Radar Range Data Compression for Lower Memory Between FFT Stages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Radar systems using Fast Chirp Waveforms accumulate large amounts of data, necessitating reduced memory storage to minimize system cost, as existing methods fail to efficiently compress data between Range FFT and Doppler FFT.
Innovation Solution
A radar data compression method that excludes redundant sign bits and least significant bits from range datasets, allowing for reduced memory storage by transforming time-domain signals into range datasets and applying a consistent number of bit exclusion across range bins.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If radar systems store complete range datasets with all bits between Range FFT and Doppler FFT, then detection accuracy is maintained, but memory size increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes redundant sign bits from the range dataset values. By analyzing the statistical distribution of FFT output values, the system identifies that many sign bits are redundant (always 0 or always 1 for a given range bin) and removes them, storing only the necessary significant bits while maintaining detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation by dynamically adjusting the number of stored bits based on the actual data characteristics. Instead of storing a fixed number of bits for all values, the system adapts the bit storage parameter to match the actual dynamic range and signal characteristics of each range bin, reducing memory requirements while preserving essential information.
2Ease of manufacture
If radar systems reduce memory storage by compressing range datasets, then system cost is minimized, but detection accuracy may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent selectively extracts only the essential significant bits from each value while removing redundant sign bits. This extraction process is designed to retain the minimum necessary information for accurate detection, thereby reducing memory size and system cost without compromising detection performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the storage parameter (number of bits per value) based on the actual signal characteristics and required detection accuracy. By changing the parameter to match the actual data needs rather than using a conservative fixed allocation, the system achieves cost reduction through optimized memory usage while maintaining sufficient detection accuracy.
3Ease of operation
If radar systems store a fixed number of bits for all range bins, then implementation is simple, but memory efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by treating different range bins differently based on their individual characteristics. Instead of applying a uniform bit storage scheme to all range bins, the system analyzes each range bin's signal characteristics and stores an appropriate number of bits for each, optimizing memory efficiency while maintaining implementation feasibility through systematic processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the storage parameter (number of bits) dynamically for different range bins based on their actual data characteristics. This parameter adaptation allows the system to achieve high memory efficiency by allocating storage resources according to actual needs rather than using a conservative fixed allocation, while maintaining reasonable implementation complexity through automated analysis.
Data Source
AI summary
A radar system includes a controller equipped with memory for storing data. The controller is configured to receive a time-domain signal representative of a reflected signal detected by an antenna, and transform the time-domain signal into a plurality of range datasets. Each range dataset corresponds to one of the plurality of chirps, each range dataset is represented by a series of values assigned to a plurality of range bins, and each of the values includes a sign bit. The controller is also configured to compress the plurality of range datasets by storing in the memory a portion of each of the values assigned to at least one of the plurality of range bins, wherein the portion is defined to exclude a first number of redundant sign bits of each value. The controller may further compress the portion by retaining a second number of bits of the data by excluding some of the least significant bits of each value.