Method for detecting precipitation deposits on a radome and for open-loop and / or closed-loop control of at least one heating element of the radome, computing device, computer-readable (storage) medium and temperature-controllable radar sensor system

Abstract

A method according to the invention for the early detection of precipitation deposits on a radome of a radar sensor of a vehicle and for the open-loop and / or closed-loop control of at least one heating element of the radome comprises the transmission of a transmission signal by means of at least one transmission antenna of the radar sensor. The method additionally comprises the detection of a received signal by means of at least two receiving antennas of the radar sensor, wherein the received signal describes the transmission signal reflected by an object in the surroundings of the vehicle. The method additionally comprises the determination of an attenuation parameter which describes an attenuation of the received signal, caused by precipitation deposits. Finally, the method comprises the outputting of a heating signal for the open-loop and / or closed-loop control of the at least one heating element of the radome, wherein the heating signal is output on the basis of the attenuation parameter. In this way, an early precipitation deposit in at least one heating region of the radome can be detected on the basis of the attenuation parameter, wherein the at least one heating region describes a subregion of the radome. In order to detect the early precipitation deposit in the heating region, the at least one heating region of the radome can be associated with a subset of antennas, wherein the subset of antennas describes any subset of a set comprising the at least one transmission antenna and the at least two receiving antennas.

Description

[0001] Method for detecting precipitation deposits on a radome and for controlling and / or regulating at least one heating element of the radome, computing device, computer-readable (storage) medium and temperature-controlled radar sensor system

[0002] The present invention relates to a method for the early detection of precipitation deposits on a radome of a radar sensor of a vehicle and for the control and / or regulation of at least one heating element of the radome. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a computing device for implementing such a method and a computer-readable (storage) medium. Finally, the present invention relates to a temperature-controlled radar sensor system for a vehicle.

[0003] Vehicles with modern assistance systems often include radar sensors, which are used, for example, to detect objects in the vehicle's surroundings. Such radar sensors are particularly used in conjunction with longitudinal control systems. To protect these radar sensors from environmental influences, such as weather conditions, the radar sensors are installed behind so-called radomes. In cold weather conditions, for example, precipitation in the form of ice, snow, or similar can accumulate on the radar sensor's radome. Such precipitation can have a detrimental effect on the functionality and performance of the radar sensor. In particular, such precipitation can also affect the availability of the vehicle's assistance systems.

[0004] To prevent precipitation deposition, the radome can be equipped with a heating element, for example. The heating element, for example in the form of a heating wire, can be located inside the radome. The heating element can be controlled by a heating signal. As a result, the radome's temperature can be controlled. This allows precipitation deposits in the form of ice, snow, and / or the like to be removed.

[0005] To prevent the radome from being heated continuously, the heating element can be controlled depending on the outside temperature, for example. Furthermore, other parameters are known, depending on which the heating element can be controlled. For example, the document DE 102017 221 589 A1 discloses a system for a radome of a radar for a motor vehicle, wherein the heating system comprises a heating element for heating the radome and a control unit connected to the heating element for activating the heating element. The control unit is configured to receive or determine a variable characteristic of an outside temperature and to receive or determine a variable related to a melting point of precipitation deposits on an outer radome surface.To determine at least one temperature threshold as a function of the quantity related to the melting point, and to activate the heating element as a function of a threshold comparison of the outside temperature with the temperature threshold.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a solution for improving the detection of precipitation deposits on a radome of a vehicle's radar sensor. A further object of the present invention is to provide a solution for improving the control and / or regulation of a radome heater.

[0007] This object is achieved according to the invention by a method, a computing device, a computer-readable (storage) medium, and a temperature-controlled radar sensor system for a vehicle having the features according to the independent claims. Advantageous developments of the present invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0008] A method according to the invention for the early detection of precipitation deposits on a radome of a radar sensor of a vehicle and for controlling and / or regulating at least one heating element of the radome comprises transmitting a transmission signal using at least one transmitting antenna of the radar sensor. The method also comprises detecting a reception signal using at least two reception antennas of the radar sensor, wherein the reception signal describes the transmission signal reflected by an object in an environment of the vehicle. Furthermore, the method comprises determining an attenuation parameter that describes an attenuation of the reception signal due to precipitation deposits. Finally, the method comprises outputting a heating signal for controlling and / or regulating the at least one heating element of the radome, wherein the heating signal is output as a function of the attenuation parameter.In this case, the attenuation parameter can be used to detect premature precipitation deposition in at least one heating area of ​​the radome, wherein the at least one heating area describes a sub-area of ​​the radome. To detect premature precipitation deposition in the heating area, the at least one heating area of ​​the radome can be associated with an antenna subset, wherein the antenna subset describes any subset of a set comprising the at least one transmitting antenna and the at least two receiving antennas.

[0009] The method according to the invention thus serves for the early detection of precipitation deposits on the radome of the vehicle's radar sensor. The method according to the invention also serves for the control and / or regulation of at least one heating element of the radome as a result of the early detection of precipitation deposits on the radome. The method can be executed, for example, on a computing device of the radar sensor and / or on a computing device of the vehicle. The computing device can be embodied, for example, as an electronic control unit comprising one or more programmable processors.

[0010] First, the transmission signal is emitted using at least one transmitting antenna of the radar sensor. Modern radar sensors are usually so-called multi-channel systems with a large number of transmitting antennas. The basic principle of the method according to the invention requires one transmitting antenna. However, if the radar sensor has multiple transmitting antennas, for example, 2 transmitting antennas, 4 transmitting antennas, 8 transmitting antennas, 16 transmitting antennas, or the like, the method for early precipitation deposition detection can be refined and optimized. In the following, however, the method is described in a general sense with at least one transmitting antenna, although it is well understood that this could also refer to 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. transmitting antennas.

[0011] The transmission signal transmitted by the at least one transmission antenna can be reflected by an object in the vicinity of the vehicle. In particular, the transmitted transmission signal can be reflected back to the radar sensor. As a result, the reflected transmission signal can be detected by the radar sensor's at least two reception antennas. The transmission signal reflected back by the object in the vicinity of the vehicle, which is received by the at least two reception antennas, is also referred to as the reception signal.

[0012] Modern radar sensors in vehicles are usually so-called frequency-modulated continuous wave radars (FMCW radars). The object in the surrounding area can be described from a difference signal, which describes the difference in frequency between the transmitted signal and the received signal. Typically, a distance and an (azimuth) angle can be assigned to the object. The more receiving antennas the radar sensor has, the more accurately the (azimuth) angle can be determined. Therefore, modern radar sensors today usually comprise 4 receiving antennas, 8 receiving antennas, 16 receiving antennas, 32 receiving antennas, or the like. The method according to the invention requires at least two receiving antennas. In the general sense, we therefore speak of at least two receiving antennas, although this can also mean 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. receiving antennas.

[0013] The received signal can be detected by each of the at least two receiving antennas and evaluated separately. This makes it possible to determine the power, phase, and / or amplitude of the received signal for each of the at least two receiving antennas and compare them with each other. In other words, the received signal detected by a first receiving antenna can be compared with the received signal detected by a second receiving antenna. In particular, the phase, amplitude, and / or frequency can be compared with each other. For example, the amplitude or power of the received signal may differ between the receiving antennas if one of the at least two receiving antennas has precipitation deposits on the radome and within its field of view.

[0014] This allows an attenuation parameter to be determined that describes the attenuation of the received signal due to precipitation deposition. In particular, the attenuation parameter can be vector-valued. The attenuation parameter can thus specify an attenuation value for each of the at least two receiving antennas and / or for each of the at least one transmitting antennas, which describes the attenuation of the received signal due to precipitation for each of the at least two receiving antennas and / or for each of the at least one transmitting antennas.

[0015] A heating signal can then be output to control and / or regulate the at least one heating element of the radome. The heating signal can be output as a function of the attenuation parameter. In addition, the heating signal can also describe the heating area of ​​the radome. This allows the at least one heating element to be controlled individually for the respective antenna which has a precipitation deposit within its field of view. Previous methods for detecting precipitation deposits on a radome can also determine an attenuation parameter under certain circumstances. However, with the method according to the invention, a precipitation deposit is detected at an early stage. For example, a precipitation deposit on the radome is already detected when only one of the antennas of the radar sensor or one field of view is affected by the precipitation deposit.Previous methods are not as sensitive and often require a certain minimum attenuation. In particular, with a large number of receiving and / or transmitting antennas, the overall attenuation is lower if only one of the antennas is affected by the precipitation deposition. Consequently, with the method according to the invention, the sensitivity of precipitation deposition detection increases the more receiving and / or transmitting antennas the radar sensor has.

[0016] In summary, the method according to the invention can be used to individually detect for each antenna whether precipitation is deposited in its field of view. The respective antenna can be associated with a heating area, which, for example, encompasses the antenna's field of view. If a deposit is detected by the method, the heating area or the heating element configured to regulate the temperature of the corresponding heating area can be controlled accordingly.

[0017] Radome temperature control often requires considerable heating power. For example, the heating power can be 100 watts or more. To avoid unnecessary waste of energy and – in the case of battery-electric vehicles – range, the method according to the invention can be used to make radome temperature control more sustainable and efficient. Early detection of precipitation deposition also enables preconditioning of the radome heating element. This allows for optimal selection of the activation time for a radome heater. Furthermore, a spatially resolved heating strategy is possible. This allows heating power to be further reduced. In battery-powered vehicles, the range can be further increased.

[0018] A further advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention provides that the heating signal additionally describes the at least one heating area of ​​the radome within which the premature precipitation deposition is detected. If the radome of the radar sensor has, for example, several areas with independent heating elements, individual regions of the radome or sub-areas of the radome can be temperature-controlled separately. In such a case, it can be helpful if the heating signal controls or regulates precisely that sub-area or heating area of ​​the radome within which the precipitation deposition is detected. This allows the radome to be temperature-controlled in a targeted manner while saving unnecessary heating power. Such energy savings can be particularly advantageous for battery-electric vehicles.

[0019] It is also advantageous if, when determining the attenuation parameter, at least one receiving antenna attenuation parameter is determined for one of the at least two receiving antennas, wherein the receiving antenna attenuation parameter describes the precipitation-related attenuation at one of the at least two receiving antennas. In other words, it can be advantageous if a value for the attenuation of one of the at least two receiving antennas is determined.

[0020] For the early detection of precipitation deposits on the radome of the radar sensor and for the control and / or regulation of the at least one heating element of the radome, it is a priori not necessary to explicitly determine attenuation values ​​for the receiving antennas. By determining at least one receiving antenna attenuation parameter, more sensitive and thus earlier detection of precipitation deposits can be enabled. In particular, early detection of precipitation deposits can be detected within a field of view of one of the at least two receiving antennas. Thus, the method can provide a sensitive (virtual) sensor for detecting precipitation deposits on the radome. Furthermore, a heating strategy or the temperature control of the radome can be improved.

[0021] A further advantageous embodiment, which functions analogously to the case just described, provides that when determining the attenuation parameter, at least one transmitting antenna attenuation parameter is determined for one of the at least one transmitting antennas, wherein the transmitting antenna attenuation parameter describes the attenuation caused by precipitation deposition on one of the at least one transmitting antennas. In other words, a precipitation-related deposit in a field of view or a transmission range of the at least one transmitting antenna can be detected by means of a transmitting antenna attenuation parameter, which describes a value for the attenuation of the transmission signal transmitted by one of the transmitting antennas. The heating signal can thus be used to specifically control the temperature of the transmission range or the field of view (if the respective transmitting antenna is associated with a corresponding heating range) of the at least one transmitting antenna.Further advantages apply analogously to the embodiment just described, which includes determining a receiving antenna attenuation parameter.

[0022] A further advantageous embodiment provides that determining the attenuation parameter comprises a radar target comparison, in which antenna-specific radar target signals, which are determined using the received signal for each of the at least two receiving antennas and describe one (and the same) object in the surroundings of the vehicle, are compared with one another. In other words, it can be helpful if a radar target is first detected using the received signal from each of the at least two receiving antennas. The object is preferably located at least 10 meters from the radar sensor. The object is preferably located within an azimuth angle range of a maximum of ±20° in front of the radar sensor.

[0023] For example, it is possible for a target to be detected at a distance of 20 meters using each of the at least two receiving antennas or their received signal. Each of the targets or objects detected in this way can be assigned a signal power, an amplitude, a phase, or the like. The attenuation parameter can thus be determined by a comparison across (receiving) antennas. For example, if the received power using the first of the at least two receiving antennas is lower than the power of the second of the at least two receiving antennas, precipitation-related deposition in the field of view of the first receiving antenna can be inferred. The attenuation parameter can be determined from such a power difference. For the radar target comparison, the amplitude of the radar target, the phase of the radar target, and / or the frequency can be compared.In other words, it is advantageous if the radar target comparison includes a comparison of the amplitude, phase, and / or frequency of the antenna-specific radar target signals. If the radar target comparison includes a phase comparison, it may be advantageous if the at least two receiving antennas comprise 3, 4, ..., 8, ..., 16, or more receiving antennas.

[0024] It can also be advantageous if a temporal and / or spatial plausibility check is performed during the radar target comparison. During the temporal plausibility check, the radar target comparison can be repeated during another measurement cycle of the radar sensor. During the spatial plausibility check, the radar target comparison can be repeated with at least one other antenna-specific radar target signal describing another object in the vehicle's surroundings. In other words, a temporal and / or spatial plausibility check allows for a more reliable determination of the attenuation parameter. It is also conceivable for the attenuation parameter to be averaged over time and / or space.

[0025] A further aspect of the invention relates to a computing device for the early detection of precipitation deposits on a radome of a radar sensor of a vehicle and for the control and / or regulation of at least one heating element of the radome. The computing device is configured to control the radar sensor to transmit a transmission signal using at least one transmission antenna of the radar sensor. Furthermore, the computing device is configured to receive a reception signal detected by at least two reception antennas of the radar sensor, the reception signal describing the transmission signal reflected by an object in the vehicle's surroundings. The computing device is also configured to determine an attenuation parameter that describes an attenuation of the reception signal caused by precipitation deposits.Finally, the computing device is also configured to control and / or regulate the at least one heating element of the radome by means of a heating signal depending on the attenuation parameter. Furthermore, the computing device is configured to detect premature precipitation deposition in the at least one heating region of the radome based on the attenuation parameter, wherein the at least one heating region describes a subregion of the radome, and to associate the at least one heating region of the radome with an antenna subset, wherein the antenna subset describes any subset of a set comprising the at least one transmitting antenna and the at least two receiving antennas.

[0026] The computing device can be designed, for example, as an electronic control unit comprising one or more programmable processors. The computing device can also be configured to carry out the advantageous embodiments of the method according to the invention.

[0027] A computer-readable (storage) medium according to the invention comprises instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to carry out a method according to the invention and the advantageous embodiments thereof.

[0028] A temperature-controlled radar sensor system for a vehicle according to the invention comprises a radar sensor configured to transmit a transmission signal using at least one transmission antenna and to detect a reception signal using at least two reception antennas. The temperature-controlled radar sensor system additionally comprises a radome, which in turn comprises at least one heating region, which can be temperature-controlled using at least one heating element and which is arranged at least partially within a field of view of an antenna subset, wherein the antenna subset describes any subset of a set comprising the at least one transmission antenna and the at least two reception antennas. Furthermore, the temperature-controlled radar sensor system comprises at least one heating element configured to temperature-control at least one heating region of the radome as a result of a heating signal output by a computing device.Finally, the temperature-controlled radar sensor system comprises a computing device for the early detection of precipitation deposits on the radome of the radar sensor of the vehicle and for the control and / or regulation of at least one heating element of the radome.

[0029] A further aspect of the invention relates to a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the device to execute a method according to the invention and the advantageous embodiments thereof. Furthermore, the invention relates to a vehicle comprising a temperature-controlled radar sensor system. The vehicle can be designed, in particular, as a passenger car.

[0030] The preferred embodiments presented with reference to the method according to the invention and their advantages apply accordingly to the computing device according to the invention, to the computer-readable (storage) medium according to the invention, and to the temperature-controlled radar sensor system according to the invention. Furthermore, the preferred embodiments presented with reference to the method according to the invention and their advantages also apply to the computer program according to the invention and to the vehicle according to the invention.

[0031] Further features of the invention emerge from the claims, the figures, and the description of the figures. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description, as well as the features and combinations of features mentioned below in the description of the figures and / or shown alone in the figures, can be used not only in the respective combinations specified, but also in other combinations or on their own, without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0032] The invention will now be explained in more detail using preferred embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a temperature-controlled radar sensor system, in which attenuation of the received signal occurs due to precipitation deposition.

[0033] Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a temperature-controlled radar sensor system analogous to Fig. 1 , wherein the temperature-controlled radar sensor system has two heating elements,

[0034] Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of a temperature-controlled radar sensor system analogous to Fig. 1 , wherein an attenuation of the transmission signal occurs due to precipitation deposition,

[0035] Fig. 4 is a schematic representation of a temperature-controlled radar sensor system analogous to Fig. 1 , wherein the temperature-controlled radar sensor system has three heating elements and an attenuation of the received signal occurs within several heating areas due to two precipitation deposits.

[0036] Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a temperature-controlled radar sensor system 1 for a vehicle. The temperature-controlled radar sensor system 1 comprises a radar sensor 2, which is configured to transmit a transmission signal 3 using at least one transmission antenna 4 and to detect a reception signal 5 using at least two reception antennas 6. The temperature-controlled radar sensor system 1 further comprises a radome 7, which in turn comprises at least one heating region 8. The heating region 8 can be arranged within a field of view of an antenna subset. The at least one heating region 8 can be temperature-controlled using at least one heating element 9, shown hatched here. The at least one heating element 9 can be designed, for example, as a heating wire or a heating foil.

[0037] A precipitation deposit 10 is located on the radome 7 of the radar sensor 2. Such a precipitation deposit 10 can lead to the transmission signal 4 reflected by an object 11 in the surroundings, i.e., the reception signal 5, being received in an attenuated manner. In Figure 1, such an attenuated reception signal 5' is represented by the dashed arrow 5'. The attenuated reception signal 5' can be detected by one of the at least two reception antennas 6. The reception signal 5 detected by the at least two reception antennas 6, or the attenuated reception signal 5', can then be processed by a computing device 12. The temperature-controlled radar sensor system 1 finally comprises such a computing device 12. The computing device 12 serves for the early detection of precipitation deposits on the radome 7 of the radar sensor 2. The computing device 12 also serves for the control and / or regulation of at least one heating element 9 of the radome 2.For this purpose, the computing device 12 can output a heating signal 13 to the at least one heating element 9.

[0038] Finally, Figure 1 also shows the radar target signals 14 of the at least two receiving antennas 6. In other words, Figure 1 also shows the radar target signals 14 for each of the receiving antennas of the at least two receiving antennas 6 from Figure 1. The right receiving antenna of the at least two receiving antennas 6 can detect a lower power of the radar target signal 14 due to the precipitation deposit 10. The object 11 can be described by the peak 1 T within the radar target signals 14. Based on the difference 15, which results from the (amplitude) difference between the two peaks 11 and 11' of the radar target signals 14, an attenuation parameter, for example, can be determined. Depending on the attenuation parameter, the heating signal 13 can be output to the at least one heating element 9.

[0039] Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of a temperature-controlled radar sensor system 1 analogous to Figure 1. In Figure 2, the temperature-controlled radar sensor system 1 or the radome 7 has two heating areas 8' and 8". The two heating areas 8' and 8" thus form at least one heating area 8 of the temperature-controlled radar sensor system 1.

[0040] In addition, the temperature-controlled radar sensor system also has two heating elements 9' and 9". In other words, the at least one heating element 9 is formed by the two heating elements 9' and 9". The two heating elements 9' and 9" can be controlled independently of one another by the computing device 12 using the heating signal 13. The precipitation deposit 10 can be precisely localized and assigned to one of the heating areas 8' or 8". In Figure 2, the precipitation deposit 10 is located within the heating area 8". The at least two receiving antennas 6, shown here as three receiving antennas, can be associated with the heating area 8", since the field of view of the at least two receiving antennas 6 encompasses the heating area 8" or at least overlaps with the heating area 8". As a result, the precipitation-related attenuation due to the precipitation deposit 10 can be assigned to the heating area 8".As a result, the heating element 9" can be controlled by the computing device 12 using the heating signal 13. The heating signal 13 can describe the at least one heating area 8, so that the heating area 8' is not tempered by the heating element 9' even if the heating signal 13 of each of the at least one heating element 9 is output.

[0041] Figure 3 shows a schematic representation of a temperature-controlled radar sensor system 1 according to Figure 2, wherein the precipitation deposit 10 already leads to an attenuation of the transmission signal 3. The attenuated transmission signal is represented by the dashed arrow 3'. The attenuated transmission signal, which is reflected by the object 11, also leads to the reception signal 5 being completely attenuated. The attenuated reception signal 5' is represented by the dashed arrows 5'. The method according to the invention can also be used to determine if the precipitation deposit 10 leads to an attenuation of the transmission signal 3 from one of the at least one transmission antenna 4. For this purpose, it is advantageous if different coding or multiplexing methods are used.

[0042] Coding and / or multiplexing methods, such as the so-called time-division multiplexing method, in which the transmitting antennas of the at least one transmitting antenna 4 transmit at different times, make it possible to assign a precipitation deposit 10 in the field of view of one of the at least one transmitting antenna 4, represented here by three transmitting antennas, to an explicit transmitting antenna. In Figure 2, the time-division multiplexing method is illustrated by the fact that the middle of the at least one transmitting antenna 4 transmits a transmission signal 3. At a later point in time, it is therefore conceivable that one of the other two transmitting antennas of the at least one transmitting antenna 4 transmits the transmission signal 3.

[0043] In Figure 3, an identically attenuated received signal 5' is received by the at least two receiving antennas, represented here by three receiving antennas. Since all of the at least two receiving antennas 6 receive an attenuated received signal 5', it can be concluded that precipitation 10 has formed within the heating area 8'. Depending on the attenuation parameter thus determined, the heating element 9', which is configured to control the temperature of the heating area 8', can be controlled and / or regulated by the computing device 12 using the heating signal 13 describing the corresponding heating area 8'.

[0044] Figure 4 shows a further embodiment of a temperature-controlled radar sensor system 1, wherein the at least one heating region 8 is formed by a first heating region 8', a second heating region 8", and a third heating region 8'". Accordingly, the temperature-controlled radar sensor system 1 has a first heating element 9', a second heating element 9", and a third heating element 9'" as the at least one heating element 9. In other words, the at least one heating element 9 is formed by the first, the second, and the third heating element.

[0045] The exemplary embodiment of Figure 4 is intended to illustrate that it is also possible for one of the at least one heating areas 8 to be assigned both one of the at least one transmitting antenna 4 and one of the at least two receiving antennas 6. For example, the antenna subset 16 can be assigned to the first heating area 8' of the at least one heating area 8. In the exemplary embodiment of Figure 4, the antenna subset 16 forms a subset of the set comprising the at least one transmitting antenna 4 and the at least two receiving antennas 6. In other words, the antenna subset 16 comprises both transmitting antennas of the at least one transmitting antenna 4 and one of the receiving antennas of the at least two receiving antennas 6.

Claims

Claims Method for early detection of precipitation deposits on a radome (7) of a radar sensor (2) of a vehicle and for controlling and / or regulating at least one heating element (9) of the radome (7), comprising the steps: - Emitting a transmit signal (3, 3') by means of at least one transmitting antenna (4) of the radar sensor (2), - Detection of a received signal (5, 5') by means of at least two receiving antennas (6) of the radar sensor (2), wherein the received signal (5, 5') describes the transmitted signal (3, 3') reflected by an object (11) in the vicinity of the vehicle, - Determining an attenuation parameter that describes precipitation-induced attenuation of the received signal (5, 5'), and - Output of a heating signal (13) for controlling and / or regulating the at least one heating element (9, 9', 9", 9'") of the radome (7), wherein the heating signal (13) is output depending on the damping parameter, characterized in that - based on the damping parameter, an early precipitation deposition (10) in at least one heating area (8,8',8",8"') of the radome (7) is detected, wherein the at least one heating area (8, 8', 8", 8'") describes a sub-area of ​​the radome (7), and - for this purpose, at least one heating zone (8, 8', 8", 8'") of the radome (7) is associated with an antenna subset (16), wherein the antenna subset (16) describes any subset of a set comprising the at least one transmitting antenna (4) and the at least two receiving antennas (6). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the heating signal (13) additionally describes the at least one heating zone (8, 8', 8", 8'") of the radome (7) within which the early precipitation deposition (10) is detected. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, when determining the attenuation parameter, at least one receiving antenna attenuation parameter is determined for one of the at least two receiving antennas (6), wherein the receiving antenna attenuation parameter describes the precipitation-induced attenuation at one of the at least two receiving antennas (6). A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that, when determining the attenuation parameter, at least one transmitting antenna attenuation parameter is determined for one of the at least one transmitting antenna (4), wherein the transmitting antenna attenuation parameter describes the precipitation-induced attenuation at one of the at least one transmitting antenna (4).A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that determining the attenuation parameter comprises a radar target comparison in which antenna-specific radar target signals (14), which are determined by means of the received signal (5, 5') for each of the at least two receiving antennas (6) and describe an object (11) in the vicinity of the vehicle, are compared with each other. A method according to claim 5, characterized in that the radar target comparison comprises a comparison of the amplitude, phase and / or frequency of the antenna-specific radar target signals (14).Method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that a temporal and / or spatial plausibility check is performed during the radar target comparison, wherein in the case of temporal plausibility check the radar target comparison is repeated during a further measurement cycle of the radar sensor (2) and in the case of spatial plausibility check the radar target comparison is repeated with at least one further antenna-specific radar target signal (14) which describes a further object in the vicinity of the vehicle. Computing device (12) for early detection of precipitation deposition on a radome (7) of a radar sensor (2) of a vehicle and for controlling and / or regulating at least one heating element (9, 9', 9“, 9'“) of the radome (7), which is configured for: - to control the radar sensor (2) to emit a transmit signal (3, 3') by means of at least one transmitting antenna (4) of the radar sensor (2), - to receive a received signal (5, 5') detected by means of at least two receiving antennas (6) of the radar sensor (2), wherein the received signal (5, 5') describes the transmitted signal (3, 3') reflected by an object (11) in the vicinity of the vehicle, - to determine an attenuation parameter that describes precipitation-induced attenuation of the received signal (5, 5'), and - to control and / or regulate at least one heating element (9, 9', 9", 9'") of the radome (7) by means of a heating signal (13) depending on the damping parameter, characterized in that the computing device (12) is further configured for this purpose - to detect early precipitation deposition (10) in at least one heating area (8, 8', 8", 8'") of the radome using the damping parameter, wherein the at least one heating area (8, 8', 8", 8'") describes a sub-area of ​​the radome (7), and - to associate the heating area (8, 8', 8", 8'") of the radome (7) with an antenna subset (16), where the antenna subset (16) describes any subset of a set that includes at least one transmitting antenna (4) and at least two receiving antennas (6). Computer-readable (storage) medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device (12), cause it to: - to control the radar sensor (2) to emit a transmit signal (3, 3') by means of at least one transmitting antenna (4) of the radar sensor (2), - to receive a received signal (5, 5') detected by means of at least two receiving antennas (6) of the radar sensor (2), wherein the received signal (5, 5') describes the transmitted signal (3, 3') reflected by an object (11) in the vicinity of the vehicle, - to determine an attenuation parameter that describes precipitation-induced attenuation of the received signal (5, 5'), and - to control and / or regulate at least one heating element (9, 9', 9", 9'") of the radome (7) by means of a heating signal (13) depending on the damping parameter, characterized in that the computer-readable (storage) medium, when executed by the computing device (12), further causes it to: - to detect early precipitation deposition (10) in at least one heating area (8, 8', 8", 8'") of the radome using the damping parameter, wherein the at least one heating area (8, 8', 8", 8'") describes a sub-area of ​​the radome (7), and - to associate at least one heating area (8, 8', 8", 8'") of the radome (7) with an antenna subset (16), wherein the antenna subset (16) describes any subset of a set that includes at least one transmitting antenna (4) and at least two receiving antennas (6). Operable radar sensor system (1) for a vehicle, comprising: - Radar sensor (2) which is configured to transmit a signal by means of at least one transmitting antenna (4) and to detect a received signal (5, 5') by means of at least two receiving antennas (6), - Radome (7), comprising at least one heating area (8, 8', 8", 8'"), which can be temperature controlled by means of at least one heating element (9, 9', 9", 9'") and which is arranged at least partially within a field of view of an antenna subset (16), wherein the antenna subset (16) describes an arbitrary subset of a set which includes the at least one transmitting antenna (4) and the at least two receiving antennas (6), - at least one heating element (9, 9', 9", 9'"), which is configured to temper the at least one heating area (8, 8', 8", 8'") of the radome (7) as a result of a heating signal (13) output by a computing device (12), and - Computing device according to claim 8 for early detection of precipitation deposits on the radome (7) of the radar sensor (2) of the vehicle and for controlling and / or regulating the at least one heating element (9, 9', 9", 9'") of the radome (7).

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