MIMO Radar Bidirectional Angle Processing for Multipath Discrimination

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing MIMO radar signal processing devices struggle to accurately distinguish between direct and multipath propagation modes, limiting the ability to grasp the propagation environment accurately.

Innovation Solution

A MIMO radar signal processing device that calculates a bidirectional measured angle value using a bidirectional angle measuring unit and a propagation mode distinguishing unit to differentiate between direct and multipath propagation modes by analyzing reception signal vectors.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If conventional MIMO radar signal processing is used, then the radar can detect objects, but it cannot accurately distinguish between direct and multipath propagation modes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepropagation mode discrimination accuracyVSAvoidpropagation environment information
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extends the measurement from unidirectional angle to bidirectional angle measurement by introducing direction-of-departure (DOD) and direction-of-arrival (DOA) as two independent angular dimensions. This dimensional expansion enables the radar to capture complete spatial propagation information, allowing accurate discrimination between direct and multipath propagation modes by comparing DOD and DOA relationships.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Measurement precision

If bidirectional angle measurement is implemented, then propagation mode can be accurately distinguished, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepropagation mode discrimination accuracyVSAvoidsignal processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the bidirectional angle measurement process into separate directional components: direction-of-departure (DOD) measurement and direction-of-arrival (DOA) measurement. By segmenting the measurement into transmit-side and receive-side angle estimations, the system can process each direction independently using standard angle estimation techniques, then combine results to achieve propagation mode discrimination without requiring a completely new complex processing architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4369025B1MIMO radar-signal processing device, reception-signal processing device thereof, and method for discriminating propagation mode of reception-signal vector of interest
Publication Date: 2025.07.30 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP
  • EP4369025B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4369025B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4369025B1 patent drawing

AI summary

A MIMO radar signal processing device includes a plurality of matched filter banks (1211 to 121M) to receive reception signals from a plurality of reception antennas (21 to 2M) and transmission signals from a plurality of transmission signal generating units (1111 to 111N) and output matched filter outputs serving as vector elements of reception signal vectors, and a bidirectional angle measuring unit (122) to obtain a bidirectional measured angle value constituted by a direction-of-departure and a direction-of-arrival in the reception signal vector of interest corresponding to a range Doppler cell given in target detection processing among the reception signal vectors for the matched filter outputs output from the plurality of matched filter banks (1211 to 121M).