Patent Application
20230324535
This application claims the benefit of Israel patent application no. 279407, filed Dec. 13, 2020, entitled “Multimode Radar System,” which is assigned to the assignee hereof and incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Radar technology is used in various automotive applications and is considered as one of the key technologies for future autonomous driving systems. Because radar technology can work reliably in bad weather and lighting conditions to provide accurate measurements of target range, velocity, and angle in multi-target scenarios, it can be a particularly useful source of data in automotive and other applications. However, an automotive radar system may be required to detect both far targets and nearby targets with high accuracy, which can present conflicting technical challenges.
Techniques described herein address these and other issues by utilizing a multimode radar system which operates under different modes for different target distance ranges. In the multimode radar system, the receive circuit can have different configurations for different modes, with each configuration to optimize the detection performance of the receive circuit for a particular target detection distance range. The multimode radar system can detect various attributes of an object, such as range, azimuth, elevation, and (optionally) velocity of the object.
An example radar system for measuring a distance, according to the description, that comprises a transmit circuit, a receive circuit, and a controller communicatively coupled with the transmit circuit and the receive circuit. The controller is configured to perform a first mode of detection operation associated with a first distance range and a second mode of detection operation associated with a second distance range. The first mode of detection operation comprises the controller configured to: transmit a first signal using the transmit circuit; set a maximum input signal level at the receive circuit, wherein the maximum input signal level is set based on a minimum of the first distance range; and detect, using the receive circuit, a reflection of the first signal. The second mode of detection operation comprises the controller configured to: transmit a second signal using the transmit circuit; set a minimum input signal level at the receive circuit, wherein the minimum input signal level is set based on a maximum of the second distance range; and detect, using the receive circuit, a reflection of the second signal. The controller is further configured to measure a distance from an object based on one of the reflection of the first signal or the reflection of the second signal.
An example method for measuring a distance, according to the description, that comprises performing a first mode of detection operation associated with a first distance range, the first mode of detection operation comprising: transmitting, by a transmit circuit, a first signal; setting a maximum input signal level at a receive circuit, wherein the maximum input signal level is set based on a minimum of the first distance range; and detecting, by the receive circuit, a reflection of the first signal. The method further comprises performing a second mode of detection operation associated with a second distance range, the second mode of detection operation comprising: transmitting, by the transmit circuit, a second signal; setting a minimum input signal level at the receive circuit, wherein the minimum input signal level is set based on a maximum of the second distance range; and detecting, by the receive circuit, a reflection of the second signal. The method further comprises measuring a distance from an object based on one of the reflection of the first signal or the reflection of the second signal.
An example device for measuring a distance, according to the description, that comprises: means for performing a first mode of detection operation associated with a first distance range, and means for performing a second mode of detection operation associated with a second distance range. The means for performing the first mode of detection operation comprises: means for transmitting a first signal; means for detecting a reflection of the first signal; and means for setting a maximum input signal level at the means for detecting the reflection of the first signal, wherein the maximum input signal level is set based on a minimum of the first distance range. The means for performing the second mode of detection operation comprises: means for transmitting a second signal; means for detecting a reflection of the second signal; and means for setting a minimum input signal level at the means for detecting the reflection of the second signal, wherein the minimum input signal level is set based on a maximum of the second distance range. The device further comprises means for measuring a distance from an object based on one of the reflection of the first signal or the reflection of the second signal.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium, according to the description, has instructions that, when executed by a controller, causes the controller to perform a first mode of detection operation associated with a first distance range and a second mode of detection operation associated with a second distance range. The first mode of detection operation comprises: transmitting, by a transmit circuit, a first signal; setting a maximum input signal level at a receive circuit, wherein the maximum input signal level is set based on a minimum of the first distance range; and detecting, by the receive circuit, a reflection of the first signal. The second mode of detection operation comprises: transmitting, by the transmit circuit, a second signal; setting a minimum input signal level at the receive circuit, wherein the minimum input signal level is set based on a maximum of the second distance range; and detecting, by the receive circuit, a reflection of the second signal. The non-transitory computer-readable medium further stores instructions that, when executed by the controller, causes the controller to measure a distance from an object based on one of the reflection of the first signal or the reflection of the second signal.
This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this disclosure, any or all drawings, and each claim. The foregoing, together with other features and examples, will be described in more detail below in the following specification, claims, and accompanying drawings.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements, in accordance with certain example implementations. In addition, multiple instances of an element may be indicated by following a first number for the element with a letter or a hyphen and a second number. For example, multiple instances of an element 110 may be indicated as 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, etc. or as 110a, 110b, 110c, etc. When referring to such an element using only the first number, any instance of the element is to be understood (e.g., element 110 in the previous example would refer to elements 110-1, 110-2, and 110-3 or to elements 110a, 110b, and 110c).
Several illustrative embodiments will now be described with respect to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. The ensuing description provides embodiment(s) only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the embodiment(s) will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an embodiment. It is understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.
It can be further noted that, although embodiments described herein are described in the context of automotive applications, embodiments are not so limited. Embodiments may be used for other object-sensing applications (e.g., the sensing of location, distance, velocity of objects). Additionally, embodiments herein are generally directed toward the use of millimeter wave (mmWave) radar technology, which typically operates at 76-81 GHz, and may be operated more broadly from 10-300 GHz. That said, embodiments may utilize higher and/or lower RF frequencies depending on desired functionality, manufacturing concerns, and/or other factors.
As used herein, the terms “waveform,” “sequence,” and derivatives thereof are used interchangeably to refer to radio frequency (RF) signals generated by a transmit circuit of the radar system and received by a receive circuit of the radar system for object detection. A “pulse” and derivatives thereof are generally referred to herein as a complementary pair of sequences. Further, the terms “transmit circuit,” “Tx,” and derivatives thereof are used to describe components of a radar system used in the creation and/or transmission of RF signals. As described in further detail below, this can include hardware and/or software components, such as processors, specialized circuits, and one or more antennas. Similarly, the terms “receive circuit,” “Rx,” and derivatives thereof are used to describe components of a radar system used in the receipt and/or processing of RF signals. This can include hardware and/or software components, such as processors, specialized circuits, and one or more antennas.
As noted, radar technology can be particularly useful in automotive applications due to reliability during bad weather and lighting conditions. However, fast development of autonomous driving technologies raises new requirements and motivates modern automotive radar systems to evolve from classical object detection sensors to ultra-high-resolution imaging devices with object recognition and classification capabilities. These future radar systems can, for example, provide autonomous vehicles with 4D radar images (images providing range, azimuth, elevation, and velocity of objects therein) at real-time refresh rate of 30 frames per second.
A radar system typically includes a transmit circuit and a receive circuit. To perform a detection, the transmit circuit can transmit a radar signal towards a region. An object located in the region can reflect the radar signal, and the reflected radar signal can be detected by the receive circuit. A controller/processing circuit can then perform a ranging operation to measure a distance between the radar system and the object based on, for example, a time difference between when the transmit circuit transmits the radar signal and when the receive circuit receives the reflected radar signal, and/or a degree of attenuation between the transmitted and reflected radar signals.
To enable the ranging operation, the reflected radar signal power has to be to be within the dynamic range of the receive circuit. Specifically, the reflected radar signal power has to be above the sensitivity of the receive circuit to become distinguishable from noise. Moreover, the reflected radar signal power also has to be below a maximum input signal level tolerated by the receive circuit, such as the 1dB compression point. Otherwise, the receive circuit can become saturated, and the output of the receive circuit is no longer linearly related to the reflected radar signal. As a result, the received reflected signal will be distorted—introducing high level of side lobes, etc. This can prevent the controller/processing circuit from matching the transmitted and reflected radar signal for the ranging operation.
Typical specifications of automotive imaging radar include, for example, capability of detecting an object within a distance range of 0 to 300 meters. This can present various challenges. Specifically, a radar signal that travels a long distance of 300 meters or more twice, from the transmit circuit to the object and then back to the receive circuit, can experience substantial attenuation by the time it reaches the receive circuit. To enable the receive circuit to properly detect the attenuated radar signal, the transmit power of the radar signal can be increased at the transmit circuit to ensure that reflected radar signal, dafter substantial attenuation, can still have sufficient signal power to be detected by the receive circuit. But such arrangements can lead to the received radar signal power saturating the receive circuit if the radar signal is reflected by a close-by object (e.g., an object at the lower end of the distance range). Increasing the transmitted radar signal power also has other undesirable effects. For example, the transmitted radar signal can interfere with the radar system of another vehicle. Self-interference may also occur if the transmitted radar signal interferes with an incoming radar signal. Furthermore, increasing the transmitted radar signal power also increases power consumption as well as heat dissipation.
Embodiments provided herein can solve these and other issues by providing an example multimode radar system which operates under different modes for different target distance ranges. The example radar system comprises a transmit circuit, a receive circuit, and a controller. In a first mode associated with a first target distance range, the controller is configured to configure the receive circuit based on a first configuration to set a maximum input signal level at the receive circuit, the maximum input signal level being set based on the first target distance range. The controller is also configured to operate the transmit circuit to transmit a first signal, and operate the receive circuit having the first configuration to detect the reflected first signal.
Specifically, the first mode can be for detecting a close-by object, such as an object close to a lower limit of first target detection distance range (e.g., 0 meters). Under the first mode, the controller can increase the maximum input signal level at the receive circuit based on, for example, increasing the 1dB compression point of the receive circuit, such that the receive circuit can remain linear when receiving the first radar signal reflected from the close-by object. In one example, the 1dB compression point of the receive circuit can be increased by decreasing an amplification gain of an amplifier of the receive circuit.
In addition, in a second mode associated with a second target distance range, the controller is configured to configure the receive circuit based on a second configuration to set a minimum input signal level at the receive circuit, the minimum detectable input signal level being based on the second target distance range. The controller is also configured to operate the transmit circuit to transmit a second signal, and operate the receive circuit having the second configuration to detect the reflected second signal.
Specifically, the second mode can be for detecting a far-away object, such as an object close to an upper limit of second target detection distance range (e.g., 300 meters). Under the second mode, the controller can reduce the minimum detectable input signal level at the receive circuit based on, for example, reducing the noise figure of the receive circuit, or otherwise improving the link margin of the receive circuit. With the second configuration, the signal level of the radar signal, having travelled through a distance twice the upper limit of the first target detection distance range, can remain above the minimum detectable input signal level at the receive circuit. In one example, the noise figure of the receive circuit can be reduced by increasing an amplification gain of an amplifier of the receive circuit that amplifies the received radar signal. Because of the increased amplification gain, the receive circuit under the second mode of operation may have a reduced 1dB compression point and reduced maximum input signal level for which the receive circuit remains linear.
Given that the receive circuit having the second configuration has a reduced 1dB compression point, the receive circuit is more susceptible to saturation, especially if the receive circuit receives the reflected first signal from an object at a minimum of the first target distance range (e.g., at zero meter). To reduce the likelihood of the receive circuit being saturated, during the second mode of operation the controller can disable the receive circuit, or otherwise ignore the output of the receive circuit, within a time window from when the transmit circuit transmits the first signal. The time window can be configured such the first signal reflected by an object positioned within the second target distance range (from the transmit circuit) arrives at the receive circuit only after the timing window elapses.
In some examples, to reduce the likelihood of radar signals arriving from different locations interfering with each other, the radar signals (e.g., first and second signals) used in the example radar system can be configured to have a very short pulse width compared with the maximum round-trip delay experienced by the signals when traveling through the maximum detection distance. As an illustrative example, for a maximum detection distance of 300 meters, the maximum round-trip delay experienced by the radar signal is 2 micro-seconds (us). The radar signal can be configured to have a pulse width less than 2 us. As radar signals coming from different locations within the maximum detection distance of 300 meters are separated by no more than 2 us, having a short pulse width can reduce the likelihood of those radar signals overlapping in time and interfering with each other. Moreover, the duration of the time window in which the receive circuit is disabled (and/or the output is ignored) within the second mode can also be configured based on the pulse width, such that a large portion of the reflected first signal from a close-by object can be ignored. This would not have been possible if the pulse width of the first signal equals to or exceeds the maximum round-trip delay. In some examples, the example radar system can be configured to transmit phase-coded waveforms, such as Golay complementary sequences, Barker codes, Gold codes, zadoff-chu sequences, or OFDM radar signals, as the first and second signals. In some examples, first and second signals can be transmitted in a space-time-frequency multiplexing (STFM) scheme.
Controller 202 further includes a signal generator 206, a processing engine 208, and a ranging operation module 210. Signal generator 206 can determine various frequency, phase, and amplitude characteristics of radar signal 104. In some examples, signal generator may include a multiband pulse generator 216, a digital to analog converter (DAC) 218, and a mixer 220, etc. A time-frequency multiplexed radar signal 104 may be digitally generated by the multiband pulse generator, converted to an analog signal using the DAC, and then mixed to the RF frequency using the mixer. In addition, processing engine 208 can process and extract information from radar signal 108 to allow ranging operation module 210 to determine that radar signal 108 is from the reflection of radar signal 104. In some examples, processing engine 208 may include a mixer 230, an ADC 232, and correlator 234. Mixer 230 can downconvert radar signal 108 to a low intermediate frequency (IF) signal and sampled using ADC 232. Correlator 234 can be part of a baseband processor, which can include a second mixer (not shown in
To enable the ranging operation, radar signal 108 has to be to be within the dynamic range of receive circuit 106, to enable processing engine 208 to sample and extract the pulses from radar signal 108. The dynamic range can define a minimum input signal level and a maximum input signal level. Specifically, the signal level/power of radar signal 108 has to be above a minimum input signal level, which can be defined by the sensitivity of the receive circuit, to become distinguishable from noise. Moreover, radar signal 108 also has to be below a maximum input signal level tolerated by the receive circuit, such as the 1dB compression point. Otherwise, receive circuit 106 can become saturated, and the output of receive circuit 106 is no longer linearly related to radar signal 108. This can significantly reduce the capability of processing engine 208 in sampling and extracting the pulses from radar signal 108 to match up with those of radar signal 104. As a result, the performance of radar system 200 can become significantly degraded.
The minimum and maximum input signal levels can impose conflicting requirements on transmission of radar signal 104, which in turn can limit the detection distance range of radar system 200.
But limiting radar signal 104 at signal level 242 may reduce the upper end of the detection distance range. Graph 260 of
One way to extend the upper end of the detection distance range of radar system 200 is by increasing the signal power/level of radar signal 104 at transmit circuit 102.
As shown in
The maximum and minimum input signal levels of receive circuit 106 are typically tightly coupled with each other and cannot be independently adjusted, which limits the dynamic range and the achievable detection distance range of radar system 200. Specifically, the minimum detectable input signal level of receive circuit 106 can be limited by the noise figure of receive circuit 106, whereas the maximum input signal level of receive circuit 106 can be limited by the 1dB compression point of receive circuit 106. But the noise figure and 1dB compression point are tied to certain parameters of receive circuit 106 (e.g., amplification gain) and cannot be individually/independently adjusted.
On the other hand, with a smaller amplification gain, the input radar signal is amplified less with respect to noise, which leads to increased noise factor and a higher minimum detectable input signal level (which is undesirable). But with a smaller amplification gain, the output of receive circuit 106 also decreases for the same input radar signal, which makes it harder to saturate receive circuit 106. As a result, with a smaller amplifier gain, the 1dB compression point can increase, which is desirable.
In some examples, as shown in
Graph 430 illustrates the second mode of operation. Referring to graph 430, under the second mode, receive circuit configuration module 404 can decrease the minimum detectable input signal level at receive circuit 106 to a signal level 432. Minimum detectable input signal level 432 can be reduced compared with minimum detectable input signal level 424 of the first mode. Under the second mode, the minimum detectable input signal level can be reduced based on, for example, reducing the noise figure of receive circuit 106, or otherwise improving the link margin of receive circuit 106. With the second configuration, the signal level of a weak radar signal (e.g., a radar signal coming from the maximum detection distance) can be amplified to remain above the minimum detectable input signal level at the receive circuit.
In one example, the noise figure of receive circuit 106 can be reduced, in the second mode, by increasing an amplification gain of an amplifier of the receive circuit relative to the first mode. Because of the increased amplification gain, the receive circuit under the second mode of operation may have a reduced 1dB compression point, as well as reduced maximum input signal level, at a signal level 436, for which the receive circuit remains linear. But the decrease in the minimum detectable input signal level is unlikely to saturate receive circuit 106, as long as receive circuit 106 receives radar signal 108 from an object in the second target distance range rather than in the first target distance range, in which case radar signal 108 should experience substantial attenuation before arriving at receive circuit 106 and is likely to below maximum input signal level 436.
To reduce the likelihood of receive circuit 106 being saturated by a radar signal reflected from a close-by object (e.g., an object within the first target distance range) under the second mode, a receive circuit (RX) blocking operation can be performed at the beginning of the second mode, in which receive circuit configuration module 404 can also delay detection of radar signal 108 by receive circuit 106. Referring to graph 430, receive circuit configuration module 404 can disable receive circuit 106, or cause processing engine 208 to ignore the output of receive circuit 106, within an RX blocking window 440 from when transmit circuit 102 transmits radar signal 104. The duration of RX blocking window 440 can be configured such the radar signal 108 reflected by an object positioned within the second target distance range (from transmit circuit 102) arrives at receive circuit 106 only after RX blocking window 440 elapses. For example, the duration of RX blocking window 440 can extend from TO (the time when signal detection starts in the first mode), and have a duration based on the maximum round-trip delay experienced by radar signal 104 (and 108) between transmit circuit 102 and an object within the first target distance range (e.g., 0-30 meters), so that under the second mode receive circuit 106 does not receive/process radar signals from the first target distance range.
In some examples, receive circuit 106 may also include a variable gain amplifier (VGA) 460. Amplifier 460 may include variable loads 462, a variable bias current source 464, etc. Receive circuit configuration module 404 can change the gain of VGA 460 based on, for example, changing the resistance of variable loads 462 and/or the bias current supplied by bias current source 464. Variable loads 462 and variable bias current source 464 can be controlled by software.
As described above, multimode radar system 400 can interleave the first mode and second mode of operations to perform detection of objects in different target distance ranges at different times. A conventional frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar signal has a very long pulse width compared with the maximum round-trip delay experienced by the radar signal, and will pose problems for the time-interleaved detection operation, including the RX blocking operation in the second mode.
FMCW radar signal 500, having such a long pulse width, can pose problems for the time-interleaved detection operation of multimode radar system 400. Specifically, due to the long pulse width, a reflected FMCW radar signal will have a long duration. This can interfere with the RX blocking operation in the second mode. As described above, at the beginning of the second mode, receive circuit configuration module 404 can delay detection of radar signal 108 by receive circuit 106 within RX blocking window 440 from when transmit circuit 102 transmits radar signal 104 to avoid being saturated by a reflected signal from a close-by object. But if the reflected signal has a very long duration, it will still appear at receive circuit 106 after RX blocking window 440 elapses, and still saturate receive circuit 106.
Graph 506 illustrates an example of the FMCW radar signals interfering the RX blocking operation in the second mode as described in
To support the time-interleaving between the first mode and second mode of operations, multimode radar system 400 can generate radar signal 104 having short pulse widths compared with the maximum round-trip delay experienced by radar signal 104 (e.g., 2 us for 300 meters of maximum target detection distance).
Graph 606 illustrates an example of using short-pulse radar signals in the first mode and second mode of operations of
An attractive property of complementary waveforms is that the sum of their autocorrelation functions is equal to a perfect impulse response function, thus enabling zero range side lobes.
Here, a Golay pair comprises a first sequence, Ga, and a second sequence, Gb. Golay processing 710 comprises autocorrelating Ga and Gb output by receive circuit 106 using Ga correlator 720-1 and Gb correlator 720-2, respectively. A summation 722 of the output of each correlator is then performed to provide output 724: a perfect pulse response with no side lobes. Gb correlators 720-1 and 720-2, as well as summation 722, can be implemented in processing engine 208 (e.g., correlator 234). To exploit this complementary property for radar pulses, sequences Ga and Gb can be transmitted separately in time, such that the time interval between these two transmissions is greater than a round-trip delay to the farthest object (e.g., 2 us), as described above. Otherwise, cross-correlation between the long target echo of the first sequence and the second transmitted sequence will destroy zero side lobe property. To ensure proper operation of the autocorrelation operations, the output of receive circuit 106 needs to be linearly related to the received radar signals, which would require the signal level of the received radar signals to be above the minimum input signal level and below the maximum input signal level of receive circuit 106.
At block 802, the functionality includes performing a first mode of detection operation associated with a first distance range, at least in part by performing the functions described at blocks 802a, 802b, and 802c. The functionality at block 802a comprises transmitting, by a transmit circuit, a first signal. The functionality at block 802b comprises setting a maximum input signal level at a receive circuit, wherein the maximum input signal level is set based on a minimum of the first distance range. The functionality at block 802c comprises detecting, by the receive circuit, a reflection of the first signal.
As previously noted, the first mode of detection can be for detecting a close-by object, such as an object within the first distance range (e.g., 0-30 meters) from the radar system. Under the first mode of detection, the maximum input signal level at the receive circuit can be increased based on, for example, increasing the 1dB compression point of the receive circuit, such that the signal level of the reflected first signal, reflected from an object at a minimum of the first distance range (e.g., 0 meters), remain below the 1dB compression point, as shown in graph 420 of
The first signal can include short pulses for which the pulse width is shorter than the maximum round-trip delay experienced by the first signal, such as those shown in
Means for performing the functionality at block 802 may include, for example, a multiband pulse generator 216, DAC 218, mixer 220, transmit circuit 102, and one or more antennas, as illustrated in
Referring again to
As described, the second mode of detection can be for detecting a far-away object (compared with the first distance range), such as an object within the second distance range (e.g., 30-300 meters). Under the second mode of detection, the minimum input signal level at the receive circuit based on, for example, reducing the noise figure of the receive circuit, or otherwise improving the link margin of the receive circuit. With the second configuration, the signal level of the radar signal, having travelled through a distance twice the maximum of the second distance range (e.g., 300 meters), can remain above the minimum input signal level at the receive circuit, as shown in graph 430 of
In some examples, to reduce the likelihood of the receive circuit being saturated during the second mode operation, the receive circuit can be disabled, or otherwise the output of the receive circuit can be ignored, within an RX blocking window from when the transmit circuit transmits the second signal. The duration of the RX blocking window can be configured such the second signal reflected by an object positioned within the second distance range (from the transmit circuit) arrives at the receive circuit only after the RX blocking window elapses.
Similar to the first signal, the second signal can also include short pulses for which the pulse width is shorter than the maximum round-trip delay experienced by the first signal, such as those shown in
Means for performing the functionality at block 804 may include, for example, one or more antennas, receive circuit 106, mixer 230, ADC 232, and correlators 234, as illustrated in
At block 806, the functionality comprises determining a distance of an object based on one of the reflection of the first signal or the reflection of the second signal. Specifically, the distance can be determined based on the round-trip delay experienced by the first signal or the second signal. The round-trip delay can be determined based on a time difference between when the transmit circuit transmits the first signal (or the second signal), and when the receive circuit receives the reflected first signal (or the reflected second signal).
In a case where the first signal and the second signal contain complementary Golay pulse sequences, the distance can be determined based on a time at which either or both of the first and second complementary pairs are transmitted and received (e.g., a calculated round-trip time). The times at which pulses are received can be determined by the impulse response generated, as shown in
As such, means for performing the functionality at block 806 may include, for example, ranging operation module 210, as described above. This module can be implemented in hardware (e.g., specialize circuit) and/or software (e.g., executed by a processing unit), which may be included in a communications subsystem 930 (including wireless communication interface 933), processing unit(s) 910, and/or other hardware and/or software components of an electronic device 900, as illustrated in
It should be noted that
The electronic device 900 is shown comprising hardware elements that can be electrically coupled via a bus 905 (or may otherwise be in communication, as appropriate). The hardware elements may include processing unit(s) 910, which can include, without limitation, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and/or the like), and/or other processing structures, which may be configured to perform one or more of the functions in the methods described herein, including the method illustrated in
In some examples, processing unit(s) 910 can also implement part of or the entirety of controller 402 of
The electronic device 900 also can include one or more input devices 915, which can include, without limitation, a touchscreen display or other user interface, one or more automation systems for an automated vehicle, and/or the like; and one or more output devices 920, which can include without limitation a display device, the one or more automation systems for an automated vehicle, and/or the like.
The electronic device 900 may further include (and/or be in communication with) one or more non-transitory storage devices 925, which can comprise, without limitation, local and/or network-accessible storage, and/or can include, without limitation, a disk drive, a drive array, an optical storage device, a solid-state storage device, such as a random-access memory (RAM), and/or a read-only memory (ROM), which can be programmable, flash-updateable, and/or the like. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any appropriate data stores, including, without limitation, various file systems, database structures, and/or the like.
The electronic device 900 may also include a communications subsystem 930, which can include support of wireline communication technologies and/or wireless communication technologies (in some embodiments) managed and controlled by a wireless communication interface 933. The communications subsystem 930 may include a modem, a network card (wireless or wired), an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, a chipset, and/or the like. The communications subsystem 930 may include one or more input and/or output communication interfaces, such as the wireless communication interface 933, to permit data and signaling to be exchanged with a network, mobile devices, other computer systems, and/or any other electronic devices described herein. As previously noted, one or more of the components illustrated in
In many embodiments, the electronic device 900 further comprises a working memory 935, which can include an RAM and/or an ROM device. Software elements, shown as being located within the working memory 935, can include an operating system 940, device drivers, executable libraries, and/or other code, such as application(s) 945, which may comprise computer programs provided by various embodiments, and/or may be designed to implement methods and/or configure systems, provided by other embodiments, as described herein. Merely by way of example, one or more functions described with respect to the methods discussed above, such as the method described in relation to
A set of these instructions and/or code might be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as the storage device(s) 925 described above. In some cases, the storage medium might be incorporated within a computer system, such as electronic device 900. In other embodiments, the storage medium might be separate from a computer system (e.g., a removable medium, such as an optical disc), and/or provided in an installation package, such that the storage medium can be used to program, configure, and/or adapt a general-purpose computer with the instructions/code stored thereon. These instructions might take the form of executable code, which is executable by the electronic device 900 and/or might take the form of source and/or installable code, which, upon compilation and/or installation on the electronic device 900 (e.g., using any of a variety of generally available compilers, installation programs, compression/decompression utilities), then takes the form of executable code.
It can be noted that, although particular frequencies, hardware, and other features may have been in the embodiments provided herein, alternative embodiments may vary. That is, alternative embodiments may utilize additional or alternative frequencies, antenna elements (e.g., having different size/shape of antenna element arrays), frame rates, electronic devices, and/or other features as described in the embodiments herein. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate such variations.
A person of ordinary skill in the art will additionally appreciate that various aspects of the embodiments described herein may be implemented in various ways. For example, pulse generation, correlation, and/or other types of signal generation and/or processing might be implemented in hardware, software (e.g., firmware), or both. Further, hardware and/or software functions may be distributed among different components and/or devices.
Embodiments provided herein may be used for automated driving and/or other applications. Generally speaking, the architecture illustrated in
The aforementioned memory can include non-transitory machine-readable media. The term “machine-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium,” as used herein, refer to any storage medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a specific fashion. In embodiments provided hereinabove, various machine-readable media might be involved in providing instructions/code to processing units and/or other device(s) for execution. Additionally or alternatively, the machine-readable media might be used to store and/or carry such instructions/code. In many implementations, a computer-readable medium is a physical and/or tangible storage medium. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, magnetic and/or optical media, RAM, PROM, EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, and/or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and/or code.
The methods, systems, and devices discussed herein are examples. Various embodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For instance, features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different aspects and elements of the embodiments may be combined in a similar manner. The various components of the figures provided herein can be embodied in hardware and/or software. Also, technology evolves and, thus, many of the elements are examples that do not limit the scope of the disclosure to those specific examples.
It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to such signals as bits, information, values, elements, symbols, characters, variables, terms, numbers, numerals, or the like. It should be understood, however, that all of these or similar terms are to be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as is apparent from the discussion above, it is appreciated that throughout this description, terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “ascertaining,” “identifying,” “associating,” “measuring,” “performing,” or the like refer to actions or processes of a specific apparatus, such as a special purpose computer or a similar special purpose electronic computing device. In the context of this Specification, therefore, a special purpose computer or a similar special purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals, typically represented as physical, electronic, electrical, or magnetic quantities within memories, registers, or other information storage devices, transmission devices, or display devices of the special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device.
Terms, “and” and “or” as used herein, may include a variety of meanings that also are expected to depend at least in part upon the context in which such terms are used. In addition, the term “one or more” as used herein may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in the singular or may be used to describe some combination of features, structures, or characteristics. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example and claimed subject matter is not limited to this example. Furthermore, the term “at least one of,” if used to associate a list, such as A, B, or C, can be interpreted to mean any combination of A, B, and/or C, such as A, AB, AA, AAB, and/or AABBCCC.
Having described several embodiments, various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, the above elements may merely be a component of a larger system, wherein other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the various embodiments. Also, a number of steps may be undertaken before, during, or after the above elements are considered. Accordingly, the above description does not limit the scope of the disclosure.
In view of this description, embodiments may include different combinations of features. Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 279407 | Dec 2020 | IL | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2021/072406 | 11/15/2021 | WO |
