Hybrid beam processing method, device, equipment and product of 4D millimeter wave radar

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a hybrid beam processing method and device for a 4D millimeter wave radar, equipment and a product. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring amplitude phase data of an incident signal received by a virtual channel in the 4D millimeter wave radar; determining a one-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude phase data; determining a search angle range according to a first spatial spectrum peak point which is represented to meet a signal intensity requirement in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum; and according to the search angle range, determining a two-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude phase data, and an azimuth angle and a pitch angle of a second spatial spectrum peak point meeting the signal strength requirement in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum. The method is used for achieving the effects of improving the sensing accuracy of the environment and improving the multi-target resolution capability of the radar.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of computer technology, and in particular to a hybrid beam processing method, device, equipment and product for 4D millimeter-wave radar. Background Art

[0002] Millimeter-wave radar is a radar system that uses electromagnetic waves in the millimeter-wave frequency band (typically in the range of 30GHz to 300GHz) for target detection, ranging, and speed measurement. Due to its short wavelength, millimeter-wave radar can provide highly accurate distance and speed information, and therefore has broad application prospects in areas such as autonomous driving, drones, and security monitoring. 4D millimeter-wave radar, in particular, can not only sense the distance, speed, and azimuth angle of a target, but also detect the target's pitch angle, thereby providing vehicles with more accurate environmental perception capabilities, which is crucial to improving the safety of autonomous driving.

[0003] Currently, digital beamforming (DBF) technology is the key to improving the angular measurement accuracy of millimeter-wave radar. By flexibly controlling the beam pointing and shape of the antenna array through digital signal processing, it significantly improves the radar's angular resolution and adaptability to complex scenarios.

[0004] However, existing DBF technology generally focuses on beamforming in a single dimension (such as azimuth). When processing two-dimensional beams covering azimuth and elevation angles, azimuth and elevation angles are usually processed separately. As a result, there is a technical problem that millimeter-wave radar has insufficient resolution to perceive the environment. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a hybrid beam processing method, apparatus, device, and product for a 4D millimeter-wave radar, which are used to improve the perception resolution of the environment.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a hybrid beam processing method for a 4D millimeter-wave radar, including:

[0007] Obtain the amplitude and phase data of the incident signal received by the virtual channel in the 4D millimeter wave radar;

[0008] Determine the one-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude-phase data;

[0009] determining a search angle range according to a first spatial spectrum peak point in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum that satisfies a signal strength requirement, where the search angle range includes at least an azimuth search angle range or an elevation search angle range determined according to the one-dimensional spatial spectrum;

[0010] According to the azimuth search angle range and the elevation search angle range in the search angle range, a two-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data and an azimuth angle and an elevation angle of a second spatial spectrum peak point meeting the signal strength requirement in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum are determined.

[0011] In one possible implementation, determining, based on the azimuth search angle range and the elevation search angle range in the search angle range, a two-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data, and an azimuth angle and an elevation angle of a second spatial spectrum peak point that meets a signal strength requirement in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum includes:

[0012] Determining a two-dimensional steering vector of the incident signal and a two-dimensional vector matrix of the two-dimensional steering vector according to an azimuth search angle range and an elevation search angle range in the search angle range;

[0013] Perform inner product processing on the two-dimensional vector matrix and the corresponding amplitude and phase data to generate a two-dimensional spatial spectrum;

[0014] According to the two-dimensional spatial spectrum, the azimuth angle and the elevation angle of a second spatial spectrum peak point that meets the signal strength requirement in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum are determined.

[0015] In one possible implementation, determining a two-dimensional steering vector of an incident signal and a two-dimensional vector matrix of the two-dimensional steering vectors based on an azimuth search angle range and an elevation search angle range in a search angle range includes:

[0016] determining an incident direction component of the incident signal according to an azimuth search angle range and an elevation search angle range in the search angle range;

[0017] Determine, according to the incident component of the incident signal and the array element position vector, a projection of the array element position vector onto the incident direction component;

[0018] Determine the two-dimensional steering vector according to the projection of the array element position vector to the incident direction component;

[0019] According to the two-dimensional steering vector, a two-dimensional vector matrix of the two-dimensional steering vector is obtained.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the two-dimensional steering vector satisfies:

[0021]

[0022] Where a represents the two-dimensional steering vector, θ is the azimuth angle within the azimuth search angle range, is the pitch angle within the pitch search angle range, x, y, and z constitute the array element position vector; λ is the wavelength of the incident signal; j is the imaginary unit, and Δs represents the path difference between the incident signal reaching the two array elements.

[0023] In a possible implementation, determining, based on the two-dimensional spatial spectrum, the azimuth angle and elevation angle of a second spatial spectrum peak point that meets the signal strength requirement in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum includes:

[0024] Performing conversion processing on the two-dimensional spatial spectrum to obtain the dB value of the two-dimensional spatial spectrum;

[0025] According to the dB value of the two-dimensional spatial spectrum, a second spatial spectrum peak point among the spatial spectrum peak points, and an azimuth angle and a pitch angle corresponding to the second spatial spectrum peak point are determined.

[0026] In one possible implementation, determining a one-dimensional spatial spectrum of amplitude and phase data includes:

[0027] Determining a one-dimensional steering vector of an incident signal and a one-dimensional vector matrix of the one-dimensional steering vector according to a preset one-dimensional search angle range;

[0028] Perform inner product processing on the one-dimensional vector matrix and the corresponding amplitude and phase data to generate a one-dimensional spatial spectrum.

[0029] In a possible implementation, when the search angle range is an azimuth search angle range, determining the search angle range based on a first spatial spectrum peak point in a one-dimensional spatial spectrum that satisfies a signal strength requirement includes:

[0030] Determine the signal direction according to the first spatial spectrum peak point in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum that meets the signal strength requirement;

[0031] The azimuth search angle range in the second preset condition is determined according to the azimuth angle of the signal direction and the preset adjustment range.

[0032] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a hybrid beam processing device for a 4D millimeter-wave radar, including:

[0033] An acquisition module is used to obtain the amplitude and phase data of the incident signal received by the virtual channel in the 4D millimeter wave radar;

[0034] A first determining module is used to determine a one-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data;

[0035] A second determining module is configured to determine a search angle range according to a first spatial spectrum peak point in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum that satisfies the signal strength requirement;

[0036] The third determination module is configured to determine, according to the search angle range, a two-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data, and an azimuth angle and an elevation angle of a second spatial spectrum peak point in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum that meets the signal strength requirement.

[0037] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, comprising: a memory, a processor;

[0038] Memory stores computer-executable instructions;

[0039] The processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor executes the above first aspect and / or various possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0040] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer-executable instructions are stored. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, they are used to implement the first aspect above and / or various possible implementation methods of the first aspect.

[0041] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the above first aspect and / or various possible implementation methods of the first aspect.

[0042] The hybrid beam processing method, device, equipment and product of the 4D millimeter-wave radar provided in the embodiment of the present application obtains the amplitude and phase data of the incident signal received by the virtual channel in the 4D millimeter-wave radar and determines its one-dimensional spatial spectrum. After preliminarily identifying the first spatial spectrum peak point that meets the signal strength requirements, a precise search angle range is set, and based on this range, the two-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data is further calculated to accurately identify the azimuth and elevation angles of the second spatial spectrum peak point, thereby significantly improving the accuracy and resolution of the radar's target angle estimation. Compared with the method of performing beamforming only in a single dimension or two separate dimensions, the present application achieves higher-precision target positioning through simultaneous guidance in azimuth and elevation, effectively solving the technical problems of insufficient angular resolution and low environmental perception accuracy in complex environments. Through refined angle search and high-resolution spatial spectrum analysis, the radar system's capabilities in multi-target recognition, adaptability to complex scenes and anti-interference are enhanced, ultimately improving the accuracy and reliability of overall environmental perception. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0044] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a scenario illustrating the hybrid beam processing method for a 4D millimeter-wave radar provided in this application;

[0045] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the hybrid beam processing method for 4D millimeter wave radar provided in this application Figure 1 ;

[0046] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the hybrid beam processing method for 4D millimeter wave radar provided in this application Figure 2 ;

[0047] Figure 3aA schematic diagram of the geometric relationship of spatial array elements provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 4a Schematic diagram of the one-dimensional DBF processing process provided by this application;

[0049] Figure 4b Schematic diagram of the two-dimensional DBF processing process provided by this application;

[0050] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a two-dimensional spatial spectrum subjected to two-dimensional DBF processing according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 6 A directional diagram of a one-dimensional DBF performed in the prior art according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the hybrid beam processing device of the 4D millimeter wave radar provided by this application;

[0053] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device provided in this application.

[0054] The above drawings illustrate specific embodiments of the present application, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and the textual description are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way, but rather to illustrate the concepts of the present application to those skilled in the art by reference to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, with examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, when referring to the drawings, identical numerals in different figures represent identical or similar elements, unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments are not intended to represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present application, as detailed in the appended claims.

[0056] First, let’s explain the terms involved in this application:

[0057] 4D millimeter-wave radar refers to an advanced radar technology that not only measures the distance and speed of a target (the functions of traditional radar), but also accurately perceives the target's azimuth and elevation, that is, its position and motion in three-dimensional space. By utilizing electromagnetic waves in the millimeter-wave frequency band (typically 30 GHz to 300 GHz) and combining it with advanced signal processing techniques such as digital beamforming (DBF), 4D millimeter-wave radar can generate high-resolution spatial spectrograms, achieving detailed perception of the environment.

[0058] Digital beam forming (DBF) is a core technology for achieving high-precision angle measurement in millimeter-wave radar. It uses digital signal processing to flexibly control the beam direction and shape of the antenna array, fundamentally overcoming the limitations of traditional analog beamforming and significantly improving radar angle measurement accuracy, resolution, and adaptability to complex scenarios. Existing DBF techniques primarily focus on one-dimensional beamforming in the azimuth dimension, while research on two-dimensional beamforming in azimuth and elevation is limited. One existing approach is to study incremental range-related beamforming techniques by using matched filtering at the receiver end of a frequency-diversity multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar system. However, this approach primarily focuses on two-dimensional DBF for range and angle, not azimuth and elevation. Another existing approach uses a two-dimensional FFT or DBF angle measurement method in a 4D millimeter-wave radar to obtain a two-dimensional angle measurement matrix. However, this approach processes the azimuth and elevation DBFs separately, first measuring the azimuth angle and then performing elevation angle measurement based on the azimuth index information.

[0059] The hybrid beam processing method for 4D millimeter-wave radar provided in this application obtains the amplitude and phase data of the incident signal received by the virtual channel in the 4D millimeter-wave radar and determines its one-dimensional spatial spectrum. After preliminarily determining the first spatial spectrum peak point that meets the signal strength requirements, a precise search angle range can be set. Based on this range, the two-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data is further calculated to identify the exact azimuth and pitch angles of the second spatial spectrum peak point. This can significantly improve the accuracy and resolution of the radar's target angle estimation, thereby effectively solving the technical problems of insufficient angle resolution and low environmental perception accuracy of traditional methods in complex environments. Through refined angle search and high-resolution spatial spectrum analysis, the radar system's multi-target recognition, adaptability to complex scenes, and anti-interference capabilities are enhanced, ultimately improving the accuracy and reliability of overall environmental perception.

[0060] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a scenario of a hybrid beam processing method for a 4D millimeter-wave radar provided in this application, such as Figure 1As shown, the specific application scenarios of the present application include a hybrid beam processing system, which can be a server, and the server can be a mobile phone, tablet, computer and other devices. The present application does not limit the execution subject of the hybrid beam processing method for executing the 4D millimeter wave radar, as long as the execution subject can obtain the amplitude and phase data of the incident signal received by the virtual channel in the 4D millimeter wave radar; determine the one-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data; determine the search angle range based on the first spatial spectrum peak point in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum that meets the signal strength requirement, the search angle range at least includes the azimuth search angle range or the elevation search angle range determined based on the one-dimensional spatial spectrum; determine the two-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data, and the azimuth and elevation angles of the second spatial spectrum peak point in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum that meets the signal strength requirement based on the azimuth search angle range and the elevation search angle range in the search angle range.

[0061] The following specific embodiments describe in detail the technical solution of the present application and how the technical solution of the present application solves the above-mentioned technical problems. The following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments. The embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0062] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the hybrid beam processing method for 4D millimeter wave radar provided in this application Figure 1 ,like Figure 2 As shown, the method includes:

[0063] S201: Acquire amplitude and phase data of an incident signal received by a virtual channel in a 4D millimeter-wave radar.

[0064] Among them, virtual channels can refer to equivalent receiving channels synthesized through MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output) technology in 4D millimeter-wave radar systems. That is, radars are generally equipped with multiple transmitting antennas and multiple receiving antennas. By combining different transmitting and receiving antennas, more virtual channels can be formed than the number of physical channels. Each virtual channel corresponds to a specific combination of transmitting antennas and receiving antennas, which can provide richer angular information about the target in space, thereby improving the radar's angular resolution and angle measurement capabilities.

[0065] The incident signal refers to the electromagnetic wave signal that is reflected from a target and reaches the radar's receiving antenna. In 4D millimeter-wave radar applications, when the radar transmits a millimeter-wave signal and encounters an obstacle or target, the signal is reflected back. This echo signal is the incident signal. The incident signal can include information such as the target's distance, speed, azimuth, and elevation.

[0066] Amplitude and phase data can include the amplitude and phase information of the incident signal after it has been processed by the receiving channel. Amplitude information reflects the signal's energy level and can be used to determine the target's reflection intensity. Phase information includes the time delay of the signal along its propagation path.

[0067] S202: Determine a one-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data.

[0068] A one-dimensional spatial spectrum refers to the signal energy distribution spectrum in a specific dimension (typically azimuth or elevation) obtained by beamforming (such as digital beamforming (DBF)) the amplitude and phase data of the incident signal in a virtual channel. This spatial spectrum reflects the energy intensity of the target signal at different angles, thereby identifying the target's incoming direction in that dimension.

[0069] Digital beamforming (DBF) refers to a method that uses digital signal processing to weight and combine the signals received by each channel in an antenna array to flexibly control the direction and shape of the radar beam. It can enhance signals in specific directions and suppress interfering signals, thereby improving the angular resolution and angle measurement accuracy of the radar system.

[0070] In the embodiment of the present application, determining the one-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data includes:

[0071] Determining a one-dimensional steering vector of an incident signal and a one-dimensional vector matrix of the one-dimensional steering vector according to a preset one-dimensional search angle range;

[0072] Perform inner product processing on the one-dimensional vector matrix and the corresponding amplitude and phase data to generate a one-dimensional spatial spectrum.

[0073] The one-dimensional search angle range may refer to a scanning range of possible incoming wave directions preset by the radar system in a certain angle dimension (such as azimuth or elevation) when performing beamforming.

[0074] A one-dimensional steering vector is a mathematical vector that describes the phase variation of a signal received by an antenna array at a specific angle. It reflects the response characteristics of each antenna element in the array to a signal from a specific direction.

[0075] The one-dimensional vector matrix may refer to a matrix structure composed of a plurality of steering vectors corresponding to different angles within a one-dimensional search angle range arranged in columns.

[0076] Performing inner product processing on the one-dimensional vector matrix and the corresponding amplitude and phase data may refer to the process of performing item-by-item multiplication and accumulation operations on each steering vector in the one-dimensional vector matrix and the actual received signal (data represented in the form of amplitude and phase data).

[0077] For example, the one-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data can be determined as follows:

[0078] Perform one-dimensional DBF processing on the amplitude and phase data obtained from the virtual channel;

[0079] Based on the preset one-dimensional DBF processing conditions, one-dimensional beam scanning is performed to obtain one-dimensional steering vectors of azimuth angles within all one-dimensional search angle ranges that meet the one-dimensional DBF processing conditions, wherein the one-dimensional DBF processing conditions include a preset maximum azimuth search angle and a one-dimensional scanning interval, wherein the preset maximum azimuth search angle is (-60°, +60°) and the one-dimensional scanning interval is 1°.

[0080] The one-dimensional steering vector b satisfies:

[0081]

[0082] Where d is the spacing between two array elements, which can refer to the physical distance between two adjacent antenna units (transmitting or receiving antennas) in space. θ is the azimuth angle within the preset maximum azimuth search angle. j is an imaginary unit. λ is the wavelength of the incident signal. Δs represents the path difference between the incident signal and the two array elements.

[0083] All azimuth angles within the preset azimuth maximum search angle are traversed in a loop, and the inner product of the corresponding amplitude and phase data in the virtual channel and the one-dimensional steering vector is performed to obtain a one-dimensional spatial spectrum.

[0084] S203: Determine a search angle range according to a first spatial spectrum peak point in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum that meets the signal strength requirement, where the search angle range at least includes an azimuth search angle range or an elevation search angle range determined according to the one-dimensional spatial spectrum.

[0085] The first spatial spectrum peak point that meets the signal strength requirement can be the local maximum point in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum generated by performing an inner product operation on the amplitude and phase data of the virtual channel and the one-dimensional steering vectors corresponding to different angles. Specifically, by looping through all angles within the azimuth field of view (FOV) and matching the corresponding one-dimensional steering vectors with the amplitude and phase data, a spatial spectrum reflecting the signal strength in each direction is generated. The peak point in this spatial spectrum represents the direction with the strongest received signal, i.e., the angular position most likely to contain a target.

[0086] The search angle range refers to a localized angular interval defined by the first spatial spectrum peak detected in a one-dimensional spatial spectrum, serving as a criterion for searching for azimuth or elevation angles during subsequent two-dimensional spatial spectrum calculations. For example, when a one-dimensional spatial spectrum is used to initially estimate the azimuth of a target, the search angle range corresponding to that azimuth serves as the basis for further detailed scanning and analysis of that direction during the generation of the two-dimensional spatial spectrum, thereby improving angle measurement accuracy and reducing computational complexity.

[0087] In this embodiment of the present application, when the search angle range is an azimuth search angle range, determining the search angle range based on a first spatial spectrum peak point in a one-dimensional spatial spectrum that satisfies the signal strength requirement includes:

[0088] Determine the signal direction according to the first spatial spectrum peak point in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum that meets the signal strength requirement;

[0089] An azimuth search angle range in the search angle range is determined according to the azimuth angle of the signal direction and a preset adjustment range.

[0090] The first spatial spectrum peak point that meets the set signal strength condition can be found in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum. The angle corresponding to this first spatial spectrum peak point is the preliminary estimated signal arrival direction. Then, with the azimuth angle of this direction as the center and combined with a preset angle adjustment range (such as a certain angle extension to the left and right, such as ±10°), a local azimuth search angle range is determined, which serves as the key scanning area for subsequent two-dimensional spatial spectrum calculations. This ensures detection accuracy while effectively narrowing the calculation range and improving processing efficiency.

[0091] S204 : Determine, based on the azimuth search angle range and the elevation search angle range in the search angle range, a two-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data, and an azimuth angle and an elevation angle of a second spatial spectrum peak point that meets a signal strength requirement in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum.

[0092] The two-dimensional spatial spectrum refers to the signal energy distribution obtained by simultaneously estimating the spatial spectrum in both azimuth and elevation. This spectrum reflects the energy intensity of the target signal in different horizontal (azimuth) and vertical (elevation) directions. By analyzing this spatial spectrum, a high-precision estimate of the target's incoming wave direction in two dimensions can be achieved.

[0093] In an embodiment of the present application, a two-dimensional spatial spectrum is obtained by simultaneously guiding in both azimuth and elevation. Currently, existing single-dimensional or discrete two-dimensional beamforming methods, limited by their angular search strategies, often struggle to accurately distinguish targets located in close proximity or targets in the same direction but at different altitudes. Simultaneous guidance in two dimensions allows detailed horizontal and vertical position information of a target to be obtained in a single scan, thereby providing more accurate three-dimensional spatial positioning. Furthermore, this joint processing approach enhances the system's ability to distinguish multiple targets in a multi-target environment, reduces misjudgments and missed detections due to insufficient angular resolution, and further improves the radar system's angular measurement accuracy and environmental perception reliability. Therefore, simultaneous guidance in both dimensions not only improves target positioning accuracy but also significantly improves the radar system's performance in complex scenarios. The second spatial spectrum peak point can refer to a local or global maximum point identified in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum that meets preset signal strength requirements. It can represent the direction with the strongest signal energy within the current search range and is an estimate of the target's true incoming wave direction.

[0094] The azimuth and elevation angles of the second spatial spectrum peak represent the horizontal and vertical angles of the target's arrival, respectively. Together, these two angles describe the target's relative position in three-dimensional space, enabling 4D millimeter-wave radar to achieve high-precision environmental perception and target positioning.

[0095] The hybrid beam processing method for 4D millimeter-wave radar provided in the embodiment of the present application first performs one-dimensional DBF processing, and then narrows the range based on the one-dimensional DBF result to perform two-dimensional joint beamforming processing. This narrows the search boundary, reduces the amount of calculation, improves computing efficiency, and can respond to and process real-time signals more quickly, which is conducive to realizing real-time beamforming in dynamic environments.

[0096] Furthermore, methods that perform fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) or digital beamforming (DBF) on the azimuth and elevation dimensions separately generally require antennas to be arranged in a specific geometric layout, such as a uniform linear array or rectangular array, to accurately estimate the target's direction. This is because these methods rely on a fixed antenna structure to perform signal processing in each dimension, ensuring accurate resolution of the target's azimuth and elevation angles. Failure to meet these requirements for antenna layout can lead to inaccurate angle estimation or reduced resolution.

[0097] However, simultaneous guidance in two dimensions, by directly analyzing amplitude and phase data and calculating the two-dimensional spatial spectrum to identify the target's exact azimuth and elevation angles, is not strictly dependent on a specific antenna geometry. By leveraging information from all available channels and combining it with virtual array technology, it can effectively operate with irregular or randomly distributed antenna array configurations. This allows for high-precision target location and angular resolution, even when the antennas are not arranged in a traditional manner.

[0098] Based on this, compared to methods that perform FFT or DBF separately in azimuth and elevation, the method of simultaneously guiding in two dimensions in the embodiments of this application does not impose strict restrictions on antenna arrangement, thereby improving the flexibility of array deployment. This allows for more freedom in selecting and arranging antenna positions based on actual needs and physical conditions without significantly affecting the accuracy and resolution of target positioning. This provides greater freedom in system design and is suitable for application scenarios that require arrays in limited spaces or with special shapes.

[0099] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the hybrid beam processing method for 4D millimeter wave radar provided in this application Figure 2 ,like Figure 3 As shown, this embodiment Figure 2 Based on the embodiment, the steps of determining the two-dimensional spatial spectrum of amplitude and phase data, and the azimuth and elevation angles of the second spatial spectrum peak point that meets the signal strength requirement in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum according to the search angle range are described in detail. The method includes:

[0100] S301, determining an incident direction component of an incident signal according to an azimuth search angle range and an elevation search angle range in a search angle range;

[0101] S302, determining a projection of the array element position vector onto the incident direction component according to the incident component of the incident signal and the array element position vector;

[0102] S303, determining a two-dimensional steering vector based on the projection of the array element position vector onto the incident direction component;

[0103] S304, obtaining a two-dimensional vector matrix of the two-dimensional steering vector according to the two-dimensional steering vector;

[0104] S305, performing inner product processing on the two-dimensional vector matrix and the corresponding amplitude and phase data to generate a two-dimensional spatial spectrum;

[0105] S306, converting the two-dimensional spatial spectrum to obtain a dB value of the two-dimensional spatial spectrum;

[0106] S307 : Determine a second spatial spectrum peak point among the spatial spectrum peak points, and an azimuth angle and a pitch angle corresponding to the second spatial spectrum peak point, according to the dB value of the two-dimensional spatial spectrum.

[0107] When the first spatial spectrum peak point in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum that meets the signal strength requirement is an azimuth angle, the azimuth search angle range is determined based on the first spatial spectrum peak point, and the elevation search angle range is a preset angle. For example, the azimuth search angle range is ±10° of the azimuth angle represented by the first spatial spectrum peak point, and the elevation search angle range is a preset ±15°.

[0108] In some embodiments, after determining the azimuth search angle range and the elevation search angle range in the search angle range, in order to further improve the accuracy, the two-dimensional scanning interval for two-dimensional DBF processing can be set to 0.1° compared to the one-dimensional scanning interval, that is, the one-dimensional scanning interval is larger than the two-dimensional scanning interval.

[0109] After determining the search angle range and the two-dimensional scanning interval, the incident signal can be scanned in two dimensions. That is, all azimuth angles θ and elevation angles within the search range are calculated. The two-dimensional steering vector is formed into a steering vector matrix, and the azimuth angle θ and pitch angle are traversed in a loop. For all angles within the range of , the corresponding amplitude and phase data are inner-producted with the two-dimensional steering vector to obtain a two-dimensional spatial spectrum.

[0110] dB (decibel) refers to a logarithmic unit used to represent signal strength, gain, or attenuation, and is widely used in radar, communications, and signal processing. In millimeter-wave radar, the dB value can be used to represent the ratio of the received signal power to a certain reference power. Using the dB value can more intuitively display the strength changes of the signal, enhance the contrast between the peak point and the background noise in the spatial spectrum, and facilitate target detection and analysis. The dB value satisfies:

[0111]

[0112] Among them, P reference is the preset reference power level, P signal is the signal power at each point in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum.

[0113] After determining the dB value of the two-dimensional spatial spectrum, the maximum value point that meets the set signal strength threshold condition is searched to identify the direction where the target is most likely to exist, that is, the second spatial spectrum peak point representing the peak point in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum.

[0114] Finally, based on the peak of the second spatial spectrum, the final azimuth and elevation angles are calculated and output. Specifically, the horizontal angle corresponding to the peak of the second spatial spectrum is the azimuth, and the vertical angle is the elevation. In some embodiments, by locating the azimuth-elevation angle coordinates of the maximum value in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum, the target's precise incoming wave direction in three-dimensional space can be obtained, enabling high-precision estimation and output of target angle information by 4D millimeter-wave radar.

[0115] In this embodiment of the present application, the two-dimensional steering vector satisfies:

[0116]

[0117] Where a represents the two-dimensional steering vector, θ is the azimuth angle within the azimuth search angle range, is the elevation angle within the elevation search angle range, x, y, and z constitute the array element position vector; λ is the wavelength of the incident signal; j is an imaginary unit, and Δs represents the path difference between the incident signal reaching the two array elements, that is, the difference in propagation distance experienced by the same signal when it reaches two antenna array elements in different spatial positions due to different propagation paths.

[0118] Figure 3a Schematic diagram of the geometric relationship of spatial array elements provided in the embodiment of the present application; Figure 3a As shown, assuming there are any two array elements in space, one of which is the reference element (located at the origin) and the coordinates of the other element are (x, y, z), the spatial geometric relationship between the two elements is as follows Figure 3a As shown, where "X" in the figure represents an array element.

[0119] The propagation direction of the incident signal is determined by two angles: azimuth angle θ and elevation angle The direction of the incident signal can be represented by a unit vector whose components are:

[0120] The array element position vector is: r = (x, y, z);

[0121] The path difference between the two array elements is the projection of the relative position vector r onto the signal direction vector:

[0122]

[0123] Thus, a two-dimensional steering vector can be obtained.

[0124] The hybrid beam processing method for 4D millimeter-wave radar provided in the embodiment of the present application can achieve more precise target positioning by simultaneously guiding in two dimensions, azimuth and pitch. Compared with traditional methods that only perform beamforming in one or two dimensions separately, it has higher angular measurement accuracy and angular resolution.

[0125] Figure 4a Schematic diagram of the one-dimensional DBF processing process provided by this application; Figure 4b This is a flow chart of the two-dimensional DBF processing provided by this application. Figure 4a As shown in the figure, the 1D DBF processing method is as follows: after channel calibration, the amplitude and phase data of all virtual channels are collected, the maximum azimuth search angle (FOV) and the scanning interval are set; the 1D beam is initialized; the steering vectors for all angles within the azimuth FOV are calculated; and the azimuth FOV cycle is checked to see if it has completed. If so, the spatial spectrum peak is searched, with the ±10° around the peak serving as the 2D DBF azimuth search boundary. If not, the channel amplitude and phase data are inner-producted with the steering vector to obtain the 1D spatial spectrum.

[0126] like Figure 4b As shown in the figure, the 2D DBF processing method is as follows: after channel calibration, the amplitude and phase data of all virtual channels and the 1D DBF results are collected; the maximum search angle and scanning interval for azimuth and elevation are set; the beam is initialized; the azimuth angle cycle is completed; if so, the 2D spatial spectrum peak is searched, and the final azimuth and elevation angles are calculated and output. If not, the elevation angle cycle is determined, and based on the completed cycle result, the azimuth and elevation hybrid beam steering vector is calculated; the channel amplitude and phase data are inner-producted with the azimuth and elevation hybrid steering vector to obtain a 2D spatial spectrum; the 2D spatial spectrum peak is searched; and the final azimuth and elevation angles are calculated and output.

[0127] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a two-dimensional spatial spectrum for two-dimensional DBF processing provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown as follows: Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 (a) is the two-dimensional directional diagram, (b) is the top view of the two-dimensional directional diagram, and (c) is the azimuth cross-section diagram with a pitch of 0. Figure 5 As can be seen from Figures (b) and (c), the double angle reflection is resolved with a resolution of 2°.

[0128] Furthermore, computational efficiency is improved by using a 2D DBF search range of -60 to 60 degrees in azimuth and -15 to 15 degrees in elevation. If only a 2D DBF is performed, the number of searches is 120 * 30 = 3600. However, if a 1D DBF is performed first to narrow the search range and then a 2D DBF is performed, the number of searches is 120 + 20 * 30 = 720. This improves search efficiency by 80%.

[0129] Figure 6 This is a directional diagram of a one-dimensional DBF performed in the prior art according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 contrast Figure 5 As can be seen from Figures (b) and (c) in FIG, under the one-dimensional DBF algorithm in the prior art, the double angle inversion is not resolved.

[0130] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the hybrid beam processing device of the 4D millimeter wave radar provided in this application, as shown in Figure 7 As shown, the hybrid beam processing device 70 of the 4D millimeter wave radar provided in this embodiment includes:

[0131] An acquisition module 701 is configured to acquire amplitude and phase data of an incident signal received by a virtual channel in a 4D millimeter-wave radar;

[0132] A first determining module 702 is configured to determine a one-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data;

[0133] A second determining module 703 is configured to determine a search angle range based on a first spatial spectrum peak point in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum that satisfies a signal strength requirement, where the search angle range includes at least an azimuth search angle range or an elevation search angle range determined based on the one-dimensional spatial spectrum;

[0134] The third determining module 704 is configured to determine, based on the azimuth search angle range and the elevation search angle range in the search angle range, a two-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data, and an azimuth angle and an elevation angle of a second spatial spectrum peak point in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum that meets the signal strength requirement.

[0135] In a possible implementation, the third determining module 704 may also be specifically configured to:

[0136] Determining a two-dimensional steering vector of the incident signal and a two-dimensional vector matrix of the two-dimensional steering vector according to an azimuth search angle range and an elevation search angle range in the search angle range;

[0137] Perform inner product processing on the two-dimensional vector matrix and the corresponding amplitude and phase data to generate a two-dimensional spatial spectrum;

[0138] According to the two-dimensional spatial spectrum, the azimuth angle and the elevation angle of a second spatial spectrum peak point that meets the signal strength requirement in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum are determined.

[0139] In a possible implementation, the third determining module 704 may also be specifically configured to:

[0140] determining an incident direction component of the incident signal according to an azimuth search angle range and an elevation search angle range in the search angle range;

[0141] Determine, according to the incident component of the incident signal and the array element position vector, a projection of the array element position vector onto the incident direction component;

[0142] Determine the two-dimensional steering vector according to the projection of the array element position vector to the incident direction component;

[0143] According to the two-dimensional steering vector, a two-dimensional vector matrix of the two-dimensional steering vector is obtained.

[0144] In a possible implementation, the two-dimensional steering vector in the third determination module 704 satisfies:

[0145]

[0146] Where a represents the two-dimensional steering vector, θ is the azimuth angle within the azimuth search angle range, is the pitch angle within the pitch search angle range, x, y, and z constitute the array element position vector; λ is the wavelength of the incident signal; j is the imaginary unit, and Δs represents the path difference between the incident signal reaching the two array elements.

[0147] In a possible implementation, the third determining module 704 may also be specifically configured to:

[0148] Performing conversion processing on the two-dimensional spatial spectrum to obtain the dB value of the two-dimensional spatial spectrum;

[0149] According to the dB value of the two-dimensional spatial spectrum, a second spatial spectrum peak point among the spatial spectrum peak points, and an azimuth angle and a pitch angle corresponding to the second spatial spectrum peak point are determined.

[0150] In a possible implementation, the first determining module 702 may also be specifically configured to:

[0151] Determining a one-dimensional steering vector of an incident signal and a one-dimensional vector matrix of the one-dimensional steering vector according to a preset one-dimensional search angle range;

[0152] Perform inner product processing on the one-dimensional vector matrix and the corresponding amplitude and phase data to generate a one-dimensional spatial spectrum.

[0153] When the search angle range is an azimuth search angle range, in a possible implementation manner, the second determining module 703 may further be specifically configured to:

[0154] Determine the signal direction according to the first spatial spectrum peak point in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum that meets the signal strength requirement;

[0155] An azimuth search angle range in the search angle range is determined according to the azimuth angle of the signal direction and a preset adjustment range.

[0156] The hybrid beam processing device of the 4D millimeter-wave radar provided in this embodiment can execute the method provided in the above method embodiment. Its implementation principle and technical effects are similar, and are not described in detail in this embodiment.

[0157] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device provided in this application. Figure 8As shown, the electronic device 80 provided in this embodiment includes: at least one processor 801 and a memory 802. Optionally, the device 80 also includes a communication component 803. The processor 801, the memory 802 and the communication component 803 are connected via a bus 804.

[0158] During the specific implementation process, at least one processor 801 executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 802, so that the at least one processor 801 performs the above method.

[0159] The specific implementation process of the processor 801 can be found in the above method embodiment. Its implementation principle and technical effects are similar and will not be repeated here in this embodiment.

[0160] In the above embodiments, it should be understood that the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the present invention may be directly executed by a hardware processor or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0161] The memory may include a high-speed memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), and may also include a non-volatile memory (NVM), such as at least one disk memory.

[0162] The bus can be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. Buses can be classified into address buses, data buses, and control buses. For ease of illustration, the buses in the drawings of this application are not limited to just one bus or just one type of bus.

[0163] The present application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which implements the above method when executed by a processor.

[0164] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer-executable instructions are stored. When a processor executes the computer-executable instructions, the above method is implemented.

[0165] The above-mentioned readable storage medium can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile memory device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic disk or optical disk. The readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0166] An exemplary readable storage medium is coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the readable storage medium and write information to the readable storage medium. Of course, the readable storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the readable storage medium can be located in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Of course, the processor and the readable storage medium can also exist in a device as discrete components.

[0167] The division of units is merely a logical functional division; actual implementations may employ alternative divisions, such as combining or integrating multiple units or components into another system, or omitting or disabling certain features. Furthermore, any direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units, either through an interface, electrical, mechanical, or other means.

[0168] Units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0169] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present invention may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0170] If the function is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the various embodiments of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), disk or optical disk, and other media that can store program code.

[0171] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the steps in the above-described method embodiments can be implemented using hardware associated with program instructions. The aforementioned program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When executed, the program performs the steps of the above-described method embodiments. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0172] Finally, it should be noted that those skilled in the art will readily identify other embodiments of the present invention after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. The present invention is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present invention that follow the general principles of the present invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The present invention is not limited to the precise structure described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present invention is limited solely by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A hybrid beam processing method for 4D millimeter wave radar, characterized in that: include: Obtain the amplitude and phase data of the incident signal received by the virtual channel in the 4D millimeter wave radar; determining a one-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude-phase data; determining a search angle range according to a first spatial spectrum peak point in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum that satisfies a signal strength requirement, the search angle range comprising at least an azimuth search angle range or an elevation search angle range determined according to the one-dimensional spatial spectrum; A two-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data and an azimuth angle and an elevation angle of a second spatial spectrum peak point meeting a signal strength requirement in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum are determined according to an azimuth search angle range and an elevation search angle range in the search angle range.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The determining, based on the azimuth search angle range and the elevation search angle range in the search angle range, of the two-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data, and the azimuth angle and elevation angle of a second spatial spectrum peak point that meets the signal strength requirement in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum, comprises: determining a two-dimensional steering vector of the incident signal and a two-dimensional vector matrix of the two-dimensional steering vector according to an azimuth search angle range and an elevation search angle range in the search angle range; Performing inner product processing on the two-dimensional vector matrix and the corresponding amplitude and phase data to generate a two-dimensional spatial spectrum; The azimuth angle and elevation angle of a second spatial spectrum peak point that meets the signal strength requirement in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum are determined according to the two-dimensional spatial spectrum.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The determining, based on the azimuth search angle range and the elevation search angle range in the search angle range, of the two-dimensional steering vector of the incident signal and a two-dimensional vector matrix of the two-dimensional steering vector comprises: determining an incident direction component of the incident signal according to an azimuth search angle range and an elevation search angle range in the search angle range; determining, according to the incident component of the incident signal and the array element position vector, a projection of the array element position vector onto the incident direction component; determining the two-dimensional steering vector according to a projection of the array element position vector onto the incident direction component; A two-dimensional vector matrix of the two-dimensional steering vector is obtained according to the two-dimensional steering vector.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The two-dimensional steering vector satisfies: Wherein, a represents a two-dimensional steering vector, θ is an azimuth angle within the azimuth search angle range, and is the pitch angle within the pitch search angle range, the x, y, and z constitute the array element position vector; λ is the wavelength of the incident signal; j is an imaginary unit, and Δs represents the path difference between the incident signal reaching two array elements.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The step of determining, based on the two-dimensional spatial spectrum, the azimuth angle and the elevation angle of a second spatial spectrum peak point that meets the signal strength requirement in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum includes: Performing conversion processing on the two-dimensional spatial spectrum to obtain a dB value of the two-dimensional spatial spectrum; A second spatial spectrum peak point among the spatial spectrum peak points, and an azimuth angle and a pitch angle corresponding to the second spatial spectrum peak point are determined according to the dB value of the two-dimensional spatial spectrum.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Determining the one-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data includes: determining a one-dimensional steering vector of the incident signal and a one-dimensional vector matrix of the one-dimensional steering vector according to a preset one-dimensional search angle range; An inner product process is performed on the one-dimensional vector matrix and the corresponding amplitude and phase data to generate a one-dimensional spatial spectrum.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that When the search angle range is an azimuth search angle range, determining the search angle range according to a first spatial spectrum peak point in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum that satisfies the signal strength requirement includes: determining a signal direction according to a first spatial spectrum peak point in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum that satisfies a signal strength requirement; An azimuth search angle range in the search angle range is determined according to the azimuth angle of the signal direction and a preset adjustment range.

8. A hybrid beam processing device for 4D millimeter wave radar, characterized in that: include: An acquisition module is used to obtain the amplitude and phase data of the incident signal received by the virtual channel in the 4D millimeter wave radar; A first determining module, configured to determine a one-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data; A second determining module is configured to determine a search angle range according to a first spatial spectrum peak point in the one-dimensional spatial spectrum that satisfies a signal strength requirement; The third determining module is configured to determine, according to the search angle range, a two-dimensional spatial spectrum of the amplitude and phase data, and an azimuth angle and an elevation angle of a second spatial spectrum peak point in the two-dimensional spatial spectrum that meets a signal strength requirement.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: Memory, processor; The memory stores computer-executable instructions; The processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

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