Compact Radar Switch MIMO Array Antenna Azimuth Elevation Resolution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current radar technologies fail to provide high azimuth and elevation angular resolution with increased effective aperture while maintaining cost, space, and reliability requirements, and they also struggle with reducing unwanted side lobes, which can lead to phantom obstacles and reduced accuracy in detecting close vicinity objects.
Innovation Solution
A compact radar switch array antenna design using a low number of transmit and receive elements, arranged in opposing rows and columns, where each transmit element activates a radar pulse in a predetermined time slot to virtually replicate the receive rows, creating a larger effective aperture and reducing side lobes by activating all transmit elements one at a time or using orthogonal waveforms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the number of transmit and receive elements is increased to improve angular resolution and effective aperture, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses signal processing to create virtual copies of receive rows about an origin determined by each transmit element location. This virtual replication effectively doubles the aperture dimensions without physically duplicating the receive elements, thereby improving angular resolution while maintaining a low number of physical elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a physical spatial arrangement to a virtual spatial arrangement by replicating receive rows about origins at different transmit element locations. This creates a virtual aperture that extends beyond the physical element boundaries, effectively increasing the measurement precision without adding physical elements.
2Measurement precision
If more transmit and receive elements are used to increase effective aperture, then measurement precision improves, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of physically manufacturing additional receive elements to increase aperture size, the patent creates virtual copies through signal processing. This approach achieves the same effective aperture enhancement without the associated manufacturing costs of additional physical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of adding physical elements with a signal processing approach. By using mathematical operations to replicate receive rows virtually, the system achieves aperture enhancement without the need for additional physical manufacturing.
3Reliability
If traditional radar antenna designs are used, then side lobes are present, but this creates phantom obstacles and reduces detection accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual replication of receive rows about multiple origins creates a synthesized aperture pattern that suppresses side lobes. This copying approach redistributes the energy distribution across the virtual aperture, reducing the harmful side lobe effects that cause phantom obstacles.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for increasing the effective aperture of radar switch/MIMO antenna array, using a low number of transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) army elements, according to which an array of radar physical receive (Rx)/Transmit (Tx) elements are arranged in at least two opposing Rx rows and at least two opposing Tx columns, such that each row includes a plurality of receive (Rx) elements uniformly spaced from each other and each column includes a plurality of transmit (Tx) elements uniformly spaced from each other, the array forming a rectangular physical aperture. Used as a switch array, a first Tx element from one column is activated to transmit a radar pulse during a predetermined time slot. Reflections of the first transmission are received in all Rx elements, thereby virtually replicating the two opposing Rx rows about an origin determined by the location of the first Tx element within the rectangular physical aperture. This process is repeated for all remaining Tx elements during different time slots, thereby virtually replicating the two opposing Rx rows about an origin determined by the location of each activated Tx element within the rectangular physical aperture, while each time, receiving reflections of the transmission from each Tx element in all Rx elements. This way, a rectangular virtual aperture having dimensions which are twice the dimensions of the rectangular physical aperture is paved with replicated two opposing Rx rows. This virtual aperture determines the radar beam widths and side-lobes.