Radar system and method for determining objects in space

Abstract

A radar system comprising at least one movably arranged position estimation sensor designed as a radar sensor and means for determining a position estimation sensor position of the at least one position estimation sensor, in which the at least one position estimation sensor has means for generating a non-uniform radiation characteristic, the means for generating the non-uniform radiation characteristic being designed such that a position estimation beam lobe formed by said means has a signal amplitude that depends on a first position estimation angle, whereby the signal amplitude has a position estimation signal profile, and the position estimation signal profile depends on a second position estimation angle. A radar system and a method for determining an object in space, in which a second position estimation component of a reflected position estimation signal is determined by correlating the reflected signal profile with the non-uniform radiation characteristic of the position estimation sensor.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a radar system and method for determining objects in space. [Background technology]

[0002] To determine objects in space, particularly for localization, radar sensors are used that are arranged on a rotor and thus rotatable about the axis of rotation. The azimuth angle of a reflected signal detected by the radar sensor can be determined by the rotor's position. The azimuth angle corresponds to the azimuth position of the object in space that reflects the signal. To determine the elevation angle, it is known to use a radar sensor with multiple receive antennas spaced apart from one another. The phase shift when the reflected signal is detected by several receive antennas and the known spacing between the receive antennas can determine the elevation angle of the reflected signal. Furthermore, the elevation angle can be determined using the so-called phased array method, in which multiple transmit antennas are used and a signal is transmitted from each transmit antenna with a specific phase shift. This allows the propagating transmit beam to be deflected in its propagation direction.

[0003] Patent Document 1 is an example of prior art. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0267160 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] A drawback of known systems and methods is that a large number of transmitting and / or receiving antennas are required to determine the elevation angle, making the system highly complex. Correspondingly, the processing of the transmitted and received signals is also complex. In this case, the complexity further increases as the resolution of the system increases. Correspondingly, conventional radar systems are expensive.

[0006] The invention is therefore based on the problem of providing a radar system that can reliably and accurately determine objects in space and that has low development, production and operating costs.

[0007] The invention is also based on the problem of providing a method that allows reliable and accurate determination of objects in space and that can be easily implemented. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to the invention, the above problem is solved by a radar system having the features of claim 1, a method having the features of claim 17 and a radar system having the features of claim 26. Advantageous embodiments and developments of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims.

[0009] The radar system according to the present invention includes at least one position estimation sensor, which is designed as a movably arranged radar sensor. The position estimation sensor can be designed to transmit and / or receive. The movably arranged position estimation sensor allows scanning of a large area. The radar system according to the present invention further includes means for determining the position estimation sensor position. The at least one position estimation sensor includes means for generating a non-uniform radiation characteristic, which is designed so that a position estimation beam lobe formed by the means has a signal amplitude that depends on a first position estimation angle, whereby the signal amplitude has a position estimation signal profile. The position estimation signal profile depends on a second position estimation angle. The position estimation signal profile particularly represents a progression of the signal amplitude that depends on the first position estimation angle relative to the second position estimation angle.

[0010] The signal amplitude can be plotted as a function of the first and second position estimation angles in an antenna radiation pattern. To determine the signal amplitude of the position estimation sensor, a position estimation beam lobe can be directed, in particular toward a reference object, and the signal amplitude can be determined based on the reflected signal. By designing the radiation characteristic as non-uniform, the radiation characteristic can have an irregular progression, in particular in the direction of the first position estimation angle and / or the direction of the second position estimation angle. Preferably, the non-uniformity of the radiation characteristic allows the second position estimation angle to be inferred from the position estimation signal profile. The signal amplitude can be designed as a complex signal amplitude, in particular including a signal amplitude and a signal phase.

[0011] In particular, the first position estimation angle is arranged in the azimuth direction, and the second position estimation angle is arranged in the elevation direction. Here and below, the direction of rotation, in particular about the vertical axis, is referred to as the azimuth direction. Accordingly, the azimuth angle can represent the angle between two points located in a horizontal plane relative to the vertical axis. The position estimation sensor is designed to be rotatable, in particular about the vertical axis, i.e., rotatable in the azimuth direction. Here and below, the direction of rotation, in particular about the horizontal axis, is referred to as the elevation direction. The elevation angle can represent the angle between two points located in a vertical plane relative to the horizontal axis.

[0012] In particular, the radiation characteristics are non-uniform so that the correlations of the position estimation signal profiles for different second position estimation angles each have a maximum value of 0.5 or less, preferably 0.3 or less, and particularly preferably 0.1 or less. This makes it possible to provide relatively dissimilar position estimation signal profiles for different second position estimation angles, and thus radiation characteristics with a high degree of non-uniformity. This makes it possible to reliably assign a specific position estimation signal profile to a specific second position estimation angle.

[0013] The means for generating a non-uniform radiation characteristic can be formed by a cover. The cover is preferably arranged in front of the at least one position estimation sensor. The cover can be made of plastic, in particular. The cover can be a simple way to generate non-uniformity in the position estimation beam lobe. The cover can have a different thickness and / or structure over its area. In particular, the structure and / or thickness can correspond to a signal amplitude.

[0014] In one development of the invention, the means for generating a non-uniform radiation characteristic are formed by a transmitting antenna and / or a receiving antenna having an antenna array with a plurality of antenna elements, the individual antenna elements being at least partially irregularly spaced from one another and / or oriented differently and / or at least partially located at different levels. By arranging the antenna elements in this way, a non-uniformity of the radiation characteristic can be achieved. The antenna elements may in particular have different rotational orientations.

[0015] The position estimation beam lobes are designed to have a second opening angle of at least 90°, particularly at least 120°, with the ratio of the second opening angle of the position estimation beam lobe to the first opening angle of the position estimation beam lobe being greater than 5:1, particularly greater than 10:1. The position estimation beam lobes can therefore have an elliptical or approximately rectangular cross section. In particular, the second opening angle is disposed in the elevation direction, and the first opening angle is disposed in the azimuth direction. Therefore, it is preferred that the long side of the cross section of the position estimation beam lobe is disposed vertically. Position estimation of an object in space requires particularly high resolution and the highest possible update rate. This can be achieved by the movable arrangement and the geometric shape of the position estimation beam lobes. The position estimation sensor can achieve high resolution, particularly due to the relatively narrow cross section of the position estimation beam lobes.

[0016] Preferably, at least one position estimation sensor is arranged on the rotor, the rotor being rotatably arranged relative to the stator, and the means for determining the position estimation sensor position is designed to detect the position of the rotor relative to the stator.

[0017] In particular, the means for determining the position of the position estimation sensor is formed by an encoder system having at least one read head and a mass scale. The encoder system is arranged in the radar system, in particular, so that at least one read head is arranged on the rotor and the mass scale is arranged on the stator. It is particularly preferred that the encoder system has a first read head and a second read head. This allows the encoder system to be designed at least partially redundant.

[0018] In one development of the invention, the radar system has a first position estimation sensor and a second position estimation sensor, which are arranged on the rotor, in particular offset by 180°, in particular in the azimuth direction. This allows for an increased update rate of the radar system. Furthermore, redundancy can be achieved, thereby achieving a higher level of fail-safety. In particular, the first read head is assigned to the first position estimation sensor, and the second read head is assigned to the second position estimation sensor. In this case, the position estimation beam lobes of the first position estimation sensor and the second position estimation sensor can be designed to be at least approximately identical or different.

[0019] The radar system may have a position estimation calculation unit designed to determine a first position estimation component, a second position estimation component, and a distance value of a reflected position estimation signal. The reflected position estimation signal is, in particular, a signal reflected by an object in space due to the emission of a position estimation beam lobe. In particular, the reflected position estimation signal is detected by a position estimation sensor and processed by the position estimation calculation unit. Due to the non-uniform design of the radiation characteristics of the position estimation sensor, a second position estimation angle of the reflected position estimation signal can be estimated from the position estimation signal profile of the reflected position estimation signal, and thus the position of the reflecting object. The determination of the first position estimation component can, in particular, be determined based on the detected position estimation sensor position. To determine the distance value, in particular, the propagation time between the transmission of the position estimation signal and the detection of the reflected position estimation signal can be used. For this purpose, the position estimation calculation unit is, in particular, connected to at least one position estimation sensor and to a means for determining the position estimation sensor position. In particular, the position estimation calculation unit is arranged on the rotor. The radar system may have a rotary feedthrough for passing supply and data lines between the rotor and the stator.

[0020] Furthermore, the radar system may comprise a first position estimation calculation unit and a second position estimation calculation unit for further redundancy and to further increase the fail-safety of the radar system.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first position estimation component is formed by an azimuth angle and the second position estimation component is formed by an elevation angle, which can specifically represent the position when at least one position estimation sensor is rotatably arranged.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one position estimation calculation unit is designed to compare the second reflected position estimation signal with the first reflected position estimation signal having the same first position estimation component and further process only the different signal components. The surrounding environment scanned by the position estimation sensor may contain objects that are stationary relative to the position estimation sensor, and the position estimation signals reflected by these objects do not change or only change slightly over time. By comparing the second reflected position estimation signal with the first reflected position estimation signal, stationary objects can be distinguished from objects that move relative to the position estimation sensor. Furthermore, the comparison can reduce the amount of data to be transmitted and further processed, thereby improving the dynamics and accuracy of the radar system in particular. In particular, the position estimation calculation unit is designed to perform the comparison for each motion cycle of the position estimation sensor, for example, for each rotation.

[0023] In one development of the invention, the radar system has at least one identification sensor for identifying an object, which can generate an identification beam lobe, and the at least one identification sensor is designed as a fixed radar sensor. The object is identified, in particular, by a characteristic radar signature generated by the object. The radar signature can include a spectrum of Doppler frequencies, a so-called Doppler signature, which can be used to distinguish living objects from non-living objects with high resolution. High resolution for the Doppler signature requires a relatively long observation time, which may be inconsistent with a high update rate for estimating the object's position. By having the radar system include at least one rotatable position estimation sensor and, in particular, at least one fixed identification sensor, the radar system can provide ideal conditions for simultaneously estimating and identifying an object in space.

[0024] In particular, the identification beam lobe has a first opening angle of at least 90°, particularly preferably at least 120°, and the identification beam lobe has a second opening angle of at least 90°, particularly preferably at least 120°. The identification beam lobe therefore has a cross section that is in particular circular or approximately square. Furthermore, the first opening angle and the second opening angle of the identification beam lobe are relatively large, which allows a large area to be detected by the identification sensor.

[0025] Preferably, at least one identification sensor is arranged on the stator, which allows for a simple and uniform structure of the radar system. In one development of the invention, the radar system has a first discrimination sensor and a second discrimination sensor, which are arranged on the stator, in particular, offset by 180°, in particular in the azimuth direction, thereby enabling object discrimination over a wide area. In addition, the radar system can have further discrimination sensors to enable even wider areas to be covered. In this case, the discrimination beam lobes of the different discrimination sensors can be designed to be at least approximately identical or different.

[0026] The radar system may have at least one identification calculation unit designed to identify the radar signature of the reflected identification signal. To this end, the radar system may be designed in particular to assign the Doppler signature of the reflected identification signal to a specific object. In particular, the identification calculation unit may be designed to compare the radar signature of the reflected identification signal with a reference database. The at least one identification calculation unit is preferably connected to the at least one identification sensor. The at least one identification calculation unit may be arranged on the stator.

[0027] Furthermore, the radar system may comprise a first identification calculation unit and a second identification calculation unit for further redundancy and to further increase the fail-safety of the radar system.

[0028] The radar system may have a central computing unit designed to assign the reflected identification signal to the reflected position estimation signal. This allows the radar system to estimate the position of an object in space with high resolution and simultaneously identify it. For this purpose, the central computing unit is preferably connected to at least one position estimation computing unit and at least one identification computing unit. To be able to assign the reflected identification signal to the reflected position estimation signal, the at least one identification sensor is designed to be able to at least approximately estimate the position of the object, particularly based on the reflected identification signal. For this purpose, the at least one identification sensor preferably has a transmitting antenna and at least two receiving antennas. This allows the reflected identification signal to be processed, particularly by the at least one identification computing unit, using a beamforming method. In this case, the location estimation of the object based on the reflected identification signal may be significantly less accurate than the location estimation based on the reflected position estimation signal.

[0029] The method according to the invention for determining an object in space by means of at least one radar sensor designed as a position estimation sensor, movably arranged and having a non-uniform radiation characteristic, comprises: emitting a position estimation beam lobe; - simultaneously detecting a reflected position estimation signal having a reflection amplitude and an associated position estimation sensor position; repeating the aforementioned steps several times while the localization sensor changes its localization sensor position; creating a reflected signal profile from the reflected amplitudes and associated localized sensor positions; determining a second location estimation component by correlating the reflected signal profile with a non-uniform radiation characteristic of the location estimation sensor.

[0030] If the above description of the radar system contains a feature that corresponds to one of the objective features mentioned for the method and has the same name, the description given for the radar system applies in particular to the objective feature of the method as well. For example, the above description of the position estimation sensor, the position estimation beam lobes or the non-uniform radiation characteristic of the radar system can be applied correspondingly to the position estimation sensor, the position estimation beam lobes or the non-uniform radiation characteristic of the method.

[0031] In particular, at least one position estimation sensor is movably arranged and thus designed to be rotatable. During a movement cycle, particularly during one rotation of the position estimation sensor, position estimation beam lobes can be emitted frequently, so that during the movement cycle of the position estimation sensor, the position estimation beam lobes hit an object that reflects the position estimation signal several times in succession. The position estimation signal reflected by the object and the associated position estimation sensor position are preferably detected correspondingly frequently. Furthermore, the cross section of the object in the movement direction of the at least one position estimation sensor can be smaller than the corresponding cross section of the position estimation beam lobe, so that the reflection amplitude detected in one step represents only a portion of the signal amplitude of the emitted position estimation beam lobe. A reflection amplitude profile can be determined from the reflection amplitudes of the individual reflected position estimation signals and the associated position estimation sensor positions. The reflection amplitude profile is preferably designed in such a way that, by correlation with the radiation characteristic, a second position estimation component can be unambiguously assigned with a particularly high probability. In particular, the second position estimation component is determined by an extremum, particularly a maximum, in the correlation result. In this case, the radiation characteristics can be known from the antenna radiation pattern of the position estimation sensor.

[0032] The first position estimation component of each reflected position estimation signal is determined, inter alia, by the associated position estimation sensor position. A distance value can be determined, inter alia, from the propagation time of the reflected position estimation signal. In particular, the distance of the reflecting object can be determined from the position estimation signal reflected by the object, inter alia, based on the propagation time and / or phase shift between the transmission of the respective position estimation signal and the detection of the associated reflected position estimation signal.

[0033] In particular, the second position estimation component may be formed by an elevation angle, which may take into account the geometric shape of the position estimation beam lobes having a particular opening angle. The first position estimation component may be formed by an azimuth angle, which may advantageously represent the position in space, particularly if at least one position estimation sensor is rotatably arranged.

[0034] The method may be designed to include emitting a position estimation beam lobe and / or detecting a reflected position estimation signal by at least one position estimation sensor. The position estimation sensor can thereby cause its non-uniform radiation characteristics to appear in the emitted position estimation beam lobe and / or the reflected position estimation signal. If the position estimation beam lobe has already been emitted by at least one position estimation sensor, the position estimation beam lobe already has a non-uniformity corresponding to the radiation characteristics of the at least one position estimation sensor. If only the reflected position estimation signal is detected by at least one position estimation sensor, only the reflected position estimation signal or a reflection signal profile created from the reflected position estimation signal has a non-uniformity corresponding to the radiation characteristics of the at least one position estimation sensor. If the position estimation beam lobe is emitted and the reflected position estimation signal is detected by at least one position estimation sensor, the reflection signal profile can have a particularly strong non-uniformity. This can achieve particularly reliable correlation results and high resolution, especially for the second position estimation component. The non-uniform radiation characteristics can be achieved by detecting a position signal reflected by a reference object. The second location estimation component is determined, inter alia, by correlating the reflected signal profile with the radiation characteristics detected in this way.

[0035] Preferably, the method is designed such that the second reflected position estimation signal is compared with the first reflected position estimation signal having the same first position estimation component, according to the above embodiment of the radar system, which can reduce the amount of data to be transmitted and further processed, and further simplify the recognition of moving objects.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment of this method, the reflection amplitude is designed as a complex reflection amplitude, which has a reflection amplitude and a reflection phase, so that the reflection amplitude can contain additional information, which can in particular improve the quality of the correlation result between the reflection amplitude and the radiation characteristic.

[0037] This method is particularly emitting a discrimination beam lobe by a fixed radar sensor designed as a discrimination sensor; detecting a reflected identification signal having a radar signature; identifying a radar signature; and assigning the reflected identification signal to the reflected location estimate signal.

[0038] The radar signature may comprise a spectrum of Doppler frequencies, the so-called Doppler signature, which may be used to distinguish between living and non-living objects with high resolution. The identification of the radar signature is carried out in particular on the basis of the Doppler signature. The identification of the radar signature may in particular involve comparing the reflected identification signal with a reference database.

[0039] Based on the reflected identification signals, the position of the reflecting object can be estimated at least approximately, so that the reflected identification signals can be assigned to the reflected position estimation signals. In particular, for this purpose, the reflected identification signals are processed using a beamforming method. In this case, the position estimation of the object based on the reflected identification signals can be significantly less accurate than the position estimation based on the reflected position estimation signals.

[0040] In particular, the radar system described above is designed to carry out the described method. An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the following figures. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0041] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a radar system; [Figure 2] 1 shows a schematic diagram of the projection of the position estimation beam lobe onto the azimuthal plane. [Figure 3]3 shows a schematic diagram of the location estimation beam lobe and reflecting object arrangement shown in FIG. 2 at a first azimuthal position. [Figure 4] 4 shows a schematic diagram of the arrangement shown in FIG. 3, with the position estimation beam lobe positioned at a second azimuthal position. [Figure 5] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a method for determining an object in space; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0042] The same reference numbers are used for the same and functionally identical parts. FIG. 1 shows a radar system 100 including a first position estimation sensor 1.1 and a second position estimation sensor 10.1, which are designed as rotatable radar sensors. In particular, the first position estimation sensor 1.1 and the second position estimation sensor 10.1 are identical. The first position estimation sensor 1.1 and the second position estimation sensor 10.1 can be arranged on a rotor 3.1. The first position estimation sensor 1.1 and the second position estimation sensor 10.1 can then be arranged 180° apart in the azimuth direction, and thus, in particular, opposite each other. The rotor 3.1 can be arranged rotatably in the azimuth direction 3.7 about a rotation axis 3.6 relative to a stator 4.1. The rotatable arrangement of the position estimation sensors 1.1 and 10.1 allows scanning of a large area, in particular an area of ​​360°.

[0043] Furthermore, the radar system 100 can include an encoder system having a first read head 3.2.1, a second read head 3.2.2, and a material scale 4.2. The encoder system is particularly designed to detect the azimuthal position of the rotor 3.1 relative to the stator 4.1. The encoder system can thereby be used to determine the positions of the position estimation sensors 1.1, 10.1. The encoder system is particularly arranged in the radar system 100 such that the first read head 3.2.1 and the second read head 3.2.2 are arranged on the rotor 3.1, and the material scale 4.2 is arranged on the stator 4.1. In particular, the first read head 3.2.1 is assigned to the first position estimation sensor 1.1, and the second read head 3.2.2 is assigned to the second position estimation sensor 10.1.

[0044] The first and second position estimation sensors 1.1, 10.1 can each generate a position estimation beam lobe 1.3 having a transmission amplitude, where the position estimation beam lobes 1.3 of the first and second position estimation sensors 1.1, 10.1 can be designed to be at least approximately the same or different.

[0045] 2 shows a schematic diagram of the projection of a position estimation beam lobe 1.3 onto an azimuth plane. The signal amplitude depends on a first position estimation angle 50, which is preferably arranged in the azimuth direction. This allows the signal amplitude to have a position estimation signal profile 52. The position estimation signal profile 52 depends on a second position estimation angle 54, which is preferably arranged perpendicular to the first position estimation angle 50 and therefore preferably in the elevation direction (see FIG. 1). The radiation characteristics of the position estimation sensors 1.1, 10.1 can be non-uniform, which causes the position estimation beam lobes 1.3 emitted by the position estimation sensors 1.1, 10.1 to also be non-uniform.

[0046] In particular, the radiation characteristics are non-uniform so as to provide a maximum correlation of position estimation signal profiles 52 for different second position estimation angles 54 of 0.5 or less, preferably 0.3 or less, and particularly preferably 0.1 or less, thereby providing relatively dissimilar position estimation signal profiles 52 for different second position estimation angles 54, and thus radiation characteristics having a high degree of non-uniformity, thereby enabling a specific position estimation signal profile 52 to be reliably assigned to a specific second position estimation angle 54 relatively.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 1, the position estimation sensor 1.1, 10.1 may have a cover 1.2 for generating a non-uniform transmission amplitude. The cover 1.2 may be made of plastic, in particular. The cover 1.2 may be a simple way to generate non-uniformity in the radiation characteristics of the position estimation sensor 1.1, 10.1. The cover 1.2 may have different thicknesses and / or structures across its area. In particular, the structure and / or thickness may correspond to the transmission amplitude.

[0048] The position estimation beam lobe 1.3 is designed in particular to have a second opening angle 56 of at least 90°, preferably at least 120°, with the ratio of the second opening angle 56 of the position estimation beam lobe 1.3 to the first opening angle 58 of the position estimation beam lobe 1.3 being greater than 5:1, in particular greater than 10:1. The position estimation beam lobe 1.3 can therefore have an elliptical or approximately rectangular cross section 60 with its long sides aligned vertically. In particular, the relatively narrow cross section 60 of the position estimation beam lobe 1.3 allows the position estimation sensors 1.1, 10.1 to achieve a high resolution.

[0049] The radar system 100 may have a first position estimation calculation unit 3.3.1 designed to determine a first position estimation component, a second position estimation component, and a distance value 72 (see FIG. 4) of a reflected position estimation signal 71. Preferably, the first position estimation component is formed by an azimuth angle 74, and the second position estimation component is formed by an elevation angle. In particular, the radar system 100 preferably has a second position estimation calculation unit 3.3.2 corresponding to the first position estimation calculation unit 3.3.1 as a redundant unit. The reflected position estimation signal 71 is in particular a signal reflected by an object 8 in space by a position estimation beam lobe 1.3 emitted by one of the position estimation sensors 1.1, 10.1.

[0050] In particular, the reflected position estimation signal 71 is detected by one of the position estimation sensors 1.1, 10.1 and processed by the first position estimation calculation unit 3.3.1 and the second position estimation calculation unit 3.3.2. Due to the non-uniform radiation characteristics of the position estimation sensors 1.1, 10.1, the elevation angle of the reflected position estimation signal 71, and thus the elevation angle of the reflecting object 8, can be inferred from the characteristics of the reflected position estimation signal 71. The azimuth angle 74 can be determined, in particular, based on the position estimation sensor position detected by the encoder system. For this purpose, the position estimation calculation units 3.3.1, 3.3.2 are connected, in particular, to the position estimation sensors 1.1, 10.1 and the encoder system, in particular to the read heads 3.2.1, 3.2.2. In particular, the position estimation calculation units 3.3.1, 3.3.2 are arranged on the rotor 3.1. The position estimation calculation units 3.3.1, 3.3.2 can be designed to compare the second reflected position estimation signal with the first reflected position estimation signal having the same azimuth angle 74 and to further process only the different signal components, thereby separating stationary objects 8 from objects 8 that are moving relative to the position estimation sensors 1.1, 10.1. Furthermore, the comparison can reduce the amount of data to be transmitted and further processed.

[0051] The radar system 100 may have rotary feedthroughs including a rotor-side rotary feedthrough section 3.4 and a stator-side rotary feedthrough section 4.4 for routing supply and data lines between the rotor 3.1 and the stator 4.1.

[0052] The radar system 100 can have a first identification sensor 2.1 and a second identification sensor 20.1 for identifying the object 8, each generating an identification beam lobe 2.2 by the identification sensors 2.1, 20.1. In this case, the identification beam lobes 2.2 of the first identification sensor 2.1 and the second identification sensor 20.1 can be designed to be at least approximately identical or different. The identification sensors 2.1, 20.1 are particularly designed as fixed radar sensors and are arranged on the stator 4.1. In particular, the first identification sensor 2.1 and the second identification sensor 20.1 are arranged on the rotor with a 180° offset, particularly in the azimuth direction. This allows the object 8 to be identified over a wide area.

[0053] In particular, the identification beam lobe 2.2 has a first opening angle 64 of at least 90°, particularly preferably at least 120°, and a second opening angle 62 of at least 90°, particularly preferably at least 120°. The identification beam lobe 2.2 therefore has, in particular, a circular or approximately square cross section 66. Furthermore, the first opening angle 64 and the second opening angle 62 of the identification beam lobe 2.2 are relatively large, which allows a large area to be detected by one of the identification sensors 2.1, 20.1.

[0054] The radar system 100 may have a first identification calculation unit 4.3.1 and a second identification calculation unit 4.3.2, each of which is designed to identify the radar signature of a reflected identification signal. In particular, the identification calculation units 4.3.1 and 4.3.2 are designed identically. For this purpose, the radar system 100 may be designed, in particular, to assign the Doppler signature of the reflected identification signal to a specific object. In particular, the identification calculation units 4.3.1 and 4.3.2 may be designed to compare the radar signature of the reflected identification signal with a reference database. The identification calculation units 4.3.1 and 4.3.2 are preferably connected, in particular, to the identification sensors 2.1 and 20.1. The identification calculation units 4.3.1 and 4.3.2 may be arranged on the stator 4.1.

[0055] The radar system 100 may have a central computing unit 5 designed to assign the reflected identification signals to the reflected position estimation signals 71. This allows the radar system 100 to estimate the position of the object 8 in space with high resolution and simultaneously identify it. For this purpose, the central computing unit 5 is preferably connected to the position estimation computing units 3.3.1, 3.3.2 and the identification computing units 4.3.1, 4.3.2. To be able to assign the reflected identification signals to the reflected position estimation signals 71, the identification sensors 2.1, 20.1 are designed to be able to at least approximately estimate the position of the object 8 based on the reflected identification signals. For this purpose, the identification sensors 2.1, 20.1 each have, in particular, a transmitting antenna and at least two receiving antennas. As a result, the reflected identification signals can be processed, in particular by the identification computing units 4.3.1, 4.3.2, using a beamforming method.

[0056] Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a method 800 including several method steps for determining an object in space. Preferably, the radar system 100 shown in Fig. 1 is designed to perform this method. In the following, the method is described based on a first position estimation sensor 1.1. The method can be performed correspondingly by a second position estimation sensor 10.1.

[0057] In particular, in a first method step 80, a position estimation beam lobe 1.3 having a non-uniform transmission amplitude is emitted, for example, by the first position estimation sensor 1.1. In a second method step 82, a reflected position estimation signal having a reflection amplitude, for example, by the first position estimation sensor 1.1, and the associated position estimation sensor position of the first position estimation signal 1.1 can be simultaneously detected, particularly by an encoder system. The first method step 80 and the second method step 82 can be repeated several times while the first position estimation sensor 1.1 changes its position estimation sensor position. For this purpose, the first position estimation sensor 1.1 can rotate in an azimuth direction 3.7 about a rotation axis 3.6. In particular, in a third method step 84, a reflection signal profile is created from the reflection amplitude and the associated position estimation sensor position. In a fourth method step 86, a second position estimation component of the reflected position estimation signal 71, particularly in the form of an elevation angle, can be determined by correlating the reflection signal profile with the radiation characteristic of the position estimation sensor 1.1.

[0058] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the first position estimation sensor 1.1 can emit the position estimation beam lobe 1.3 frequently during one rotation of the sensor, so that the position estimation beam lobe 1.3 hits the object 8 that reflects the position estimation signal several times in succession during one rotation of the sensor. Figure 3 shows the position estimation beam lobe 1.3 at a first azimuth position, and Figure 4 shows the position estimation beam lobe 1.3 at a second azimuth position. In Figures 3 and 4, the object 8 is at the same position.

[0059] The position estimation signals reflected by the object 8 and the associated position estimation sensor positions of the position estimation sensor 1.1 are detected, particularly with a correspondingly high frequency. Furthermore, the cross section of the object 8 can be smaller in the azimuth direction than the corresponding cross section 70 of the position estimation beam lobe 1.3, so that the reflection amplitude detected in one of the second method steps 82 represents only a portion of the signal amplitude of the emitted position estimation beam lobe 1.3. In this case, the azimuth angle 74 of each reflected position estimation signal 71 is known, particularly from the associated position estimation sensor position detected by the encoder system. A reflection amplitude profile can therefore be determined from the reflection amplitudes of the individual reflected position estimation signals and the associated position estimation sensor positions. The reflection amplitude profile is preferably formed in such a way that a second position estimation component in the form of an elevation angle can be unambiguously assigned to this reflection amplitude profile through correlation with the radiation characteristic, particularly with a high degree of probability. In this case, the radiation characteristic can be known from the antenna radiation pattern of the position estimation sensor 1.1.

[0060] In particular, from the position estimation signals 71 reflected by the object 8, the reflected position estimation signals 71 and thus the distance value of the reflecting object 8 72 are determined, in particular based on the propagation time and phase shift between the transmission of the respective position estimation signal (first method step 80) and the detection of the associated reflected position estimation signal (second method step 82). The azimuth angle of the reflecting object can be determined based on the azimuth angle 74 of the reflected position estimation signal 71 detected by the encoder system. Thus, the position of the reflecting object 8 in space can be determined in a particularly unambiguous manner.

[0061] The method 800 is particularly designed such that, in a fifth method step 90, an identification beam lobe 2.2 is emitted by at least one of the identification sensors 2.2, 20.2. A radar signature of the reflected identification signal can then be detected in a sixth method step 92, and this radar signature can be identified in a seventh method step 94. The radar signature identification is particularly performed based on a Doppler signature. Identifying the radar signature can, in particular, involve comparing the reflected identification signal with a reference database. In particular, the fifth method step 90 to the seventh method step 94 are performed in parallel with the first method step 80 to the fourth method step 86.

[0062] In an eighth method step 99, the reflected identification signals can be assigned to reflected position estimation signals 71. In order to be able to assign the reflected identification signals to reflected position estimation signals 71, the position of the reflecting object 8 can be estimated at least approximately on the basis of the reflected identification signals. In particular, for this purpose, the reflected identification signals are processed in a beamforming manner.

[0063] In this way, the object 8 is specifically localized and identified using the method 800 and is therefore determined comprehensively. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1.1 First position estimation sensor 1.2 Cover 1.3 Position Estimation Beam Lobe 2.1 First Identification Sensor 2.2 Identification beam lobe 3.1 Rotor 3.2.1 First Read Head 3.2.2 Second Read Head 3.3.1 First Position Estimation Calculation Unit 3.3.2 Secondary Position Estimation Calculation Unit 3.4 Rotor-side rotation execution unit 3.6 Rotation axis 3.7 Azimuth direction 4.1 Stator 4.2 Physical meter 4.3.1 First Identification Calculation Unit 4.3.2 Second Identification Calculation Unit 4.4 Rotation execution unit on the stator side 5 Central Computing Unit 8 objects 10.1 Secondary Position Estimation Sensor 20.1 Second Identification Sensor 50 First position estimation angle 52 Position Estimation Signal Profile 54 Second position estimation angle 56 Second divergence angle of position estimation beam lobe 58 First divergence angle of the position estimation beam lobe 60 Position estimation beam lobe cross section 62 Secondary opening angle of the discriminant beam lobe 64 First opening angle of the discriminant beam lobe 66 Cross section of the identified beam lobe 68 Cross-section of an object 70 Position estimation beam lobe cross section 71 Reflected position estimation signal 72 Distance Values 74 Azimuth angle of reflected position estimation signal 80 First method step 82 second method step 84 Third method step 86 Fourth method step 90 Fifth method step 92 Sixth method step 94 Seventh method step 99 Eighth method step 100 radar systems 800 ways

Claims

1. A radar system (100) comprising at least one movably arranged position estimation sensor (1.1, 10.1) designed as a radar sensor and means for determining a position estimation sensor position of said at least one position estimation sensor (1.1, 10.1), the at least one position estimation sensor (1.1, 10.1) has means for generating a non-uniform radiation characteristic, the means for generating a non-uniform radiation characteristic being designed so that a position estimation beam lobe (1.3) formed by the means has a signal amplitude that depends on a first position estimation angle (50), whereby the signal amplitude has a position estimation signal profile (52), the position estimation signal profile (52) depending on a second position estimation angle (54); a radar system, characterized in that the radiation characteristics are non-uniform to the extent that they have irregular transitions in the direction of the first position estimation angle and / or the direction of the second position estimation angle, such that the non-uniformity of the radiation characteristics allows the second position estimation angle to be inferred from the position estimation signal profile.

2. The radiation characteristics are non-uniform such that correlations of the position estimation signal profiles (52) for different second position estimation angles (54) each result in a maximum value of 0.5 or less, preferably 0.3 or less, particularly preferably 0.1 or less. characterized in that The radar system of claim 1 .

3. The means for generating a non-uniform radiation characteristic are formed by a cover (1.2). characterized in that The radar system of claim 1 .

4. The means for generating a non-uniform radiation characteristic are formed by a transmitting antenna and / or a receiving antenna having an antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements, the individual antenna elements being at least partially irregularly spaced from one another and / or being oriented differently and / or being at least partially located at different levels. characterized in that The radar system of claim 1 .

5. the position estimation beam lobes (1.3) have a second divergence angle (56) of at least 90°, preferably at least 120°, and the ratio of the second divergence angle (56) of the position estimation beam lobes (1.3) to the first divergence angle (58) of the position estimation beam lobes (1.3) is greater than 5:1, in particular greater than 10:1; The radar system of claim 1 .

6. The at least one position estimation sensor (1.1, 10.1) is arranged on a rotor (3.1), the rotor (3.1) being arranged rotatably relative to a stator (4.1), and the means for determining a position estimation sensor position is configured to detect a position of the rotor (3.1) relative to the stator (4.1). characterized in that The radar system of claim 1 .

7. The radar system (100) has at least one identification sensor (2.1, 20.1) for identifying an object (8), by means of which an identification beam lobe (2.2) can be generated, and the at least one identification sensor (2.1, 20.1) is designed as a fixed radar sensor. characterized in that The radar system of claim 1 .

8. The identification beam lobe (2.2) has a first divergence angle (64) of at least 90°, in particular at least 120°, and the identification beam lobe (2.2) has a second divergence angle (62) of at least 90°, in particular at least 120°. characterized in that 8. The radar system of claim 7.

9. The at least one identification sensor (2.1, 20.1) is arranged on the stator (4.1). characterized in that 8. The radar system of claim 7.

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