MIMO Radar Vibration Sensing with Virtual Beam Shaping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing MIMO radar systems face challenges in selecting an optimal beam shape for extracting vibration information due to limited antenna elements and directional orientation, leading to suboptimal measurement of vibration information.
Innovation Solution
A sensing system with a transmitter that divides the frequency band into subbands and periodically switches them, using a plurality of transmitting antenna elements, and a receiver that processes channel information to specify the measurement target's position and extract vibration information through focus correction and virtual beam control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a small number of receiving antenna elements are used with wide directivity, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision of vibration information deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the frequency band into multiple subbands and assigns different virtual beam shapes to different subbands. This segmentation allows the system to achieve fine-grained beam control in the virtual domain without increasing the physical number of antenna elements, thereby resolving the contradiction between device simplicity and measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from physical beam control in the spatial domain to virtual beam control in the frequency domain. By manipulating phase and amplitude of signals across different frequency subbands, the system creates virtual beam shapes that would require many physical antennas, thus achieving high measurement precision with fewer physical elements.
2Ease of operation
If receiving antennas are oriented in a limited direction, then the ease of operation is improved, but the adaptability to different measurement positions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic virtual beam shaping by adjusting phase and amplitude coefficients for different subbands based on the required measurement position. This allows the beam direction and shape to be dynamically changed through signal processing rather than physically reorienting antennas, enhancing adaptability while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the electrical parameters (phase and amplitude) of the received signals across different frequency subbands to create different virtual beam shapes. By modifying these parameters rather than physical antenna orientations, the system achieves versatile adaptability to different measurement positions while keeping the antenna structure fixed and easy to operate.
3Reliability
If averaging or selecting is performed on measurements from multiple directions, then the reliability is improved, but the measurement precision at optimum position deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary virtual beam forming to concentrate measurement energy at the optimum position before extraction. By pre-processing the signals to focus on the target position of interest, the system achieves high precision at that position while maintaining reliability through the use of multiple subbands and virtual antenna elements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate extraction of vibration information without actual beam control, allowing for high-precision measurement of targets like heartbeats by optimizing the use of frequency bands and virtual beam shaping.
Implementation Method 1
receive the high frequency signals transmitted from the transmitter and reflected or scattered by a measurement target
Implementation Method 2
receive the high frequency signals transmitted from the transmitter and reflected or scattered by a measurement target
Data Source
AI summary
A sensing system includes: a transmitter that includes transmitting antenna elements, controls timings of generation of a carrier signal for dividing a frequency band available into subbands and switching the subbands, multiplies the radar signal and the code for each of the transmitting antenna elements, generates a high frequency signal having a bandwidth of the subband using the radar signal multiplied and the carrier signal, and transmits the high frequency signal; and a receiver that includes receiving antenna elements, receives the high frequency signals transmitted and reflected or scattered by a measurement target, generates channel information using the carrier signal, the radar signal, and the code, specifies a position of the measurement target, generates an image of the measurement target by performing focus correction, determines an extraction position for vibration information of the measurement target by using the image, and extracts the vibration information from the channel information.