Automotive MIMO Radar Angle-Doppler Separation for Overlapping Targets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radar systems face challenges in accurately separating overlapping radar signals from multiple targets, leading to issues such as missing Doppler targets, incorrect Doppler frequency estimation, and incorrect angle estimation.
Innovation Solution
The method employs partial symmetrical Doppler division multiple access (DDMA) to jointly estimate Doppler phase and angle, using a MIMO radar system with phase modulation on transmission and reception channels, and performs angular phase estimation on sub-matrices to separate and reconstruct radar signals, enabling better angle resolution and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional radar signal processing is used, then the system is simpler to implement, but it cannot accurately separate overlapping radar signals from multiple targets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the radar signal processing into distinct segments: forming a data matrix from received signals, performing angular phase estimation to separate signals by angle, and performing Doppler phase estimation to separate signals by velocity. This segmentation allows accurate separation of overlapping signals from multiple targets by processing them in separate dimensional steps, resolving the contradiction between accuracy and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the signal processing from a single-dimensional approach to a multi-dimensional approach by introducing angular phase estimation and Doppler phase estimation as separate dimensions. By estimating angles and Doppler shifts independently and then combining the results, the system achieves accurate signal separation that would be impossible in conventional single-dimensional processing.
2Measurement precision
If conventional radar processing is used, then processing is faster, but Doppler frequency estimation is incorrect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs angular phase estimation as a preliminary step before Doppler phase estimation. By first separating the signals based on their angular characteristics and forming separate data matrices for each angle, the subsequent Doppler estimation can be performed more accurately and efficiently. This preliminary action reduces the computational complexity of the final Doppler estimation, achieving both accuracy and speed.
3Measurement precision
If conventional radar processing is used, then the system is simpler, but angle estimation is incorrect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the signal processing into angular phase estimation and Doppler phase estimation stages. The angular phase estimation processes the data matrix to determine direction-of-arrival angles, while the Doppler phase estimation separately processes the angularly-separated signals to determine velocities. This segmentation achieves accurate angle estimation without requiring overly complex algorithms, as each stage focuses on a specific parameter.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for processing a radar signal includes receiving a set of signal segments via a set of antenna receiver channels, dividing the radar signal into a set of sub-spectrums, forming a first matrix, and determining whether an energy level associated with the first matrix has met a threshold energy level. The method includes generating a reconstructed signal. Generating the reconstructed signal includes determining a direction of arrival phase, generating a first set of measurements, determining an index value, determining a Doppler phase based on the index value, determining a second set of measurements based on the index value, and determining a direction of departure phase associated with the target object. The method includes subtracting data associated with the reconstructed signal from the first matrix, outputting the direction of departure phase, the direction of arrival phase, and the Doppler phase; and tracking a location of the target object.