Radar Antenna Layout for Phase Difference Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radar systems face challenges in accurately compensating for phase differences caused by routing delay mismatches, target position, and circuit phase differences, leading to reduced compensation accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A radar apparatus with a plurality of transmission and reception antennas arranged at unequal intervals, featuring unique and different wiring length sets of virtual antennas, utilizes a control unit to compensate for phase differences based on comparison results from multiple targets at different distances, accounting for wiring length, transmission, and reception circuit phase differences, and clock signal delays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional radar systems use conventional antenna arrangements and circuit configurations, then the system structure remains simple, but phase difference compensation accuracy deteriorates due to routing delay mismatches and circuit phase differences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the compensation task by dividing phase differences into multiple independent components: routing delay mismatches, transmission circuit phase differences, reception circuit phase differences, and clock signal delays. Each component is compensated separately using dedicated virtual antenna pairs and processing channels, allowing precise control of each factor without overwhelming complexity in the overall system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces virtual antennas as intermediary elements that mediate between physical antennas and the signal processing system. These virtual antennas represent compensated signal paths and enable the system to mathematically correct for physical imperfections without requiring complex hardware modifications to the actual antenna structure.
2Measurement precision
If the radar system compensates for multiple phase difference sources simultaneously, then compensation accuracy improves, but the processing complexity and computational load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the compensation process into distinct stages: first compensating for routing delay mismatches using virtual antenna pairs, then separately compensating for transmission and reception circuit phase differences, and finally addressing clock signal delays. This segmentation allows each compensation task to be handled with optimized processing algorithms, reducing overall computational complexity compared to simultaneous compensation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary compensation actions by pre-calculating and storing calibration data for routing delays and circuit phase differences. This preliminary processing allows the main signal processing to focus only on the remaining phase corrections, significantly reducing real-time computational requirements while maintaining high accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If multiple virtual antenna pairs are used for compensation, then phase difference compensation capability improves, but the number of required transmission and reception circuits increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the transmission and reception circuits to serve multiple functions: each physical antenna is associated with multiple virtual antennas that handle different compensation tasks. The same physical circuit infrastructure processes signals for both the primary detection function and multiple compensation functions, eliminating the need for separate dedicated circuits for each virtual antenna pair.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the compensation functionality into the existing transmission and reception circuit architecture by integrating virtual antenna processing channels within the same hardware framework. This combining approach allows multiple compensation tasks to share common resources such as amplifiers, mixers, and analog-to-digital converters, reducing the total number of required circuits while maintaining comprehensive compensation capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A radar apparatus includes a plurality of transmission antennas, a plurality of reception antennas, a number Ns of transmission circuits connected to the transmission antennas and configured to output a transmission signal, a number Nr of reception circuits connected to the reception antennas and configured to acquire a reception signal, a clock generation unit configured to output a clock signal to each of the reception circuits, and a control unit configured to process the reception signals.