Re-Radiator MIMO Radar Layout for High Resolution in Compact Arrays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radar systems face challenges in achieving high resolution and accurate detection of target objects due to limitations in antenna configuration, such as increased board size and grating lobes, when increasing the number of antennas or spacing them apart.
Innovation Solution
A radar apparatus is designed with a re-radiator module that includes re-radiating elements, allowing for the effective use of a MIMO radar configuration by increasing the number of virtual antennas without physically enlarging the system, using transparent films and metamaterial structures to control phase, delay time, and polarization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the number of antennas is increased to improve resolution and detection accuracy, then the board size increases and heat generation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a re-radiator to create a virtual copy of the transmitting antenna's radiation pattern. The re-radiator receives the transmitted signal and re-radiates it with controlled phase and amplitude, creating additional virtual antenna elements without physically adding more antennas to the board. This copying approach increases the effective aperture for high-resolution detection while maintaining a compact physical board size.
Solution Approach 2:
The re-radiator acts as an intermediary between the transmitting antenna and the target object. It receives the transmitted signal and re-radiates it after applying phase shifting and amplitude control, effectively creating additional virtual transmitting elements. This intermediary mechanism enables increased detection accuracy without requiring a larger physical antenna array.
2Measurement precision
If antennas are arranged by increasing the distance therebetween to improve separation performance, then the board size increases and grating lobes occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters of the re-radiated signal by applying phase shifting and amplitude control to the received transmission signal. By adjusting these parameters, the system creates virtual antenna elements with controlled radiation patterns that achieve good separation performance without requiring large physical spacing between antennas, thus avoiding grating lobes while maintaining a compact board size.
3Measurement precision
If the number of antennas is increased to narrow the beam for high resolution, then the number of ICs for controlling the antennas increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple virtual antennas into a single re-radiator component. Instead of requiring separate ICs to control each antenna element, the system uses one re-radiator that receives the transmitted signal and applies phase shifting and amplitude control to create multiple virtual beam patterns. This merging approach achieves high resolution with reduced device complexity and fewer controlling ICs.
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 configuration enhances resolution and accuracy in detecting target objects by increasing the effective aperture length and improving angle measurement performance, while maintaining a compact form factor.
Implementation Method 1
a re-radiator that includes a re-radiating element that re-radiates the transmission signal
Data Source
AI summary
A radar apparatus in an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a radar module including a transmitting antenna that transmits a transmission signal; and a re-radiator including a re-radiating element that re-radiates the transmission signal.