Angle-Resolving Radar Sensor with Switched Antenna Arrays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Radar sensors face challenges in achieving unambiguous angle measurements with high angular resolution due to the limitations of existing technologies, which often result in increased hardware costs and ambiguities caused by large aperture sizes and phase relationships.
Innovation Solution
The evaluation device calculates a sum function from correlation between signal amplitudes in evaluation channels and antenna diagrams, using a switching mechanism to alternate between different arrays with varying apertures, ensuring only one angle of incidence is consistent across all arrays, thus eliminating ambiguities and achieving high resolution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the aperture of the antenna is increased to achieve high angular resolution, then the angular resolution is improved, but ambiguities in angle measurement occur due to phase relationships being identical for run length differences differing by integer multiples of the wavelength
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna elements are divided into multiple selectable arrays, where each array provides a different aperture configuration. The evaluation device segments the angle measurement problem by calculating separate angle values for each array and then combining these results to determine the final unambiguous angle with high resolution.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the aperture parameter by selectively activating different subsets of antenna elements to form multiple arrays with different apertures. This parameter variation allows the system to resolve ambiguities by comparing angle measurements from arrays with different aperture characteristics.
2Measurement precision
If the number of antenna elements is increased to achieve higher angular resolution, then the angular resolution is improved, but the hardware costs and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each antenna element is designed to be multi-functional, serving in different arrays depending on the measurement requirements. The same physical antenna elements can be configured into multiple different arrays with varying apertures, eliminating the need for additional dedicated elements for each aperture size.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically reconfigures which antenna elements are active in each measurement cycle. The evaluation device can selectively activate different subsets of antenna elements to form arrays with optimal aperture sizes for specific measurement scenarios, adapting the hardware configuration to the measurement needs.
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
This approach allows for unambiguous and high-resolution angle measurements by combining the results from multiple arrays, suppressing noise and ensuring a single, clear maximum in the sum function, thereby determining the azimuth angle accurately.
Implementation Method 1
radar signals have to cover from the object to the respective antenna element. These run length differences lead to corresponding differences in the phase of the signals that are received by the antenna elements
Implementation Method 2
different azimuth angles of the located objects lead to different differences in the run lengths that the radar signals have to cover from the object to the respective antenna element. These run length differences lead to corresponding differences in the phase of the signals
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2(a)~2(d)
AI summary
The invention relates to an angle-resolving radar sensor, in particular for motor vehicles, having an antenna (10) with multiple antenna elements (12), each of which can be switched to one of a plurality of evaluation channels (16), and having an evaluation device (28) for determining the angle of incidence of a received signal by using the amplitudes measured in the evaluation channels (16), characterized in that the number of antenna elements (12) is greater than the number of evaluation channels (16), and in that a switching device (18) is provided for connecting the evaluation channels (16) alternately to different selections of the antenna elements (12).