Centralized Radar Signal Processing for Loosely Synchronized Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current radar systems in vehicles process data independently from multiple sensors, leading to inefficiencies and high costs due to the need for complex hardware with shared synchronization signals, which limits performance and increases physical size and power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A system that combines data from multiple low-cost radar sensors without sharing synchronization signals, using a processor to align and synchronize the data, allowing them to operate coherently as a single high-performance system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple radar sensors are used to improve angular resolution and detection performance, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and hardware cost increase due to the need for shared synchronization signals and complex processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the radar signal path by processing received signals from multiple sensors through a unified processing pipeline. Instead of requiring physical sharing of synchronization hardware, the system copies and replicates the signal processing functions across multiple sensors, allowing independent hardware while maintaining coherent processing through software-based synchronization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical sharing of synchronization signals and hardware resources with a software-based processing approach. By using digital signal processing and computational methods to align and combine signals from multiple sensors, the system eliminates the need for complex physical synchronization infrastructure while achieving the same coherent processing goals.
2Measurement precision
If imaging radar with large number of channels is used to achieve high performance, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity, physical size, and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the processing capabilities of multiple standard radar sensors to achieve the performance of a single high-channel-count imaging radar. By combining signals from multiple lower-complexity sensors through coherent processing, the system achieves equivalent angular resolution and detection performance without requiring a single complex imaging radar unit, thereby reducing overall power consumption and hardware requirements.
3Device complexity
If multiple radar sensors process data independently, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision and detection performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a centralized processing unit as an intermediary that receives and coordinates data from multiple independent radar sensors. This intermediary processing layer aligns the independently processed data streams, resolves timing and phase differences, and combines the results to achieve improved detection accuracy while maintaining the simplicity of independent sensor operation.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a systems and methods for processing radar data. In one example embodiment, a first digitized radar signal of an environment is received from a first radar module and a second digitized radar signal of the environment is received from a second radar module. The first digitized radar signal and the second digitized radar signal are processed, via an electronic processor, to determine a set of correction parameters. A first corrected radar signal is determined by applying the set of correction parameters to the first digitized radar signal. A second corrected radar signal is determined by applying the set of correction parameters to the second digitized radar signal. The first and second corrected radar signals are combined into a combined radar signal. A scene representation of the environment is determined based on the combined radar signal. The scene representation is provided to an autonomous driving system.