Claims
- 1. A radar system for detecting an obstacle, said radar system comprising:a signal source adapted to produce a single frequency, continuous wave input signal; a transmitting antenna adapted to receive said input signal and transmit an electromagnetic wave, said electromagnetic wave adapted to reflect off said obstacle to produce a reflected electromagnetic wave; a plurality of receiving antennas adapted to receive said reflected electromagnetic wave and produce output signals; a quadrature mixer adapted to combine said input signal with said output signals to produce in-phase (I) signals and quadrature (Q) signals; and a processor adapted to use said I signals and said Q signals to estimate the angle and range location of said obstacle using a near field back projection algorithm or a far field angle of arrival algorithm.
- 2. The radar system of claim 1 wherein said transmitting antenna and said receiving antennas are secured to a vehicle.
- 3. The radar system of claim 2 wherein said transmitting antenna and said receiving antennas are secured to a bumper of said vehicle.
- 4. The radar system of claim 1 wherein said processor is adapted to use the amplitudes and phases of said output signals to estimate the location of said obstacle.
- 5. The radar system of claim 1 wherein said processor is adapted to estimate the distance of said obstacle.
- 6. The radar system of claim 1 wherein said processor is adapted to use angle and range distribution data derived from said I signals and said Q signals to estimate the location of said obstacle.
- 7. The radar system of claim 1 wherein each of said receiving antennas is in electrical communication with said quadrature mixer via a respective switch.
- 8. The radar system of claim 7 further comprising a controller in electrical communication with said processor and each of said switches, whereby said controller controls the scanning of said receiving antennas.
- 9. The radar system of claim 1 wherein said receiving antennas are arranged in a linear array.
- 10. The radar system of claim 1 further comprising at least one additional transmitting antenna adapted to receive substantially the same input signal and transmit substantially the same electromagnetic wave which is adapted to reflect off said obstacle to produce another reflected electromagnetic wave to be received by said receiving antennas.
- 11. The radar system of claim 10 wherein said transmitting antennas are arranged in a linear array.
- 12. The radar system of claim 1 wherein said I signals and said Q signals are analog signals, said radar system further comprising at least one analog-to-digital converter interposed between said quadrature mixer and said processor.
- 13. The radar system of claim 1 further comprising at least one filter interposed between said quadrature mixer and said processor.
Parent Case Info
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/349,816, filed Jan. 17, 2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference
US Referenced Citations (10)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry |
Kim, M.W., et al, “Neural Network Based Optimum Radar Target Detection in Non-Gaussian Noise.”, Proceedings of the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks, Jun. 7-11, 1992. |
Williams, D. A., “Millimetre Wave Radars for Automotive Applications”, International Microwave Symposium Digest, Jun. 1-5, 1992. |
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60/349816 |
Jan 2002 |
US |