Techniques for adaptively collecting information related to target object based on context aware data

Abstract

Techniques are described herein for adapting use of a Radar device based on context aware data to collect data related to a target object. Techniques described herein may involve selecting a Radar operating configuration (e.g., waveform type and / or transmitter and / or receiver configuration) and / or a frame rate. According to various embodiments, context aware data may indicate at least one characteristic related to a vehicle, a target object, and / or an environment of the vehicle, such as speed data indicative of a speed of the vehicle, speed data indicative of a speed of the target object, data indicative of at least one weather condition associated with an environment of the vehicle, data indicative of a type of road on which the vehicle is traveling, data indicative of a level of traffic in the environment of the vehicle, and the like. The techniques described herein may be deployed for use in conjunction with computer-aided driving modules (e.g., ADAS and autonomous vehicles).

Description

Cross-references to related applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 509,904, filed June 23, 2023, under 35 USC § 119(e), Agent's File No. F0869.70003US00, entitled "METHODS FOR COLLECTING DATA ABOUT TARGET OBJECTS USING SELECTABLE WAVEFORM TYPES", which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Technology

[0002] Vehicles with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles (such as self-driving cars) are vehicles equipped with sensors that can sense their surroundings, enabling them to move without human intervention. Autonomous vehicles have been under development for decades. In recent years, billions have been invested in the pursuit of fully autonomous vehicles. Nevertheless, the development and deployment of fully autonomous vehicles requires significant technological advancements. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Some embodiments provide a method for collecting data relating to a target object using a Radar device configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals in a plurality of Radar operating configurations. The method includes: obtaining context-aware data for a vehicle by a processing circuitry system of the Radar device, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment by the processing circuitry system; using the context-aware data for the vehicle and selecting at least one Radar operating configuration from the plurality of Radar operating configurations for collecting data relating to the target object by the processing circuitry system; transmitting one or more RF transmission signals using a transmitter of the Radar device according to the at least one Radar operating configuration; and receiving one or more RF reception signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmission signals using a receiver of the Radar device according to the at least one Radar operating configuration.

[0004] Some embodiments provide a Radar apparatus for collecting data relating to a target object, the Radar apparatus being configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals in a plurality of Radar operating configurations, the Radar apparatus comprising: a processing circuitry configured to: acquire context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle; and use the context-aware data for the vehicle and select at least one Radar operating configuration from the plurality of Radar operating configurations for collecting data relating to the target object; a transmitter configured to transmit one or more RF transmit signals according to the at least one Radar operating configuration; and a receiver configured to receive one or more RF receive signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmit signals according to the at least one Radar operating configuration.

[0005] Some embodiments provide a method for collecting data relating to a target object using a Radar device configured to transmit a plurality of waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths. The method includes: obtaining context-aware data for a vehicle using a processing circuitry system of the Radar device, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment; using the processing circuitry system, employing the context-aware data for the vehicle and selecting at least one waveform type from the plurality of waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths for collecting data relating to the target object; using the Radar device to transmit one or more RF transmit signals having at least one frequency bandwidth corresponding to the at least one waveform type; and using the Radar device to receive one or more RF receive signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmit signals.

[0006] Some embodiments provide a Radar apparatus for collecting data relating to a target object, the Radar apparatus being configured to transmit a plurality of waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths, the Radar apparatus comprising: a processing circuitry configured to: acquire context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle; and use the context-aware data for the vehicle and select at least one waveform type from the plurality of waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths for collecting data relating to the target object; a transmitter configured to transmit one or more RF transmitted signals having at least one frequency bandwidth corresponding to the at least one waveform type; and a receiver configured to receive one or more RF received signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmitted signals.

[0007] Some embodiments provide a method for collecting data relating to a target object using a Radar device configured to transmit multiple waveform types having corresponding multiple frequency bandwidths. The method includes: using a processing circuitry system of the Radar device to obtain context-aware data for a vehicle; using the processing circuitry system to generate one or more distance-lateral distance images of the target object, at least in part, by: selecting waveform bandwidths for imaging the target object based on the obtained context-aware data for the vehicle; and imaging the target object using one or more RF signals corresponding to the selected waveform bandwidths.

[0008] Some embodiments provide a Radar device configured to collect data relating to a target object at least in part by transmitting multiple waveform types having corresponding multiple frequency bandwidths, the Radar device comprising: a processing circuitry configured to: acquire context-aware data for a vehicle; generate one or more distance-lateral distance images of the target object at least in part by: selecting waveform bandwidths for imaging the target object based on the acquired context-aware data for the vehicle; and imaging the target object using one or more RF signals corresponding to the selected waveform bandwidths.

[0009] Some embodiments provide a method for collecting data relating to a target object using a Radar device configurable among multiple transmitter configurations. The method includes: using a processing circuitry system of the Radar device to obtain context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment; using the processing circuitry system, employing the context-aware data for the vehicle and selecting at least one transmitter configuration from the multiple transmitter configurations for collecting data relating to the target object; using a transmitter of the Radar device to transmit one or more RF transmission signals according to the at least one transmitter configuration; and using a receiver of the Radar device to receive one or more RF reception signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmission signals.

[0010] Some embodiments provide a Radar apparatus for collecting data relating to a target object, the Radar apparatus being configurable among a plurality of transmitter configurations, the Radar apparatus comprising: a processing circuitry configured to: acquire context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle; and use the context-aware data for the vehicle and select at least one transmitter configuration from the plurality of transmitter configurations for collecting data relating to the target object; a transmitter configured to transmit one or more RF transmit signals according to the at least one transmitter configuration; and a receiver configured to receive one or more RF receive signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmit signals.

[0011] Some embodiments provide a method for collecting data relating to a target object using a Radar device configured among multiple receiver configurations. The method includes: using a processing circuitry system of the Radar device to obtain context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment; using the processing circuitry system, employing the context-aware data for the vehicle and selecting at least one receiver configuration from the multiple receiver configurations for collecting data relating to the target object; using a transmitter of the Radar device to transmit one or more RF transmission signals; and using a receiver of the Radar device in the at least one receiver configuration to receive one or more RF reception signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmission signals.

[0012] Some embodiments provide a Radar apparatus for collecting data relating to a target object, the Radar apparatus being configurable among a plurality of receiver configurations, the Radar apparatus comprising: a processing circuitry configured to: acquire context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle; and use the context-aware data for the vehicle and select at least one receiver configuration from the plurality of receiver configurations for collecting data relating to the target object; a transmitter configured to transmit one or more RF transmit signals; and a receiver configured to receive, according to the at least one receiver configuration, one or more RF receive signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmit signals.

[0013] Some embodiments provide a method for generating a distance-lateral distance image of a target object using a Radar device, the method comprising: using a processing circuitry system of the Radar device to: obtain context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle; select a frame frequency based on the context-aware data for the vehicle; generate a plurality of distance-lateral distance images corresponding to corresponding plurality of frames defined by the frame frequency, the generation comprising: for a specific frame of the plurality of frames, generating a corresponding distance-lateral distance image using one or more RF signals received by the Radar device during the specific frame; and outputting the plurality of distance-lateral distance images.

[0014] Some embodiments provide a Radar apparatus for generating distance-lateral distance images of a target object, the Radar apparatus comprising: a processing circuitry configured to: acquire context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment; select a frame frequency based on the context-aware data for the vehicle; generate, at least in part, a plurality of distance-lateral distance images corresponding to corresponding plurality of frames defined by the frame frequency by: generating a corresponding distance-lateral distance image for a specific frame of the plurality of frames using one or more RF signals received by the Radar apparatus during the specific frame; and output the plurality of distance-lateral distance images. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Various aspects and embodiments will be described with reference to the following accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0016] Figure 1 Example sensing systems, including radio detection and ranging (RADR) devices mounted on vehicles, are illustrated according to some embodiments of the techniques described herein.

[0017] Figure 2A Example Radar devices for transmitting and receiving RF signals according to some embodiments of the techniques described herein are illustrated.

[0018] Figure 2B Examples of embodiments of the technology described herein can be derived from Figure 2A An example of pulses sent by a Radar device.

[0019] Figure 3A Example vehicles equipped with a Radar device and other components communicatively coupled to the Radar device are illustrated according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0020] Figure 3B Example Radar devices with processing circuitry configured to be selected in Radar operation configurations are illustrated according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0021] Figure 4 Example Radar devices, illustrating some embodiments of the technology described herein, include a transmitter having a transmitting antenna array and a receiver having a receiving antenna array.

[0022] Figure 5AExample Radar devices with processing circuitry systems, which are configured to select waveform types for transmission via a transmit antenna array, are illustrated according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0023] Figure 5B Examples of some embodiments of the technology described herein can be selected for use. Figure 5A The frequency of the waveform transmitted by the Radar device over time.

[0024] Figure 5C Example methods for using a Radar device to collect data relating to a target object, according to some embodiments of the techniques described herein.

[0025] Figure 5D Examples of the transmission and reception of multiple RF signals during a frame period according to a frame frequency are illustrated in some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0026] Figure 6A Example methods for selecting waveform types based on speed data indicating the speed of a vehicle, according to some embodiments of the techniques described herein.

[0027] Figure 6B Example methods for selecting waveform types based on road data indicating the road type associated with the environment of a vehicle, according to some embodiments of the techniques described herein.

[0028] Figure 6C Example methods for selecting waveform types based on weather data indicating weather conditions in the environment of a vehicle, according to some embodiments of the techniques described herein.

[0029] Figure 6D Examples of methods for selecting waveform types based on the distance from a target object to a vehicle, according to some embodiments of the techniques described herein.

[0030] Figure 7 Example Radar devices with processing circuitry systems according to some embodiments of the technology described herein are illustrated, the processing circuitry systems being configured to be selected in a transmitter configuration for operating the transmitter of the Radar device.

[0031] Figure 8 Examples of embodiments of the technology described herein may include: Figure 7 Example transmitter in a Radar device.

[0032] Figure 9A Examples of transmitter configurations based on a first subset of transmitting antenna elements at a first transmitting power level, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein. Figure 8 Example operation of the transmitter.

[0033] Figure 9B Examples of transmitter configurations using a first subset of transmitting antenna elements at a second transmit power level, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein. Figure 8 Example operation of the transmitter.

[0034] Figure 9C Examples of transmitter configurations based on a second subset of transmitting antenna elements at a first transmitting power level, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein. Figure 8 Example operation of the transmitter.

[0035] Figure 10A Examples of some embodiments of the technology described herein, based on a first transmit phase shift mode Figure 8 Example operation of the transmitter.

[0036] Figure 10B Examples of some embodiments of the technology described herein, based on a second transmit phase shift mode Figure 8 Example operation of the transmitter.

[0037] Figure 10C Examples of some embodiments of the technology described herein, based on a third transmit phase shift mode Figure 8 Example operation of the transmitter.

[0038] Figure 10D Examples of embodiments of the technology described herein are provided. Figure 10A , Figure 10B and Figure 10C The transmitter operation focuses the transmission on the angular direction of the elevation angle.

[0039] Figure 11 Example Radar devices with processing circuitry systems according to some embodiments of the technology described herein are illustrated, the processing circuitry systems being configured to be selected in a receiver configuration for operating the receiver of the Radar device.

[0040] Figure 12 Examples of embodiments of the technology described herein may include: Figure 11 Example receiver in a Radar device.

[0041] Figure 13A Examples of receiver configurations based on a first subset of receiving antenna elements according to some embodiments of the technology described herein Figure 12 Example operation of the receiver.

[0042] Figure 13BExamples of receiver configurations based on a second subset of receiving antenna elements, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein. Figure 12 Example operation of the receiver.

[0043] Figure 14A Examples of some embodiments of the technology described herein, based on a first received phase shift mode. Figure 12 Example operation of the receiver.

[0044] Figure 14B Examples of some embodiments of the technology described herein, based on a second receive phase shift mode Figure 12 Example operation of the receiver.

[0045] Figure 14C Examples of some embodiments of the technology described herein, based on a third receive phase shift mode Figure 12 Example operation of the receiver.

[0046] Figure 14D Examples of embodiments of the technology described herein are provided. Figure 14A , Figure 14B and Figure 14C The receiver operates by focusing the reception on the angular direction of the azimuth angle.

[0047] Figure 15 Example Radar devices with processing circuitry systems, which are configured to be selected in frame frequencies for operating the Radar device, are illustrated according to some embodiments of the techniques described herein.

[0048] Figure 16 Examples of transmission and reception of RF signals during a frame period according to a frame frequency are illustrated in some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0049] Figure 17 Example operation of a transmitter of a Radar device configured according to a transmitter based on a first Radar operation configuration, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0050] Figure 18 Examples of receiver configurations based on a first Radar operation configuration according to some embodiments of the technology described herein Figure 17 Example operation of the receiver of the Radar device.

[0051] Figure 19 Examples of transmitter configurations based on a second Radar operation configuration according to some embodiments of the technology described herein Figure 17 Example operation of the transmitter of the Radar device.

[0052] Figure 20Examples of receiver configurations based on a second Radar operation configuration according to some embodiments of the technology described herein Figure 17 Example operation of the receiver of the Radar device.

[0053] Figure 21 Examples of transmitter configurations based on third Radar operation configurations according to some embodiments of the technology described herein Figure 17 Example operation of the transmitter of the Radar device.

[0054] Figure 22 Examples of transmitter configurations based on a fourth Radar operation configuration according to some embodiments of the technology described herein. Figure 17 Example operation of the transmitter of the Radar device.

[0055] Figure 23 Examples of receiver configurations based on fourth Radar operation configurations according to some embodiments of the technology described herein Figure 17 Example operation of the receiver of the Radar device.

[0056] Figure 24 Example computer systems according to some embodiments of the technology described herein are illustrated, which can be configured to perform at least some processing operations in the Radar apparatus described herein. Detailed Implementation I. Context-Aware Radar Operation Configuration

[0057] The inventors have developed techniques for adapting the operation of a Radar device to the environment in which it is operating. Specifically, they have developed techniques for configuring the Radar device based on context-aware data associated with the vehicle. Examples of context-aware data include data indicating the vehicle's speed, data indicating the speed of a target object, data indicating at least one weather condition associated with the vehicle's environment, data indicating the type of road the vehicle is traveling on, data indicating the traffic level in the vehicle's surroundings, data indicating whether a particular type of cruise control is activated, and so on. The techniques described herein can enhance vehicle safety and can be deployed, for example, in the context of autonomous vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), or more generally, in conjunction with computer-aided driving modules. Examples of vehicles to which the techniques described herein can be applied include automobiles, trucks, aircraft, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft, helicopters, ships, small boats, bicycles, motorcycles, spacecraft, and other types of vehicles.

[0058] In some embodiments, a Radar operating configuration can be selected to balance Radar range, accuracy, field of view, and / or frame rate with constraints on available power. For example, when a vehicle (e.g., on a highway) is traveling at high speed, a Radar operating configuration with high range, low range resolution, low angular accuracy, medium field of view, and / or medium frame rate can be selected, allowing the Radar device to utilize power efficiently (e.g., when detecting other vehicles that may be far away, even at lower range resolution). As another example, when a vehicle has low available power (e.g., low battery in an electric or hybrid-electric vehicle), a Radar operating configuration with medium range, medium accuracy, medium field of view, and / or low frame rate can be selected, allowing the Radar device to consume less power while still providing important Radar images to the vehicle. As another example, when a vehicle is traveling at low speed (e.g., while parked), a Radar operating configuration with low Radar range, high range resolution, high angular accuracy, large field of view, and high frame rate can be selected, enabling the Radar device to provide Radar images with sufficient resolution for locating and / or identifying target objects that may pose a safety hazard.

[0059] The inventors have recognized that accurate and adaptive sensing systems can facilitate the widespread and safe operation of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles and / or vehicle features such as assisted and / or automatic parking modes, semi-automatic cruise control, lane departure warning and / or prevention systems, etc. Conventional vehicle sensing systems (such as conventional Radar devices) are not adaptive because they do not respond to changing vehicle conditions. Another drawback of conventional vehicle sensing systems (e.g., Radar, LiDAR, optical) is their high power consumption, which may hinder their integration into modern, efficient vehicles such as electric vehicles, where the energy available for sensing devices may be limited.

[0060] Some techniques developed by the inventors overcome these drawbacks by adapting the Radar operation configuration of the Radar device to a context-aware environment. In some embodiments, context-aware data indicating the characteristics of the vehicle, the target object, and / or the vehicle's environment can be used to select a Radar operation configuration suitable for that context. For example, when the vehicle (e.g., in parked mode) is traveling at a low speed, an appropriate Radar operation configuration could specify short range, high range resolution, high angular accuracy, large field of view, and high frame rate Radar imaging, such as when pedestrians are expected to be near the vehicle. As another example, when the vehicle (e.g., on a highway) is traveling at a high speed, an appropriate Radar operation configuration could specify long range, low range resolution, medium angular accuracy, medium field of view, and medium frame rate imaging, such as when objects on the road are expected to be far enough away to give the sensing vehicle a moderately long reaction time. As another example, when an object has been detected (e.g., within the range of elevation and / or azimuth), an appropriate Radar operation configuration can specify a range consistent with the range of the detected object, high (and / or customized) range resolution, high angular accuracy, and a field of view customized for the directional range of the detected object (e.g., in elevation and / or azimuth).

[0061] Therefore, some embodiments provide a method for using a Radar device (e.g., Figures 2A-3B The method for collecting data related to a target object (200) is described above. The Radar device is configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals in multiple Radar operation configurations. For example, the Radar device may have a processing circuitry (e.g., 210), a transmitter (e.g., 220), and a receiver (e.g., 230).

[0062] In some embodiments, the method includes obtaining information about a vehicle (e.g., 210) from the processing circuitry of a Radar device (e.g., 200). Figure 3AContext-aware data (300 in the context). For example, context-aware data may indicate at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment. For example, context-aware data may include data selected from the group consisting of: data indicating the vehicle's speed, data indicating the vehicle is in cruise control and / or lane departure prevention mode, data indicating the vehicle is stopped, data indicating the vehicle is on a highway, data indicating the vehicle's low power level, data indicating the distance from the vehicle to the target object, data indicating the target object's speed, data indicating the target object's elevation angle range relative to the Radar device, data indicating the target object's azimuth angle range relative to the Radar device, data indicating the traffic level in the vehicle's environment, data indicating the type of road the vehicle is traveling on, data indicating the weather conditions in the vehicle's environment, and data indicating hazardous conditions in the vehicle's environment.

[0063] In some embodiments, the method may include a processing circuitry system (e.g., 210) of a Radar device (e.g., 200) using context-aware data for a vehicle and selecting at least one Radar operation configuration from a plurality of Radar operation configurations for collecting data related to a target object. For example, the Radar operation configuration that can be selected by the processing circuitry system may specify multiple waveform types (e.g., Figures 5A-5B Multiple transmitter configurations (e.g., Figures 7-10D ) and / or multiple receiver configurations (e.g., Figures 11-14D For example, waveform types can have different frequency bandwidths that provide different distance resolutions (e.g., Figure 5B The transmitter configuration can specify different transmit power levels (e.g., Figures 9A-9B ), and different subsets of transmitting antenna elements (e.g., Figures 9B-9C ) and / or different transmission phase shift modes (e.g., Figures 10A-10C To generate different transmit beams, and / or the receiver configuration can specify different subsets of the receive antenna elements (e.g., Figures 13A-13B ) and / or different receiving phase shift modes (e.g., Figures 14A-14C To generate different receiving beams.

[0064] In some embodiments, the method may include a transmitter (e.g., 220) using a Radar device (e.g., 200) to transmit one or more RF transmission signals according to one or more Radar operation configurations. For example, multiple Radar operation configurations may specify multiple waveform types with corresponding frequency bandwidths (e.g., Figure 5B The (one or more) Radar operation configuration can specify at least one waveform type from a plurality of waveform types having a corresponding frequency bandwidth, and (e.g., using a transmitter) (one or more) RF transmission signals can have a specified (one or more) waveform type. For example, in the case of specifying multiple waveform types, RF transmission signals having the corresponding waveform types from the plurality of waveform types can be transmitted over time (such as during a frame and / or on a frame sequence).

[0065] In the same or another example, the sender (e.g., Figure 8 820 in the diagram may include multiple transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) arranged along the dimension (e.g., elevation angle) of the transmit antenna array of the transmitter (e.g., 820), and multiple Radar operation configurations may specify multiple transmit antenna elements (e.g., Figures 9B-9C Multiple distinct subsets of (822) in the Radar operation configuration (one or more) can specify at least one subset of multiple distinct subsets (e.g., Figure 9B and / or Figure 9C The transmission of one or more RF signals according to the configuration of one or more Radar operations may include using a specified subset of multiple different subsets of multiple transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) to transmit one or more RF signals. For example, in the case of specifying multiple subsets of transmit antenna elements, different subsets of the subset may be used over time (such as during a frame and / or on a frame sequence) to transmit RF signals.

[0066] In the same or yet another example, the transmitter (e.g., Figure 8 820 in the transmitter (e.g., 822) may include multiple transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) arranged along the dimension (e.g., elevation angle) of the transmit antenna array of the transmitter (e.g., 820), and multiple radar operation configurations may specify multiple different transmit phase shift modes (e.g., 822) for transmitting (one or more) RF transmit signals via the multiple transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822). Figures 10A-10C (One or more) Radar operation configurations can specify at least one of multiple different transmit phase shift modes (e.g., Figure 10A , Figure 10B and / or Figure 10CThe transmission of one or more RF signals according to one or more Radar operation configurations may include transmitting one or more RF signals according to one or more specified transmission phase shift modes. For example, in the case of specifying multiple transmission phase shift modes, different transmission phase shift modes among the multiple transmission phase shift modes may be used over time to transmit RF signals, such as during a frame (e.g., to generate a first scan in a first angle field of view) and / or on a frame sequence (e.g., to generate multiple scans of the corresponding angle field of view during the corresponding frame), etc.

[0067] In some embodiments, the method may include a receiver (e.g., 230) using a Radar device (e.g., 200) to receive one or more RF received signals generated at least partially by reflection from a target object via one or more RF transmitted signals, according to one or more Radar operation configurations. For example, where one or more Radar operation configurations specify at least one receiver configuration (such as a subset of receiving antenna elements and / or receiving phase shift modes, etc.), one or more RF received signals may be received according to the specified one or more receiver configurations. For example, the receiver (e.g., Figure 12 1230 in the diagram may include multiple receive antenna elements (e.g., 1232) arranged along the dimension (e.g., azimuth) of the receive antenna array of the receiver (e.g., 1230), and multiple Radar operation configurations may specify multiple different subsets of the multiple receive antenna elements (e.g., 1232) (e.g., Figures 13A-13B (One or more) Radar operation configurations can specify at least one subset from multiple different subsets (e.g., Figure 13A and / or Figure 13B The configuration of receiving (one or more) RF received signals according to (one or more) Radar operation can include using a specified subset of multiple different subsets of multiple receive antenna elements (e.g., 1232) to receive (one or more) RF received signals. For example, in the case of specifying multiple subsets of receive antenna elements, different subsets of the subset can be used over time (such as during a frame and / or on a frame sequence) to receive RF received signals.

[0068] In the same or another example, the receiver (e.g., 1230) may include multiple receive antenna elements (e.g., 1232) arranged along the dimensions (e.g., azimuth) of the receive antenna array of the receiver (e.g., 1230), and multiple radar operation configurations may specify multiple different receive phase shift modes (e.g., ...) for receiving (one or more) RF received signals via the multiple receive antenna elements (e.g., 1232). Figures 14A-14C (One or more) Radar operation configurations can specify at least one of multiple different receive phase shift modes (e.g., Figure 14A , Figure 14B and / or Figure 14C Receiving (one or more) RF received signals may include receiving (one or more) RF received signals according to specified (one or more) receive phase shift modes. For example, in the case of specifying multiple receive phase shift modes, different receive phase shift modes among the multiple receive phase shift modes may be used over time to receive RF received signals, such as during a frame (e.g., to generate a first scan over a first angle field of view) and / or over a frame sequence (e.g., to generate multiple scans of a corresponding angle field of view during a corresponding frame), etc.

[0069] In some embodiments, the method may further include utilizing the processing circuitry (e.g., 210) of a Radar device (e.g., 200) to generate a range-lateral distance image of a target object using one or more RF received signals, according to one or more Radar operation configurations. For example, multiple Radar operation configurations may specify multiple frame frequencies, one or more Radar operation configurations may specify at least one of the multiple frame frequencies, and the generation of the range-lateral distance image may utilize one or more RF received signals received during a frame defined by the specified one or more frame frequencies. For example, one or more RF transmitted signals may be transmitted before and / or during a frame (e.g., multiple RF transmitted signals are scanned over an angular field of view), one or more RF received signals may be received during a frame (e.g., multiple RF received signals are received over an angular field of view), and the range-lateral distance image may utilize one or more RF received signals.

[0070] In some embodiments, the vehicle is a car. In other embodiments, the vehicle may be a small boat or an aircraft. In some embodiments, (one or more) RF transmitted signals may have frequency content in the 300 GHz-3 THz frequency band.

[0071] Figure 1 An example sensing system 100, including a Radar device 106 mounted on a vehicle 102, is illustrated according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0072] Although the Radar device 106 is shown attached to the front bumper of the vehicle 102, embodiments of this technology are not limited to any particular location. Furthermore, the vehicle may be equipped with more than one Radar device 106. For example, one Radar device may be attached to the front side of the vehicle, and another Radar device may be attached to the rear side.

[0073] In some embodiments, the Radar device 106 may include a transmitter, a receiver, and a processing circuitry (e.g., analog and / or digital circuitry). For example, the transmitter may be configured to transmit an RF signal in a direction in which the target object may be present. For instance, the RF signal may be transmitted along a road in front of a vehicle. Similarly, the receiver may be configured to receive an RF signal generated by reflection from the target object 104 from the transmitted RF signal. Figure 1 For example, the transmitted signal may be reflected from the rear of another vehicle. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry may be configured to use the received RF signals to determine the relative and / or absolute position of a target object and / or generate an image (e.g., a distance-lateral distance image). In some embodiments, the position (and / or velocity) of the target object may be determined based on measurements of distance relative to a known position of the Radar device (and / or based on Doppler shift measurements). In some embodiments, the computer-aided driving module may utilize data obtained using the Radar device to automatically control the vehicle in some respects (e.g., to drive the vehicle autonomously with or without human intervention).

[0074] Figure 1 The xyz coordinate system applied to the illustrated scenario is also shown. The x-axis will be referred to herein as the horizontal axis or azimuth axis, the y-axis as the vertical axis or elevation axis, and the z-axis as the longitudinal axis or distance axis. In the illustrated embodiment, the z-axis is the axis through which the vehicle 102 is separated from the target object 104. In some embodiments, the transmitter and / or receiver of the Radar device 106 may have an array of antenna elements arranged along the x-axis (e.g., to focus transmission and / or reception in the xz or azimuth plane) and / or along the y-axis (e.g., to focus transmission and / or reception in the yz or elevation plane).

[0075] Figure 2A An example Radar device 200 is shown to transmit RF signal 202 and receive RF signal 204 according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0076] like Figure 2AAs shown, the Radar device 200 has a transmitter (TX) 220 and a receiver (RX) 230. In some embodiments, the TX 220 may include a transmission circuitry (analog and / or digital) configured to generate an RF transmission signal (e.g., a pulse, such as...). Figure 2A (As shown) for transmission via a transmitting antenna array. In some embodiments, RX 230 may include a receiving circuitry (analog and / or digital) configured to receive RF signals via a receiving antenna array, the RF received signals being generated at least in part by reflection of the RF transmitted signals from the target object 206.

[0077] For example Figure 2A As shown, the Radar device 200 includes a processing circuitry system 210. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry system 210 may include analog and / or digital circuitry systems, and / or may be implemented, for example, using one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more processors, and / or one or more microcontrollers. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry system 210 may be configured to control the operation of the Radar device 200, such as controlling the timing of RF signal transmission and / or reception, and / or the processing circuitry system 210 may be configured to process data acquired by the Radar device 200, such as generating a distance-lateral distance image using received RF signals. According to various embodiments, the processing circuitry system 210 may be packaged on the same printed circuit board hosting the transmitting and / or receiving circuitry systems of the Radar device 200, and / or the processing circuitry system 210 may be packaged separately from them.

[0078] Figure 2B Figure 250 illustrates examples of pulses that can be transmitted by the Radar device 200 according to some embodiments of the technology described herein. Figure 2B In the example, the illustrated pulse is a linear frequency modulated (chirp) signal. For example, the illustrated pulse could be modulated with a carrier signal having a time-varying frequency (e.g., increasing or decreasing linearly with time). It should be understood that, according to embodiments, other types of pulses can be transmitted. In some embodiments, response pulses can be generated when the transmitted pulse is reflected from the target object 206. For example, each response pulse can carry information relating to the reflected power at a given frequency within the frequency range of the pulse. For example, the frequency content of the response pulse can indicate the time of reception of the response pulse, which in turn can indicate the distance to the target object 206.

[0079] Figure 3AExample vehicle 300, equipped with a Radar device 200 and other components communicatively coupled to the Radar device 200, is illustrated according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0080] like Figure 3A As shown, the vehicle 300 is also equipped with a speed sensor 342, a weather sensor 344, a cruise control module 346, an internet module 348, a display 350, and a computer-aided driving module 352. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry system 210 of the Radar device 200 may be coupled to some or all of the aforementioned components.

[0081] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 210 may be coupled to a display 350, which in some embodiments may be used to display a distance-lateral distance image generated by the processing circuitry 210 using the Radar device 200. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 210 may be configured to obtain context-aware data from a speed sensor 324, a weather sensor 344, a cruise control module 346, and / or an internet module 348.

[0082] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 210 may be configured to provide data generated using the Radar device 200 as input to the computer-assisted driving module 352, such as for notifying and / or performing computer-assisted driving tasks. For example, the computer-assisted driving module 352 may be configured to perform computer vision tasks, such as object detection, lane boundary detection, and / or traffic sign recognition. In some embodiments, the computer-assisted driving module 352 may be configured to execute a neural network (e.g., a convolutional neural network). For example, the training data for the neural network may include an annotated dataset in which image or video frames are (e.g., manually) labeled with relevant objects or features to be classified. For example, the neural network may be trained to identify patterns and features from the labeled examples. According to various embodiments, the neural network may be trained using data representing several different environments (e.g., using vehicles moving at different speeds, using target objects moving at different speeds, using different weather conditions, using different road types, using different traffic levels, using activated or deactivated cruise control, etc.). In some embodiments, the computer-assisted driving module 352 may alternatively or additionally be configured to control the vehicle 300 to allow the vehicle 300 to drive itself with (e.g., semi-autonomous) or without (e.g., fully autonomous) a certain degree of human intervention.

[0083] It should be noted that the vehicle may include any combination of components shown as coupled to the Radar device 200. For example, some embodiments may omit the speed sensor 342, weather sensor 344, cruise control module 346, internet module 348, computer-aided driving module 352, and / or display 350.

[0084] Figure 3B A Radar device 200, exemplified according to some embodiments of the technology described herein, further illustrates components of a processing circuitry system 210 configured to be selected in a Radar operation configuration. Figure 3B The diagram further shows that the Radar device 200 includes a digital RX circuit system 240, which can be configured to perform at least some processing on the RF signal received via RX 230, such as conversion from analog to digital representation for further processing by the processing circuit system 210.

[0085] According to various embodiments, the processing circuitry 210 can be configured to use TX 220 and / or RX 230 according to a selected Radar operation configuration. For example, the Radar operation configuration may specify the use of a transmitter configuration based on TX 220 and / or a receiver configuration based on RX 230.

[0086] like Figure 3B As shown, the processing circuitry 210 includes an operation configuration selection circuitry 212, which can be configured to select at least one Radar operation configuration based on context-aware data. For example, in Figure 3B In the illustration, the operation configuration selection circuitry 212 is shown configured to select from a first Radar operation configuration, a second Radar operation configuration, and a third Radar operation configuration. In the exemplary embodiment, the processing circuitry 210 is shown configured to output a control signal 214 to TX 220 and / or RX 230, which can cause TX 220 and / or RX 230 to operate according to the selected Radar operation configuration.

[0087] like Figure 3B As shown, context-aware data can indicate at least one characteristic of the vehicle 300, at least one characteristic of the target object (e.g., 206), and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle 300. According to various embodiments, the environment of the vehicle may include the current environment around the vehicle and / or (e.g., based on a position estimate obtained from an electronic navigation system) the environment expected to be where the vehicle will be at some point in the future.

[0088] In one example, context-aware data may include speed data indicating the speed of the vehicle. For example, speed data may include information relating to the vehicle's current speed, the vehicle's speed at a past time, the vehicle's expected speed at a future time, and / or the average vehicle speed over appropriate time intervals. According to various embodiments, the Radar device 200 may be configured to receive data from any suitable source (including, for example, from the speed sensor 342). Figure 3A The speed sensor 342 obtains speed data and can determine the speed of the vehicle 300. It can be implemented as a vehicle speed sensor (VSS), a transmission speed sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and / or an electronic navigation system (e.g., GPS).

[0089] Alternatively or additionally, the Radar device 200 may be configured to determine the speed of the vehicle, such as by using Doppler Radar processing techniques on one or more received RF signals. For example, the Radar device 200 may be configured to determine the speed of the target object (e.g., 106) relative to the vehicle 300, such as by using Doppler Radar processing techniques, for example by measuring the Doppler frequency shift of the received RF signal reflected from the target object relative to the RF signal transmitted by the Radar device 200.

[0090] In the same or another example, context-aware data may include cruise control data indicating the status of cruise control for a vehicle. For example, in cruise control mode, the vehicle may maintain a set speed in a static or adaptive manner (e.g., based on maintaining a set distance from another vehicle). In some embodiments, cruise control data may indicate whether cruise control is activated or deactivated, including which specific types of control are activated and which are deactivated. Additionally or alternatively, cruise control data may indicate the speed and / or distance to another vehicle set to be maintained by cruise control. Cruise control data may be obtained from cruise control module 346, which may then be configured to perform cruise control operations.

[0091] In the same or another example, context-aware data may include lane departure data indicating the status of a vehicle's lane departure warning and / or lane departure prevention mode. For example, in lane departure warning mode, the vehicle may warn the operator if it has left, is leaving, and / or is expected to leave the lane it is traveling in. In lane departure prevention mode, the vehicle may keep itself within the boundaries of its lane. In some embodiments, lane departure warning and / or prevention data may be provided from a lane departure warning and / or prevention module (not shown).

[0092] In the same or another example, context-aware data may include traffic data indicating the level of traffic associated with the vehicle's environment. Traffic data may indicate the current level of traffic in the vehicle's surroundings and / or (e.g., using an electronic navigation system) the expected level of traffic in the area where the vehicle will be located at a future point. Traffic data may indicate, for example, whether traffic is busy, moderate, or light. Radar device 200 may be configured to acquire traffic data from any suitable source, such as from internet module 348 (based on data indicating the vehicle's current and / or expected location). Internet module 348 may be a module configured to wirelessly connect to the internet, download data from the internet, and / or upload data to the internet.

[0093] In the same or another example, context-aware data may include road data indicating the type of road associated with the vehicle's environment. Road data may indicate the type of road in the vehicle's current surroundings and / or (e.g., using an electronic navigation system) the area where the vehicle is expected to be located at a future point. Road data may indicate, for example, whether the road is a highway, a street in an urban environment, a street in a rural environment, a street in a residential environment, a roundabout, a parking lot, a road intersection, a service road, etc. Additionally or alternatively, road data may indicate how many lanes are present on the road. Radar device 200 may be configured to obtain road data from any suitable source, such as from Internet module 348 (based on data indicating the vehicle's current and / or expected location) or from a map stored in a memory (not shown) coupled to processing circuitry system 210.

[0094] In the same or another example, context-aware data may include weather data indicating at least one weather condition associated with the environment of the vehicle. The weather data may indicate at least one weather condition in the current surrounding environment of the vehicle and / or (e.g., using an electronic navigation system) the area where the vehicle is expected to be located at some point in the future. The weather data may provide weather-related information qualitatively (e.g., whether it is raining, foggy, snowing, dry, etc.) and / or quantitatively (e.g., precipitation rate, temperature, humidity, pressure, etc.). Radar device 200 may be configured to acquire weather data from any suitable source, such as from Internet module 348 (based on data indicating the current and / or expected location of the vehicle) and / or from weather sensor 344 (which may include a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, and / or a pressure sensor).

[0095] Figure 4 Example Radar device 400, illustrating some embodiments of the technology described herein, includes a TX 420 having a transmit antenna array and an RX 430 having a receive antenna array. (See also...) Figure 4As shown, the Radar device 400 includes a substrate 402, on which a processing circuit system 410, a signal generation circuit system 450, TX 420, RX 430 and a digital RX processing circuit system 440 are provided.

[0096] In some embodiments, TX 420 and RX 430 may be disposed on substrate 402. For example, TX 420 and RX 430 may be directly mounted on substrate 402. In some embodiments, TX 420 and RX 430 may have components on one or more semiconductor dies mounted on substrate 304. For example, as Figure 4 As shown, TX 420 has a transmit antenna array including transmit antenna elements 422, which can be disposed on multiple transmit semiconductor dies mounted on substrate 402. Similarly, as Figure 4 As shown, RX 430 has a receiving antenna array including receiving antenna elements 432, which can be disposed on a plurality of receiving semiconductor dies mounted on substrate 402. In some embodiments, the semiconductor dies of TX 420 and / or RX 430 can be directly mounted on substrate 402, and / or one or more interposers can be mounted, wherein (one or more) interposers are directly mounted on substrate 402.

[0097] like Figure 4As shown, TX 420 has a transmit antenna array including transmit antenna elements 422. Each transmit antenna element can be sized to transmit a signal having frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz–3 THz or any band within that band (e.g., 190–300 GHz, 300–320 GHz, 307–313 GHz, 390–450 GHz, 440–480 GHz, 455–495 GHz, or 820–880 GHz). For example, transmit antenna element 422 can be sized to transmit a signal having frequency content in a frequency band of 300–320 GHz or 307–313 GHz. In some embodiments, the transmit antenna element described herein may have a frequency bandwidth (e.g., 3 dB bandwidth) of 1 GHz – 4 GHz, 1.5 GHz, 3 GHz, 4 GHz – 134 GHz, 4 GHz – 100 GHz, 4 GHz – 60 GHz, 10 GHz – 100 GHz, 10 GHz – 60 GHz, 10 GHz – 30 GHz, 15 GHz – 60 GHz, 10 GHz – 30 GHz, or 15 GHz – 25 GHz. Similarly, the RX 430 has a receive antenna element 432 that can be sized to receive signals having frequency content in a band of 300 GHz – 3 THz or any subband of that band. For example, in some embodiments, the receive antenna element 432 may be sized to receive signals having frequency content in a band of 300-320 GHz or 307-313 GHz. In some embodiments, receiver 330 has a frequency bandwidth of 10 GHz – 60 GHz, 10 GHz – 30 GHz, 15 GHz – 60 GHz, 10 GHz – 30 GHz, or 15 GHz – 25 GHz.

[0098] In some embodiments, TX 420 may be configured to transmit RF signals outside the plane defined by the upper surface of substrate 402 (e.g., parallel to the z-axis or at any angle other than 90 degrees relative to the z-axis). For example, the transmit antenna array of TX 420 may be shaped to have a main lobe extending away from the plane defined by the upper surface of substrate 402. Similarly, RX 430 may be configured to receive the transmitted signal upon reflection from a target object. For example, the receive antenna array of RX 430 may be shaped to have a main lobe extending away from the plane defined by the upper surface of substrate 402.

[0099] In some embodiments, the TX 420 may have multiple rows of transmit antenna elements extending in one direction and spaced apart from each other in orthogonal directions. For example, such as Figure 4 As shown, the first pair of transmitting antenna element columns 422a extends along the y-direction, and the second pair of transmitting antenna element columns 422b extends along the y-direction and is spaced apart from the first pair along the x-direction.

[0100] In some embodiments, the digital RX circuit system 440 may be configured to offload signals from the RX 430 and provide the offloaded signals to the processing circuit system 410. For example, the digital RX circuit system 440 may include an ADC circuit system coupled to the RX 430. In some embodiments, the ADC circuit system may be implemented using a mixed-signal ASIC (e.g., having an AFE component of the RX 430 and an ADC component of the digital RX circuit system 440 coupled to the processing circuit system 410). In some embodiments, the digital RX circuit system 440 may be mounted directly on the substrate 402 or on an interposer. Alternatively or additionally, at least some of the AFE and / or ADC circuit systems may be located in the same integrated circuit package as the processing circuit system 410 (e.g., on the same (one or more) bare die). For example, the processing circuit system 410 may include an FPGA and / or an ASIC having an ADC circuit system within it.

[0101] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 410 may include digital and / or analog circuitry configured to determine the relative and / or absolute state of a target object based on reflected signals received from the RX 430 and / or to use the reflected signals to generate a distance-lateral distance image. The processing circuitry 410 may be mounted on a substrate 402, such as... Figure 4 As shown (e.g., mounted on another die such as an FPGA, ASIC, and / or processor), and / or the processing circuitry system 410 may be integrated on the semiconductor die of the RX 430, or at least partially integrated on another substrate.

[0102] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 410 may be configured to control the operation of the Radar device 400. For example, such as Figure 4As shown, the processing circuitry 410 can be configured to provide a control signal 412 to the signal generation circuitry 450, which controls the signal generation circuitry 450 to generate (e.g., a reference RF signal with a selected waveform type) for transmission and / or reception using TX 420 and / or RX 430. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 410 may alternatively or additionally be configured to operate various components of the Radar device 200 (e.g., TX 420, RX 430, digital RX circuitry 440) according to a selected Radar operation configuration.

[0103] The techniques described herein can be used in conjunction with any suitable frequency, including millimeter waves, terahertz frequencies, and optical frequencies. Some embodiments relate to Radar devices operating in the terahertz band. The term "terahertz" is used herein to refer to radio frequency signals having frequency content in the 300 GHz to 3 THz band.

[0104] For decades, building reliable sensing capabilities for autonomous vehicles has been a major challenge. Unfortunately, engineers have yet to identify a single type of sensor capable of effectively monitoring the surrounding environment in all conditions, such as rain, snow, fog, nighttime, and dense environments. As a result, the conventional approach is to equip vehicles with multiple types of sensors rather than relying on a single type. For example, a vehicle might be equipped with optical sensors (e.g., cameras, infrared cameras), radio frequency sensors (e.g., radar sensors), and LiDAR sensors. This approach is based on the idea that having a diverse set of sensors provides better coverage than any single sensor can provide alone, because each sensor has its own advantages and disadvantages.

[0105] For example, optical sensors allow vehicles to maintain a 360° view of their external environment. Significant advancements in camera-related technologies in recent years have enabled increasingly higher resolutions at lower costs than previously possible. With the aid of sophisticated post-processing techniques, often involving machine learning, optical sensors can detect and identify objects near the vehicle. The ability of optical sensors to distinguish colors enhances a camera's ability to differentiate between hazardous and less risky situations. For example, a camera can easily identify other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, traffic signs and signals, guardrails, etc. Unfortunately, optical sensors are still far from perfect. First, adverse weather conditions (e.g., darkness, rain, snow, fog) significantly degrade image quality, which in turn significantly reduces the ability of optical sensors to detect objects in roadways. Image quality also degrades when there is low contrast between objects or when objects blend into the background (e.g., on a particularly sunny day). Second, cameras generate inherently two-dimensional data where depth or distance information is not directly measured. Instead, depth or distance information can only be obtained after further signal processing of the collected image and / or video data, which can be computationally demanding.

[0106] Conventional radar sensors used in autonomous vehicles operate in the millimeter-wave band (i.e., 30 GHz to 300 GHz) or even lower frequencies. For example, a conventional radar sensor operates in the 76 GHz to 81 GHz band. Due to the (relatively long) wavelengths implied by operating within this frequency range, conventional radar sensors have limited spatial (e.g., distance and angular) resolution. In practice, conventional radar sensors used in automotive environments have a distance resolution of approximately 10 to tens of centimeters and a horizontal angular resolution of approximately 3° to 20°. As a result, while conventional radar sensors can detect the presence of some objects, they cannot reliably identify the nature or shape of those objects. For example, such a conventional radar sensor may not be able to distinguish a pedestrian from a vehicle or road signal. An angular resolution of approximately 1° or less (as low as 0.1° in some applications) is required to distinguish the types of objects typically encountered on the road.

[0107] Light detection and ranking (LiDAR) sensors operate similarly to radar sensors, but at optical frequencies (e.g., in the infrared or visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum) instead of radio frequency. They determine the location of an object by sending a laser beam and measuring the time it takes for the reflected beam to hit a receiver. Because light is characterized by a significantly shorter wavelength than that of conventional automotive radar sensors, LiDAR sensors offer much finer spatial resolution.

[0108] However, LiDAR sensors also have several drawbacks. First, they are significantly more susceptible to rain than Radar sensors. This is because raindrops are roughly the same size as the wavelengths at which LiDAR sensors operate. In heavy rain, the light emitted from the transmitter is scattered by the raindrops, resulting in unwanted echoes. Second, LiDAR sensors are vulnerable to sunlight, which can cause detector saturation and reduce the sensor's ability to detect objects. Therefore, LiDAR sensors work better at night. Third, the use of moving parts such as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and rotating mirrors makes LiDAR sensors particularly expensive.

[0109] The inventors have recognized that conventional methods of combining different types of sensors (e.g., cameras, millimeter-wave Radar sensors, LiDAR sensors) offer limited performance at a very high cost. Combining millimeter-wave Radar data with LiDAR data is computationally demanding (and consequently expensive), especially since this computation must be performed in real time. Typically, sensor fusion algorithms (e.g., iterative state-space algorithms such as Kalman filters, extended Kalman filters, particle filters, etc.) are used to combine millimeter-wave Radar and LiDAR data. These algorithms can leverage the individual benefits of these techniques to produce meaningful information related to the dynamic properties of the target object, such as velocity, angle, and position. Unfortunately, the computational complexity required to run fusion algorithms can be prohibitively high, primarily due to their nonlinear and iterative nature. As a result, vehicles must not only be equipped with multiple types of sensors (which are expensive in themselves) but also with powerful computers to fuse their measurements (further increasing the cost and making it impractical). Alternatively, using only some of these conventional sensors and / or computationally less demanding fusion algorithms can lead to coverage gaps (e.g., when there are insufficient sensors deployed or the computational complexity of the fusion algorithm is too high for the update refresh rate to be adequate).

[0110] Therefore, the inventors have developed a novel sensing technology for automotive and other autonomous vehicle applications that addresses the aforementioned drawbacks of conventional sensors and sensor fusion techniques. In particular, the inventors have developed a novel Radar sensor operating in the terahertz band, which allows for the combination of some advantages of Radar and LiDAR sensors (since THz radiation behaves partly like millimeter-wave RF signals and partly like infrared light) while avoiding the need for computationally expensive fusion algorithms. The sensing technology developed by the inventors can be deployed on vehicles (e.g., automobiles, whether fully autonomous or not) to aid safety and operation, and in some embodiments, can completely replace conventional Radar and LiDAR sensors. However, it should be noted that in some embodiments, the sensing technology developed by the inventors can be used in conjunction with one or more conventional sensors (e.g., cameras, Radar, LiDAR, etc.), as the aspects of the technology described herein are not limited in this respect.

[0111] Furthermore, the sensing technology developed by the inventors improves upon conventional Radar and LiDAR sensors. For example, because the sensing technology developed by the inventors operates in the terahertz band, it achieves significantly better spatial resolution than conventional Radar sensors can typically achieve. For instance, the sensing technology developed by the inventors achieves a distance resolution of approximately 7 mm to 10 cm and an angular resolution of approximately 0.05° to 1°. This means that these systems can distinguish objects separated along the propagation axis by, for example, a distance as short as 8 mm or an angular separation of, for example, 0.1°. As mentioned above, conventional Radar sensors can only achieve a distance resolution of approximately a few centimeters and an angular resolution of approximately 3° to 20°, which is insufficient for automotive and other applications.

[0112] As another example, because terahertz signals have a longer wavelength than infrared signals, the sensing technology developed by the inventors is less susceptible to scattering caused by rain than LiDAR sensors. While terahertz signals are generally more susceptible to rain than millimeter waves, they are less sensitive to changes in rainfall rate. As yet another example, terahertz-based active sensing systems are less affected by sunlight than LiDAR sensors. The vast majority of solar energy is concentrated in the visible and infrared regions from approximately 300 nm to approximately 2000 nm. This is why LiDAR sensors operating in this region are particularly susceptible to sunlight. In contrast, terahertz signals with wavelengths between 100 μm and 1 mm are virtually unaffected by sunlight.

[0113] The terahertz-based active sensing system described in this paper can be used in autonomous vehicles and other contexts.

[0114] Despite increasing demands for advanced autonomy, security, and capabilities, applications across various industries have been forced to rely on traditional sensors (cameras, LiDAR, and conventional radar). As discussed above, while effective, these traditional sensors have several limitations. To enable next-generation products, new capabilities are needed to accurately perceive the surrounding environment. The technologies described in this paper unlock a variety of new applications, including new types of medical imaging (e.g., pre-treatment cancer detection and non-ionizing dental imaging). Security applications can also be enhanced with new types of perception, detecting objects such as guns or knives while protecting individual privacy. The technologies described in this paper extend to providing robust perception of autonomous platforms, including vehicles such as cars, trucks, aircraft, ships, and spacecraft, regardless of weather, temperature, dust, or lighting conditions. This robustness unlocks true autonomy in a comprehensive and safe manner across diverse environments.

[0115] Some embodiments apply the waveform type selection techniques described herein to radar devices operating in millimeter waves, as not all embodiments are limited to use with terahertz frequencies. In such embodiments, the radio frequency signal can have frequency content in the 100 GHz to 300 GHz band. For example, the center frequency can be between 100 GHz and 140 GHz (e.g., approximately 120 GHz), between 180 GHz and 220 GHz (e.g., approximately 200 GHz), or between 230 GHz and 270 GHz (e.g., approximately 250 GHz). II. Waveform Type Selection

[0116] As described above, the inventors have developed techniques for adapting the operational configuration of a Radar device based on context awareness indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle. For example, context-aware data indicating characteristics of the vehicle, target object, and / or the vehicle's environment can be used to select a Radar operational configuration suitable for that context. The inventors have recognized that waveform type (e.g., for transmission via TX) can be selected based on context-aware data to balance Radar accuracy with constraints on available power and / or computational resources. For example, the waveform can (e.g., during the pulse duration) have a frequency bandwidth that defines the range resolution within the longitudinal distance of transmission. The inventors have recognized that fine range resolution can be balanced with the computational load derived from a large amount of received data corresponding to the distance within the longitudinal distance (e.g., at a frequency within the bandwidth of the transmitted waveform).

[0117] In some embodiments, capturing images at a fine distance resolution (e.g., distance-lateral distance images) can increase the ability of a computer-aided driving module to take timely action in hazardous situations. Fine distance resolution provides a greater ability to distinguish objects from each other in the direction of travel. On the other hand, coarse distance resolution provides a lower ability to distinguish objects. For example, a distance resolution of 8 mm allows the system to distinguish two objects as long as the objects are at least 8 mm apart relative to the direction of travel. Therefore, finer distance resolutions are beneficial because they provide higher accuracy. Furthermore, finer distance resolutions can improve the accuracy of Doppler shift measurements.

[0118] However, the inventors have recognized and understood the drawbacks of using fine range resolution in Radar systems. As range resolution increases, increasingly larger amounts of data are generated. This data needs to be stored somewhere, thus increasing memory requirements, and it also needs to be processed, thus increasing computational power requirements. However, given the particularly stringent space requirements of Radar devices in autonomous vehicle applications, increasing the available memory or computational power of a Radar device may be impractical.

[0119] For illustrative purposes, a radar device configured to generate frames at a sampling rate of 20 MSa / s per analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a spatial resolution of 3 cm over a range of 0 to 200 m would produce approximately 100 GB / s of data, assuming 12-bit resolution and 416 ADCs. Storing and processing this amount of data using hardware integrated into a vehicle is impractical.

[0120] Recognizing the need to reduce the amount of data to be stored and processed, the inventors have developed a technique that provides finer distance resolution only when doing so (providing finer distance resolution) would meaningfully improve the computer-aided driving module's ability to avoid hazardous situations. Conversely, a coarser distance resolution is provided when hazardous situations are unlikely. Context-aware data (examples of which are described herein) is used to identify potential hazardous situations requiring finer distance resolution.

[0121] In one example, the distance resolution varies based on speed data indicating the vehicle's speed. Vehicle speed can be used as a potential indicator to identify the likelihood of an unexpected event requiring immediate action from the vehicle. The lower the speed, the higher the likelihood of other vehicles being relatively close to it. For example, a typical scenario is a vehicle traveling at less than 30 mph accelerating while stopped at a red light, where vehicles tend to be closely clustered together. If an unexpected event occurs, there is typically a reaction time of several seconds to avoid a collision. For example, a pedestrian unexpectedly crossing the street immediately after the light turns green (for a vehicle) could cause the vehicle to stop abruptly, leading to a potentially hazardous situation. Given the relatively short reaction time required to avoid a collision, these scenarios require a greater distance resolution. On the other hand, speeds exceeding 70 mph are more typical on highways, where vehicles tend to be farther apart. Unexpected events in these scenarios tend to be more forgiving in terms of reaction time. For example, in a highway setting, when another vehicle unexpectedly moves from one lane to another, several seconds may be sufficient for the vehicle to adjust its course. Given the long reaction time required to avoid collisions, the range resolution can be relaxed in these situations. As a result, the amount of data collected is reduced.

[0122] In another example, distance resolution can be adjusted based on weather data. Rainy and foggy conditions are generally more dangerous than drier conditions, typically requiring a reaction time of about 3 seconds or less to avoid a collision. The higher the precipitation rate, the greater the danger. Therefore, in some embodiments, distance resolution can vary based on weather conditions in the environment surrounding the vehicle. Other examples of context-aware data include data indicating the speed of a target object, data indicating the type of road the vehicle is traveling on, data indicating traffic levels, and so on.

[0123] In some embodiments, the range resolution can be altered by changing the frequency bandwidth of the radio frequency (RF) signal transmitted by the Radar device. A larger bandwidth results in finer range resolution. In some embodiments, a set of waveform types can be defined, each with a different frequency bandwidth. Depending on the context-aware data, one or more waveform types can be selected for transmission by the Radar device. The selection of a specific waveform type causes the Radar device to transmit an RF signal with a bandwidth corresponding to the selected waveform type.

[0124] Therefore, some embodiments relate to a method of using a Radar device to collect data related to a target object. The Radar device is configured to transmit multiple waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths. The method involves obtaining context-aware data for a vehicle, which indicates at least one characteristic of the vehicle (e.g., speed or cruise control activation), at least one characteristic of the target object (speed), and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment (e.g., weather, traffic, road type). The method also involves using the context-aware data for the vehicle and selecting at least one waveform type from multiple waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths for collecting data related to the target object. Waveform types with different frequency bandwidths produce different distance resolutions. The method also involves using the Radar device to transmit one or more RF transmission signals having at least one frequency bandwidth corresponding to the selected at least one waveform type. In some embodiments, the transmitted RF signal is linearly frequency modulated (pulses with time-varying frequencies). The method also involves using the Radar device to receive one or more RF reception signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via one or more RF transmission signals. In some embodiments, the received information may be used to generate an image (e.g., a distance-lateral distance image) and / or may be provided as input to a computer-assisted driving module.

[0125] Figure 5A An example Radar device 500 with a processing circuitry 510, exemplified according to some embodiments of the technology described herein, is configured to select a waveform type for transmission via a transmit antenna array. In some embodiments, Radar device 500 may be configured in the manner described herein with respect to Radar device 200. For example, in an exemplary embodiment, Radar device 500 further includes a TX 520 shown as including a transmit antenna array 522, an RX 530 shown as including a receive antenna array 532, and a digital RX circuitry 540 shown as coupled to the RX 530.

[0126] like Figure 5A As shown, the processing circuitry system 510 includes a waveform selection circuitry system 512, which can be configured to select one or more waveform types for transmission via the transmit antenna array 522 based on context-aware data, such as those described herein with respect to processing circuitry system 210. For example, the context-aware data may indicate at least one characteristic of a vehicle (e.g., 300), at least one characteristic of a target object (e.g., 206), and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment.

[0127] In some embodiments, waveform selection circuitry 512 may be configured to select one or more waveform types for transmission of transmit antenna array 522, and to transmit control signal 514 to control transmission using the selected (one or more) waveform types. For example, control signal 514 may be sent to signal generation circuitry (e.g., 450) to generate the selected (one or more) waveform types to provide to transmit antenna array 522 for transmission. For example, control signal 514 and / or the signal generated by signal generation circuitry may be further provided to RX 530, such as for demodulating received RF signals generated at least in part based on reflections of transmit RF signals having the selected (one or more) waveform types from a target object. In some embodiments, selection may be based on context-aware data obtained by processing circuitry 710. In an exemplary embodiment, waveform selection circuitry 512 is shown configured to select from a first waveform type, a second waveform type, and a third waveform type, although any other suitable number of selectable waveform types are possible.

[0128] In some embodiments, the selection of a particular waveform type (e.g., relative to another waveform type) can determine the distance resolution of the Radar device 500 (e.g., relative to another waveform type). Figure 1 (The spatial resolution along the z-axis). For example, a finer distance resolution can provide a greater ability to distinguish objects from each other in the longitudinal direction, while a coarser distance resolution can provide a lower ability to distinguish objects from each other in the longitudinal direction. For example, an 8mm distance resolution allows the Radar device 200 to distinguish two objects as long as the objects are spaced at least 8mm apart in the longitudinal direction. In some embodiments, a finer distance resolution can be used to improve the ability of the computer-aided driving module (e.g., 352) to make safety decisions, but a trade-off is that a finer distance resolution can generate a larger amount of data, thereby increasing the computational resources used to process the data.

[0129] Figure 5B Examples of some embodiments of the technology described herein illustrate the frequency of waveform types that can be selected for transmission using the Radar device 500 over time.

[0130] In some embodiments, the distance resolution can be changed by altering the frequency bandwidth of one or more signals transmitted by the TX 520. For example, a higher bandwidth allows for a finer distance resolution.

[0131] exist Figure 5B In the figure 550, three example waveform types with different frequency bandwidths are shown in the frequency-time curve, which illustrates how the frequency of the waveform can change over time. Figure 5BThe three example waveform types shown are linear frequency modulated (LFM) signals, and the frequency of the waveforms varies linearly with time. The three illustrated waveform types have the same duration (t2-t1) but each has a different frequency bandwidth. In the illustrated example waveform types, both the initial frequency (the frequency at which the LFM signal begins transmission) and the final frequency (the frequency at which the LFM signal ends transmission) vary between waveform types. In other embodiments, the waveform type may vary at the initial frequency instead of the final frequency, and vice versa.

[0132] exist Figure 5B In the example, the first waveform type has an initial frequency Fi1 and a final frequency Ff1. Therefore, the frequency bandwidth of the first waveform type is given by ΔF1 = Ff1 - Fi1. The second waveform type has an initial frequency Fi2 and a final frequency Ff2. Therefore, the frequency bandwidth of the second waveform type is given by ΔF2 = Ff2 - Fi2. The third waveform type has an initial frequency Fi3 and a final frequency Ff3. Therefore, the frequency bandwidth of the third waveform type is given by ΔF3 = Ff3 - Fi3. Since ΔF1 is less than ΔF2, and ΔF2 is less than ΔF3, the distance resolution of the third waveform type is finer than that of the second waveform type, and the distance resolution of the second waveform type is finer than that of the first waveform type.

[0133] According to various embodiments, the duration (t2-t1) can be between 5µs and 100ms, 10µs and 20ms, 10µs and 10ms, 10µs and 1ms, 10µs and 0.5ms, 10µs and 0.1ms, 10µs and 50µs, 50µs and 20ms, 50µs and 10ms, 50µs and 2ms, 50µs and 1ms, and 50µs and 0.5ms. The possible durations are: 50µs to 0.1ms, 0.1ms to 20ms, 0.1ms to 15ms, 0.1ms to 10ms, 0.1ms to 5ms, 0.1ms to 3ms, 0.1ms to 2ms, 0.1ms to 1ms, 1ms to 20ms, 1ms to 15ms, 1ms to 10ms, 1ms to 5ms, 1ms to 3ms, or 1ms to 2ms. Other durations are also possible.

[0134] Return to reference Figure 5A The TX 520 can be configured to use the transmit antenna array 522 to transmit one or more signals having frequency bandwidths corresponding to selected waveform types. For example, if selected... Figure 5BIf the first waveform type is specified, then TX 520 can be configured to transmit one or more linear frequency modulated signals with a bandwidth ΔF1. In some embodiments, RX 530 can be configured to receive any RF signals reflected from a target object using a receiving antenna array 532. In some embodiments, RX 530 may include circuitry configured to demodulate (e.g., frequency shift) the received RF signal to an intermediate frequency and / or baseband. In some embodiments, digital RX circuitry 540 can be configured to digitize the demodulated signal. In some embodiments, RX 530 can be configured to demodulate (e.g., frequency shift) using a reference signal provided to TX 520 (e.g., from a signal generation circuitry). For example, RX 530 can be configured to generate a demodulated received RF signal (e.g., for image generation) to processing circuitry 510 that indicates location information related to a target object.

[0135] In some embodiments, the method for adjusting the range resolution of the Radar device 500 may involve changing the bandwidth of the transmitted signal. In some embodiments, the range resolution may be adjusted by changing parameters of the digital RX circuitry system 540 (as an alternative or addition to changing the bandwidth of the transmitted signal). For example, some embodiments may involve changing the sampling rate of the signal digitized by the digital RX circuitry system 540 via the RX antenna array 534, which is at least partially generated by reflection from a target object, and / or changing the bandwidth of the passband in the receiver filter. Similar to the examples above, the sampling rate and / or the bandwidth of the filter may vary based on context-aware data. In one example, the bandwidth of the passband in the receiver filter may vary from 1 GHz to 20 GHz depending on the context-aware data. In another example, depending on the context-aware data, the sampling rate may vary from 2 MS / s to 40 MS / s (where “MS / s” represents millions of samples per second).

[0136] In some embodiments, the digital RX circuitry system 540 may be configured to process the RF signals received by the RX 530. For example, the processed data output by the digital RX circuitry system 540 may be used by the processing circuitry system 210 to generate images, such as for output to a display 350, and / or provided as input to the computer-aided driving module 352. In some embodiments, the images generated by the processing circuitry system 210 may include, for example, range-lateral distance images or range-Doppler images. According to various embodiments, the processing circuitry system 210 may be configured to output images at any suitable frame rate (e.g., between 10 frames per second and 30 frames per second, or between 15 frames per second and 25 frames per second). Additionally or alternatively, the digital RX circuitry system 540 may be configured to process the RF signals received by the RX 530 to provide information relating to the position of a target object as input to the computer-aided module 352.

[0137] Figure 5C Example method 560 for collecting data relating to a target object using a Radar device (e.g., 500) according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0138] In some embodiments, method 560 may be performed using the processing circuitry system 510 of the Radar device 500. For example... Figure 5C As shown, method 560 begins at step 562, in which the processing circuitry obtains context-aware data for a vehicle (e.g., 300). For example, the context-aware data may indicate at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of a target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment. According to various embodiments, the processing circuitry may obtain data from any suitable source, depending on the nature of the data. For example, the processing circuitry may obtain speed data from a speed sensor on the vehicle. In another example, the processing circuitry may obtain traffic data and / or road data from an internet module on the vehicle. In another example, the processing circuitry may obtain weather data from an internet module on the vehicle and / or from a weather sensor on the vehicle. In yet another example, the processing circuitry may obtain cruise control data from a cruise control module on the vehicle.

[0139] At step 564, the processing circuitry selects at least one waveform type for collecting data related to the target object. This selection is made using the context-aware data obtained in step 562. At least one waveform type can be selected from a set of selectable waveform types, each with a different frequency bandwidth. In one example, the processing circuitry can (e.g., using waveform selection circuitry 512) select a single waveform type for collecting data related to the target object. In this example, all image frames with a distance resolution corresponding to the selected waveform type can be generated. In another example, the processing circuitry can select more than one waveform type for collecting information related to the target object, such as a first waveform type and a second waveform type. For example, the selected waveform types can have different bandwidths. In this example, images generated during some frames can have a distance resolution corresponding to the selected first waveform type, and images generated during some frames can have a distance resolution corresponding to the selected second waveform type. Therefore, images can be formed by mixing frames generated at different distance resolutions.

[0140] At step 566, the processing circuitry controls the TX (e.g., 520) to transmit one or more RF transmission signals having a frequency bandwidth corresponding to at least one selected waveform type. For example, if a single waveform type is selected at step 564, step 566 may include transmitting a signal with a bandwidth corresponding to the selected waveform type. If more than one waveform type (e.g., a first type and a second type) is selected at step 564, step 566 may include transmitting signals with bandwidths corresponding to the various selected waveform types. For example, the transmission may be performed alternately. For example, a signal corresponding to the selected first waveform type may be transmitted, then a signal corresponding to the selected second waveform type may be transmitted, then an additional signal corresponding to the selected first waveform type may be transmitted again, followed by an additional signal corresponding to the selected second waveform type. This or other combinations of different waveform types transmitted over time can facilitate the processing circuitry in generating images in corresponding frames with different distance resolutions.

[0141] At step 568, the processing circuitry controls the RX (e.g., 530) to receive one or more RF received signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via one or more RF transmitted signals (transmitted at step 566). For example, the processing circuitry may control the RX to demodulate (e.g., frequency downshift) and may control the digital RX circuitry (e.g., 540) to digitize the received RF signals. In addition to reflections of one or more RF transmitted signals, one or more RF received signals may also include noise, spurious signals, and signals acquired due to multipath effects.

[0142] Optionally, at step 570, the processing circuitry uses the RF signal received by the RX to generate one or more distance-lateral distance images. For example, the images can be defined by a frame rate suitable for human inspection or for use by a computer-assisted driving module. The frame rate can be, for example, between 10 and 30 frames per second or between 15 and 25 frames per second. Depending on how many waveform types are selected at step 564, the frames can have the same distance resolution and / or can have different distance resolutions.

[0143] Figure 5D Examples of the transmission and reception of multiple RF signals during a frame are illustrated according to some embodiments of the techniques described herein.

[0144] In some embodiments, coherent processing techniques can be used to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a radar device (e.g., 200). In some embodiments, coherent processing may involve coherently accumulating multiple radar signals to increase effective power and improve the detection of weak signals. Figure 5D In the example, the Radar device can transmit multiple signals of the same type (the selected waveform type) during a frame (50ms in this example, corresponding to a frame rate of 20 frames per second). The transmitted signals are in... Figure 5D The top of the image shows this. As a result, the Radar device can receive multiple signals, each generated by the reflection of the transmitted signal from the target object. The received signal is delayed by an amount ΔT, which can depend on the distance between the Radar device and the target object. The received signal is delayed in... Figure 5D The lower part is shown. In some embodiments, the received signals can be coherently combined to improve the SNR of the Radar device.

[0145] Figures 6A-6D This is a diagram showing several examples of how waveform types can be selected based on context-aware data obtained from a Radar device.

[0146] Figure 6A An example method 600a is illustrated, which selects a frame rate based on speed data indicating the speed of a vehicle, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0147] exist Figure 6AIn this example, the waveform type is selected based on the speed data corresponding to the vehicle. For illustrative purposes, it is assumed that an image is generated at a frame rate of 20 frames per second (although other frame rates are possible). In this example, three waveform types are available for selection—one with fine range resolution (FRR), one with medium range resolution (IRR), and one with coarse range resolution (CRR). In one example, the signal generated according to the FRR type has a bandwidth of 20 GHz, the signal generated according to the IRR type has a bandwidth of 10 GHz, and the signal generated according to the CRR type has a bandwidth of 2 GHz. Other embodiments are possible. The composition of the frames varies depending on the speed data. If the speed data indicates that the vehicle is traveling at a speed less than 30 mph, all 20 frames per second are generated by sending an FRR type signal. If the speed data indicates that the vehicle is traveling at a speed between 30 mph and 50 mph, then out of the 20 frames per second, 10 frames are generated by sending an FRR type signal and 10 frames are generated by sending an IRR type signal. If the speed data indicates that the vehicle is traveling between 50 mph and 70 mph, then 10 frames per second are generated by sending an IRR-type signal, and 10 frames per second are generated by sending a CRR-type signal. Finally, if the speed data indicates that the vehicle is traveling at a speed exceeding 70 mph, then all 20 frames per second are generated by sending a CRR-type signal. It should be noted that... Figure 6A The options provided are for illustrative purposes only, as other ways of selecting waveform types are possible.

[0148] As from Figure 6A Understandably, in this example, a lower speed indicates a greater distance resolution. A vehicle's speed can be viewed as a proxy for the likelihood of a sudden event requiring immediate action from the vehicle. The lower the speed, the higher the likelihood that other vehicles are relatively close to it. For example, speeds below 30 mph are typical in situations where a vehicle is accelerating while stopped at a red light, where vehicles tend to be clustered closely together. If an unexpected event occurs, there is typically a reaction time of several seconds to avoid a collision. For instance, a pedestrian crossing the street immediately after the light turns green (for a vehicle) could cause the vehicle to stop abruptly, leading to a potentially hazardous situation. Given the relatively short reaction time required to avoid a collision, these scenarios necessitate a greater distance resolution.

[0149] On the other hand, speeds exceeding 70 mph are more typical on highways, where vehicles tend to be far apart. Unexpected events in these situations tend to be more forgiving. For example, when another vehicle unexpectedly moves from one lane to another, a few seconds may be sufficient for the vehicle to adjust its course. Given the longer reaction time required to avoid a collision, distance resolution can be relaxed in these situations. As a result, the amount of data collected is reduced.

[0150] Figure 6B An example method 600b is illustrated, which selects a frame rate based on road data indicating the road type associated with the environment of a vehicle, according to some embodiments of the techniques described herein.

[0151] exist Figure 6B In the example, the waveform type is selected based on road data. Again, it's assumed that an image is generated at a frame rate of 20 frames per second (although other frame rates are possible). Using a combination... Figure 6A The same waveform type is described. Additionally, some frames can be reserved to operate the Radar device in Doppler mode (DM), where the Radar device determines the relative velocity of other vehicles. (As in...) Figure 6A In the example, road data can be viewed as a proxy indicator of the likelihood of a sudden event requiring immediate action from vehicles. In situations where vehicles are more likely to congregate (e.g., in urban environments), a shorter reaction time may be needed to avoid a collision. In situations where vehicles are less likely to congregate (e.g., on highways), a longer reaction time may be sufficient to avoid a collision. While Figure 6B An example is shown where some frames are reserved for DM, but it should be understood that DM can share frames with other modes, such as using DM within a portion of a frame.

[0152] In this example, if the road data indicates the vehicle is in an urban environment, all 20 frames per second are generated by sending an FRR-type signal. If the road data indicates the vehicle is traveling on a highway, 15 frames per second are generated by sending an FRR-type signal, and the remaining 5 frames can be reserved to operate the Radar device in Doppler mode. If the road data indicates the vehicle is traveling in a rural environment, 5 frames per second are generated by sending an IRR-type signal, 8 frames per second are generated by sending a CRR-type signal, and 4 frames per second are generated by sending an FRR-type signal, and the remaining 3 frames can be reserved to operate the Radar device in Doppler mode. Finally, if the road data indicates the vehicle is in a parked setting (e.g., in a parking lot), all 20 frames per second are generated by sending a CRR-type signal. It should be noted that... Figure 6B The options provided are for illustrative purposes only, as other ways of selecting waveform types are possible.

[0153] Figure 6C An example method 600c is illustrated, which selects a frame rate based on weather data indicating the weather conditions in the environment of a vehicle, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0154] exist Figure 6C In the example, the waveform type is selected based on weather data. Again, it's assumed that an image is generated at a frame rate of 20 frames per second (although other frame rates are possible). Using a combination... Figure 6A The same waveform type is described. In this example, the distance resolution can be adjusted based on the potential hazards posed by certain weather conditions. For example, rainy and foggy conditions tend to be more dangerous than drier conditions, thus requiring a finer distance resolution. Similarly, higher precipitation rates tend to be more dangerous than lower precipitation rates, thus requiring a finer distance resolution. Therefore, the distance resolution can vary depending on the precipitation rate.

[0155] exist Figure 6C In the example, if weather data indicates the vehicle is in a rainy environment, all 20 frames per second are generated by sending an FRR type signal. If weather data indicates the vehicle is in a foggy environment, 10 frames are generated by sending an FRR type signal, and 10 frames are generated by sending an IRR type signal. If weather data indicates the vehicle is in a snowy environment, 10 frames are generated by sending an IRR type signal, and 10 frames are generated by sending a CRR type signal. Finally, if weather data indicates the vehicle is in a dry environment, all 20 frames per second are generated by sending a CRR type signal. It should be noted that... Figure 6C The options provided are for illustrative purposes only, as other ways of selecting waveform types are possible.

[0156] Figure 6D An example method 600d for selecting a frame rate based on the distance from the target object to the vehicle, according to some embodiments of the techniques described herein.

[0157] In some embodiments, in addition to (or instead of) selecting the waveform type based on context-aware data, the waveform type may be selected based on distance data indicating the distance of the target object from the vehicle, which is obtained using the Radar device (e.g., 200) itself. Figure 6DThis diagram illustrates how the waveform type can be selected based on the distance to the target object. In this example, if the Radar device determines that all target objects are within 37.5m of the vehicle (although other distances are possible), then all 20 frames per second are generated by sending an FRR type signal. If the Radar device determines that some target objects are within 37.5m of the vehicle and some target objects are between 37.5m and 100m of the vehicle (although other distances are possible), then 10 frames are generated by sending an FRR type signal and 10 frames are generated by sending an IRR type signal. If the Radar device determines that all target objects are beyond 375m of the vehicle (although other distances are possible), then 10 frames are generated by sending an IRR type signal and 10 frames are generated by sending a CRR type signal. Finally, if the Radar device determines that some target objects are beyond 100m of the vehicle (although other distances are possible), then all 20 frames per second are generated by sending a CRR type signal. It should be noted that... Figure 6D The options provided are for illustrative purposes only, as other ways of selecting waveform types are possible. III. Transmitter Configuration Selection

[0158] As described above, the inventors have developed techniques for adapting the operational configuration of a Radar device based on context awareness indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle. For example, context-aware data indicating characteristics of the vehicle, target object, and / or the vehicle's environment can be used to select a Radar operational configuration suitable for that context. The inventors have recognized that a TX configuration can be selected based on context-aware data to balance Radar range, accuracy, and / or field of view with constraints on available power. For example, the TX configuration can specify a transmit power level (e.g., for transmitting to reach a specific distance from the TX), a transmit phase shift mode (e.g., for focusing the transmission in one or more angular directions), and / or a subset of the transmit antenna elements of the transmit antenna array (e.g., for narrow or wide focusing of the transmission according to the desired angular resolution).

[0159] Some embodiments provide a method for using a Radar device (e.g., Figure 7 The method for collecting data related to a target object (e.g., 700) is described herein, where the Radar device (e.g., 700) can be configured across multiple TX configurations. For example, the Radar device can be configured as described herein with respect to Radar device 200 (including those combined with...). Figures 2A-3B The Radar device is configured in the manner described above, including a processing circuit system (e.g., 710), a TX (e.g., 720), and an RX (e.g., 730).

[0160] In some embodiments, the method may include using a processing circuitry system (e.g., 710) of a Radar device (e.g., 700) to obtain context-aware data for a vehicle (e.g., 300), the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of a target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment. For example, the context-aware data may be as described herein (including in conjunction with...) Figures 2A to 3B As stated in the text.

[0161] In some embodiments, the method may include utilizing a processing circuitry system (e.g., 710) to use context-aware data for the vehicle and from multiple TX configurations (e.g., Figure 7 At least one TX configuration can be selected from the processing circuitry (e.g., 710) to collect data related to the target object. For example, the TX configuration that can be selected by the processing circuitry (e.g., 710) can specify different transmit power levels (e.g., Figures 9A-9B ), and different subsets of transmitting antenna elements (e.g., Figures 9B-9C ) and / or different transmission phase shift modes (e.g., Figures 10A-10C To generate different transmission beams.

[0162] In some embodiments, the method may include using a Radar device (e.g., 700) with a TX (e.g., 720) to transmit one or more RF transmit signals according to one or more TX configurations. For example, the transmit power level is specified in one or more TX configurations (e.g., ...). Figures 9A-9B A subset of multiple transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) of TX (e.g., 820) Figures 9B-9C ) and / or transmit phase shift modes used to transmit (one or more) RF transmit signals (e.g., Figures 10A-10C In the case of ), one or more RF transmission signals may be transmitted using a specified subset and / or according to a specified transmit power level and / or transmit phase shift mode.

[0163] In some embodiments, the method may include using an RX (e.g., 730) of a Radar device to receive one or more RF received signals generated at least in part by reflection from a target object via one or more RF transmitted signals. For example, the RX (e.g., 730) may receive one or more RF received signals depending on the Radar operating configuration, and / or may receive one or more RF received signals in a static configuration.

[0164] In some embodiments, TX (e.g., Figure 8820 in the diagram may include a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) arranged along a dimension (e.g., elevation angle) of the transmit antenna array, and a plurality of TX configurations (e.g., Figures 9B-9C In the 900b and 900c configurations, multiple different subsets of multiple transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) can be specified, and the selected (one or more) TX configurations (e.g., 900b and / or 900c) can specify at least one subset of multiple different subsets. Transmitting (one or more) RF transmit signals according to the selected (one or more) TX configurations may include transmitting (one or more) RF transmit signals using the specified (one or more) subsets.

[0165] In some embodiments, the specified subset (one or more) may include a first subset (e.g., 822a, 822b, and 822c) of a plurality of transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) and a second subset (e.g., 822a and 822c) of a plurality of transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) that are different from the first subset. Transmitting (one or more) RF transmit signals using the specified subset (one or more) may include: transmitting a first RF transmit signal in the first subset (e.g., 822a, 822b, and 822c) at a first time, and transmitting a second RF transmit signal in the second subset (e.g., 822a and 822c) at a second time after the first time. For example, the method may also include using a processing circuitry system (e.g., 710) of a Radar device (e.g., 700) to generate a distance-lateral distance image using (one or more) RF received signals generated at least in part from reflections from a target object via a first RF transmitted signal and / or a second RF transmitted signal.

[0166] In some embodiments, the TX (e.g., 820) may use a first transmit power amount and a first subset (e.g., 822a, 822b, and 822c) to transmit a first RF transmit signal, and the TX (e.g., 820) may use a second transmit power amount different from the first transmit power amount and a second subset (e.g., 822a and 822c) to transmit a second RF transmit signal, such as using a lower transmit power amount for a subset that includes fewer transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822).

[0167] In some embodiments, the TX (e.g., 820) may include a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) arranged along a dimension (e.g., elevation angle) of the transmit antenna array. Multiple TX configurations may specify multiple different phase shift modes (e.g., ...) for transmitting (one or more) RF transmit signals via the multiple transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822). Figures 10A-10C In the case of 1000a, 1000b, and 1000c, the selected (one or more) transmitter configuration can specify at least one of a plurality of different phase shift modes (e.g., 1000a, 1000b, and / or 1000c), and transmitting (one or more) RF transmission signals according to the selected (one or more) transmitter configuration can include transmitting (one or more) RF transmission signals according to the specified (one or more) phase shift modes.

[0168] In some embodiments, the specified phase shift modes may include a first phase shift mode (e.g., 1000a) and a second phase shift mode (e.g., 1000b) different from the first phase shift mode, and transmitting (one or more) RF transmission signals according to the specified phase shift modes may include: transmitting a first RF transmission signal in the first phase shift mode (e.g., 1000a) at a first time, and transmitting a second RF transmission signal in the second phase shift mode (e.g., 1000b) at a second time after the first time. For example, the method may further include generating a range-lateral distance image using (one or more) RF received signals generated at least partially from reflections of the first and / or second RF transmission signals from a target object.

[0169] In some embodiments, the specified (one or more) phase shift modes can be configured to include a first angular direction (e.g., Figure 10A ) and a second angular direction different from the first angular direction (e.g., Figure 10B The TX (e.g., 820) performs an angular transmission scan over the angular field of view. For example, according to a first phase shift mode (e.g., 1000a), the TX 820 can focus the transmission of a first RF transmission signal in a first angular direction, and according to a second phase shift mode (e.g., 1000b), the TX (e.g., 820) can focus the transmission of a second RF transmission signal in a second angular direction. For example, during a frame, the TX (e.g., 820) can perform an angular scan over the angular field of view, such that the range-lateral range image generated during the frame includes data from the angular field of view.

[0170] In some embodiments, the TX (e.g., 820) may include a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) arranged along a dimension (e.g., elevation angle) of the transmit antenna array, and a plurality of TX configurations (e.g., Figures 9A-9B 900a and 900b in the diagram can specify multiple different transmit power levels for transmitting (one or more) RF transmit signals via multiple transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822), and the selected (one or more) transmitter configuration can specify at least one of the multiple different transmit power levels (e.g., ...). Figure 9A and / or Figure 9B The transmission of one or more RF signals, configured according to the selected (one or more) transmitters, may include transmitting one or more RF signals according to the specified (one or more) transmit power levels.

[0171] In some embodiments, the specified (one or more) transmit power levels may include a first transmit power level (e.g., Figure 9A ) and a second transmission power level that is different from the first transmission power level (e.g., Figure 9B Transmitting (one or more) RF signals according to specified (one or more) transmit power levels may include: at a first time according to a first transmit power level (e.g., Figure 9A ) transmit (one or more) RF transmission signals, including the first RF transmission signal, and at a second time according to the second transmission power level (e.g., Figure 9B The method may transmit a second RF transmission signal (one or more) of the RF transmission signals. For example, the method may also include generating a range-lateral distance image using one or more RF reception signals generated at least partially from reflections from the target object via the first RF transmission signal and / or the second RF transmission signal.

[0172] In some embodiments, (one or more) RF transmitted signals may have frequency content in the 300 GHz-3 THz band.

[0173] Figure 7 An example Radar device 700 having a processing circuitry 710 is illustrated according to some embodiments of the technology described herein, the processing circuitry 710 being configured to be selected in a TX configuration for operation of a TX 720 of the Radar device 700.

[0174] In some embodiments, processing circuitry 710 may be configured to acquire context-aware data for a vehicle (e.g., 300), the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of a target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment, such as that described herein for processing circuitry 210 (including in conjunction with...). Figures 3A-3B As mentioned above.

[0175] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 710 may be configured to use context-aware data for a vehicle and select at least one TX configuration from a plurality of TX configurations for collecting data related to a target object. For example, such as Figure 7 As shown, the processing circuitry 710 includes a TX configuration selection circuitry 712, which can be configured to select one or more TX configurations based on context-aware data, such as those described herein with respect to processing circuitry 210. For example, the context-aware data may indicate at least one characteristic of a vehicle (e.g., 300), at least one characteristic of a target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment.

[0176] In some embodiments, the TX configuration selection circuitry 712 can be configured to select one or more TX configurations and send control signals 714 to control TX 720 based on the selected TX configuration. For example, the selection can be based on context-aware data obtained by the processing circuitry 710. In an exemplary embodiment, the TX configuration selection circuitry 712 is shown configured to select from a first TX configuration, a second TX configuration, and a third TX configuration, although any other suitable number of selectable TX configurations are possible.

[0177] In some embodiments, TX 720 may be configured to transmit one or more RF transmit signals according to at least one transmitter configuration. For example, TX 720 may have a transmit circuitry (e.g., a phase shifter and / or amplifier) ​​configured to receive a control signal 714 from processing circuitry 710, which control signal 714 may control the transmit power level, the selection of transmit antenna elements, and / or the phase shift mode for transmitting RF signals using TX 720. In some embodiments, RX 730 may be configured to receive one or more RF receive signals generated at least partially by reflection from a target object via (one or more) RF transmit signals. In some embodiments, (one or more) RF transmit signals may have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz–3 THz.

[0178] Figure 8 Examples of embodiments of the technology described herein may include the TX 820 in the Radar device 700.

[0179] In some embodiments, TX 820 may have a transmit antenna array including transmit antenna elements 822, which may be arranged along the dimensions of the transmit antenna array. For example, as Figure 8 As shown, the transmitting antenna element 822 is arranged along the y-axis, which can be the elevation dimension of the transmitting antenna array. For example, such as in Figure 4 In the example, the elevation dimension of the transmitting antenna array can be longer than the azimuth dimension of the transmitting antenna array, although it should be understood that other array configurations are possible.

[0180] In some embodiments, the TX configuration selectable by the processing circuitry (e.g., 710) can specify multiple distinct subsets of the transmit antenna element 822, and the selected (one or more) transmitter configuration selected by the processing circuitry can specify at least one subset of the multiple distinct subsets. For example, as further described herein, selecting different subsets of the transmit antenna element 822 can control the beamwidth of the transmit beam of the transmit antenna array transmitting RF transmit signals. In some embodiments, when selected, TX 820 can be configured to transmit (one or more) RF transmit signals using the specified (one or more) subsets. For example, as... Figure 8 As shown, the transmission circuitry of TX 820 includes power amplifiers 824a, 824b, and 824c, respectively coupled to transmission antenna elements 822a, 822b, and 822c. For example, power amplifiers 824a, 824b, and / or 824c may be selectable to enable and / or disable transmission via the respective transmission antenna elements 822a, 822b, and / or 822c based on element selection and / or transmission power control signals 812 (e.g., including and / or based on control signal 714), such as by enabling and / or disabling the operation of the respective amplifiers 824a, 824b, and / or 824c.

[0181] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the TX configuration selectable by the processing circuitry (e.g., 710) can specify multiple different transmit power levels for transmitting (one or more) RF transmit signals via the transmit antenna element 822, and the TX configuration selected by the processing circuitry can specify at least one of the multiple different transmit power levels. For example, as further described herein, selecting different transmit power levels for transmitting RF transmit signals may result in shorter or greater transmission distances. In some embodiments, TX 820 can be configured to transmit (one or more) RF transmit signals according to the specified (one or more) transmit power levels. For example, as... Figure 8As shown, each power amplifier 824a, 824b, and 824c is configured to receive element selection and / or power control signal 812. For example, the element selection and / or power control signal 812 can control the transmit power level of the respective amplifiers 824a, 824b, and / or 824c.

[0182] In some embodiments, the TX configuration selectable by the processing circuitry (e.g., 710) can specify multiple different phase shift modes for transmitting RF signals via the transmitting antenna element 822, and the TX configuration selected by the processing circuitry can specify at least one of the multiple different phase shift modes. For example, as further described herein, selecting different transmission phase shift modes can control the angular direction in which the transmission is focused. In some embodiments, when selected, TX 820 can be configured to transmit (one or more) RF signals according to the specified (one or more) phase shift modes. For example, as... Figure 8 As shown, the transmission circuitry of TX 820 includes phase shifters 826a, 826b, and 826c, respectively coupled to transmission antenna elements 822a, 822b, and 822c. For example, phase shifters 826a, 826b, and 826c can be configured to apply a phase shift to an RF transmission signal based on a phase control signal 814 (e.g., including and / or based on a control signal 714), such as by introducing a controllable phase shift amount into the RF signal input to the respective phase shifters 826a, 826b, and 826c, for transmission by the respective transmission antenna elements 822a, 822b, and 822c.

[0183] Figure 9A Example operation of TX 820 using a first subset of transmit antenna elements 822 at a first transmit power level, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein, is illustrated.

[0184] like Figure 9A As shown, each transmit antenna element 822a, 822b, and 822c transmits an RF transmit signal to generate a transmit beam. In the exemplary embodiment, each transmit antenna element 822a, 822b, and 822c transmits at the same first transmit power level. For example, power amplifiers 824a, 824b, and 824c can be configured to generate the same first transmit power level in response to element selection and / or transmit power level control signal 812.

[0185] Figure 9B Example operation of TX 820 using a first subset of transmit antenna elements 822 at a second transmit power level, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein, is illustrated.

[0186] like Figure 9B As shown, each transmitting antenna element 822a, 822b, and 822c transmits RF signals, but at a second transmitting power level lower than the first transmitting power level. In the illustrated example, the longitudinal transmission distance can be shorter, such as 200 meters instead of 300 meters for example, for the TX configuration 900a.

[0187] In some embodiments, the transmit power levels (one or more) specified by the TX configuration may include a first transmit power level and a second transmit power level different from the first transmit power level. For example, the TX configuration may specify... Figure 9A The first transmit power level shown and Figure 9B The second transmit power level is shown in the figure.

[0188] In some embodiments, TX 820 can be configured to transmit a first RF transmission signal (one or more) of RF transmission signals at a first time according to a first transmission power level, and transmit a second RF transmission signal (one or more) of RF transmission signals at a second time according to a second transmission power level. For example, TX 820 can be configured to transmit a first RF transmission signal at a first time according to a first transmission power level, such as... Figure 9A The first RF transmission signal is transmitted at the first transmission power level shown, and at a second time after the first time, according to... Figure 9B The second RF transmission signal is transmitted at the second transmission power level shown. For example, the first RF transmission signal and the second RF transmission signal may be transmitted during different frames (e.g., each including a transmission scan over multiple transmission beams over time or as part of a transmission scan over multiple transmission beams over time) and / or during one frame (e.g., as part of the same transmission scan over multiple transmission beams over time). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry (e.g., 710) may be configured to generate a range-lateral distance image using (one or more) RF received signals generated at least partially by reflection from a target object via the first RF transmission signal and / or the second RF transmission signal (e.g., where the first RF transmission signal and the second RF transmission signal are transmitted during one frame).

[0189] Figure 9C Example operation of TX 820 of a transmitter configuration 900c using a second subset of transmit antenna elements 822 at a first transmit power level, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0190] In some embodiments, one or more subsets of the transmit antenna elements 822 specified by the TX configuration may include a first subset of the transmit antenna elements 822 and a second subset of the transmit antenna elements 822 that differs from the first subset. For example, in Figure 9BIn the TX configuration 900b, the first subset of transmitting antenna elements 822a, 822b, and 822c transmits RF signals, while... Figure 9C In the TX configuration 900c, a second subset of the transmitting antenna elements 822a and 822c transmits an RF transmission signal. For example, the difference between the first and second subsets is that the second subset omits the transmitting antenna element 822b. In an exemplary embodiment, the power amplifier 824b can be configured not to transmit an RF transmission signal, such as in response to element selection and / or transmit power level control signal 812. As a result, in Figure 9C In the middle, the resulting beamwidth of the transmitted beam is compared to Figure 9B A wider center could potentially provide greater performance while using less power and / or achieving greater distance. Figure 9B Lower elevation resolution.

[0191] In some embodiments, TX 820 can be configured to transmit a first RF signal using a first transmit power amount and a first subset of transmit antenna elements 822, and to transmit a second RF signal using a second transmit power amount equal to the first transmit power amount and a second subset of transmit antenna elements 822. For example, as Figure 9B and Figure 9C As shown, transmitting antenna elements 822a, 822b, and 822c are in Figure 9B China, Israel and Belgium Figure 9C The transmit antenna elements 822a and 822c in the configuration transmit at a lower transmit power level. For example, fewer transmit antenna elements in the TX configuration 900c can be provided with the same amount of transmit power, which can achieve the same longitudinal distance using fewer transmit antenna elements. In other embodiments, different subsets of the transmit antenna elements can be configured to use different amounts of transmit power. For example, in transmit antenna elements 822a and 822b... Figure 9C Used with Figure 9B At the same transmit power level, because there is one less transmit antenna element, less transmit power can be used, thus achieving a higher transmit power than... Figure 9B Shorter longitudinal distance and wider beamwidth.

[0192] In some embodiments, TX 820 can be configured to transmit a first RF signal from a first subset of RF transmission signals (one or more) at a first time, and to transmit a second RF signal from a second subset of RF transmission signals (one or more) at a second time after the first time. For example, TX 820 can be configured to use, for example, at the first time... Figure 9B The first subset shown transmits the first RF transmission signal, and at a second time after the first time, it uses, as shown in the example. Figure 9CThe second subset shown transmits a second RF transmission signal. For example, the first and second RF transmission signals may be transmitted during different frames (e.g., each comprising a transmission scan over multiple transmission beams over time or as part of a transmission scan over multiple transmission beams over time) and / or during one frame (e.g., as part of the same transmission scan over multiple transmission beams over time). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry (e.g., 710) of the Radar device (e.g., 700) may be configured to generate a range-lateral distance image (e.g., where the first and second RF transmission signals are transmitted during one frame) using (one or more) RF received signals generated at least partially by reflection from a target object via the first and / or second RF transmission signals.

[0193] Figure 10A Example operation of TX 820 according to a first transmit phase shift mode 1000a is illustrated according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0194] like Figure 10A As shown, each transmitting antenna element 822a, 822b, and 822c transmits an RF transmission signal to generate a transmission beam. In an exemplary embodiment, each transmitting antenna element 822a, 822b, and 822c transmits with different phase-shifted versions of the RF transmission signal, thereby obtaining a phase front oriented in a non-zero elevation direction. For example, phase shifters 826a, 826b, and 826c can be configured to apply different phase shifts in response to a phase shift control signal 814. In an exemplary embodiment, when the phase front is oriented in the angular direction of the elevation angle, the transmission can be focused in that direction.

[0195] Figure 10B Example operation of TX 820 according to a second transmit phase shift mode 1000b is illustrated according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0196] like Figure 10B As shown, each transmit antenna element 822a, 822b, and 822c transmits an RF transmit signal to generate a transmit beam with the same phase version of the RF transmit signal, thereby obtaining a phase front oriented at a 0-degree elevation angle. For example, phase shifters 826a, 826b, and 826c can be configured to apply the same (and / or zero) phase shift in response to a phase shift control signal 814.

[0197] Figure 10C Example operation of TX 820 according to a third transmit phase shift mode 1000c is illustrated according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0198] like Figure 10CAs shown, each transmitting antenna element 822a, 822b, and 822c transmits an RF transmission signal to generate a transmission beam with different phase-shifted versions of the RF transmission signal, thereby obtaining a beam that is in harmony with the RF transmission signal. Figure 10A The phases are oriented in different non-zero elevation directions. For example, phase shifters 826a, 826b and 826c can be configured to apply phase shifts to each other and different relative to phase shift mode 1000a in response to phase shift control signal 814.

[0199] In some embodiments, the specified (one or more) phase shift modes configured by TX may include a first phase shift mode and a second phase shift mode different from the first phase shift mode. For example, the first phase shift mode may be one of phase shift modes 1000a and 1000b, and the second phase shift mode may be phase shift mode 1000b or 1000c.

[0200] In some embodiments, TX 820 can be configured to transmit (one or more) a first RF transmission signal in a first phase shift mode at a first time, and transmit (one or more) a second RF transmission signal in a second phase shift mode at a second time after the first time. For example, TX 820 can be configured to transmit, at a first time, a first RF transmission signal in a first phase shift mode, and a second RF transmission signal in a second phase shift mode. Figure 10A The phase-shift mode 1000a shown transmits a first RF transmission signal, and at a second time after the first time, according to... Figure 10B The phase-shift mode 1000b shown transmits a second RF transmission signal. For example, the first and second RF transmission signals may be transmitted during different frames (e.g., each comprising a transmission scan over multiple transmission beams over time or as part of a transmission scan over multiple transmission beams over time) and / or during one frame (e.g., as part of the same transmission scan over multiple transmission beams over time). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry (e.g., 710) may also be configured to generate a range-lateral distance image using (one or more) RF received signals generated at least partially by reflections from a target object via the first and / or second RF transmission signals (e.g., where the first and second RF transmission signals are transmitted during one frame).

[0201] Figure 10D Examples of angular directions for transmission focusing on elevation angle for transmission phase shift modes 1000a, 1000b and 1000c according to some embodiments of the technology described herein are provided.

[0202] In some embodiments, one or more phase shift modes specified by the selected TX configuration can be configured to perform angular transmission scanning over an angular field of view including a first angular direction and a second angular direction different from the first angular direction. For example, according to phase shift mode 1000a, TX 820 can be configured to focus the transmission of a first RF transmission signal in the first angular direction, and according to phase shift mode 1000b, TX 820 can be configured to focus the transmission of a second RF transmission signal in the second angular direction. For example, as Figure 10D As shown, the angular directions of phase shift modes 1000a, 1000b and 1000c are different in the elevation-longitude plane, with phase shift modes 1000a and 1000c being above and below 0 degrees in elevation along the longitudinal axis, respectively, and phase shift mode 1000b being at 0 degrees in elevation along the longitudinal axis.

[0203] In some embodiments, the TX configuration selectable by the processing circuitry (e.g., 710) can specify multiple distinct subsets of the transmitting antenna element 822 and multiple distinct phase shift modes applied to corresponding subsets within the multiple distinct subsets, and the TX configuration selected by the processing circuitry (one or more) can specify at least one subset within the multiple distinct subsets and at least one phase shift mode applied to that at least one subset. For example, the TX configuration can specify subsets (e.g., such as...) Figure 9C The transmit antenna elements 822a and 822c and the phase shift mode (e.g., 1000a) can be configured to obtain the beamwidth and focus direction. In some embodiments, TX 820 can be configured to transmit (one or more) RF transmit signals using a specified subset of phase shift modes according to a specified subset of phase shift modes. For example, the selection of a subset of transmit antenna elements 822 can be in response to element selection and / or transmit power level control signal 812, and the phase shift mode can be in response to phase shift control signal 814. IV. Receiver Configuration Selection

[0204] As described above, the inventors have developed techniques for adapting the operational configuration of a Radar device based on context awareness indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle. For example, context-aware data indicating characteristics of the vehicle, target object, and / or the vehicle's environment can be used to select a Radar operational configuration suitable for that context. The inventors have recognized that an RX configuration can be selected based on context-aware data to balance accuracy and / or field of view with constraints on available power. For example, the RX configuration can specify a receive phase shift mode (e.g., for focusing the receiver in one or more angular directions) and / or a subset of the receive antenna elements of the receive antenna array (e.g., for narrow or wide focusing of the receiver according to the desired angular resolution).

[0205] Some embodiments provide a method for using a Radar device (e.g., Figure 11 A method for collecting data related to a target object using a Radar device (e.g., 1100), which can be configured in multiple RX configurations (e.g., ...). Figure 11 Configurations between (e.g., Radar devices can be configured as described herein for Radar device 200, including those in conjunction with...) Figures 2A-3B The Radar device is configured in the manner described above, including a processing circuit system (e.g., 1110), a TX (e.g., 1120), and an RX (e.g., 1130).

[0206] In some embodiments, the method may include a processing circuitry system (e.g., 1110) using a Radar device (e.g., 1100) to obtain information for a vehicle (e.g., Figure 3A Context-aware data (300 in the document) indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment. For example, context-aware data may be as described herein (including in conjunction with...) Figures 2A to 3B As stated in the text.

[0207] In some embodiments, the method may include utilizing a processing circuitry system (e.g., 1110) to use context-aware data for a vehicle and select at least one RX configuration from a plurality of RX configurations for collecting data related to a target object. For example, the RX configuration that can be selected by the processing circuitry system (e.g., 1110) may specify different subsets of receiving antenna elements (e.g., Figures 13A-13B ) and / or different receiving phase shift modes (e.g., Figures 14A-14C To generate different receiving beams.

[0208] In some embodiments, the method may include using a transmitter (e.g., 1120) of a Radar device (e.g., 1100) to transmit one or more RF transmit signals. For example, TX (e.g., 1120) may transmit (one or more) RF transmit signals according to Radar operation configuration, and / or may transmit (one or more) RF transmit signals in a static configuration.

[0209] In some embodiments, the method may include receiving one or more RF received signals generated at least in part by reflection from a target object using the RX (e.g., 1130) of a Radar device (e.g., 1100) in a selected (one or more) RX configuration, at least partially by reflection from a target object via (one or more) RF transmitted signals.

[0210] In some embodiments, the RX (e.g., 1230) may include a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232) arranged along a dimension (e.g., azimuth) of the receiving antenna array. Multiple RX configurations (e.g., 1300a and / or 1300b) may specify multiple distinct subsets of the plurality of receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232). Figure 13A and Figure 13B The selected (one or more) receiver configuration can specify at least one subset from multiple different subsets (e.g., Figure 13A and / or Figure 13B ), and receiving (one or more) RF received signals according to the selected (one or more) RX configuration may include receiving (one or more) RF received signals using a specified (one or more) subset.

[0211] In some embodiments, the specified subset (one or more) may include a first subset of a plurality of receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232) (e.g., Figure 13A A second subset (e.g., of the first subset) and multiple receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c) that are different from the first subset. Figure 13B The method, configured to receive (one or more) RF received signals according to the selected (one or more) receivers (e.g., 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c), may include: using a first subset (e.g., 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c) of the first RF received signals at a first time, and using a second subset (e.g., 1232a and 1232c) of the second RF received signals at a second time after the first time. For example, the method may also include utilizing a processing circuitry system (e.g., 1110) to generate a distance-lateral distance image using the first and second RF received signals.

[0212] In some embodiments, RX 1230 may utilize a first received power amount and a first subset (e.g., 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c) to receive a first RF received signal, and RX 1230 may utilize a second received power amount different from the first received power amount and a second subset (e.g., 1232a and 1232c) to receive a second RF received signal, such as using a lower received power amount for a subset that includes fewer receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232).

[0213] In some embodiments, the RX (e.g., 1230) may include a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232) arranged along a dimension (e.g., azimuth) of the receiving antenna array. The plurality of RX configurations specify a plurality of different phase shift modes (e.g., ...) for receiving (one or more) RF received signals via the plurality of receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232). Figures 14A-14C In the case of 1400a, 1400b, and 1400c, the selected (one or more) RX configuration can specify at least one of a plurality of different phase shift modes (e.g., 1400a, 1400b, and / or 1400c), and receiving (one or more) RF received signals according to the selected (one or more) receiver configuration can include receiving (one or more) RF received signals according to the specified (one or more) phase shift modes.

[0214] In some embodiments, the specified phase shift modes may include a first phase shift mode (e.g., 1400a) and a second phase shift mode (e.g., 1400b) different from the first phase shift mode, and receiving (one or more) RF received signals according to the specified phase shift modes may include: receiving a first RF received signal from the first phase shift mode (e.g., 1400a) at a first time, and receiving a second RF received signal from the second phase shift mode (e.g., 1400b) at a second time after the first time. For example, the method may further include using the first and second RF received signals to generate a range-lateral distance image.

[0215] In some embodiments, the specified (one or more) phase shift modes can be configured to include a first angular direction (e.g., Figure 14A Angle reception scanning is performed in an angular field of view that is different from the first angular direction (e.g., 14B). For example, according to a first phase shift mode (e.g., 1400a), the RX can focus the reception of the first RF received signal in the first angular direction, and according to a second phase shift mode (e.g., 1400b), the RX can focus the reception of the second RF received signal in the second angular direction.

[0216] In some embodiments,

[0217] An RX may include a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232) arranged along a dimension (e.g., azimuth) of the receiving antenna array. Multiple RX configurations may specify multiple distinct subsets of the plurality of receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232). Figures 13A-13B) and multiple different phase shift modes applied to corresponding subsets of multiple different subsets (e.g., Figures 14A-14C The selected RX configuration can specify at least one subset from multiple different subsets (e.g., Figure 13A and / or Figure 13B ) and at least one phase-shifting mode applied to at least this subset (e.g., Figure 14A , Figure 14B and / or Figure 14C The configuration for receiving (one or more) RF received signals, based on the selected (one or more) receivers, may include receiving (one or more) RF received signals using a specified subset according to a specified phase shift mode.

[0218] In some embodiments, TX (e.g., 1220) may include a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) arranged along a dimension (e.g., elevation) orthogonal to the dimension (e.g., azimuth) of the transmit antenna array, and transmitting (one or more) RF signals may include transmitting (one or more) RF signals via the plurality of transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822).

[0219] In some embodiments, (one or more) RF transmitted signals have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz to 3 THz.

[0220] Figure 11 An example Radar device 1100 having a processing circuitry 1110 according to some embodiments of the technology described herein is illustrated. The processing circuitry 1110 is configured to be selected in an RX configuration for operation of the RX 1130 of the Radar device 1100.

[0221] In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1110 may be configured to acquire context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of a target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment, such as that described herein for processing circuitry 210 (including in conjunction with...). Figures 3A-3B As mentioned above.

[0222] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1110 may be configured to use context-aware data for a vehicle and select at least one RX configuration from a plurality of RX configurations for collecting data related to a target object. For example, such as Figure 11As shown, the processing circuitry 1110 includes an RX configuration selection circuitry 1112, which can be configured to select one or more RX configurations based on context-aware data, such as those described herein with respect to processing circuitry 210. For example, the context-aware data may indicate at least one characteristic of a vehicle (e.g., 300), at least one characteristic of a target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment.

[0223] In some embodiments, the TX configuration selection circuitry 1112 may be configured to select one or more RX configurations and send control signals 1114 to control RX 1130 based on the selected RX configuration. For example, selection may be based on context-aware data obtained by the processing circuitry 1110. In an exemplary embodiment, the RX configuration selection circuitry 1112 is shown configured to select from a first RX configuration, a second RX configuration, and a third RX configuration, although any other suitable number of selectable RX configurations are possible.

[0224] In some embodiments, the TX 1120 may be configured to transmit one or more RF transmit signals, such as those described herein for the TX 220 (including combinations thereof). Figures 2A to 3B As described above. In some embodiments, (one or more) RF transmitted signals may have frequency content in the 300 GHz-3 THz frequency band.

[0225] In some embodiments, RX 1130 may be configured to receive one or more RF received signals generated at least partially by reflection from a target object via one or more RF transmitted signals, depending on a selected (one or more) RX configuration. For example, RX 1130 may have a receiving circuitry (e.g., a phase shifter and / or amplifier) ​​configured to receive a control signal 1114 from processing circuitry 1110, which control signal 1114 may control the selection of receiving antenna elements and / or the phase shift mode for receiving RF signals using RX 1130.

[0226] Figure 12 Examples of embodiments of the technology described herein may include an RX 1230 in a Radar device 1100.

[0227] In some embodiments, RX 1230 may include a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements 1232 that may be arranged in a dimension of the receiving antenna array. For example, as Figure 12 As shown, the receiving antenna element 1232 is arranged along the x-axis, which can be the azimuth dimension of the receiving antenna array. For example, such as in... Figure 4In the example, the azimuth dimension of the receiving antenna array can be longer than the elevation dimension of the receiving antenna array, although it should be understood that other array configurations are possible. In some embodiments, the transmitter of the Radar device (e.g., 820) may also include a transmitting antenna array comprising transmitting antenna elements (e.g., 822) arranged along a dimension of the transmitting antenna array orthogonal to the dimension of the receiving antenna array. For example, as in Figure 8 In the example, the transmit antenna array may have transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) arranged along the elevation dimension.

[0228] In some embodiments, the RX configuration selectable by the processing circuitry (e.g., 1110) can specify multiple distinct subsets of the receiving antenna element 1232, and the RX configuration selected by the processing circuitry can specify at least one subset of the multiple distinct subsets. For example, as further described herein, selecting different subsets of the receiving antenna element 1232 can control the beamwidth of the receiving beam of the receiving antenna array that receives RF transmitted signals. In some embodiments, when selected, RX 1230 can be configured to receive (one or more) RF received signals using the specified (one or more) subsets. For example, as... Figure 12 As shown, the receiver circuitry of the RX 1230 includes power amplifiers 1234a, 1234b, and 1234c, respectively coupled to receiver antenna elements 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c. For example, power amplifiers 1234a, 1234b, and / or 1234c may be selectable to enable and / or disable reception via the respective receiver antenna elements 1232a, 1232b, and / or 1232c based on element selection control signal 1212 (e.g., including and / or based on element selection control signal 1114), such as by enabling and / or disabling the operation of the respective amplifiers 1234a, 1234b, and / or 1234c.

[0229] In some embodiments, the RX configuration selectable by the processing circuitry (e.g., 1110) can specify multiple different phase shift modes for receiving (one or more) RF received signals via the receiving antenna element 1232, and the RX configuration selected by the processing circuitry can specify at least one of the multiple different phase shift modes. For example, as further described herein, selecting different receiving phase shift modes can control the angular direction in which the reception is focused. In some embodiments, when selected, RX 1230 can be configured to receive (one or more) RF received signals according to the specified (one or more) phase shift modes. For example, as... Figure 12As shown, the receiver circuitry of the RX 1230 includes phase shifters 1236a, 1236b, and 1236c, respectively coupled to receiver antenna elements 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c. For example, phase shifters 1236a, 1236b, and 1236c can be configured to apply a phase shift to the RF received signals received by the respective receiver antenna elements 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c based on a phase control signal 1214 (e.g., including and / or based on a control signal 1114), such as by introducing a controllable phase shift amount into the RF signals input to the respective phase shifters 1236a, 1236b, and 1236c.

[0230] Figure 13A Example operation of RX 1230 according to a first subset of RX configuration 1300a using the receiving antenna element 1232 is illustrated in some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0231] like Figure 13A As shown, each receiving antenna element 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c receives RF received signals via a receiving beam. For example, power amplifiers 1234a, 1234b, and 1234c can be configured to enable the respective receiving antenna elements 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c in response to element selection control signal 1212.

[0232] Figure 13B Example operation of RX 1230 of receiver configuration 1300b using a second subset of receiver antenna element 1232, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0233] In some embodiments, the subset (one or more) specified by the RX configuration may include a first subset of the receiving antenna elements 1232 and a second subset of the receiving antenna elements 1232 that differs from the first subset. For example, in Figure 13A In the RX configuration 1300a, the first subset of receiving antenna elements 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c receives the RF received signal, while... Figure 13B In the RX configuration 1300b, a second subset of receiving antenna elements 1232a and 1232c receives the RF received signal. For example, the difference between the first and second subsets is that the second subset omits receiving antenna element 1232b. In an exemplary embodiment, power amplifier 1234b can be configured, for example, not to receive the RF received signal in response to element selection control signal 1212. As a result, in Figure 13B In the middle, the obtained beamwidth of the received beam is compared to Figure 13A A wider width could potentially provide more power while using less power. Figure 13A Lower azimuth resolution.

[0234] In some embodiments, the RX 1230 can be configured to use a first RF received signal from a first subset of received (one or more) RF received signals at a first time, and a second RF received signal from a second subset of received (one or more) RF received signals at a second time after the first time. For example, the RX 1230 can be configured to use, for example, a first RF received signal from a first subset of received (one or more) RF received signals at a second time. Figure 13A The first subset shown receives the first RF received signal, and uses, for example, at a second time after the first time. Figure 13B The second subset shown receives the second RF received signal. For example, the first RF received signal and the second RF received signal may be received during different frames (e.g., each including a receive scan over multiple receive beams over time or as part of a receive scan over multiple receive beams over time) and / or during one frame (e.g., as part of the same receive scan over multiple receive beams over time). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry (e.g., 1110) of the Radar device (e.g., 1100) may be configured to use the first RF received signal and the second RF received signal to generate a range-lateral range image (e.g., where the first RF received signal and the second RF received signal are received during one frame).

[0235] In some embodiments, RX 1230 can be configured to receive a first RF received signal using a first received power amount and a first subset of the receiving antenna elements 1232, and RX 1230 can be configured to receive a second RF received signal using a second received power amount different from the first received power amount and a second subset of the receiving antenna elements 1232. For example, compared to using a larger number of receiving antenna elements 1232, in Figure 13B Choose ratio Figure 13A Fewer receiving antenna elements 1232 allow for less receiving power, while simultaneously resulting in... Figure 13B beamwidth ratio in Figure 13A Wider in width. Alternatively or additionally, selecting fewer receive antenna elements 1232 can result in fewer receive channels for downstream processing, which can reduce the computational load of receive processing (e.g., Fourier transform).

[0236] Figure 14A Example operation of RX 1230 according to a first receive phase shift mode 1400a is illustrated according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0237] like Figure 14AAs shown, each receiving antenna element 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c receives an RF received signal to generate a received beam. In an exemplary embodiment, each receiving antenna element 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c generates different phase-shifted versions of the RF received signal, thereby generating a phase front oriented in a non-zero azimuth direction. For example, phase shifters 1236a, 1236b, and 1236c can be configured to apply different phase shifts in response to a phase shift control signal 1214. In an exemplary embodiment, when the phase front is oriented in the angular direction of the azimuth angle, reception can be focused in that direction.

[0238] Figure 14B Example operation of RX 1230 according to a second receive phase shift mode 1400b is illustrated according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0239] like Figure 14B As shown, each receiving antenna element 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c receives an RF received signal to generate a received beam with the same phase version of the RF received signal, thereby obtaining a phase front oriented at a 0-degree azimuth angle. For example, phase shifters 1236a, 1236b, and 1236c can be configured to apply the same (and / or zero) phase shift in response to a phase shift control signal 1214.

[0240] Figure 14C Example operation of RX 1230 according to a third receive phase shift mode 1400c is illustrated according to some embodiments of the technology described herein.

[0241] like Figure 14C As shown, each receiving antenna element 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c receives the RF signal to generate a receiving beam with different phase-shifted versions of the RF signal, thereby obtaining a beam that is in harmony with the RF signal. Figure 14A The phases are oriented in different non-zero azimuth directions. For example, phase shifters 1236a, 1236b and 1236c can be configured to apply phase shifts to each other and different relative to phase shift mode 1400a in response to phase shift control signal 1214.

[0242] In some embodiments, the specified (one or more) phase shift modes may include a first phase shift mode and a second phase shift mode different from the first phase shift mode. For example, the first phase shift mode may be one of phase shift modes 1400a and 1400b, and the second phase shift mode may be phase shift mode 1000b or 1000c.

[0243] In some embodiments, the RX 1230 can be configured to receive a first RF received signal (one or more) of RF received signals according to a first phase shift mode at a first time, and to receive a second RF received signal (one or more) of RF received signals according to a second phase shift mode at a second time after the first time. For example, the RX 1230 can be configured to receive a first RF received signal according to a first phase shift mode at a first time, as shown in the figure below. Figure 14A The phase-shift mode 1400a shown receives the first RF received signal, and at a second time after the first time, according to... Figure 14B The phase-shift mode 1400b shown receives a second RF received signal. For example, the first and second RF received signals may be received during different frames (e.g., each comprising a receive scan over multiple receive beams over time or as part of a receive scan over multiple receive beams over time) and / or within a single frame (e.g., as part of the same receive scan over multiple receive beams over time). In some embodiments, a processing circuitry (e.g., 1110) may be configured to use the first and second RF received signals to generate a range-lateral range image (e.g., where the first and second RF received signals are received within a single frame).

[0244] Figure 14D Examples of the angular directions of reception focusing in the azimuth angle for receiving phase shift modes 1400a, 1400b and 1400c according to some embodiments of the technology described herein are shown.

[0245] In some embodiments, the specified (one or more) phase shift modes can be configured to perform angular reception scanning over an angular field of view that includes a first angular direction and a second angular direction different from the first angular direction. For example, according to phase shift mode 1400a, RX 1230 can be configured to focus reception of a first RF received signal in the first angular direction, and according to phase shift mode 1400b, RX 1230 can be configured to focus reception of a second RF received signal in the second angular direction. For example, as Figure 14D As shown, the angular directions of phase shift modes 1400a, 1400b and 1400c are different in the azimuth-longitude plane, with phase shift modes 1000a and 1000c being above and below 0 degrees in the azimuth along the longitudinal axis, respectively, and phase shift mode 1000b being at 0 degrees in the azimuth along the longitudinal axis.

[0246] In some embodiments, the RX configuration selectable by the processing circuitry (e.g., 1110) can specify multiple distinct subsets of the receiving antenna element 1232 and multiple distinct phase shift modes applied to corresponding subsets within the multiple distinct subsets, and the RX configuration selected by the processing circuitry (one or more) can specify at least one subset within the multiple distinct subsets and at least one phase shift mode applied to that at least one subset. For example, the RX configuration can specify subsets (e.g., such as...) Figure 13B The receiving antenna elements 1232a and 1232c and the phase shift mode (e.g., 1400a) in the RX 1230 can be configured to receive one or more RF received signals using one or more specified subsets according to one or more specified phase shift modes. In some embodiments, the RX 1230 can be configured to receive one or more RF received signals using one or more specified subsets according to one or more specified phase shift modes. For example, the selection of a subset of the receiving antenna elements 1232 can be in response to an element selection control signal 1212, and the phase shift mode can be in response to a phase shift control signal 1214. V. Frame Rate Selection

[0247] As described above, the inventors have developed techniques for using a Radar device based on context awareness indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle. For example, context-aware data indicating characteristics of the vehicle, the target object, and / or the vehicle's environment can be used to operate the Radar device in a context-appropriate manner. The inventors have recognized that frame rates can be selected based on context-aware data to balance the frequency of Radar image generation with constraints on available power. For example, a higher frame rate may generate more Radar images over time than a lower frame rate, although a higher frame rate may consume more power because more RF signals may be transmitted and received over time to generate more Radar images.

[0248] Some embodiments provide a method for using a Radar device (e.g., Figure 15 The target object is generated from 1500 in the middle (e.g., Figure 2A The method of using the distance-lateral distance image (206) in the example. For example, a Radar device can use the method described herein for Radar device 200 (including combining...). Figures 2A-3B The Radar device is configured in the manner described above, including a processing circuit system (e.g., 1510), a TX (e.g., 1520), and an RX (e.g., 1530).

[0249] In some embodiments, the method may include a processing circuitry system (e.g., 1510) using a Radar device (e.g., 1500) to obtain information for a vehicle (e.g., Figure 3A Context-aware data (300 in the document) indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment. For example, context-aware data may be as described herein (including in conjunction with...) Figures 2A to 3B As stated in the text.

[0250] In some embodiments, the method may include using a processing circuitry system (e.g., 1510) to select a frame rate based on context-aware data for the vehicle (e.g., Figure 16 1 / t in f ).

[0251] In some embodiments, the method may include using a processing circuitry system (e.g., 1510) to generate multiple distance-lateral distance images corresponding to respective multiple frames defined by a frame frequency. For example, generating multiple distance-lateral distance images may include: for each of the multiple frames, generating a corresponding distance-lateral distance image using RF signals received by a Radar device (e.g., 1500) during that frame. Alternatively, generating images may include: for each of only some frames, generating a corresponding image using RF signals received by a Radar device (e.g., 1500) during that frame.

[0252] In some embodiments, generating a distance-lateral distance image may include: for a specific frame among a plurality of frames, generating a corresponding distance-lateral distance image using one or more RF signals received by a Radar device (e.g., 1500) during that specific frame. For example, (one or more) RF signals may be generated at least in part by reflection of one or more RF transmission signals that may be transmitted during that frame, although it is possible that the RF transmission signals may be transmitted before that frame and cause the RF signals to be received during that frame (e.g., depending on the distance of the object reflecting the RF signals). For example, although in some cases only a single RF signal may be transmitted and / or received, multiple RF signals may be received during a frame, such as those generated by angular transmission and / or reception scans during that frame.

[0253] In some embodiments, the method may include outputting multiple distance-lateral distance images using a processing circuitry system (e.g., 1510). For example, the images may be output to a display on a vehicle (e.g., 300) where a radar device (e.g., 1500) is located (e.g., [missing information]). Figure 3A (350) and / or computer-aided driving modules (e.g., Figure 3A (352 in the middle).

[0254] In some embodiments, generating the corresponding image may include transmitting one or more RF transmission signals (e.g., using the RX (e.g., 1520) of a Radar device (e.g., 1500). Figure 16 The transmit signal 1620 in the image, and during a specific frame, the RX (e.g., 1530) of the Radar device (e.g., 1500) receives (one or more) RF signals (e.g., receive signal 1620) generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via (one or more) RF transmit signals (e.g., 1610). For example, transmitting (one or more) RF transmit signals (e.g., 1610) may include transmitting a first RF transmit signal (e.g., ...) of the (one or more) RF transmit signals. Figure 16 The first RF signal (1612) and the second RF signal (e.g., 1614) in the transmission of one or more RF signals can be generated at least in part by reflection from the target object by the first RF signal (e.g., receive signal 1622) and / or the second RF signal (e.g., receive signal 1624). For example, the first RF signal and the second RF signal can be transmitted during a specific frame and / or at a time that will cause one or more RF signals reflected from the target object to arrive at the Radar device (e.g., 1500) during the specific frame.

[0255] In some embodiments, TX (e.g., Figure 8 820 in the diagram may include a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) arranged along a dimension (e.g., elevation angle) of the transmit antenna array. Transmitting a first RF transmit signal (e.g., 1612) may use a first subset of the plurality of transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822a, 822b, and 822c), and transmitting a second RF transmit signal (e.g., 1624) may use a second subset of the plurality of transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822a and 822c) that is different from the first subset of the plurality of transmit antenna elements.

[0256] In some embodiments, TX (e.g., 820) may include a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) arranged along a dimension (e.g., elevation angle) of the transmit antenna array, and transmitting a first RF transmit signal (e.g., 1612) may be based on a first transmit phase shift mode (e.g., Figure 10A In the first transmission phase shift mode (e.g., 1000a), a second RF transmission signal (e.g., 1614) can be transmitted via multiple transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) and according to a second transmit phase shift mode different from the first transmit phase shift mode (e.g., 1614). Figure 10B1000b) is transmitted via multiple transmitting antenna elements (e.g., 822).

[0257] In some embodiments, TX (e.g., 822) may include a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) arranged along a dimension (e.g., elevation angle) of the transmit antenna array, and transmitting a first RF transmit signal (e.g., 1612) may be based on a first transmit power level (e.g., Figure 9A The transmission can be performed via multiple transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) and by transmitting a second RF transmit signal (e.g., 1614) according to a second transmit power level different from the first transmit power level (e.g., ). Figure 9B (e.g., 822) via multiple transmitting antenna elements.

[0258] In some embodiments, (one or more) RF transmitted signals may have frequency content in the 300 GHz-3 THz band.

[0259] In some embodiments, RX (e.g., 1230) may include a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232) arranged along a dimension (e.g., azimuth) of the receiving antenna array, and receiving (one or more) RF signals (e.g., 1620) may include: using a first subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c) during a first time period within a specific frame and using a second subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232a and 1232c) after the first time period and during a second time period within the specific frame, the second subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232a and 1232c) being different from the first subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c), and receiving (one or more) RF signals (e.g., 1620) during the first time period and / or the second time period.

[0260] In some embodiments, the RX (e.g., 1230) may include a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232) arranged along a dimension (e.g., azimuth) of the receiving antenna array, and receiving an RF signal (e.g., 1620) may include: operating the plurality of receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232) according to a first receiving phase shift mode (e.g., 1400a) during a first time period within a specific frame, and operating the plurality of receiving antenna elements (e.g., 1232) according to a second receiving phase shift mode (e.g., 1400b) during a second time period after the first time period and within the specific frame, the second receiving phase shift mode (e.g., 1400b) being different from the first receiving phase shift mode (e.g., 1400a), and receiving (one or more) RF signals (e.g., 1620) during the first time period and / or the second time period.

[0261] Figure 15 An example Radar device 1500 having a processing circuitry 1510 is illustrated according to some embodiments of the technology described herein. The processing circuitry 1510 is configured to select a frame rate for operating the Radar device 1500.

[0262] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1510 may be configured to obtain information for a vehicle (e.g., Figure 3A Context-aware data (300 in the document) indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment, such as the context-aware data of the processing circuit system 210 (including the combination of...) Figures 3A-3B As stated in the text.

[0263] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1510 may be configured to select a frame rate based on context-aware data about the vehicle (e.g., 300). For example, as Figure 15 As shown, the processing circuitry 1510 includes a frame rate selection circuitry 1512, which can be configured to select one or more frame rates based on context-aware data, such as those described herein with respect to processing circuitry 210. For example, the context-aware data may indicate at least one characteristic of a vehicle (e.g., 300), at least one characteristic of a target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the vehicle's environment.

[0264] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1510 may be configured to generate and output multiple distance-lateral distance images corresponding to corresponding multiple frames defined by the frame rate. For example, as Figure 15As shown, the Radar device 1500 includes TX 1520 and RX 1530. TX 1520 can be configured to transmit RF signals, and RX 1530 can be configured to receive RF signals generated at least in part by reflection from a target object through the transmission of RF signals.

[0265] Figure 16 The Radar device 1500, illustrating some embodiments of the technology described herein, transmits and receives RF signals 1610, 1620 during frame 1602 according to a frame frequency. For example, in Figure 16 In the middle, frame 1602 has a frame duration t f It can be the reciprocal of the frame frequency selected by the processing circuit system 1510. For example, the frame duration t f For a frame rate of 20 FPS, the ms could be 50 ms, or for a frame rate of 10 FPS, the ms could be 100 ms.

[0266] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1510 may be configured to generate a corresponding distance-lateral distance image for a specific frame 1602 of a plurality of frames using one or more RF signals 1620 received by the Radar device 1500 during the specific frame 1602. For example, TX 1520 may be configured to transmit one or more RF transmission signals 1610, and RX 1530 may be configured to receive (one or more) RF signals 1620 generated at least partially by reflection from a target object via (one or more) RF transmission signals 1610 during the specific frame. For example, TX 1520 may be configured to transmit a first RF transmission signal 1612 of (one or more) RF transmission signals 1610 and transmit a second RF transmission signal 1614 of (one or more) RF transmission signals 1610, and (one or more) RF signals 1620 may be generated at least partially by reflection from a target object via the first RF transmission signal 1612 and / or the second RF transmission signal 1614. In the exemplary embodiment, the first RF received signal 1622 can be generated at least partially by the reflection of the first RF transmitted signal 1612, the second RF received signal 1624 can be generated at least partially by the reflection of the second RF transmitted signal 1614, and the third RF received signal 1626 can be generated at least partially by the reflection of the third RF transmitted signal 1616. It should be understood that not every RF transmitted signal corresponds to a received RF signal, for example, because not every RF transmitted signal can be reflected by a target object within the longitudinal distance of the Radar device 1500 (e.g., depending on the amount of transmit power used, the focus direction of the RF transmission, and the presence, absence, and / or location of the target object in the environment).

[0267] In some embodiments, TX 1520 may be configured to transmit (one or more) RF transmission signals 1610 during a specific frame 1602 and / or at a time when (one or more) RF signals 1620 reflected from a target object will arrive at the Radar device 1500 during the specific frame 1602. For example, in Figure 16 In this diagram, each RF transmit signal 1610 is shown to be transmitted during a particular frame 1602, but it should be understood that RF transmit signals 1610 (e.g., 1612) may be transmitted at least partially before a particular frame 1602, while still generating RF receive signals (e.g., 1622) to be received during a particular frame 1602.

[0268] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1510 may be configured to generate a corresponding range-lateral range image for each of a plurality of frames, using RF signals received by the Radar device 1500 during that frame. For example, although in Figure 16 The image shows a single frame 1602, but RF signals can be received during each frame in multiple frames (e.g., 1620), and the RF signals can be used to generate an image.

[0269] In some embodiments, the TX 1520 may include a transmit antenna array comprising transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822) arranged along a dimension (e.g., elevation angle) of the transmit antenna array, such as those described herein (including those in conjunction with...). Figures 8-10D As an example, the TX 1520 can be configured to transmit a first RF transmission signal 1612 via a transmission antenna element according to a first transmission power level, and to transmit a second RF transmission signal 1614 via a transmission antenna element according to a second transmission power level different from the first transmission power level, as described herein (including in conjunction with...). Figures 9A-9B As described above. For example, RF transmission signals 1612 and 1614 can be transmitted at different longitudinal distances.

[0270] As another example, TX 1520 can be configured to transmit a first RF transmission signal 1612 using a first subset of transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822a, 822b, and 822c), and to transmit a second RF transmission signal 1614 using a second subset of transmit antenna elements (e.g., 822a and 822c) that differs from the first subset of transmit antenna elements, such as those described herein (including combinations thereof). Figures 9B-9C As described above. For example, the first RF transmission signal 1612 can be transmitted with a wider or narrower transmission beamwidth compared to the second RF transmission signal 1614, such as to achieve a smaller or greater amount of resolution (e.g., at the elevation angle).

[0271] As another example, the TX 1520 can be configured to transmit according to a first phase shift mode (e.g., Figure 10A 1000a) transmits a first RF transmission signal 1612 via a transmission antenna element, and according to a second transmission phase shift mode (e.g., different from the first transmission phase shift mode), Figure 10B 1000b) transmits a second RF transmission signal 1614 via a transmitting antenna element, such as the one described herein (including in conjunction with Figures 10A-10C As described above. For example, the transmission of the first RF transmission signal 1612 may be focused in a first angular direction (e.g., at the elevation angle), and the transmission of the second RF transmission signal 1614 may be focused in a second angular direction (e.g., at the azimuth angle). In some embodiments, angular scanning of transmission may be performed within a frame according to a selected frame frequency.

[0272] In some embodiments, one or more RF transmitted signals may have frequency content in the 300 GHz-3 THz frequency band. In an exemplary embodiment, the RF transmitted signal 1612 has a pulse duration t. d Together with the bandwidth of the RF transmitted signal 1612, it can define the distance resolution obtainable from the RF transmitted signal 1612. For example, the waveform type of the RF transmitted signal 1612 can be set based on context-aware data, such as those described herein (including those combined with...). Figures 5A-6D As mentioned above.

[0273] In some embodiments, RX 1530 may include a receive antenna array comprising receive antenna elements (e.g., 1232) arranged along a dimension of the receive antenna array. As an example, RX 1530 may be configured to use a first subset of multiple receive antenna elements (e.g., 1232a, 1232b, and 1232c) during a first time period within a specific frame (e.g., during which the received signal 1622 is received), and to use a second subset of multiple receive antenna elements (e.g., 1232a and 1232c) different from the first subset of receive antenna elements during a second time period within the specific frame after the first time period (e.g., during which the received signal 1614 is received). For example, reception during the first time period may have a wider or narrower receive beamwidth compared to reception during the second time period, such as for achieving a smaller or larger amount of resolution (e.g., in azimuth). In some embodiments, RX 1530 may be configured to (e.g., respectively) receive (one or more) RF signals 1622, 1624 during a first time period and / or a second time period.

[0274] As another example, the RX 1530 can be configured to operate according to a first receive phase shift mode (e.g., 1400a) during a first time period within a specific frame, and according to a second receive phase shift mode (e.g., 1400b) different from the first receive phase shift mode during a second time period within the specific frame after the first time period. For example, although in Figure 16 Not shown, but reception during a first time period (e.g., the first RF received signal 1622) can be focused in a first angular direction (e.g., azimuth), and reception during a second time period (e.g., the second RF received signal 1624) can be focused in a second angular direction (e.g., azimuth), as described herein with respect to RF transmitted signals 1612 and 1614. In some embodiments, RX 1530 can be configured to (e.g., respectively) receive (one or more) RF signals 1622, 1624 during the first time period and / or the second time period. For example, angular scanning of reception can be performed in multiple time periods within a frame according to a selected frame frequency. VI. Example Radar Operation Configuration

[0275] Figure 17 Example operations of the RX of a Radar device configured according to a first Radar operation configuration based on some embodiments of the technology described herein are illustrated.

[0276] In some embodiments, a first Radar operation configuration may be selected based on context-aware data indicating that the vehicle is traveling at a low speed and / or in a parked operation mode. For example, such as Figure 17 As shown, the illustrated TX configuration specifies an angular field of view scan at an elevation angle of -70 degrees to 30 degrees (e.g., where 0 degrees is the normal to the plane of the transmitting antenna array) during a frame period (e.g., at 20 FPS), such as by sequentially transmitting RF signals using the illustrated transmitting beams over a time period of 6 milliseconds. For example, the angular field of view can be divided between a first sub-FOV of -70 degrees to 0 degrees at a longitudinal distance of 5 meters (e.g., using near-field radiation) and a second sub-FOV of 0 degrees to 30 degrees at a longitudinal distance of 50 meters. In some embodiments, Figure 17 The angular field of view shown can be obtained using a selected transmit phase shift mode that focuses the transmission into the illustrated transmit beams. In some embodiments, the longitudinal distance difference between the first sub-FOV and the second sub-FOV can be obtained by using a first transmit power level lower for the first sub-FOV than for the second sub-FOV. In some embodiments, the beamwidths of the illustrated transmit beams can be substantially equal, such as by using the same subset of transmit antenna elements for each transmitted RF signal.

[0277] In some embodiments, the first Radar operation configuration can specify different RF transmission signals to be transmitted for the first sub-FOV and the second sub-FOV. For example, due to the shorter distance of the first sub-FOV, a first RF transmission signal with a pulse duration of 33 microseconds and a bandwidth of 5 GHz can be used for the first sub-FOV, and a second RF transmission signal with a pulse duration of 330 microseconds and a bandwidth of 5 GHz can be used for the second sub-FOV. Although in Figure 17 The diagram shows eight transmit beams, but fewer or more transmit beams, such as 10 or 15, can be used.

[0278] Figure 18 Examples of RX configurations based on a first Radar operation configuration according to some embodiments of the technology described herein Figure 17 Example operation of the RX of the Radar device.

[0279] like Figure 18 As shown, the illustrated RX configuration specifies that during a frame (e.g., in response to...) Figure 17 An angular field-of-view scan of the azimuth angle from -90 degrees to 90 degrees (e.g., where 0 degrees is the normal to the plane of the receiving antenna array) is achieved, such as by sequentially receiving any RF received signal (if present) using the illustrated receiving beams. In some embodiments, Figure 18 The angular field of view shown can be obtained using a selected receive phase-shifting mode that focuses the reception onto the illustrated receive beams. In some embodiments, the beamwidths of the illustrated receive beams can be substantially equal, such as by using the same subset of receive antenna elements for each receive beam. In the illustrated embodiment, a subset including less than all (e.g., half) of the receive antenna elements can be selected for reception during each beam, resulting in moderate (e.g., half) spatial resolution in the azimuth angle, such as due to a wider beamwidth compared to using all receive antenna elements.

[0280] Figure 19 Examples of RX configurations based on a second Radar operation configuration according to some embodiments of the technology described herein. Figure 17 Example operation of the RX of the Radar device.

[0281] In some embodiments, a second Radar operation configuration may be selected based on context-aware data indicating that the vehicle is traveling at high speed, on a highway, and / or in a highway operation mode. For example, such as Figure 19As shown, the illustrated TX configuration specifies an angular field-of-view scan at an elevation angle from -5 degrees to 25 degrees during the frame period (e.g., at 20 FPS), achieved, for example, by sequentially transmitting RF signals using the illustrated transmit beams over a 6 ms time period. For example, the illustrated transmit beams may have a longitudinal range of 300 meters. In some embodiments, Figure 19 The illustrated angular field of view can be obtained using a selected transmit phase shift mode that focuses the transmission into the illustrated transmit beams. In some embodiments, a longitudinal distance of 300 m can be obtained by using a first transmit power level that provides the same amount of power to the illustrated transmit beams as in the first Radar operation configuration, but on a smaller number of transmit beams in the same amount of time (e.g., due to a smaller angular field of view). In some embodiments, the beamwidths of the illustrated transmit beams can be substantially equal, such as by using the same subset of transmit antenna elements for each transmitted RF signal.

[0282] In some embodiments, the second Radar operation configuration can specify the transmission of RF signals with a pulse duration of 1 millisecond and a bandwidth of 2.5 GHz for each transmit beam, which can provide sufficient range resolution over a longitudinal distance of 300 meters. Although in Figure 17 The diagram shows six transmit beams, but fewer or more transmit beams can be used, such as four or eight transmit beams.

[0283] Figure 20 Examples of RX configurations based on a second Radar operation configuration according to some embodiments of the technology described herein. Figure 17 Example operation of the RX of the Radar device.

[0284] like Figure 20 As shown, the illustrated RX configuration specifies that during a frame (e.g., in response to...) Figure 19 An angular field-of-view scan of the azimuth angle from -90 degrees to 90 degrees (e.g., where 0 degrees is the normal to the plane of the receiving antenna array) is achieved, such as by sequentially receiving any RF received signal (if present) using the illustrated receiving beams. In some embodiments, Figure 20The angular field of view shown can be obtained using a selected receive phase-shifting mode that focuses the reception onto the illustrated receive beams. In some embodiments, the beamwidths of the illustrated receive beams can be substantially equal, such as by using the same subset of receive antenna elements for each receive beam. In the illustrated embodiment, a subset including most or all of the receive antenna elements can be selected for reception during each beam, resulting in high spatial resolution in the azimuth angle, such as due to a narrower beamwidth compared to using fewer receive antenna elements.

[0285] Figure 21 Examples of TX configurations based on third Radar operation configurations according to some embodiments of the technology described herein Figure 17 Example operation of the TX of the Radar device.

[0286] In some embodiments, a third Radar operation configuration can be selected based on context-aware data indicating that the vehicle is in an abnormal environment (such as an ambient temperature above a threshold). For example, Figure 21 As shown, the illustrated TX configuration specifies an angular field-of-view scan at an elevation angle from -5 degrees to 25 degrees during the frame period (e.g., at 10 FPS), achieved, for example, by sequentially transmitting RF signals using the illustrated transmit beams over a 3 ms time period. For example, the illustrated transmit beams may have a longitudinal range of 200 meters. In some embodiments, Figure 21 The illustrated angular field of view can be obtained using a selected transmit phase shift mode that focuses the transmission into the illustrated transmit beams. In some embodiments, a longitudinal distance of 200 m can be obtained by using a transmit power level that provides the same power to the illustrated transmit beams over the same number of transmit beams but with shorter duration RF transmit signals (e.g., whose sequence occurs over 3 ms instead of 6 ms) for a shorter time period, similar to the second Radar operation configuration. In some embodiments, the beamwidths of the illustrated transmit beams can be substantially equal, such as by using the same subset of transmit antenna elements for each transmit RF signal.

[0287] In some embodiments, the third Radar operating configuration can specify the transmission of RF signals with a pulse duration of 0.5 ms and a bandwidth of 1.8 GHz for each transmit beam, which can provide sufficient range resolution over a longitudinal distance of 200 meters, balanced by lower power operation than the second operating configuration. While in Figure 21 The diagram shows six transmit beams, but fewer or more transmit beams can be used, such as four or eight transmit beams.

[0288] In some embodiments, such as Figure 20 As shown, the third Radar operation configuration can use the same RX configuration as the second Radar operation configuration.

[0289] In some embodiments, the third Radar operation configuration may also specify a lower frame rate than the first and second Radar operation configurations. For example, the third Radar operation configuration may specify a frame rate that is half the frame rate of the first and second Radar operation configurations. For instance, at a frame rate of 20 FPS, a 6 ms transmit and receive sequence of the second Radar operation configuration may be performed every 50 ms, while at a frame rate of 10 FPS, a 3 ms transmit and receive sequence of the third Radar operation configuration may be performed every 100 ms, thereby using less power over time.

[0290] Figure 22 Examples of TX configurations based on fourth Radar operation configurations according to some embodiments of the technology described herein Figure 17 Example operation of the TX of the Radar device.

[0291] In some embodiments, a fourth Radar operation configuration can be selected based on context-aware data indicating that target objects (such as small objects (e.g., tires, pebbles)) and / or vulnerable road users (e.g., pedestrians and / or cyclists) have been detected. For example, such as Figure 22 As shown, the illustrated TX configuration specifies that, during a frame (e.g., at 20 FPS), an angular field-of-view scan is performed from an elevation angle 3 degrees lower than the elevation angle of the detected target to an elevation angle 3 degrees higher than the elevation angle of the detected target, such as by sequentially transmitting RF signals using the illustrated transmit beams within a 6 ms time period. For example, the illustrated transmit beams may have a longitudinal range of 300 meters. In some embodiments, Figure 22 The angular field of view shown can be obtained using a selected transmit phase shift mode that focuses the transmission into the illustrated transmit beams. In some embodiments, a longitudinal distance of 300 m can be obtained by using a transmit power level that provides power to the illustrated transmit beams on a small number of transmit beams. In some embodiments, the beamwidths of the illustrated transmit beams can be substantially equal, such as by using the same subset of transmit antenna elements for each transmitted RF signal.

[0292] In some embodiments, the second Radar operation configuration can specify the transmission of RF signals with a pulse duration of 1 millisecond and a bandwidth of 2.5 GHz for each transmit beam, which can provide sufficient range resolution over a longitudinal distance of 300 meters. Although in Figure 22The diagram shows three transmit beams, but fewer or more transmit beams can be used, such as two or six transmit beams.

[0293] Figure 23 Examples of RX configurations based on fourth Radar operation configurations according to some embodiments of the technology described herein Figure 17 Example operation of the RX of the Radar device.

[0294] like Figure 23 As shown, the illustrated RX configuration specifies that during a frame (e.g., in response to...) Figure 22 The angular field of view (scanning from an azimuth angle 10 degrees lower than the detected target position to an azimuth angle 10 degrees higher than the detected target position) is achieved, for example, by sequentially receiving any RF received signal (if present) using the illustrated receiving beams. In some embodiments, Figure 23 The angular field of view shown can be obtained using a selected receive phase-shifting mode that focuses the reception onto the illustrated receive beams. In some embodiments, the beamwidths of the illustrated receive beams can be substantially equal, such as by using the same subset of receive antenna elements for each receive beam. In the illustrated embodiment, a subset including most or all of the receive antenna elements can be selected for reception during each beam, resulting in high spatial resolution in the azimuth angle, such as due to a narrower beamwidth compared to using fewer receive antenna elements. VII. Example Computer System

[0295] Figure 24 An example computer system 2400 is illustrated according to some embodiments of the technology described herein, which can be configured to perform at least some processing operations in the Radar apparatus described herein.

[0296] Figure 24The diagram illustrates exemplary implementations of a computer system 2400 that can be used in conjunction with any embodiment of the present disclosure provided herein. For example, in some embodiments, the operations described herein can be performed using the computer system 2400 (e.g., using a processing circuitry system of a Radar device). The computer system 2400 may include one or more processors 2402 and one or more articles of manufacture comprising non-transitory computer-readable storage media (e.g., memory 2404 and one or more non-volatile storage media 2406). The processor 2402 may control the writing of data to and from memory 2404 and non-volatile storage media 2406 in any suitable manner, as the aspects of the present disclosure provided herein are not limited in this respect. For any of the functionalities described herein, processor 2402 may execute one or more processor-executable instructions stored in one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media (e.g., memory 2404), which may be used as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing processor-executable instructions for execution by processor 2402. VIII. List of some examples

[0297] Example A1. A method for collecting data relating to a target object using a Radar device, the Radar device being configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals in a plurality of Radar operating configurations, the method comprising: obtaining context-aware data for a vehicle by a processing circuitry system of the Radar device, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle; using the context-aware data for the vehicle by the processing circuitry system and selecting at least one Radar operating configuration from the plurality of Radar operating configurations for collecting data relating to the target object; transmitting one or more RF transmission signals using a transmitter of the Radar device according to the at least one Radar operating configuration; and receiving one or more RF reception signals, at least partially generated by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmission signals, according to the at least one Radar operating configuration, using a receiver of the Radar device.

[0298] Example A2. The method described in Example A1, wherein the vehicle is a car.

[0299] Example A3. The method according to Example A1 or A2, wherein the context-aware data includes data selected from the group consisting of: data indicating the speed of the vehicle; data indicating that the vehicle is in cruise control and / or lane departure prevention mode; data indicating that the vehicle is stopped; data indicating that the vehicle is on a highway; data indicating the low power level of the vehicle; data indicating the distance from the vehicle to the target object; data indicating the speed of the target object; data indicating the range of elevation angles of the target object relative to the Radar device; data indicating the range of azimuth angles of the target object relative to the Radar device; data indicating the traffic level in the environment of the vehicle; data indicating the type of road the vehicle is traveling on; data indicating the weather conditions in the environment of the vehicle; and data indicating hazardous conditions in the environment of the vehicle.

[0300] Example A4. The method according to any one of Examples A1 to A3, wherein the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths; the at least one Radar operation configuration specifies at least one waveform type among the plurality of waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths; and the one or more RF transmitted signals have the at least one waveform type.

[0301] Example A5. The method according to any one of Examples A1 to A4, wherein the transmitter includes a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmitter's transmit antenna array; the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of transmit antenna elements, the at least one Radar operation configuration specifies at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets; and transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals according to the at least one Radar operation configuration includes: transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals using at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets of the plurality of transmit antenna elements.

[0302] Example A6. The method according to any one of Examples A1 to A4, wherein the transmitter includes a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmitter's transmit antenna array; the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of different transmit phase shift modes for transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals via the plurality of transmit antenna elements, the at least one Radar operation configuration specifying at least one of the plurality of different transmit phase shift modes; and transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals according to the at least one Radar operation configuration includes: transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals according to the at least one transmit phase shift mode.

[0303] Example A7. The method according to any one of Examples A1 to A6, wherein the receiver includes a plurality of receiving antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the receiving antenna array of the receiver; the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of receiving antenna elements, the at least one Radar operation configuration specifies at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets; and receiving the one or more RF received signals according to the at least one Radar operation configuration includes: using the at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets of the plurality of receiving antenna elements to receive the one or more RF received signals.

[0304] Example A8. A method according to any one of Examples A1 to A6, wherein the receiver includes a plurality of receiving antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the receiving antenna array of the receiver; the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of different receiving phase shift modes for receiving the one or more RF received signals via the plurality of receiving antenna elements, the at least one Radar operation configuration specifying at least one of the plurality of different receiving phase shift modes; and receiving the one or more RF received signals includes: receiving the one or more RF received signals according to the at least one receiving phase shift mode.

[0305] Example 9. The method according to any one of Examples A1 to A8 further includes:

[0306] The processing circuitry of the Radar device generates a distance-lateral distance image of the target object using one or more RF received signals according to the at least one Radar operation configuration; wherein the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of frame frequencies; the at least one Radar operation configuration specifies at least one of the plurality of frame frequencies; and the distance-lateral distance image is generated using the one or more RF received signals received during a frame defined by the at least one frame frequency.

[0307] Example A10. The method according to any one of Examples A1 to A9, wherein the one or more RF transmitted signals have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz to 3 THz.

[0308] Example A11. A Radar apparatus for collecting data relating to a target object, the Radar apparatus being configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals in a plurality of Radar operating configurations, the Radar apparatus comprising: a processing circuitry configured to: acquire context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle; and use the context-aware data for the vehicle and select at least one Radar operating configuration from the plurality of Radar operating configurations for collecting data relating to the target object; a transmitter configured to transmit one or more RF transmission signals according to the at least one Radar operating configuration; and a receiver configured to receive one or more RF reception signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmission signals according to the at least one Radar operating configuration.

[0309] Example A12. The Radar device according to Example A11, wherein the vehicle is a car.

[0310] Example A13. The Radar device according to Example A11 or A12, wherein the context-aware data includes data selected from the group consisting of: data indicating the speed of the vehicle; data indicating that the vehicle is in cruise control and / or lane departure prevention mode; data indicating that the vehicle is stopped; data indicating that the vehicle is on a highway; data indicating the low power level of the vehicle; data indicating the distance from the vehicle to the target object; data indicating the speed of the target object; data indicating the range of elevation angles of the target object relative to the Radar device; data indicating the range of azimuth angles of the target object relative to the Radar device; data indicating the traffic level in the environment of the vehicle; data indicating the type of road the vehicle is traveling on; data indicating the weather conditions in the environment of the vehicle; and data indicating hazardous conditions in the environment of the vehicle.

[0311] Example A14. A Radar device according to any one of Examples A11 to A13, wherein the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths; the at least one Radar operation configuration specifies at least one waveform type among the plurality of waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths; and the transmitter is configured to transmit the one or more RF transmission signals having the at least one waveform type.

[0312] Example A15. A Radar device according to any one of Examples A11 to A14, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of distinct subsets of the plurality of transmit antenna elements, the at least one Radar operation configuration specifying at least one subset of the plurality of distinct subsets; and the transmitter is configured to transmit the one or more RF transmit signals using the at least one subset of the plurality of distinct subsets of the plurality of transmit antenna elements.

[0313] Example A16. A Radar device according to any one of Examples A11 to A14, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of different transmit phase shift modes for transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals via the plurality of transmit antenna elements, the at least one Radar operation configuration specifying at least one of the plurality of different transmit phase shift modes; and the transmitter is configured to transmit the one or more RF transmit signals according to the at least one transmit phase shift mode.

[0314] Example A17. A Radar device according to any one of Examples A11 to A16, wherein the receiver includes a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the receiving antenna array; the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of receiving antenna elements, the at least one Radar operation configuration specifying at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets; and the receiver is configured to receive the one or more RF received signals using the at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets of the plurality of receiving antenna elements.

[0315] Example A18. A Radar device according to any one of Examples A11 to A16, wherein the receiver includes a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the receiving antenna array; the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of different receiving phase shift modes for receiving the one or more RF received signals via the plurality of receiving antenna elements, the at least one Radar operation configuration specifying at least one of the plurality of different receiving phase shift modes; and the receiver is configured to receive the one or more RF received signals according to the at least one receiving phase shift mode.

[0316] Example A19. A Radar apparatus according to any one of Examples A11 to A18, wherein the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of frame frequencies; the at least one Radar operation configuration specifies at least one of the plurality of frame frequencies; and the processing circuitry is further configured to generate a distance-lateral distance image of the target object, at least in part, by using one or more RF received signals received during a frame defined by the at least one frame frequency, according to the at least one Radar operation configuration.

[0317] Example A20. A Radar device according to any one of Examples A11 to A19, wherein the one or more RF transmitted signals have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz to 3 THz.

[0318] Example B1. A method for collecting data relating to a target object using a Radar device, the Radar device being configured to transmit a plurality of waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths, the method comprising: obtaining context-aware data for a vehicle using a processing circuitry system of the Radar device, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle; using the processing circuitry system, employing the context-aware data for the vehicle and selecting at least one waveform type from the plurality of waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths for collecting data relating to the target object; using the Radar device to transmit one or more RF transmission signals having at least one frequency bandwidth corresponding to the at least one waveform type; and using the Radar device to receive one or more RF reception signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmission signals.

[0319] Example B2. The method according to Example B1, wherein the plurality of waveform types includes a first waveform type having a first frequency bandwidth and a second waveform type having a second frequency bandwidth, the first frequency bandwidth being between 1 GHz and 5 GHz, and the second frequency bandwidth being between 6 GHz and 20 GHz, and selecting the at least one waveform type includes using the context-aware data for the vehicle to select at least one of the first waveform type and the second waveform type.

[0320] Example B3. The method according to Example B1, wherein the plurality of waveform types includes a first waveform type having a first frequency bandwidth, a second waveform type having a second frequency bandwidth, and a third waveform type having a third frequency bandwidth, the first frequency bandwidth being between 1 GHz and 5 GHz, the second frequency bandwidth being between 6 GHz and 12 GHz, and the third frequency bandwidth being between 13 GHz and 25 GHz, and selecting the at least one waveform type includes using the context-aware data for the vehicle to select at least one of the first waveform type, the second waveform type, and the third waveform type.

[0321] Example B4. The method according to any one of Examples B1 to B3, wherein the one or more RF transmitted signals have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz to 3 THz.

[0322] Example B5. The method according to any one of Examples B1 to B4, wherein,

[0323] Sending one or more RF transmission signals includes sending one or more RF linear frequency modulated signals having at least one frequency bandwidth corresponding to the at least one waveform type.

[0324] Example B6. The method according to Example B5, wherein the one or more RF linear frequency modulated signals have a duration between 5µs and 100ms.

[0325] Example B7. The method according to Example B5, wherein the one or more RF linear frequency modulated signals have a duration between 50µs and 2ms.

[0326] Example B8. The method according to any one of Examples B1 to B7 further includes: using the processing circuitry system to generate one or more distance-lateral distance images of the target object at a frame rate between 10 frames per second and 30 frames per second using the one or more RF received signals.

[0327] Example B9. The method according to any one of Examples B1 to B8, wherein selecting the at least one waveform type comprises: using the context-aware data for the vehicle and selecting a first waveform type and a second waveform type from the plurality of waveform types; transmitting the one or more RF transmission signals comprises: transmitting a first RF transmission signal having a first frequency bandwidth corresponding to the first waveform type during a first time interval; and transmitting a second RF transmission signal having a second frequency bandwidth corresponding to the second waveform type during a second time interval after the first time interval, wherein the second frequency bandwidth is different from the first frequency bandwidth; and receiving the one or more RF reception signals comprises: receiving a first RF reception signal generated by reflection of the first RF transmission signal from the target object; and receiving a second RF reception signal generated by reflection of the second RF transmission signal from the target object.

[0328] Example B10. The method according to Example B9, wherein the first frequency bandwidth is between 1 GHz and 5 GHz, and the second frequency bandwidth is between 6 GHz and 20 GHz.

[0329] Example B11. A Radar apparatus for collecting data relating to a target object, the Radar apparatus being configured to transmit a plurality of waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths, the Radar apparatus comprising: a processing circuitry system configured to: acquire context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle; and use the context-aware data for the vehicle and select at least one waveform type from the plurality of waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths for collecting data relating to the target object; a transmitter configured to transmit one or more RF transmitted signals having at least one frequency bandwidth corresponding to the at least one waveform type; and a receiver configured to receive one or more RF received signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmitted signals.

[0330] Example B12. The Radar device according to Example B11, wherein the plurality of waveform types include a first waveform type having a first frequency bandwidth between 1 GHz and 5 GHz, and a second waveform type having a second frequency bandwidth between 6 GHz and 20 GHz, and selecting the at least one waveform type includes selecting at least one of the first waveform type and the second waveform type using the context-aware data for the vehicle.

[0331] Example B13. The Radar device according to Example B11, wherein the plurality of waveform types include a first waveform type having a first frequency bandwidth, a second waveform type having a second frequency bandwidth, and a third waveform type having a third frequency bandwidth, the first frequency bandwidth being between 1 GHz and 5 GHz, the second frequency bandwidth being between 6 GHz and 12 GHz, and the third frequency bandwidth being between 13 GHz and 25 GHz, and selecting the at least one waveform type includes selecting at least one of the first waveform type, the second waveform type, and the third waveform type using the context-aware data for the vehicle.

[0332] Example B14. The Radar device according to any one of Examples B11 to B13, wherein the one or more RF transmitted signals have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz to 3 THz.

[0333] Example B15. The Radar device according to any one of Examples B11 to B12, wherein transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals comprises transmitting one or more RF linear frequency modulated signals having at least one frequency bandwidth corresponding to the at least one waveform type.

[0334] Example B16. The Radar device according to Example B15, wherein the one or more RF linear frequency modulated signals have a duration between 5µs and 100ms.

[0335] Example B17. The Radar device according to Example B15, wherein the one or more RF linear frequency modulated signals have a duration between 50µs and 2ms.

[0336] Example B18. The Radar device according to any one of Examples B11 to B17, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to generate one or more distance-lateral distance images of the target object using the one or more RF received signals at a frame rate between 10 frames per second and 30 frames per second.

[0337] Example B19. A Radar device according to any one of Examples B11 to B18, wherein selecting the at least one waveform type comprises: using the context-aware data for the vehicle and selecting a first waveform type and a second waveform type from the plurality of waveform types; transmitting the one or more RF transmission signals comprises: transmitting a first RF transmission signal having a first frequency bandwidth corresponding to the first waveform type during a first time interval; and transmitting a second RF transmission signal having a second frequency bandwidth corresponding to the second waveform type during a second time interval after the first time interval, wherein the second frequency bandwidth is different from the first frequency bandwidth; and receiving the one or more RF reception signals comprises: receiving a first RF reception signal generated by reflection of the first RF transmission signal from the target object; and receiving a second RF reception signal generated by reflection of the second RF transmission signal from the target object.

[0338] Example B20. The Radar device according to Example B19, wherein the first frequency bandwidth is between 1 GHz and 5 GHz, and the second frequency bandwidth is between 6 GHz and 20 GHz.

[0339] Example C1. A method for collecting data relating to a target object using a Radar device, the Radar device being configured to transmit multiple waveform types having corresponding multiple frequency bandwidths, the method comprising: using a processing circuitry system of the Radar device to obtain context-aware data for a vehicle; using the processing circuitry system to generate one or more distance-lateral distance images of the target object, at least in part, by: selecting waveform bandwidths for imaging the target object based on the obtained context-aware data for the vehicle; and imaging the target object using one or more RF signals corresponding to the selected waveform bandwidths.

[0340] Example C2. The method according to Example C1, wherein selecting the waveform bandwidth for imaging the target object includes: selecting the waveform bandwidth based on data indicating the speed of the vehicle.

[0341] Example C3. The method according to any one of Examples C1 to C2, wherein selecting the waveform bandwidth for imaging the target object comprises: selecting the waveform bandwidth based on velocity data indicating the velocity of the target object relative to the vehicle.

[0342] Example C4. The method according to any one of Examples C1 to C3, wherein selecting the waveform bandwidth for imaging the target object is performed using data indicating whether cruise control for the vehicle is activated.

[0343] Example C5. The method according to any one of Examples C1 to C4, wherein selecting the waveform bandwidth for imaging the target object is done using data indicating at least one weather condition associated with the environment of the vehicle.

[0344] Example C6. The method according to any one of Examples C1 to C5, wherein selecting the waveform bandwidth for imaging the target object is done using data indicating traffic levels associated with the environment of the vehicle.

[0345] Example C7. The method according to any one of Examples C1 to C6, wherein selecting the waveform bandwidth for imaging the target object is done using data indicating the road type associated with the environment of the vehicle.

[0346] Example C8. The method according to any one of Examples C1 to C7, wherein selecting the waveform bandwidth includes selecting at least one of a first waveform bandwidth between 1 GHz and 5 GHz and a second waveform bandwidth between 6 GHz and 20 GHz.

[0347] Example C9. The method according to any one of Examples C1 to C7, wherein selecting the waveform bandwidth includes selecting at least one of a first waveform bandwidth between 1 GHz and 5 GHz, a second waveform bandwidth between 6 GHz and 12 GHz, and a third waveform bandwidth between 13 GHz and 25 GHz.

[0348] Example C10. The method according to any one of Examples C1 to C9, wherein the one or more RF signals have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz to 3 THz.

[0349] Example C11. A Radar device configured to collect data relating to a target object at least in part by transmitting multiple waveform types having corresponding multiple frequency bandwidths, the Radar device comprising: a processing circuitry system configured to: acquire context-aware data for a vehicle; generate one or more distance-lateral distance images of the target object at least in part by: selecting waveform bandwidths for imaging the target object based on the acquired context-aware data for the vehicle; and imaging the target object using one or more RF signals corresponding to the selected waveform bandwidths.

[0350] Example C12. The Radar device according to Example C11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to select waveform bandwidth based on data indicating the speed of the vehicle.

[0351] Example C13. A Radar device according to any one of Examples C11 to C12, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to select waveform bandwidth based on data indicating the speed of the target object relative to the vehicle.

[0352] Example C14. The Radar device according to any one of Examples C11 to C13, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to select a waveform bandwidth for imaging the target object using data indicating whether cruise control for the vehicle is activated.

[0353] Example C15. A Radar device according to any one of Examples C11 to C14, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to select a waveform bandwidth for imaging the target object using data indicating at least one weather condition associated with the environment of the vehicle.

[0354] Example C16. The Radar device according to any one of Examples C11 to C15, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to select waveform bandwidth for imaging the target object using data indicating traffic levels associated with the environment of the vehicle.

[0355] Example C17. The Radar device according to any one of Examples C11 to C16, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to select waveform bandwidth for imaging the target object using data indicating the road type associated with the environment of the vehicle.

[0356] Example C18. A Radar device according to any one of Examples C11 to C17, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to select at least one of a first waveform bandwidth between 1 GHz and 5 GHz and a second waveform bandwidth between 6 GHz and 20 GHz.

[0357] Example C19. The Radar device according to any one of Examples C11 to C17, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to select at least one of a first waveform bandwidth between 1 GHz and 5 GHz, a second waveform bandwidth between 6 GHz and 12 GHz, and a third waveform bandwidth between 13 GHz and 25 GHz.

[0358] Example C20. A Radar device according to any one of Examples C11 to C19, wherein the one or more RF signals have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz to 3 THz.

[0359] Example D1. A method for collecting data relating to a target object using a Radar device, the Radar device being configurable among a plurality of transmitter configurations, the method comprising: using a processing circuitry system of the Radar device to obtain context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle; using the processing circuitry system, employing the context-aware data for the vehicle and selecting at least one transmitter configuration from the plurality of transmitter configurations for collecting data relating to the target object; using a transmitter of the Radar device to transmit one or more RF transmission signals according to the at least one transmitter configuration; and using a receiver of the Radar device to receive one or more RF reception signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmission signals.

[0360] Example D2. The method according to Example D1, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; the plurality of transmitter configurations specify a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of transmit antenna elements, the at least one transmitter configuration specifying at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets; and transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals according to the at least one transmitter configuration comprises: using the at least one subset to transmit the one or more RF transmit signals.

[0361] Example D3. The method according to Example D2, wherein the at least one subset includes a first subset of the plurality of transmit antenna elements and a second subset of the plurality of transmit antenna elements that is different from the first subset; transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals using the at least one subset includes: transmitting a first RF transmit signal of the one or more RF transmit signals using the first subset at a first time; and transmitting a second RF transmit signal of the one or more RF transmit signals using the second subset at a second time after the first time; and the method further includes generating a range-lateral distance image using the one or more RF receive signals, the one or more RF receive signals being generated at least partially by reflections from the target object by the first RF transmit signal and / or the second RF transmit signal.

[0362] Example D4. The method according to Example D3, wherein the transmitter uses a first transmission power amount and a first subset to transmit the first RF transmission signal; and the transmitter uses a second transmission power amount different from the first transmission power amount and a second subset to transmit the second RF transmission signal.

[0363] Example D5. The method according to Example D1, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; the plurality of transmitters are configured to specify a plurality of different phase shift modes for transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals via the plurality of transmit antenna elements, and the at least one transmitter is configured to specify at least one phase shift mode among the plurality of different phase shift modes; and transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals according to the at least one transmitter configuration comprises: transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals according to the at least one phase shift mode.

[0364] Example D6. The method according to Example D5, wherein the at least one phase shift mode includes a first phase shift mode and a second phase shift mode different from the first phase shift mode; transmitting the one or more RF transmission signals according to the at least one phase shift mode includes: transmitting a first RF transmission signal of the one or more RF transmission signals according to the first phase shift mode at a first time; and transmitting a second RF transmission signal of the one or more RF transmission signals according to the second phase shift mode at a second time after the first time; and the method further includes generating a distance-lateral distance image using the one or more RF received signals, the one or more RF received signals being generated at least partially by reflections from the target object by the first RF transmission signal and / or the second RF transmission signal.

[0365] Example D7. The method according to Example D6, wherein the at least one phase shift mode is configured to perform angular transmission scanning over an angular field of view including a first angular direction and a second angular direction different from the first angular direction; according to the first phase shift mode, the transmitter focuses the transmission of the first RF transmission signal in the first angular direction; and according to the second phase shift mode, the transmitter focuses the transmission of the second RF transmission signal in the second angular direction.

[0366] Example D8. The method according to Example D1, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; the plurality of transmitters are configured to specify a plurality of different transmit power levels for transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals via the plurality of transmit antenna elements, and the at least one transmitter is configured to specify at least one of the plurality of different transmit power levels; and transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals according to the at least one transmitter configuration comprises: transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals according to the at least one transmit power level.

[0367] Example D9. The method according to Example D8, wherein the at least one transmit power level includes a first transmit power level and a second transmit power level different from the first transmit power level; transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals according to the at least one transmit power level includes: transmitting a first RF transmit signal among the one or more RF transmit signals according to the first transmit power level at a first time; and transmitting a second RF transmit signal among the one or more RF transmit signals according to the second transmit power level at a second time; and the method further includes generating a distance-lateral distance image using the one or more RF receive signals, the one or more RF receive signals being generated at least partially by reflections from the target object by the first RF transmit signal and / or the second RF transmit signal.

[0368] Example D10. The method according to any one of Examples D1 to D9, wherein the one or more RF transmitted signals have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz to 3 THz.

[0369] Example D11. A Radar apparatus for collecting data relating to a target object, the Radar apparatus being configurable among a plurality of transmitter configurations, the Radar apparatus comprising: a processing circuitry configured to: acquire context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle; and use the context-aware data for the vehicle and select at least one transmitter configuration from the plurality of transmitter configurations for collecting data relating to the target object; a transmitter configured to transmit one or more RF transmission signals according to the at least one transmitter configuration; and a receiver configured to receive one or more RF reception signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmission signals.

[0370] Example D12. A Radar device according to Example D11, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; the plurality of transmitters are configured to specify a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of transmit antenna elements, the at least one transmitter is configured to specify at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets; and the transmitter is configured to use the at least one subset to transmit the one or more RF transmit signals.

[0371] Example D13. A Radar device according to Example D12, wherein the at least one subset comprises a first subset of the plurality of transmit antenna elements and a second subset of the plurality of transmit antenna elements that is different from the first subset; the transmitter is configured to: transmit a first RF transmit signal of the one or more RF transmit signals using the first subset at a first time; and transmit a second RF transmit signal of the one or more RF transmit signals using the second subset at a second time after the first time; and the processing circuitry is further configured to generate a range-lateral distance image using the one or more RF receive signals, the one or more RF receive signals being generated at least in part by reflection from the target object by the first RF transmit signal and / or the second RF transmit signal.

[0372] Example D14. The Radar device according to Example D13, wherein the transmitter is configured to: transmit the first RF transmission signal using a first transmission power amount and a first subset; and transmit the second RF transmission signal using a second transmission power amount different from the first transmission power amount and a second subset.

[0373] Example D15. A Radar device according to Example D11, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; the plurality of transmitters are configured to specify a plurality of different phase shift modes for transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals via the plurality of transmit antenna elements, the at least one transmitter is configured to specify at least one phase shift mode among the plurality of different phase shift modes; and the transmitter is configured to transmit the one or more RF transmit signals according to the at least one phase shift mode.

[0374] Example D16. A Radar device according to Example D15, wherein the at least one phase shift mode includes a first phase shift mode and a second phase shift mode different from the first phase shift mode; the transmitter is configured to: transmit a first RF transmission signal of the one or more RF transmission signals according to the first phase shift mode at a first time; and transmit a second RF transmission signal of the one or more RF transmission signals according to the second phase shift mode at a second time after the first time; and the processing circuitry is further configured to generate a distance-lateral distance image using the one or more RF received signals, the one or more RF received signals being generated at least partially by reflections from the target object by the first RF transmission signal and / or the second RF transmission signal.

[0375] Example D17. The Radar device according to Example D16, wherein the at least one phase shift mode is configured to perform angular transmission scanning over an angular field of view including a first angular direction and a second angular direction different from the first angular direction; according to the first phase shift mode, the transmitter is configured to focus the transmission of the first RF transmission signal in the first angular direction; and according to the second phase shift mode, the transmitter is configured to focus the transmission of the second RF transmission signal in the second angular direction.

[0376] Example D18. A Radar device according to Example D11, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; the plurality of transmitters are configured to specify a plurality of different transmit power levels for transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals via the plurality of transmit antenna elements, the at least one transmitter is configured to specify at least one of the plurality of different transmit power levels; and the transmitter is configured to transmit the one or more RF transmit signals according to the at least one transmit power level.

[0377] Example D19. A Radar device according to Example D18, wherein the at least one transmit power level includes a first transmit power level and a second transmit power level different from the first transmit power level; the transmitter is configured to: transmit a first RF transmit signal of the one or more RF transmit signals according to the first transmit power level at a first time; and transmit a second RF transmit signal of the one or more RF transmit signals according to the second transmit power level at a second time; and the processing circuitry is further configured to generate a distance-lateral distance image using the one or more RF receive signals, the one or more RF receive signals being generated at least partially by reflections from the target object by the first RF transmit signal and / or the second RF transmit signal.

[0378] Example D20. A Radar device according to any one of Examples D11 to D19, wherein the one or more RF transmitted signals have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz to 3 THz.

[0379] Example E1. A method for collecting data relating to a target object using a Radar device, the Radar device being configurable among multiple receiver configurations, the method comprising: using a processing circuitry system of the Radar device to obtain context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle; using the processing circuitry system, employing the context-aware data for the vehicle and selecting at least one receiver configuration from the multiple receiver configurations for collecting data relating to the target object; using a transmitter of the Radar device to transmit one or more RF transmission signals; and using a receiver of the Radar device in the at least one receiver configuration to receive one or more RF reception signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmission signals.

[0380] Example E2. The method according to Example E1, wherein the receiver includes a receiving antenna array, the receiving antenna array including a plurality of receiving antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the receiving antenna array; the plurality of receiver configurations specify a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of receiving antenna elements, the at least one receiver configuration specifying at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets; and receiving the one or more RF received signals according to the at least one receiver configuration includes: using the at least one subset to receive the one or more RF received signals.

[0381] Example E3. The method according to Example E2, wherein the at least one subset includes a first subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements and a second subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements that is different from the first subset; receiving the one or more RF received signals according to the at least one receiver configuration includes: at a first time, using the first subset to receive a first RF received signal among the one or more RF received signals; and at a second time after the first time, using the second subset to receive a second RF received signal among the one or more RF received signals; and the method further includes: using the processing circuitry system to generate a distance-lateral distance image using the first RF received signal and the second RF received signal.

[0382] Example E4. The method according to Example E3, wherein the receiver uses a first received power amount and a first subset to receive the first RF received signal; and the receiver uses a second received power amount different from the first received power amount and a second subset to receive the second RF received signal.

[0383] Example E5. The method according to Example E1, wherein the receiver includes a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the receiving antenna array; the plurality of receivers are configured to specify a plurality of different phase shift modes for receiving the one or more RF received signals via the plurality of receiving antenna elements, and the at least one receiver is configured to specify at least one phase shift mode among the plurality of different phase shift modes; and receiving the one or more RF received signals according to the at least one receiver configuration comprises: receiving the one or more RF received signals according to the at least one phase shift mode.

[0384] Example E6. The method according to Example E5, wherein the at least one phase shift mode includes a first phase shift mode and a second phase shift mode different from the first phase shift mode; receiving the one or more RF received signals according to the at least one phase shift mode includes: receiving a first RF received signal from the one or more RF received signals according to the first phase shift mode at a first time; and receiving a second RF received signal from the one or more RF received signals according to the second phase shift mode at a second time after the first time; and the method further includes using the first RF received signal and the second RF received signal to generate a distance-lateral distance image.

[0385] Example E7. The method according to Example E6, wherein the at least one phase shift mode is configured to perform angular reception scanning over an angular field of view including a first angular direction and a second angular direction different from the first angular direction; according to the first phase shift mode, the receiver focuses the reception of the first RF received signal in the first angular direction; and according to the second phase shift mode, the receiver focuses the reception of the second RF received signal in the second angular direction.

[0386] Example E8. The method according to Example E1, wherein the receiver includes a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the receiving antenna array; the plurality of receivers are configured to specify a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of receiving antenna elements and a plurality of different phase shift modes applied to corresponding subsets of the plurality of different subsets; the at least one receiver is configured to specify at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets and at least one phase shift mode applied to the at least one subset; and receiving the one or more RF received signals according to the at least one receiver configuration comprises: using the at least one subset to receive the one or more RF received signals according to the at least one phase shift mode.

[0387] Example E9. The method according to any one of Examples E2 to E8, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array orthogonal to the dimension of the receive antenna array, and transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals comprises transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals via the plurality of transmit antenna elements.

[0388] Example E10. The method according to any one of Examples E1 to E7, wherein the one or more RF transmitted signals have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz to 3 THz.

[0389] Example E11. A Radar apparatus for collecting data relating to a target object, the Radar apparatus being configurable among a plurality of receiver configurations, the Radar apparatus comprising: a processing circuitry configured to: acquire context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle; and use the context-aware data for the vehicle and select at least one receiver configuration from the plurality of receiver configurations for collecting data relating to the target object; a transmitter configured to transmit one or more RF transmission signals; and a receiver configured to receive, according to the at least one receiver configuration, one or more RF reception signals generated at least partially by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmission signals.

[0390] Example E12. A Radar device according to Example E11, wherein the receiver includes a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the receiving antenna array; the plurality of receivers are configured to specify a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of receiving antenna elements, the at least one receiver is configured to specify at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets; and the receiver is configured to use the at least one subset to receive the one or more RF received signals.

[0391] Example E13. A Radar device according to Example E12, wherein the at least one subset comprises a first subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements and a second subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements that is different from the first subset; the receiver is configured to: at a first time, use the first subset to receive a first RF received signal among the one or more RF received signals; and at a second time after the first time, use the second subset to receive a second RF received signal among the one or more RF received signals; and the processing circuitry is further configured to generate a range-lateral distance image using the first RF received signal and the second RF received signal.

[0392] Example E14. The Radar device according to Example E13, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the first RF received signal using a first received power amount and a first subset; and the receiver is configured to receive the second RF received signal using a second received power amount different from the first received power amount and a second subset.

[0393] Example E15. A Radar device according to Example E11, wherein the receiver includes a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the receiving antenna array; the plurality of receivers are configured to specify a plurality of different phase shift modes for receiving the one or more RF received signals via the plurality of receiving antenna elements, the at least one receiver is configured to specify at least one phase shift mode among the plurality of different phase shift modes; and the receiver is configured to receive the one or more RF received signals according to the at least one phase shift mode.

[0394] Example E16. A Radar device according to Example E15, wherein the at least one phase shift mode includes a first phase shift mode and a second phase shift mode different from the first phase shift mode; the receiver is configured to: receive a first RF received signal of one or more RF received signals according to the first phase shift mode at a first time; and receive a second RF received signal of one or more RF received signals according to the second phase shift mode at a second time after the first time; and the processing circuitry is further configured to use the first RF received signal and the second RF received signal to generate a distance-lateral distance image.

[0395] Example E17. A Radar device according to Example E16, wherein the at least one phase shift mode is configured to perform angular reception scanning over an angular field of view including a first angular direction and a second angular direction different from the first angular direction; according to the first phase shift mode, the receiver is configured to focus reception of the first RF received signal in the first angular direction; and according to the second phase shift mode, the receiver is configured to focus reception of the second RF received signal in the second angular direction.

[0396] Example E18. A Radar device according to Example E11, wherein the receiver includes a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the receiving antenna array; the plurality of receivers are configured to specify a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of receiving antenna elements and a plurality of different phase shift modes applied to corresponding subsets of the plurality of different subsets; at least one receiver is configured to specify at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets and at least one phase shift mode applied to the at least one subset; and the receiver is configured to receive the one or more RF received signals using the at least one subset according to the at least one phase shift mode.

[0397] Example E19. A Radar device according to any one of Examples E12 to E18, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array orthogonal to the dimension of the receive antenna array, and the transmitter is configured to transmit the one or more RF transmit signals via the plurality of transmit antenna elements.

[0398] Example E20. A Radar device according to any one of Examples E11 to E17, wherein the one or more RF transmitted signals have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz to 3 THz.

[0399] Example F1. A method for generating a distance-lateral distance image of a target object using a Radar device, the method comprising: using a processing circuitry system of the Radar device to: obtain context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle; select a frame frequency based on the context-aware data for the vehicle; generate a plurality of distance-lateral distance images corresponding to corresponding plurality of frames defined by the frame frequency, the generation comprising: generating a corresponding distance-lateral distance image for a specific frame of the plurality of frames using one or more RF signals received by the Radar device during the specific frame; and outputting the plurality of distance-lateral distance images.

[0400] Example F2. According to the method of Example F1, wherein generating the plurality of distance-lateral distance images includes: for each of the plurality of frames, using an RF signal received by the Radar device during the frame to generate a corresponding distance-lateral distance image.

[0401] Example F3. The method according to Example F1, wherein generating the corresponding distance-lateral distance image comprises: transmitting one or more RF transmission signals using the transmitter of the Radar device; and receiving, during the specific frame, the one or more RF signals generated at least in part by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmission signals using the receiver of the Radar device.

[0402] Example F4. The method according to Example F3, wherein transmitting the one or more RF transmission signals includes transmitting a first RF transmission signal and transmitting a second RF transmission signal among the one or more RF transmission signals; and the one or more RF signals are generated at least in part by reflection from the target object through the first RF transmission signal and / or the second RF transmission signal.

[0403] Example F5. The method according to Example F4, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; transmitting the first RF transmit signal uses a first subset of the plurality of transmit antenna elements; and transmitting the second RF transmit signal uses a second subset of the plurality of transmit antenna elements, the second subset being different from the first subset of the plurality of transmit antenna elements.

[0404] Example F6. The method according to Example F4, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; and transmitting the first RF transmit signal is via the plurality of transmit antenna elements according to a first transmit phase shift mode, and transmitting the second RF transmit signal is via the plurality of transmit antenna elements according to a second transmit phase shift mode different from the first transmit phase shift mode.

[0405] Example F7. The method according to Example F4, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array including a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; and transmitting the first RF transmit signal is via the plurality of transmit antenna elements according to a first transmit power level, and transmitting the second RF transmit signal is via the plurality of transmit antenna elements according to a second transmit power level different from the first transmit power level.

[0406] Example F8. The method according to any one of Examples F4 to F7, wherein the receiver includes a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the receiving antenna array; receiving the one or more RF signal comprises: using a first subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements during a first time period within the specific frame; and using a second subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements during a second time period after the first time period and within the specific frame, the second subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements being different from the first subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements; and the one or more RF signal being received during the first time period and / or the second time period.

[0407] Example F9. The method according to any one of Examples F4 to F7, wherein the receiver includes a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the receiving antenna array; receiving the one or more RF signals comprises: operating the plurality of receiving antenna elements according to a first receiving phase shift mode during a first time period within the specific frame; and operating the plurality of receiving antenna elements according to a second receiving phase shift mode, different from the first receiving phase shift mode, after the first time period and during a second time period within the specific frame; and the one or more RF signals are received during the first time period and / or the second time period.

[0408] Example F10. The method according to any one of Examples F3 to F9, wherein the one or more RF transmitted signals have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz to 3 THz.

[0409] Example F11. A Radar apparatus for generating distance-lateral distance images of a target object, the Radar apparatus comprising: a processing circuitry configured to: acquire context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicating at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of the environment of the vehicle; select a frame frequency based on the context-aware data for the vehicle; generate, at least in part, a plurality of distance-lateral distance images corresponding to corresponding plurality of frames defined by the frame frequency by: generating a corresponding distance-lateral distance image for a specific frame of the plurality of frames using one or more RF signals received by the Radar apparatus during the specific frame; and output the plurality of distance-lateral distance images.

[0410] Example F12. The Radar device according to Example F11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to generate the plurality of distance-lateral distance images at least in part by generating a corresponding distance-lateral distance image for each of the plurality of frames using an RF signal received by the Radar device during the frame.

[0411] Example F13. The Radar apparatus according to Example F11 further includes: a transmitter configured to transmit one or more RF transmission signals; and a receiver configured to receive, during the particular frame, the one or more RF signals generated at least in part by reflection from the target object via the one or more RF transmission signals.

[0412] Example F14. A Radar device according to Example F13, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit a first RF transmission signal of one or more RF transmission signals and a second RF transmission signal of one or more RF transmission signals; and the one or more RF signals are generated at least in part by reflection from the target object via the first RF transmission signal and / or the second RF transmission signal.

[0413] Example F15. A Radar device according to Example F14, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; and the transmitter is configured to transmit a first RF transmit signal using a first subset of the plurality of transmit antenna elements, and to transmit a second RF transmit signal using a second subset of the plurality of transmit antenna elements, the second subset being different from the first subset of the plurality of transmit antenna elements.

[0414] Example F16. A Radar device according to Example F14, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; and the transmitter is configured to transmit a first RF transmit signal via the plurality of transmit antenna elements according to a first transmit phase shift mode, and to transmit a second RF transmit signal via the plurality of transmit antenna elements according to a second transmit phase shift mode different from the first transmit phase shift mode.

[0415] Example F17. A Radar device according to Example F14, wherein the transmitter includes a transmit antenna array including a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; and the transmitter is configured to transmit a first RF transmit signal via the plurality of transmit antenna elements according to a first transmit power level, and to transmit a second RF transmit signal via the plurality of transmit antenna elements according to a second transmit power level different from the first transmit power level.

[0416] Example F18. A Radar device according to any one of Examples F14 to F17, wherein the receiver includes a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the receiving antenna array; and the receiver is configured to: use a first subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements during a first time period within the specific frame; use a second subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements after the first time period and during a second time period within the specific frame, the second subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements being different from the first subset of the plurality of receiving antenna elements; and receive the one or more RF signals during the first time period and / or the second time period.

[0417] Example F19. A Radar device according to Examples F14 to F17, wherein the receiver includes a receiving antenna array comprising a plurality of receiving antenna elements arranged along a first dimension of the receiving antenna array; and the receiver is configured to: operate according to a first receiving phase shift mode during a first time period within the specific frame; operate according to a second receiving phase shift mode different from the first receiving phase shift mode during a second time period after the first time period and within the specific frame; and receive the one or more RF signals during the first time period and / or the second time period.

[0418] Example F20. A Radar device according to any one of Examples F13 to F19, wherein the one or more RF transmitted signals have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz to 3 THz.

[0419] Having described several aspects and embodiments of the technology set forth in this disclosure, it should be understood that various changes, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such changes, modifications, and improvements are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the technology described herein. For example, those skilled in the art will readily conceive of various other means and / or structures for achieving the function and / or obtaining the result and / or one or more advantages described herein, and each such change and / or modification is considered to be within the scope of the embodiments described herein. Those skilled in the art will recognize or be able to determine many equivalents of the specific embodiments described herein using only conventional experimentation. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only, and embodiments of the invention may be practiced in ways other than those specifically described within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, any combination of such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods is included within the scope of this disclosure if two or more features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods described herein do not contradict each other.

[0420] The above embodiments can be implemented in any of a variety of ways. One or more aspects and embodiments of this disclosure relating to the performance of processes or methods can utilize program instructions executable by means of a device (e.g., a computer, processor, or other device) to perform or control the performance of processes or methods. In this regard, various inventive concepts can be embodied in a computer-readable storage medium (or multiple computer-readable storage media) (e.g., computer memory, one or more floppy disks, compact disks, optical disks, magnetic tapes, flash memory, circuit configurations in field-programmable gate arrays or other semiconductor devices, or other tangible computer storage media) encoding one or more programs that, when executed on one or more computers or other processors, perform one or more methods of the various embodiments described above. One or more computer-readable media can be transportable, such that one or more programs stored thereon can be loaded onto one or more different computers or other processors to implement various aspects of the above aspects. In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium can be a non-transitory medium.

[0421] The terms “program” or “software” are used herein in a general sense to refer to any type of computer code or set of computer-executable instructions that can be used to program a computer or other processor to implement the various aspects described above. Furthermore, it should be understood that, according to one aspect, one or more computer programs that perform the methods of this disclosure when executed do not need to reside on a single computer or processor, but can be distributed in a modular manner across multiple different computers or processors to implement the various aspects of this disclosure.

[0422] Computer-executable instructions can take many forms, such as program modules, and can be executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. Typically, in various embodiments, the functionality of program modules can be combined or distributed as needed.

[0423] Furthermore, data structures can be stored in any suitable form on a computer-readable medium. For simplicity, a data structure can be shown as having fields related by their position within the data structure. Such relationships can also be implemented by allocating the storage of fields in a computer-readable medium to convey the relationships between the fields. However, any suitable mechanism can be used to establish relationships between the information in the fields of a data structure, including by using pointers, labels, or other mechanisms to establish relationships between data elements.

[0424] When implemented in software, the software code can be executed on any suitable processor or set of processors, whether it is provided in a single computer or distributed across multiple computers.

[0425] Furthermore, it should be understood that, as a non-limiting example, a computer can be embodied in any of a variety of forms, such as a rack-mount computer, desktop computer, laptop computer, or tablet computer. Additionally, a computer can be embedded in a device that is not typically considered a computer but has suitable processing capabilities, including a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, or any other suitable portable or stationary electronic device.

[0426] In addition, a computer may have one or more input and output devices. These devices can be used, in particular, to present a user interface. Examples of output devices that can be used to provide a user interface include a printer or display screen for visual presentation of output and a speaker or other sound-generating device for audible presentation of output. Examples of input devices that can be used for a user interface include keyboards and pointing devices such as mice, touchpads, and digitizers. As another example, a computer may receive input information via voice recognition or in other audible formats.

[0427] Such computers can be interconnected through one or more networks in any suitable form, including local area networks (LANs) or wide area networks (WANs), such as enterprise networks, intelligent networks (INs), or the Internet. Such networks can be based on any suitable technology and can operate according to any suitable protocol, and can include wireless networks, wired networks, or fiber optic networks.

[0428] Furthermore, as described, some aspects can be embodied as one or more methods. Actions performed as part of a method can be ordered in any suitable manner. Therefore, embodiments can be constructed that perform actions in a different order than those illustrated, which could include performing several actions simultaneously, even if they are shown as sequential actions in the illustrative embodiments.

[0429] All definitions defined and used herein should be understood to take precedence over dictionary definitions, definitions in referenced literature, and / or the general meaning of the defined terms.

[0430] Unless explicitly indicated to the contrary, the indefinite articles “a” and “an” as used herein in the specification and claims shall be understood to mean “at least one”.

[0431] As used herein in the specification and claims, the phrase “and / or” should be understood to mean “any one or both” of the elements so combined, that is, elements that are combined in some cases and separate in others. Multiple elements listed with “and / or” should be interpreted in the same way, that is, “one or more” of the elements so combined. In addition to the elements specifically identified by the “and / or” clause, other elements may optionally be present, whether related to or unrelated to those specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising,” a reference to “A and / or B” may in one embodiment refer only to A (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, only to B (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); and so on.

[0432] As used herein in the specification and claims, the phrase "at least one" when referring to a list of one or more elements should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more elements in the list, but does not necessarily include at least one of every element specifically listed in the list, and does not exclude any combination of elements in the list. This definition also allows for the optional presence of elements other than those specifically identified in the list of elements referred to by the phrase "at least one," whether related to or unrelated to those specifically identified elements. Thus, as a non-limiting example, "at least one of A and B" (or equivalently "at least one of A or B," or equivalently "at least one of A and / or B") in one embodiment may refer to at least one (optionally including more than one) A, without B (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, it refers to at least one (optionally including more than one) B, without A (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, it refers to at least one (optionally including more than one) A and at least one (optionally including more than one) B (and optionally including other elements); and so on.

[0433] In the claims and the foregoing description, all transitional phrases (such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “consisting of,” etc.) shall be understood as open-ended, meaning including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “substantially consisting of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively.

[0434] The terms "about" and "approximately" may be used to mean within ±20% of the target value in some embodiments, within ±10% of the target value in some embodiments, within ±5% of the target value in some embodiments, and within ±2% of the target value in some embodiments. The terms "about" and "approximately" may include the target value.

Claims

1. A method of collecting data related to a target object using a Radar apparatus configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals in a plurality of Radar operating configurations, the method comprising: obtaining, by processing circuitry of the Radar apparatus, context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data indicative of at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of an environment of the vehicle; selecting, by the processing circuitry, at least one Radar operating configuration from the plurality of Radar operating configurations for collecting data related to the target object using the context-aware data for the vehicle; transmitting, using a transmitter of the Radar apparatus, one or more RF transmit signals in accordance with the at least one Radar operating configuration; and receiving, using a receiver of the Radar apparatus, one or more RF receive signals generated at least in part by reflections of the one or more RF transmit signals from the target object in accordance with the at least one Radar operating configuration. the vehicle is an automobile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the context-aware data comprises data selected from the group consisting of:

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, data indicative of a speed of the vehicle; data indicative of the vehicle being in a cruise control and / or a lane departure prevention mode; data indicative of the vehicle being parked; data indicative of the vehicle being on a highway; data indicative of a low power level of the vehicle; data indicative of a distance from the vehicle to the target object; data indicative of a speed of the target object; data indicative of an elevation angle range of the target object relative to the Radar apparatus; data indicative of an azimuth angle range of the target object relative to the Radar apparatus; data indicative of a traffic level in the environment of the vehicle; data indicative of a type of road on which the vehicle is traveling; data indicative of a weather condition in the environment of the vehicle; and data indicative of a hazardous condition in the environment of the vehicle.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: the plurality of Radar operating configurations specify a plurality of waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths; the at least one Radar operating configuration specifies at least one waveform type of the plurality of waveform types having a corresponding frequency bandwidth; and the one or more RF transmit signals have the at least one waveform type.

5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: the transmitter comprises a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of a transmit antenna array of the transmitter; the plurality of Radar operating configurations specify a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of transmit antenna elements, the at least one Radar operating configuration specifying at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets; and the one or more RF transmit signals are transmitted using the at least one subset of the plurality of transmit antenna elements. ​ ​ ​ transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals in accordance with the at least one Radar operating configuration comprises transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals using the at least one of the multiple different subsets of the multiple transmit antenna elements.

6. The method of any of claims 1-4, wherein, the transmitter comprises a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of a transmit antenna array of the transmitter; the multiple Radar operating configurations specify multiple different transmit phase shift patterns for transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals via the multiple transmit antenna elements, the at least one Radar operating configuration specifying at least one transmit phase shift pattern of the multiple different transmit phase shift patterns; and transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals in accordance with the at least one Radar operating configuration comprises transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals in accordance with the at least one transmit phase shift pattern.

7. The method of any of claims 1-6, wherein, the receiver comprises a plurality of receive antenna elements arranged along a dimension of a receive antenna array of the receiver; the multiple Radar operating configurations specify multiple different subsets of the multiple receive antenna elements, the at least one Radar operating configuration specifying at least one subset of the multiple different subsets; and receiving the one or more RF receive signals in accordance with the at least one Radar operating configuration comprises receiving the one or more RF receive signals using the at least one of the multiple different subsets of the multiple receive antenna elements.

8. The method of any of claims 1-6, wherein, the receiver comprises a plurality of receive antenna elements arranged along a dimension of a receive antenna array of the receiver; the multiple Radar operating configurations specify multiple different receive phase shift patterns for receiving the one or more RF receive signals via the multiple receive antenna elements, the at least one Radar operating configuration specifying at least one receive phase shift pattern of the multiple different receive phase shift patterns; and receiving the one or more RF receive signals comprises receiving the one or more RF receive signals in accordance with the at least one receive phase shift pattern.

9. The method of any of claims 1-8, further comprising: generating, with processing circuitry of the Radar device, a range-cross range image of the target object using the one or more RF receive signals in accordance with the at least one Radar operating configuration; wherein, the multiple Radar operating configurations specify multiple frame rates; the at least one Radar operating configuration specifies at least one frame rate of the multiple frame rates; and the range-cross range image is generated using the one or more RF receive signals received during a frame defined by the at least one frame rate.

10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The one or more RF transmit signals have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz to 3 THz.

11. A Radar apparatus for collecting data related to a target object, the Radar apparatus being configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals in a plurality of Radar operating configurations, the Radar apparatus comprising: processing circuitry configured to: obtain context-aware data for a vehicle, the context-aware data being indicative of at least one characteristic of the vehicle, at least one characteristic of the target object, and / or at least one characteristic of an environment of the vehicle, and select at least one Radar operating configuration from the plurality of Radar operating configurations for collecting data related to the target object using the context-aware data for the vehicle; a transmitter configured to transmit one or more RF transmit signals in accordance with the at least one Radar operating configuration; and a receiver configured to receive one or more RF receive signals generated at least in part by reflections from the target object of the one or more RF transmit signals in accordance with the at least one Radar operating configuration.

12. The radar apparatus of claim 11, wherein, The vehicle is an automobile.

13. The radar apparatus of claim 11 or 12, wherein, The context-aware data comprises data selected from the group consisting of: data indicative of a speed of the vehicle; data indicative of the vehicle being in a cruise control and / or a lane departure prevention mode; data indicative of the vehicle being parked; data indicative of the vehicle being on a highway; data indicative of a low power level of the vehicle; data indicative of a distance from the vehicle to the target object; data indicative of a speed of the target object; data indicative of an elevation angle range of the target object relative to the Radar apparatus; data indicative of an azimuth angle range of the target object relative to the Radar apparatus; data indicative of a traffic level in an environment of the vehicle; data indicative of a type of road on which the vehicle is travelling; data indicative of a weather condition in the environment of the vehicle; and data indicative of a hazardous condition in the environment of the vehicle.

14. The Radar apparatus of any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the plurality of Radar operating configurations specify a plurality of waveform types having corresponding frequency bandwidths; the at least one Radar operating configuration specifies at least one waveform type of the plurality of waveform types having a corresponding frequency bandwidth; and the transmitter is configured to transmit the one or more RF transmit signals having the at least one waveform type.

15. The Radar apparatus of any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the transmitter comprises a transmit antenna array, the transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; ​ ​ the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of transmit antenna elements, the at least one Radar operation configuration specifying at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets; and the transmitter is configured to transmit the one or more RF transmit signals using the at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets of the plurality of transmit antenna elements.

16. The Radar apparatus of any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein, the transmitter comprises a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the transmit antenna array; the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of different transmit phase shift patterns for transmitting the one or more RF transmit signals via the plurality of transmit antenna elements, the at least one Radar operation configuration specifying at least one transmit phase shift pattern of the plurality of different transmit phase shift patterns; and the transmitter is configured to transmit the one or more RF transmit signals in accordance with the at least one transmit phase shift pattern.

17. The Radar apparatus of any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein, the receiver comprises a receive antenna array comprising a plurality of receive antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the receive antenna array; the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of receive antenna elements, the at least one Radar operation configuration specifying at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets; and the receiver is configured to receive the one or more RF receive signals using the at least one subset of the plurality of different subsets of the plurality of receive antenna elements.

18. The Radar apparatus of any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein, the receiver comprises a receive antenna array comprising a plurality of receive antenna elements arranged along a dimension of the receive antenna array; the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of different receive phase shift patterns for receiving the one or more RF receive signals via the plurality of receive antenna elements, the at least one Radar operation configuration specifying at least one receive phase shift pattern of the plurality of different receive phase shift patterns; and the receiver is configured to receive the one or more RF receive signals in accordance with the at least one receive phase shift pattern.

19. The Radar apparatus of any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein, the plurality of Radar operation configurations specify a plurality of frame rates; the at least one Radar operation configuration specifies at least one frame rate of the plurality of frame rates; and the processing circuitry is further configured to generate the range-cross range image of the target object in accordance with the at least one Radar operation configuration, at least in part by using the one or more RF receive signals received during a frame defined by the at least one frame rate, to generate the range-cross range image.

20. The Radar device according to any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein, The one or more RF transmit signals have frequency content in a frequency band of 300 GHz to 3 THz.

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