control circuit 41, the driving structure control circuit 42 generates three-phase driving signals through a space vector modulation algorithm and dynamically adjusts the torque output of the rotating motor. The built-in encoder feedback interface collects the absolute angle information of the mechanical rotating antenna 02 in real time to form a closed-loop position control system, ensuring that the deviation between the antenna rotation trajectory and the preset angle is within a controllable range.

[0042] The timing control circuit 43, whose output end is connected to the input end of the timing interface circuit 13, is used to generate timing signals according to the timing control signal of the main control circuit 41 and output them to the timing interface circuit 13, so that the signal transceiver circuit 01 dynamically triggers the millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit 11 and the signal processing circuit 12 to work according to the rotation azimuth of the mechanical rotating antenna 02 in the preset scanning strategy. The signal generation link adopts a differential transmission architecture, and transmits the timing signals to the timing interface circuit 13 through current-mode logic levels. The interface end integrates an impedance matching network and a noise suppression filter to ensure the integrity of high-speed digital signals during long-distance transmission. The circuit synchronously outputs an antenna azimuth auxiliary signal to the signal processing unit, and this signal carries the real-time angle information of the mechanical rotation and the time stamp data of the trigger event, providing a spatio-temporal reference for the spatial resolution of the echo signal. For a complex electromagnetic environment, the circuit is configured with a redundant check mechanism to continuously monitor the signal integrity of the timing link and automatically initiate a timing reconstruction process when pulse loss or phase jitter is detected.

[0043] In an embodiment, the timing signals include: a signal transmission trigger signal for triggering the signal transceiver circuit 01 to generate millimeter-wave signals; a signal reception trigger signal for triggering the signal transceiver circuit 01 to start processing the received millimeter-wave signals.

[0044] In the millimeter-wave radar system of this embodiment, the timing control circuit 43 ensures that the mode conversion of the signal link is strictly matched with the spatial orientation of the mechanical antenna through a multi-level collaborative mechanism. The signal transmission trigger signal is used to trigger the signal transceiver circuit 01 to start generating millimeter-wave signals, usually a level change or a pulse signal. When the control system detects that the antenna rotates to a preset angle, this signal will be sent. Once this trigger signal is received, the signal transceiver circuit 01 will start preparing for the generation of millimeter-wave signals, including steps such as modulation and amplification. Through the signal transmission trigger signal, when the mechanical rotating antenna 02 is about to reach the preset scanning angle, the transmission channel of the RF link is activated in advance to compensate for the circuit delay and the mechanical transmission gap, so that the transmission window of the millimeter-wave signal is completely aligned with the spatial orientation of the antenna beam.

[0045] The signal reception trigger signal is used to trigger the signal transceiver circuit 01 to start processing the received millimeter-wave signals. After receiving this trigger signal, the signal transceiver circuit 01 will prepare to receive the millimeter-wave signals from the antenna and perform corresponding processing, such as demodulation and filtering. After receiving this signal, it starts to receive and process the millimeter-wave signals. At the same time, the instantaneous stability of the antenna is controlled through hardware-level logic to suppress the phase noise introduced by mechanical motion and provide a static environment for the complete capture of echo signals. In this process, the timing control circuit 43 not only realizes the synchronization of the transmission and reception modes, but also dynamically corrects the timing deviation through a closed-loop feedback mechanism. For example, according to the actual rotation angle of the antenna, the generation time of the trigger signal is finely adjusted, so as to establish an adaptive synchronization relationship between the mechanical dynamic characteristics and the RF signal beat. The entire system improves the anti-interference ability of the mode in complex scenarios while ensuring the spatio-temporal consistency of the millimeter-wave signals through the deep coupling of the signal layer, the mechanical layer and the control layer.

[0046] In one embodiment, the controller 04 further includes: A communication circuit, connected to the main control circuit 41 and the host computer; the main control circuit 41 is further configured to upload the data output by the signal transceiver circuit 01 to the host computer through the communication circuit. In this embodiment, the communication circuit of the controller 04 serves as the core hub for information interaction, establishing a two-way data channel with the main control circuit 41 and the host computer, and realizing the efficient cooperation between the internal system and the external platform. After the main control circuit 41 completes the real-time parsing and preprocessing of the data output by the signal transceiver circuit 01, it uploads the standardized data packet to the host computer according to the preset protocol through the communication circuit, forming a complete information link from the original signal acquisition to the high-level decision-making. The communication circuit adopts a hierarchical architecture design. The bottom layer ensures the real-time performance and integrity of data transmission through the high-speed industrial bus protocol, and the upper layer coordinates the transmission timing of control instructions and echo data through the dynamic priority scheduling mechanism to avoid communication resource conflicts. During the data upload process, the main control circuit 41 synchronously monitors the communication link status. If a transmission anomaly is detected, it can independently trigger the data caching or retransmission strategy to ensure the reliable delivery of key information. At the same time, the communication circuit also supports the parameter configuration instructions issued by the host computer, such as the update of the scanning strategy. The main control circuit 41 dynamically adjusts the system operation logic by immediately parsing such instructions, realizing the deep linkage between remote control and local execution.

[0047] In one embodiment, the signal processing circuit 12 includes: A signal demodulation circuit, whose input end is connected to the mechanical rotating antenna 02, and is used for filtering, amplifying and demodulating the received millimeter-wave signal to obtain the demodulated analog signal; an analog-to-digital conversion circuit, whose input end is connected to the output end of the signal demodulation circuit, and is used for converting the analog signal output by the signal demodulation circuit into a digital signal; a digital signal processing circuit 12, whose input end is connected to the output end of the analog-to-digital conversion circuit, and is used for performing Doppler frequency shift calculation and phase difference analysis processing on the digital signal output by the analog-to-digital conversion circuit to obtain the processed data.

[0048] In this embodiment, the signal processing circuit 12 constructs a multi-level processing architecture, and realizes high-precision extraction and analysis of echo information through a signal processing link with progressive levels. As the core of the front-end processing, the signal demodulation circuit is directly connected to the RF output port of the mechanical rotating antenna 02. It dynamically suppresses environmental noise and out-of-band interference through a tunable band-pass filter, and then compensates the gain of the weak echo signal through a low-noise amplifier. Finally, the millimeter-wave carrier frequency is stripped through an orthogonal demodulation module, and the high-frequency modulated signal is restored to a baseband analog signal containing target distance and phase information. The analog-to-digital conversion circuit samples the analog signal output by the demodulation with a high dynamic range and converts it into a digital signal. The digital signal processing circuit 12, as the intelligent analysis unit of the back-end, performs multi-dimensional processing on the sampled data based on a parallel computing engine: extracts Doppler frequency shift information through fast Fourier transform to invert the target radial velocity, and at the same time constructs a spatial interference model by combining a multi-channel phase difference analysis algorithm to accurately calculate the target azimuth and elevation angle information. The entire processing link forms a full-process conversion channel from the original RF signal to three-dimensional spatial point cloud data through the deep cooperation of the hardware acceleration module and reconfigurable logic while ensuring real-time processing capabilities.

[0049] In addition, the present application also proposes an electronic device, including the millimeter-wave radar system as described above. Among them, the millimeter-wave radar system includes a signal transceiver circuit 01 for generating millimeter-wave signals or performing signal processing on the received millimeter-wave signals; a mechanical rotating antenna 02 for transmitting and receiving millimeter-wave signals; a driving structure 03 drivingly connected to the mechanical rotating antenna 02 for driving the mechanical rotating antenna 02 to rotate; and a controller 04 connected to the controlled ends of the signal transceiver circuit 01 and the driving structure 03 for synchronously controlling the rotation azimuth of the mechanical rotating antenna 02 to match the timing of the signal transceiver circuit 01 transmitting / receiving signals according to a preset scanning strategy.

[0050] The present application uses a dual antenna to replace the multi-antenna array. While reducing the number of RF link components and complex calibration processes, it uses the driving structure 03 to achieve continuous adjustment of the antenna azimuth angle, breaking through the beam deflection angle limit of electronic scanning, and eliminating the need to rely on high-frequency phase shifters or dedicated beamforming chips, thereby reducing the system cost at the hardware architecture level. At the same time, the controller 04 precisely synchronously regulates the antenna rotation angle and the RF transmission / reception window, so that the beam direction of the millimeter-wave signal maintains time and space consistency during the signal transmission stage and the echo reception stage, ensuring that the target reflected signal is effectively captured within the optimal dwell time, thereby improving the dynamic detection accuracy and anti-interference ability while simplifying the system structure.

[0051] In addition, the present application also proposes a control method, as Figure 3 shown, implemented based on the millimeter-wave radar system as described above, including: S100: Control the driving structure 03 to drive the mechanical rotating antenna 02 to rotate within a preset scanning angle range at a preset angular rate; the antenna rotates periodically through a driving motor to cover the preset scanning angle range. Among them, the preset scanning angle is set according to the application scenario, target distribution, and communication requirements in the previous preset scanning strategy.

[0052] S200: When it is detected that the mechanical rotating antenna 02 rotates to a preset angle, output a timing signal to the signal transceiver circuit 01, and synchronously drive the signal transceiver circuit 01 to transmit millimeter-wave signals through the mechanical rotating antenna 02 and process the millimeter-wave signals received by the mechanical rotating antenna 02. During the rotation of the antenna, the control system continuously monitors the position of the antenna. When reaching the preset transmission position, output a timing signal to trigger the signal transceiver circuit 01 to transmit millimeter-wave signals. The millimeter-wave signals propagate in space and may encounter obstacles or targets, resulting in reflections. The mechanical rotating antenna 02 receives the reflected millimeter-wave signals and outputs them to the signal transceiver circuit 01, and the signal transceiver circuit 01 will start to process the millimeter-wave signals received by the mechanical rotating antenna 02. This includes steps such as signal amplification, filtering, demodulation, digitization, and subsequent data processing and analysis.

[0053] In an embodiment of the control method, the specific steps of processing the millimeter-wave signals received by the mechanical rotating antenna 02 further include: S410: Filter, amplify, and demodulate the received millimeter-wave signals to obtain the demodulated analog signals; First, perform filtering on the received millimeter-wave signals. The purpose of this step is to remove noise and interference in the signals to ensure the signal quality for subsequent processing. The filtering operation can be achieved by using specific filters that allow signals within a specific frequency range to pass through while suppressing signals of other frequencies. Then, amplify the filtered millimeter-wave signals. Since millimeter-wave signals may be attenuated during transmission, an amplifier is needed to enhance the signal strength so that subsequent circuits can process it accurately. Finally, perform demodulation on the amplified millimeter-wave signals. Demodulation is the process of restoring the modulated signal to the original information signal. In millimeter-wave communication, signals are usually modulated onto millimeter-wave carriers, so demodulation is to extract these signals from the carriers to obtain the demodulated analog signals.

[0054] S420: Convert the demodulated analog signals into digital signals; This step is usually achieved through an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The ADC can convert continuous analog signals into discrete digital signals for subsequent digital signal processing.

[0055] S430: Perform Doppler frequency shift calculation and phase difference analysis on the digital signal to obtain the processed data. Perform Doppler frequency shift calculation on the digital signal. Doppler frequency shift is the change in signal frequency caused by the relative motion between the transmitter and the receiver. In millimeter-wave communication, the motion of the mechanical rotating antenna 02 may cause Doppler frequency shift in the received signal. By calculating the Doppler frequency shift, information about the relative motion between the transmitter and the receiver can be obtained. Perform phase difference analysis on the digital signal. Phase difference refers to the difference in phase between two or more signals at the same frequency. In millimeter-wave communication, the position or motion state of the transmitter can be inferred by analyzing the phase difference of the received signal. When the transmitted millimeter-wave signal encounters moving particles (such as dust and water droplets in the air), the frequency of the reflected signal will change. This frequency change is related to the motion speed of the particles (i.e., wind speed). By measuring the frequency offset, the magnitude of the wind speed can be calculated. And phase difference analysis may be used to determine the wind direction because winds in different directions will cause differences in the arrival time or phase of the reflected signal. Especially in the case of antenna rotation, phase changes at different angles may indicate the wind direction. It is necessary to ensure that the signal processing circuit 12 can accurately extract the frequency offset and phase information. It involves quadrature demodulation, decomposing the received signal into I (in-phase) and Q (quadrature) components for complex analysis to obtain accurate phase and frequency information. At the same time, considering the motion of the mechanical rotating antenna 02, the signal processing circuit 12 may need to be synchronized with the angular position of the antenna to associate the phase difference with the specific antenna pointing angle, and then deduce the wind direction.

[0056] The above are only some embodiments of the present application, and thus do not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structural transformation made under the technical concept of the present application by using the content of the specification and drawings of the present application, or any direct / indirect application in other related technical fields is included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A millimeter wave radar system, characterized in that: include: A signal transceiver circuit, used to generate a millimeter wave signal or perform signal processing on a received millimeter wave signal; A mechanically rotating antenna for transmitting and receiving millimeter wave signals; A driving structure, drivingly connected to the mechanical rotating antenna, and used to drive the mechanical rotating antenna to rotate; The controller is connected to the signal transceiver circuit and the controlled end of the drive structure, and is used to synchronously control the rotational orientation of the mechanical rotating antenna and the timing matching of the signal transceiver circuit transmitting / receiving signals according to a preset scanning strategy.

2. The millimeter wave radar system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal transceiver circuit comprises: A millimeter wave radar transmitting circuit for generating a millimeter wave signal; A signal processing circuit, the output end of which is connected to the controller, for processing the received millimeter wave signal and outputting it to the controller; A timing interface circuit, whose input end is connected to the controller and whose output end is connected to the millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit and the signal processing circuit, is used to synchronously trigger the millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit and the signal processing circuit to work according to the instructions sent by the controller.

3. The millimeter wave radar system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The mechanical rotating antenna includes dual antennas, one of which is connected to the output end of the millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit for transmitting the millimeter-wave signal generated by the millimeter-wave radar transmitting circuit, and the other antenna is connected to the input end of the signal processing circuit for transmitting the received millimeter-wave signal to the signal processing circuit for processing.

4. The millimeter wave radar system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The controller comprises: A main control circuit, used to output corresponding drive structure control signals and timing control signals according to a preset scanning strategy; A drive structure control circuit, the output end of which is connected to the rotating motor, and is used to control the drive structure to drive the mechanical rotating antenna to rotate at a preset angular rate according to the drive structure control signal of the main control circuit; The timing control circuit has an output end connected to the input end of the timing interface circuit, and is used to generate a timing signal according to the timing control signal of the main control circuit and output it to the timing interface circuit, so that the signal transceiver circuit dynamically triggers the millimeter wave radar transmitting circuit and the signal processing circuit to work according to the rotation direction of the mechanical rotating antenna in the preset scanning strategy.

5. The millimeter wave radar system as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The timing signal includes: A signal transmission trigger signal, used to trigger the signal transceiver circuit to generate a millimeter wave signal; The signal receiving trigger signal is used to trigger the signal transceiver circuit to start processing the received millimeter wave signal.

6. The millimeter wave radar system as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The controller further comprises: A communication circuit connected to the main control circuit and the host computer; The main control circuit is also used to upload the data output by the signal transceiver circuit to the host computer through the communication circuit.

7. The millimeter wave radar system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The signal processing circuit comprises: A signal demodulation circuit, the input end of which is connected to the mechanical rotating antenna, and is used to filter, amplify and demodulate the received millimeter wave signal to obtain a demodulated analog signal; an analog-to-digital conversion circuit, whose input end is connected to the output end of the signal demodulation circuit, and is used to convert the analog signal output by the signal demodulation circuit into a digital signal; The digital signal processing circuit has an input end connected to the output end of the analog-to-digital conversion circuit and is used to perform Doppler frequency shift calculation and phase difference analysis on the digital signal output by the analog-to-digital conversion circuit to obtain processed data.

8. An electronic device, characterized in that: Comprising the millimeter wave radar system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A control method, characterized in that: The millimeter wave radar system according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented, comprising: Controlling the driving structure to drive the mechanical rotating antenna to rotate within a preset scanning angle range at a preset angular rate; When it is detected that the mechanical rotating antenna rotates to a preset angle, a timing signal is output to a signal transceiver circuit, and the signal transceiver circuit is synchronously driven to transmit a millimeter wave signal through the mechanical rotating antenna and process the millimeter wave signal received by the mechanical rotating antenna.

10. The control method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The specific steps of outputting a timing signal to a signal transceiver circuit when detecting that the mechanical rotating antenna rotates to a preset angle, synchronously driving the signal transceiver circuit to transmit a millimeter wave signal through the mechanical rotating antenna and processing the millimeter wave signal received by the mechanical rotating antenna also include: Filtering, amplifying and demodulating the received millimeter wave signal to obtain a demodulated analog signal; Convert the demodulated analog signal into a digital signal; The digital signal is processed by Doppler frequency shift calculation and phase difference analysis to obtain processed data.

Images