阅读说明：本技术 雷达传感器系统和用于运行雷达传感器系统的方法 (Radar sensor system and method for operating a radar sensor system ) 是由 M·迈尔 B·勒施 M·朔尔 M·施泰因豪尔 于 2018-12-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：雷达传感器系统(100),具有：至少一个发送装置(10a...10n),其中,所有发送装置(10...10n)总共具有至少两个发送信道；至少一个接收装置(20a...20n),其中,所有接收装置(20a...20n)总共具有至少两个接收信道；各一个温度传感器(30a...30n),用于检测至少一个发送装置(10a...10n)和至少一个接收装置(20a...20n)的温度；建模装置(40),用于对至少一个发送装置(10a...10n)与至少一个接收装置(20a...20n)的至少一个温度相关性进行建模；补偿装置(50),用于补偿建模的温度相关性。(Radar sensor system (100) having: at least one transmitting device (10a.. 10n), wherein all transmitting devices (10.. 10n) have at least two transmitting channels in total; at least one receiving device (20a.. 20n), wherein all receiving devices (20a.. 20n) have at least two receiving channels in total; a temperature sensor (30a.. 30n) for detecting the temperature of the at least one transmitting device (10a.. 10n) and the at least one receiving device (20a.. 20 n); a modeling device (40) for modeling at least one temperature dependency of at least one transmitting device (10a.. 10n) and at least one receiving device (20a.. 20 n); a compensation means (50) for compensating the modeled temperature dependence.)

1. A radar sensor system (100) having:

at least one transmitting device (10a.. 10n), wherein all transmitting devices (10.. 10n) have at least two transmitting channels in total;

at least one receiving device (20a.. 20n), wherein all receiving devices (20a.. 20n) have at least two receiving channels in total;

a respective temperature sensor (30a.. 30n) for detecting the temperature of the at least one transmitting device (10a.. 10n) and of the at least one receiving device (20a.. 20 n);

a modeling device (40) for modeling at least one temperature dependency between the at least one transmitting device (10a.. 10n) and the at least one receiving device (20a.. 20 n);

a compensation device (50) for compensating the modeled temperature dependence.

2. The radar sensor system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the modelling means (40) is arranged inside or outside the radar sensor system (100).

3. The radar sensor system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the compensation device (50) is arranged inside or outside the radar sensor system (100).

4. The radar sensor system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a temperature-dependent phase shift of the signal of the receiving device (20a.. 20n) and/or a temperature-dependent phase shift of the signal of the transmitting device (10a.. 10n) and/or a temperature-dependent phase shift of the signal of a high-frequency signal generating device (60a.. 60n) can be modeled by means of the modeling device (40).

5. The radar sensor system (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that a linear dependence of the signals of the transmission channels of the transmission device (10a … 10n) and/or of the signals of the reception channels of the reception device (20b.. 20d) can be modeled by means of the modeling device (40).

6. The radar sensor system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the compensation device (50) is configured as a phase shifter element.

7. The radar sensor system (100) according to claim 6, characterized in that a coarse compensation of the temperature dependency can be performed by means of the phase shifter element and a fine compensation of the temperature dependency can be performed computationally by means of a signal processing device.

8. The radar sensor system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the radar sensor system (100) has a plurality of high-frequency components (1a.. 1n), wherein all high-frequency components (1a.. 1d) are functionally connected to a synchronization network (80), wherein the high-frequency signals of the high-frequency signal generating device (60a.. 60n) can be provided for all high-frequency components (1a.. 1d) by means of the synchronization network (80).

9. A method for operating a radar sensor system (100), having the following steps:

transmitting radar waves by means of at least one transmitting device (10a.. 10n), wherein all transmitting devices (10a.. 10n) have at least two transmitting channels in total;

receiving the radar waves reflected at the target by means of at least one receiving device (20a.. 20n), wherein all receiving devices have at least two receiving channels in total;

detecting the temperature of the at least one transmitting device (10a.. 10n) and of the at least one receiving device (20a.. 20 n);

modeling, by means of a modeling device (40), at least one temperature dependency between the at least one transmitting device (10a … 10n) and the at least one receiving device (20a.. 20 n);

the temperature dependence is compensated during the transmission and the reception by means of a compensation device (50).

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a radar sensor system. The invention also relates to a method for operating a radar sensor system. The invention also relates to a computer program product.

Background

Currently, the market for driver assistance systems is in transition. Although in the last years mainly cost-effective sensor devices have been regarded as important, the trend of highly autonomous driving with much higher demands on the sensor devices is currently shown. In vehicles with a high driver assistance or automatic driving function, more and more sensors are installed for control and regulation functions. The sensors installed in the vehicle may be, for example, radar sensors or lidar sensors and must have as high an accuracy as possible. By using precise sensors, functional safety and reliability of the autonomous or partially autonomous driving function can be ensured.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a radar sensor system with improved operating characteristics.

According to a first aspect, the object is achieved by a radar sensor system having:

-at least one transmitting device, wherein all transmitting devices have at least two transmitting channels in total;

-at least one receiving device, wherein all receiving devices have at least two receiving channels in total;

-one temperature sensor each for detecting the temperature of the at least one transmitting device and of the at least one receiving device;

-modeling means for modeling at least one temperature dependency between at least one transmitting device and at least one receiving device;

-compensation means for compensating the modeled temperature dependence.

In this way a radar sensor system is provided which advantageously is able to compensate for signal drifts due to different temperatures. This advantageously enables an improvement in the operating behavior of the radar sensor system.

According to a second aspect, the object is achieved by a method for operating a radar sensor system, having the following steps:

-transmitting radar waves by means of at least one transmitting device, wherein all transmitting devices have at least two transmitting channels in total;

-receiving the radar waves reflected at the target by means of at least one receiving device, wherein all receiving devices have at least two receiving channels in total;

-detecting the temperature of at least one transmitting device and at least one receiving device;

-modeling at least one temperature dependency between at least one transmitting device and at least one receiving device by means of a modeling device;

-compensating the temperature dependence during transmission and reception by means of a compensation means.

Advantageous embodiments of the radar sensor system are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

An advantageous development of the radar sensor system is characterized in that the modeling device is arranged inside or outside the radar sensor system. This advantageously supports a high degree of freedom and design versatility of the temperature-compensated radar sensor system.

Further advantageous embodiments of the radar sensor system are provided as follows: the compensation device is arranged inside or outside the radar sensor system. In this way, a high degree of freedom in design and design versatility of the radar sensor system is also advantageously supported, wherein the compensation device can be constructed in hardware with an internal arrangement. In the case of an external arrangement, the result of the compensation can be transmitted to the radar sensor system, wherein, for example, a temperature compensation (e.g., a phase rotation) is carried out in an external signal processing device.

A further advantageous development of the radar sensor system is characterized in that the temperature-dependent phase shift of the signal of the receiving device and/or the temperature-dependent phase shift of the signal of the transmitting device and/or the temperature-dependent phase shift of the signal of the high-frequency signal generating device can be modeled by means of the modeling device. The temperature-defined phase shift can thereby advantageously be substantially eliminated, thereby improving the detection quality of the radar sensor system.

A further advantageous development of the radar sensor system is characterized in that the linear dependence of the signals of the transmission channel of the transmission device and/or of the signals of the reception channel of the reception device can be modeled by means of the modeling device. In this way, the correlation of the signals is simulated in a model which largely corresponds to the physical reality.

A further advantageous development of the radar sensor system is characterized in that the compensation device is designed as a phase shifter element. The compensation of the temperature dependency can thus advantageously be performed directly at the module in the hardware.

A further advantageous development of the radar sensor system is characterized in that a coarse compensation of the temperature dependence (gropkompensation) can be carried out by means of the phase shifter element and a fine compensation of the temperature dependence (Feinkompensation) can be carried out in a computational manner (recherisch) by means of the signal processing device. In this way, a two-stage implementation of the proposed compensation method can be achieved, whereby a sensitive compensation of the temperature dependency can be achieved.

A further advantageous development of the radar sensor system is characterized in that the radar sensor system has a plurality of high-frequency components, wherein all high-frequency components are functionally connected to a synchronization network, wherein the high-frequency signals of the high-frequency signal generating device can be provided for all high-frequency components by the synchronization network. In this way, a multistage cascaded radar sensor system is advantageously provided, which advantageously has temperature-compensated operating characteristics.

Drawings

The preferred embodiments of the invention are further elucidated on the basis of a highly simplified schematic drawing. Here, the drawings show:

fig. 1 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of the proposed radar sensor system;

fig. 2 shows another embodiment of the proposed radar sensor system;

fig. 3 shows a basic flowchart of the proposed method for operating a radar sensor system.

In the figures, identical structural elements have identical reference numerals, respectively.

Detailed Description

Current radar sensors typically have multiple high frequency channels (transmit and receive channels) for transmitting radar waves and for receiving radar waves. In normal operation, all high-frequency channels can be operated simultaneously.

Fig. 1 shows a basic embodiment of the proposed radar sensor system 100. The radar sensor system 100 is composed of a single high-frequency component 1a, preferably in the form of an MMIC (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit), which has a transmitter 10a with a plurality of transmission channels (not shown) and a receiver 20a with a plurality of reception channels (not shown). The high-frequency signal (LO signal) for the transmitting device 10a and for the receiving device 20a is provided by means of the high-frequency signal generating device 60a. Temperature sensors 30a, 30b are shown, which detect the temperature of transmitting device 10a and receiving device 20a and supply the ascertained temperature values to modeling device 40.

The temperature behavior of the transmitting and receiving device is modeled by means of the modeling device 40 and the result is fed to the compensation device 50. The temperature-defined drift of the signals of the receiving channel of the receiving device 20a and of the transmitting channel of the transmitting device 10a is compensated by means of a compensation device 50, which may be designed, for example, as a phase shifter element. As a result, the temperature-compensated operating behavior of the transmitting and receiving device is advantageously supported thereby. For example, the linear temperature dependence of the channel can be modeled by means of the model, but also mathematically more complex models, for example models with higher-order polynomials, can be envisaged.

In the mathematical model provided by the modeling means 40, for example, the transfer function of the relevant components, such as the temperature-dependent phase dependence of the Power Amplifier (PA), can be described. The temperature is then determined during ongoing operation and the effect is compensated for based on the model. A typical course of variation is described by a phase shift which is approximately linearly dependent on the temperature of the module. The slope of the linear course of change mentioned is therefore primarily a parameter of the model, and the temperature is primarily an input variable. The phase drift to be corrected is then determined by the model.

In the case of multiple MMICs, there may be temperature dependent drift between different modules. Even when all MMICs exhibit the same characteristics, different transfer functions (e.g. amplitude and phase) of different components (e.g. amplifiers, mixers) within the MMIC may occur through temperature differences between the modules. The conventional approach is to minimize these drifts, i.e. minimize the difference, by a corresponding symmetrical design. However, this requires additional design elements (e.g. a central high-frequency signal generating module) which are expensive and therefore require additional costs. The invention advantageously makes it possible to compensate for drift at low or no additional cost.

In the case of a Multi-MMIC System (Multi-MMIC-System), there are accordingly a plurality of temperatures and phase shifts, so that a correspondingly large set of mathematical equations is required for the correction.

Ideally, the model is based on components in the MMIC or in the entire system. In this case, the individual combinations can be combined, for example, for the links of the power amplifiers for high-frequency signal distribution in the Master (Master), the high-frequency signal lines on the circuit board, and the input circuits for receiving high-frequency signals in the Slave MMICs (Slave MMICs). Here, it may be advantageous to merge or separate the models depending on the correlation of the characteristic curves.

The compensation by means of the compensation device 50 can be carried out in various types. Ideally, the compensation is carried out directly in the module, i.e. the transmit phase of the transmit signal is corrected directly, for example, by means of a phase shifter element, which is controlled in a model-supported manner (for example as a function of temperature).

Alternatively, the compensation can also be carried out computationally in a signal evaluation unit (not shown), in which a model is determined and the respective signal for the combination of the transmission and reception channels is compensated for in accordance with the model.

A combination of the two approaches mentioned is also conceivable, for example a coarse correction in an MMIC and a fine correction in a computer. In general, the phase can only be corrected in relatively coarse steps (for example in steps of 5 ° or 10 °) by means of phase shifter elements, the estimated residual error being corrected in the signal processing.

The characteristic curves required for the model are preferably determined by design or alternatively by measurement (e.g. on chip, in the factory or in the sensor).

The structure of the radar sensor system can be composed of known, cost-effective basic components, for example. Improving the performance and accuracy of a radar sensor system may be achieved by parallelization of multiple components of the same type. Furthermore, by using a plurality of homogeneous components, redundancy for providing a reliable function of the device can be achieved. Emergency operation of the radar sensor system can thereby be realized in a technically simple manner. However, for this purpose, in addition to the high-frequency components and the microcontroller, there must also be redundancy in the clock generation. The high-frequency component may be, for example, an antenna control device or an amplifier constructed in the form of an MMIC.

Radar sensor systems have a high degree of coherence by: all high-frequency components are supplied with an effective frequency (nutzfrequeunz) or a fundamental frequency by a common clock generator. In particular, different high-frequency components can be operated at the same operating frequency, so that a redundant and coherent clock supply of a plurality of high-frequency components can be achieved.

Preferably, at least a part of the high frequency components used in the radar sensor system may be supplied with a clock or an effective frequency. In normal operation, all high-frequency components or antenna controls of the radar sensor system can be supplied with the same clock by the at least one clock generator, and therefore all data can be calculated from one another (verrechen).

In radar sensor systems, a master role is usually assigned to a component which takes over the high-frequency generation, while the other high-frequency components are supplied with high-frequency synchronization signals from this component. A high frequency synchronization signal is required to provide a high degree of coherence of the high frequency components 1a.. 1d in order to achieve a high angular resolution of the radar sensor system 100. For this purpose, special modules are used in the prior art for generating high frequencies and for further signal processing.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of a proposed temperature compensated radar sensor system 100 of this type. The radar sensor system 100 has four high-frequency components 1a.. 1d, which are designed as MMICs. Here, the number four is merely exemplary, and the proposed radar sensor system 100 may also have less or more than four high frequency components. A synchronization network 80 can also be seen, to which all high-frequency components 1a.. 1d are functionally connected and which serves to synchronize the high-frequency operating frequencies of all high-frequency components 1a.. 1 d. The settings were as follows: the entirety of all transmitting devices 10a.. 10n of all high-frequency components 1a.. 1d has a total of at least two transmitting channels, and the entirety of all receiving devices 20b.. 20d of all high-frequency components 1a.. 1d has a total of at least two receiving channels.

It can be seen that only the high-frequency component 1a uses its high-frequency signal generating means 60a in order to feed high-frequency signals into the transmission and reception directions 10a, 20a. The generated high-frequency signal is supplied to all other high-frequency components 1b, 1c, 1d by means of the synchronization device 70 a. The high-frequency signal generating means 60b, 60c, 60d of the high-frequency components 1b, 1c, 1d are thus deactivated.

In this way, a model of a cascaded multi MMIC system is achieved, in which oscillators, transmitters and receivers and the necessary components for high-frequency signal distribution are used in the high-frequency components 1a.. 1 d. The drift can be determined and compensated for by means of the model and the individual temperatures of the MMIC. This makes it possible to dispense with design elements for symmetry and to design the radar sensor system 100 more cost-effectively.

In this case, the high-frequency component 1a takes over the main function in the composite of the radar sensor system 100. In this way, the high-frequency component 1a acts as a master in the radar sensor system 100, wherein the other three high-frequency components 1b, 1c, 1d act as slave high-frequency components.

Furthermore, the radar sensor system 100 has an antenna control device of the high-frequency components 1a.. 1 d. For the sake of simplicity, other components of the high-frequency component 1a.. 1d, such as antennas, amplifiers, oscillators, etc., which are required for transmitting and receiving radar waves, are not shown in the figure.

Reference clock means 90 can also be seen, which supply the entire radar sensor system 100 with a reference clock of, for example, 50MHz (for example, for supplying an analog/digital converter, a sequencer, etc.).

In normal operation of the radar sensor system 100, the high-frequency component 1a acting as a master takes over a plurality of the following tasks:

-generating a frequency, and possibly a clock (e.g. 50MHz), by means of a PLL (e.g. 77 GHz);

-output and amplification of the high frequency synchronization signal;

-providing partly a transmission signal;

-mixing into baseband;

-possible analog/digital conversion and output of digital signals.

The first two tasks are usually only taken over by the master rf component 1a, the last three tasks being taken over by all participating rf components 1a.. 1d of the radar sensor system 100.

Thus, in the radar sensor system 100 of fig. 2, the high-frequency component 1a forms a master, while the other high-frequency components 1b, 1c, 1d represent slaves. Each of the high-frequency components 1a.. 1d has a temperature sensor 30a.. 30d, which is read accordingly. The mathematical model provided by the modeling means 40 (not shown) can now model the segment from master to slave, for example by using the correlation of the synchronization means 70a … 70d of the master and slave, and thus for example model the signal deviation between the master reception means 20a and the slave transmission means 10b.. 10d, and thus correct this deviation.

Advantageously, the proposed method can be used not only in radar sensor systems, but also in any product having a plurality of high frequency components. The proposed radar sensor system is preferably used in the automotive field.

Fig. 3 shows a basic flowchart of a method for operating the radar sensor system 100.

In step 200, radar waves are transmitted by means of at least one transmitting device 10a.. 10n, all of which have at least two transmitting channels in total.

In step 210, the radar waves reflected at the target are received by means of at least one receiving device 20a.. 20n, wherein all receiving devices have at least two receiving channels.

In step 220, the temperature of at least one transmitting device 10a.. 10n and at least one receiving device 20a.. 20n is detected.

In step 230, at least one temperature dependency between the at least one transmitting device 10a.. 10n and the at least one receiving device 20b.. 20d is modeled by means of the modeling device 40.

In step 240, the temperature dependence is compensated during transmission and reception by means of the compensation means 50.

Obviously, the order of the above steps may also be interchanged with one another in a suitable manner. For example, a model of the temperature dependence can also be created already before the radar waves are transmitted and received.

Advantageously, the proposed method may be implemented as software running in a control device (not shown) of the radar sensor system 100. In this way, simple variability of the method is advantageously supported.

In summary, the invention provides a radar sensor system and a method for operating a radar sensor system, by means of which temperature drifts of components of the radar sensor system can be compensated. By means of modeling the temperature drift mentioned and the subsequent compensation for this temperature drift, the overhead for eliminating the temperature drift can advantageously be kept low. As a result, it is thereby supported that the entire radar sensor system is calibrated or temperature compensated, wherein it can also be provided, if necessary, for this purpose that the individual blocks/elements/components are not individually compensated.

Thus, a person skilled in the art may realize embodiments not described or only partially described in the foregoing without departing from the core of the invention.