Radar Target Emulation Using Direct Signal Synthesis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automotive mmWave radar systems struggle to accurately emulate non-point targets, such as elongated, areal, and large objects, in both horizontal and vertical dimensions during testing, leading to potential false warnings or missed reactions in complex driving environments.
Innovation Solution
A radar target emulation system that uses direct synthesis to calculate theoretical echo signals for each target, accounting for relative target reflectivity and velocity, and applies these signals to the radar sensor, enabling efficient emulation of non-point targets in both azimuthal and elevation directions using a processing unit and database to simulate the presence of multiple targets with accurate spatial representation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If point target emulation is used, then the emulation system is simple and adequate for long range applications, but it cannot accurately represent non-point targets such as elongated, areal, and large objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments non-point targets into multiple discrete point targets distributed in three-dimensional space. Each point target is assigned specific coordinates (x, y, z) and reflectivity characteristics. By combining the radar responses from multiple segmented point targets, the system accurately emulates the scattering behavior of complex non-point targets without requiring complex physical structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends target representation from two-dimensional (horizontal plane only) to three-dimensional space by adding the vertical dimension. Point targets are positioned with three coordinates (x, y, z) where z represents vertical height. This dimensional extension enables accurate emulation of targets with vertical extent, such as pedestrians, vehicles, and other objects that have significant height, which cannot be represented in a purely horizontal plane.
2Measurement precision
If conventional radar target emulators are used, then they can emulate point sources, but they fail to accurately represent objects with spatial extent in both horizontal and vertical dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal target emulation framework that can represent multiple types of targets (point targets, elongated targets, areal targets, and large three-dimensional objects) using a single consistent methodology. By defining targets as collections of point sources with specific spatial coordinates and reflectivity values, the system achieves multi-functionality in representing diverse target geometries without requiring separate emulation mechanisms for each target type.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes in target representation by varying the number, position, and reflectivity of point targets to model different object types. For example, a single point target with high reflectivity can represent a small object, while multiple point targets distributed in space with varying reflectivities can represent complex objects like vehicles or pedestrians. The system dynamically adjusts these parameters to match the characteristics of the target being emulated.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of emulating echo signals reflected from an elongated target during radar testing includes identifying first and second end points do the target; acquiring a radar signal from a radar sensor that includes multiple receive elements; generating emulated echo signals, responsive to the acquired radar signal, corresponding to target points on the target, including the first and second end points and reference points located on a line connecting the first and second end points, by repeatedly identifying descriptive attributes corresponding to each of the target points during an integration period of the radar sensor, where the descriptive attributes are identified by interpolating between the corresponding descriptive attributes of the first and second end points; and applying the emulated echo signals to the receive elements of the radar sensor, respectively, during the integration period, where radar sensor calculates a relative position of the target using the descriptive attributes.