MIMO Radar Antenna with Perpendicular Elongation for Angular Resolving Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radar apparatuses for vehicles face challenges in achieving high resolution and angular resolving power for both mid/long-range and short-range sensing while maintaining a compact size, as they require multiple antennas and RF elements, leading to increased size and complexity, and existing MIMO radars compromise on performance when combining mid/long-range and short-range sensing capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A radar apparatus with a configuration of multiple transmitting and receiving antennas arranged in perpendicular directions, allowing for efficient signal transmission and reception, and a processor to process signals from different antenna groups for improved horizontal and vertical angular resolving power, enabling precise measurement of azimuth and elevation information at both mid/long and short distances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple receiving antennas are arranged to obtain high angular resolving power, then angular resolving power is improved, but the size of the antenna system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a single-plane antenna arrangement to a three-dimensional configuration by arranging transmitting and receiving antennas at different heights (vertical dimension) and horizontal positions. This spatial dimensionality change allows the system to achieve high angular resolving power in both azimuth and elevation without requiring a large number of antennas in a single plane, thus reducing the overall antenna system footprint while maintaining measurement precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If different transmitting antennas are configured for mid/long-range and short-range radar to combine both functions, then sensing range is improved, but resolving power of mid/long-range radar and sensing range of short-range radar are deteriorated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a unified antenna system where the same set of transmitting and receiving antennas serves both mid/long-range and short-range sensing functions. By configuring multiple transmitting antennas at different positions and heights, the system can adaptively select and combine signals from different antenna pairs to achieve optimal performance for both sensing ranges, eliminating the need for separate dedicated antenna configurations and thereby maintaining high resolving power while covering both ranges.
3Device complexity
If transmitting antennas are arranged with appropriate gap to expand aperture, then the number of RF chips is reduced, but the area occupied by antennas increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the vertical dimension by arranging transmitting antennas at different heights in addition to horizontal spacing. This three-dimensional arrangement effectively expands the aperture in both horizontal and vertical directions, allowing the system to achieve the desired angular resolving power and sensing performance without requiring excessive horizontal spacing between antennas. Consequently, the antenna footprint is reduced while maintaining the aperture expansion effect that reduces RF chip requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
The present provides a radar apparatus and an antenna for the radar apparatus. Further, a first transmitting antenna group and a first receiving antenna group are constituted by elongating some of a plurality of transmitting antennas and a plurality of receiving antennas in a first direction of vertical directions, a second transmitting antenna group and a second receiving antenna group are constituted by elongating the other antennas in a second direction opposite to the first direction, transmitting antennas to transmit transmission signals and receiving antennas to receive reflection signals reflected from an object are appropriately selected, thereby being able to improve horizontal and vertical angular resolving power in both of mid/long-range sensing and short-range sensing.