阅读说明：本技术 雷达设备和用于检测雷达目标的方法 (Radar apparatus and method for detecting radar target ) 是由 A·罗杰 F·B·哈立德 P·梅斯纳 D·T·纽格拉哈 R·伊格纳斯 于 2020-04-24 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开的实施例涉及雷达设备和用于检测雷达目标的方法。在此描述一种雷达设备(400),包括第一雷达-IC(410-1),用于处理来自天线阵列(414)的第一天线的第一接收信号,其中第一雷达-IC(410-1)被配置为基于第一接收信号来确定第一距离-多普勒图；并且基于感兴趣的准则来确定第一距离-多普勒图的第一子区域。雷达设备(400)还包括至少第二雷达-IC(410-2),用于处理来自天线阵列的第二天线的第二接收信号,其中第二雷达-IC(410-2)被配置为基于第二接收信号来确定第二距离-多普勒图,并且基于感兴趣的准则来确定第二距离-多普勒图的第二子区域。数据接口(420)被配置为将指示第一子区域和/或第二子区域的信息转发给公共处理器以用于进一步处理。(Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a radar apparatus and a method for detecting a radar target. Described herein is a radar apparatus (400) comprising a first radar-IC (410-1) for processing a first receive signal from a first antenna of an antenna array (414), wherein the first radar-IC (410-1) is configured to determine a first range-doppler plot based on the first receive signal; and determining a first sub-region of the first range-doppler plot based on the criterion of interest. The radar apparatus (400) further comprises at least a second radar-IC (410-2) for processing a second received signal from a second antenna of the antenna array, wherein the second radar-IC (410-2) is configured to determine a second range-doppler plot based on the second received signal and to determine a second sub-region of the second range-doppler plot based on the criterion of interest. The data interface (420) is configured to forward information indicative of the first sub-region and/or the second sub-region to the common processor for further processing.)

1. A radar apparatus (400), comprising:

a first radar-IC (410-1) to process a first receive signal from a first antenna of an antenna array (414), wherein the first radar-IC is configured to

Determining a first range-doppler plot based on the first received signal; and

determining a first sub-region of the first range-doppler plot based on a predetermined criterion;

at least a second radar-IC (410-2) for processing a second receive signal from a second antenna of the antenna array (414), wherein the second radar-IC is configured to

Determining a second range-doppler plot based on the second received signal, an

Determining a second sub-region of the second range-doppler plot based on the predetermined criterion; and

a data interface (420) configured to forward information indicative of the first sub-region and/or the second sub-region to a common processor (410-1; 410-2; 410-3) for further processing.

2. The radar apparatus (400) of claim 1, wherein the first radar-IC (410-1) is configured to determine the first range-doppler plot by combining range-doppler plots for each first antenna of the antenna array, and wherein the second radar-IC is configured to determine the second range-doppler plot by combining range-doppler plots for each second antenna of the antenna array.

3. The radar apparatus (400) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second range-doppler plots comprise respective FFT bins, wherein the predetermined criterion comprises an FFT bin amplitude level above an adaptive threshold, and wherein the first and second sub-regions comprise FFT bins of the respective range-doppler plots that match the criterion.

4. The radar apparatus (400) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the information indicative of the first and/or second sub-region comprises binary information indicative of an FFT interval of the first and/or second sub-region matching the criterion.

5. The radar apparatus (400) of any preceding claim, wherein the information indicative of the first and/or second sub-regions comprises phase information across the first and/or second antennas, the phase information being associated with FFT intervals of the first and/or second sub-regions matching the criterion.

6. The radar apparatus (400) of claim 5, wherein the common processor (410-1; 410-2; 410-3) is configured to determine a spatial direction of a target object based on a combination of the first and second sub-regions and based on phase information associated with the combination of the first and second sub-regions.

7. The radar apparatus (400) of claim 6, wherein the common processor (410-1; 410-2; 410-3) is configured to forward a combination of the first and second sub-areas and an associated spatial direction to a central control unit.

8. The radar apparatus (400) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first radar-IC (410-1) is configured to forward first binary information indicative of the first sub-area to the second radar-IC (410-2) via the data interface, wherein the second radar-IC (410-2) is configured to combine the first binary information and second binary information indicative of the second sub-area to obtain binary information indicative of a combined sub-area.

9. The radar apparatus (400) of claim 8, wherein the second radar-IC (410-2) is configured as the common processor.

10. The radar device (400) of claim 8 or 9, wherein the first radar-IC (410-1) is configured to forward phase information across the first antenna and associated with the first sub-region or the combined sub-region further to the second radar-IC (410-2) via a data interface (420), wherein the second radar-IC (410-2) is configured to determine a spatial direction based on the combined sub-region and on the associated phase information across the first antenna and the second antenna.

11. The radar apparatus (400) of claim 10, wherein the second radar-IC (410-2) is configured to forward the combined sub-region and associated phase information across the first and second antennas to an external processor.

12. The radar apparatus (400) of any preceding claim, wherein the first radar-IC (410-1) is configured to determine a first spatial direction of a first target object based on a first subset of the combined sub-regions and based on associated first phase information across the first and second antennas, wherein the second radar-IC (410-2) is configured to determine a second spatial direction of a second target object based on a second subset of the combined sub-regions and based on associated second phase information across the first and second antennas.

13. The radar apparatus (400) of claim 12, wherein the second radar-IC (410-2) is configured to select the first subset and the second subset of the combined sub-regions based on a selection criterion.

14. The radar apparatus (400) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein an external processor is configured as the common processor, wherein the first radar-IC (410-1) is configured to forward first binary information indicative of the first sub-region to the external processor via the data interface, wherein the second radar-IC (410-2) is configured to forward second binary information indicative of the first sub-region to the external processor via the data interface, wherein the external processor is configured to combine the first binary information and the second binary information indicative of the second sub-region to obtain the binary information indicative of the combined sub-region.

15. The radar device (400) of any one of the preceding claims, configured to synchronize signal processing of the first and second radar-ICs (410-1; 410-2) using a common synchronization signal.

16. A method for detecting a radar target, the method comprising:

receiving, with a first radar-IC (410-1), a first plurality of receive signals from a first antenna of an antenna array (414);

determining, in the first radar-IC (410-1), a first range-Doppler map based on the first received signal;

determining, in the first radar-IC (410-1), a first sub-region of the first range-doppler plot based on a predetermined criterion;

receiving, with a second radar-IC (410-2), a second plurality of receive signals from a second antenna of the antenna array (414);

determining, in the second radar-IC (410-2), a second range-Doppler map based on the second received signal;

determining, in the second radar-IC (410-2), a second sub-region of the second range-doppler plot based on the criterion of interest;

the first sub-area and/or the second sub-area is forwarded via a data interface (420) to a common processor (410-1; 410-2; 410-3) for further processing.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first radar-IC (410-1) determines the first range-doppler plot by combining range-doppler plots for each of the first antennas of the antenna array, and wherein the second radar-IC determines the second range-doppler plot by combining range-doppler plots for each of the second antennas of the antenna array.

18. The method of claim 16 or 17, wherein the common processor (410-1; 410-2; 410-3) combines the first signal sub-region and the second signal sub-region via a logical OR to obtain a combined sub-region.

19. The method of any of claims 16 to 18, further comprising determining a spatial direction of a target object based on the combined sub-region and based on phases of the first and second receive signals associated with the combined sub-region.

20. The method of any of claims 16-19, wherein the first radar-IC or the second radar-IC comprises the common processor.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to radar systems, and more particularly to radar concepts using distributed signal processing techniques among multiple integrated radar circuits.

Background

Automotive radar and other environmental sensors such as lidar, ultrasound, and cameras are one of the cores of autonomous vehicles and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). These technological advances are enabled by complex systems with signal processing paths from the radar/sensors to one or more controllers. Automotive radar systems enable detection of objects and obstacles, their positions, and velocity relative to the vehicle. The development of signal processing technology and the progress in millimeter-wave (mm-wave) semiconductor technology play a key role in automotive radar systems. Various signal processing techniques have been developed to provide better resolution and estimation performance in all measurement dimensions as follows: distance, speed, and azimuth-elevation angle of objects around the vehicle.

For example, for Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar systems, it is known to obtain information about range, velocity and angle by performing a plurality of Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs) on samples of the radar mixer output. The first FFT (also commonly referred to as range FFT) produces range information. A second FFT, also commonly referred to as a doppler FFT, that spans the samples produces rate information. The first and second FFTs generate a so-called 2D range-Doppler map (range-Doppler map) comprising range and rate (FFT) bins. A third FFT, which relates to phase information of signals of different antenna elements of the antenna array, may produce additional spatial or angular information.

As autopilot is increasing, so too is the demand for angular resolution, azimuth and elevation. This means that the number of receive channels in a radar system is constantly increasing. On the other hand, the number of RF pins on a radar Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) is limited by power consumption and pin count. Thus, automotive radars may combine or cascade more and more MMIC devices to process more and more receive channels.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved signal processing concept when using multiple cascaded MMIC devices in a radar system.

Disclosure of Invention

This need is met by a radar apparatus and a method according to the independent claims. The dependent claims address advantageous embodiments.

According to a first aspect, the present disclosure presents a radar apparatus. The radar apparatus includes a first radar-IC configured to process a first receive signal from a first antenna of an antenna array. The first radar-IC is configured to determine a first range-doppler plot based on the first received signal; and determining a first sub-region of the first range-doppler plot based on the criterion of interest. The radar device further includes at least a second radar-IC configured to process a second receive signal from a second antenna of the antenna array. The second radar-IC is further configured to determine a second range-doppler plot based on the second received signal and to determine a second sub-region of the second range-doppler plot based on a criterion of interest. The data interface (420) is configured to forward information indicative of the first sub-region and/or the second sub-region to the common processor for further processing. In some embodiments, the data interface couples the first radar-IC with the second radar-IC. Additionally or alternatively, the data interface couples the first radar-IC and/or the second radar-IC with an external processor.

For example, the radar-IC may be a stand-alone processor or an MMIC with integrated processing functionality. In some embodiments, the antenna array may be a one-dimensional linear receive antenna array such as azimuth or elevation. Thus, the first antenna may be considered a first sub-array and the second antenna may be considered a second sub-array of the same linear receive antenna array.

Accordingly, the present disclosure proposes distributed signal processing of first and second received signals of a common antenna array. The first radar-IC processes the first received signal and the second radar-IC processes the second signal to obtain a corresponding range-doppler plot. Although the first and second radar-ICs independently compute their respective 2D range-doppler plots and sub-regions of interest, spatial or angular information inherent in the received signals of the antenna array cannot be independently estimated due to the need for information indicative of the phases of the first and second received signals (the phase sequence across the first and second antennas of the antenna array). The present disclosure proposes to independently compute respective 2D range-doppler plots in a first radar-IC and a second radar-IC without exchanging raw received data via a data interface to detect a first and a second sub-region based on coherent integration or non-coherent integration of the respective range-doppler plots, and then to exchange information indicative of the detected first and second range-doppler plot sub-regions of interest and phase information for further (e.g., external) spatial or angular processing. In this way, the amount of data shared on the data interface can be significantly reduced. Persons of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the present disclosure will recognize that the proposed distributed signal processing concept is not limited to two radar-ICs, but may be extended to any number.

In some embodiments, the first radar-IC is configured to determine the first range-doppler plot by combining range-doppler plots for each first antenna of the antenna array, and the second radar-IC is configured to determine the second range-doppler plot by combining range-doppler plots for each second antenna of the antenna array. In other words, the first radar-IC may be configured to determine a range-doppler plot for a particular antenna for each first received signal. Each first received signal originates from a different one of the first antennas. The first radar-IC may be configured to determine the first range-doppler plot based on a summation or an integration of range-doppler plots for a particular antenna of the first received signal. The second radar-IC may be configured to determine a range-doppler plot for the particular antenna for each second received signal. Each second received signal originates from a different one of the second antennas. The second radar-IC may be configured to determine a second range-doppler plot based on a summation or an integration of the range-doppler plots for the particular antenna for the second received signal.

In some embodiments, the criterion of interest based on which the first/second sub-region is determined may comprise an amplitude or energy level of an interval above or below an adaptive predetermined threshold associated with an index or FFT of the first or second range-doppler plot. Thus, the first and second first sub-regions may comprise FFT-intervals (or indices thereof) of the first/second range-doppler plots that match the criterion of interest.

In some embodiments, the information indicative of the first and/or second sub-region comprises binary information indicative of an FFT interval of the first and/or second sub-region matching the criterion. In this way, the amount of information exchanged over the data interface can be kept low.

In some embodiments, the information indicative of the first and/or second sub-region further comprises phase information associated with the first and/or second sub-region matching the criterion. The angle estimation requires phase information indicating the phase sequence across all antennas, which can be done by using FFT on sub-regions of the matching criterion across the antenna array antennas. In some embodiments, the phase information associated with the first sub-region may be derived from complex values of the range-doppler plot intervals for the particular antenna matching the first sub-region of each first antenna. Likewise, the phase information associated with the detected second sub-region may be derived from complex values of the range-doppler-map intervals of the particular antenna matching the second sub-region of each second antenna. In some embodiments, the phase information may correspond to steering vectors of the respective antennas at the respective sub-regions. Persons of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the present disclosure will appreciate that the steering vector represents a set of phase delays experienced by a plane wave evaluated at a set of antenna array elements (antennas).

In some embodiments, the common processor is configured to combine the detected first and second sub-regions via a logical or operation to obtain a combined sub-region as a final detection. The combined sub-area or final detection may then be forwarded to a remote processor unit, such as e.g. an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) of the vehicle. Additionally, phase information associated with the combined sub-regions may be forwarded to a remote processor unit to determine the spatial direction of the final detection, for example by using an FFT for the final detection of the antennas across the antenna array. Phase information associated with the final detection may be collected from all radar-ICs by a common processor (e.g., a second radar-IC) and forwarded to the remote processor unit. Here, the common processor acts as a communication master. Alternatively, the phase information associated with the final detection may be transmitted from the radar-IC to the remote processor unit in a distributed manner.

In some embodiments, the common processor (e.g., the second radar-IC) may also be configured to determine the spatial direction of the target object based on the final detection and based on phase information associated with itself. The final detection and its associated spatial orientation may then be forwarded to a remote processor unit for further processing or display.

In some embodiments, where the second radar-IC acts as a common processor, the first radar-IC may be configured to forward information (e.g., binary information) indicating the first sub-region it detects to the second radar-IC via the data interface. The second radar-IC may be configured to combine the first sub-region and the second sub-region to obtain the combined sub-region as a final detection. This combination may be done, for example, by logically or-ing the first and second sub-regions or binary information thereof. Additionally, the first radar-IC may be configured to forward phase (sequence) information associated with the first sub-region it detects (or with a sub-region that is in final detection but not in the detected first sub-region) to the second radar-IC via the data interface. With the additional phase (sequence) information, the second radar-IC or another remote processor unit may determine the spatial direction of the target object based on the final detection and based on the phase (sequence) information associated therewith.

In some embodiments, the first radar-IC may be configured to forward information (e.g., binary information) indicating the first sub-region it detects to the second radar-IC via the data interface. The second radar-IC may be configured to combine the first sub-region and the second sub-region to obtain the combined sub-region as a final detection. This combination may be done, for example, by logically or-ing the first and second sub-regions or binary information thereof. The first radar-IC may be configured to determine a first spatial direction of the first target object based on the first subset of combined sub-regions and based on associated first phase information across the first antenna and the second antenna. The first phase information is associated with a first subset of the combined sub-regions. The second radar-IC may be configured to determine a second spatial direction of the second target object based on the second subset of combined sub-regions and based on associated second phase information across the first antenna and the second antenna. The second phase information is associated with a second subset of the combined sub-regions. In this way, load distribution for calculating angle information between radar-ICs can also be achieved.

In some embodiments, the second radar-IC may be configured to select the first and second subsets of combined sub-regions based on a selection criterion (such as a load balancing criterion). In other words, the second radar-IC that calculates the final detection may be configured to select which radar-IC will calculate the spatial direction for which final detection (peak). To this end, the second radar-IC may access processing load information associated with each radar-IC.

In some embodiments, a remote processor unit (such as an external ECU) may act as the common processor. Here, the first radar-IC may be configured to forward information (e.g., binary information) indicative of the first subregion it detects to the ECU directly or indirectly via the data interface. The second radar-IC may be configured to forward information (e.g., binary information) indicative of the second subregion it detects to the ECU, directly or indirectly via the data interface. Here, "direct" may refer to a direct interface between the first/second radar-IC and the ECU. "indirect" may refer to communication via an intermediate communication host. The external ECU may be configured to combine the first and second sub-regions to obtain a combined sub-region as a final detection. This combination may be done, for example, via a logical or operation on the first and second sub-regions or their binary information. Additionally, the first radar-IC may be configured to forward phase (sequence) information associated with the first sub-region it detects (or with a sub-region that is in final detection but not in the detected first sub-region) to the ECU directly or indirectly via the data interface. The second radar-IC may be configured to forward phase (sequence) information associated with the second sub-area it detects (or with a sub-area that is in final detection but not in the detected second sub-area) to the ECU directly or indirectly via the data interface. With the additional phase (sequence) information, the ECU may determine the spatial direction of the target object based on the final detection and based on the phase (sequence) information associated therewith.

In some embodiments, the radar device may be configured to synchronize signal processing of the first radar-IC and the second radar-IC using a common synchronization signal. The common synchronization signal may be based on a Local Oscillator (LO) signal of a master device, which may be, for example, the first radar-IC or the second radar-IC. Thus, in some embodiments, the common synchronization signal may be the FMCW LO signal of the first radar-IC or the second radar-IC.

In some embodiments, the data interface may be configured to forward the first and/or second sub-regions as compressed data by a suitable data compression scheme.

According to another aspect, the present disclosure presents a method for detecting a radar target. The method comprises

-receiving a plurality of first receive signals from a first antenna of an antenna array using a first radar-IC;

-determining, in the first radar-IC, a first range-doppler plot based on the first received signal;

-determining, in the first radar-IC, a first sub-region of the first range-doppler plot based on a criterion of interest;

-receiving a plurality of second receive signals with a second radar-IC from a second antenna of the antenna array;

-determining, in the second radar-IC, a second range-doppler plot based on the second received signal;

-determining, in the second radar-IC, a second sub-region of the second range-doppler plot based on the criterion of interest; and

-forwarding the first and/or second sub-area to a common processor for further processing via a data interface, which may, but need not, couple the first and second radar ICs.

In some embodiments, the first radar-IC may determine the first range-doppler plot by combining (coherently or non-coherently) range-doppler plots for each first antenna of the antenna array, and the second radar-IC may determine the second range-doppler plot by combining (coherently or non-coherently) range-doppler plots for each second antenna of the antenna array. In other words, the first radar-IC may determine a range-doppler plot for a particular antenna for each first received signal. Each first received signal originates from a different one of the first antennas. The first radar-IC may determine the first range-doppler plot based on coherent or non-coherent summation/integration of the range-doppler plot for the particular antenna of the first received signal. The second radar-IC may determine a range-doppler plot for the particular antenna for each second received signal. Each second received signal originates from a different one of the second antennas. The second radar-IC may determine the second range-doppler plot based on coherent or non-coherent summation/integration of the range-doppler plot for the particular antenna of the second received signal.

In some embodiments, the common processor may combine the first signal sub-region and the second signal sub-region via a logical or to obtain the combined sub-region as a final detection.

In some embodiments, the method may further include determining the spatial direction of the target object based on performing an FFT on the combined sub-region across both the first antenna and the second antenna. For this purpose, phase (sequence) information associated with the detected first and second sub-regions must be shared between the radar-ICs.

In some embodiments, the first radar-IC or the second radar-IC includes a common processor.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be used to reduce latency since raw data does not have to be exchanged over the data interface. Instead, only basic information about the selected range-doppler map sub-region is exchanged.

Drawings

Some examples of the apparatus and/or method will be described below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a conventional radar signal processing chain;

FIG. 2 illustrates two-dimensional joint range-Doppler estimation using FMCW radar;

figure 3 illustrates azimuth estimation using a uniform linear antenna array;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of a radar apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 shows an example of exchanged data;

FIG. 6a illustrates an example signal flow according to an example implementation;

FIG. 6b illustrates an example signal flow according to another example implementation;

fig. 7a shows a flow diagram of distributed radar signal processing according to an embodiment;

FIG. 7b shows a flow diagram of distributed radar signal processing according to another embodiment;

FIG. 7c shows a flow diagram of distributed radar signal processing according to yet another embodiment;

FIG. 7d shows a flow diagram of distributed radar signal processing according to yet another embodiment;

fig. 8a shows a block diagram of distributed radar signal processing according to an embodiment; and

fig. 8b shows a block diagram of distributed radar signal processing according to another embodiment.

Detailed Description

Various examples will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some examples are illustrated. In the drawings, the thickness of lines, layers and/or regions may be exaggerated for clarity.

Accordingly, while further examples are capable of various modifications and alternative forms, specific examples thereof are shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. However, the detailed description does not limit the further examples to the particular forms described. Further examples may cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure. Throughout the description of the figures, the same or similar reference numerals refer to similar or analogous elements, which when compared with each other may be implemented equally or in modified form, while providing the same or similar functionality.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, the elements may be connected or coupled directly or via one or more intervening elements. If two elements a and B are combined using an "or", it is understood that all possible combinations are disclosed, i.e. only a, only B and a and B, if not explicitly or implicitly defined otherwise. An alternative wording for the same combination is "at least one of a and B" or "a and/or B". The same applies mutatis mutandis to combinations of more than two elements.

The terminology used herein for the purpose of describing particular examples is not intended to be limiting of further examples. Further examples may also use multiple elements to achieve the same functionality, whenever singular forms such as "a," "an," and "the" are used and only a single element is used that is explicitly or implicitly defined as mandatory. Also, while the functionality is subsequently described as being implemented using a plurality of elements, further examples may implement the same functionality using a single element or processing entity. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes" and/or "including," when used, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, procedures, actions, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, procedures, actions, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the ordinary meaning in the art to which examples thereof belong.

Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a conventional radar signal processing chain 100.

A Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver front end 110 is used to generate transmit (Tx) radar signals that may be emitted via one or more transmit antennas 112. The radar signal may be in a frequency band ranging from 3MHz to 300 GHz. Automotive radar systems typically operate at frequency bands in the 24GHz and 77GHz portions of the electromagnetic spectrum (known as millimeter wave frequencies) so that adequate speed and range resolution can be achieved. One or more receive (Rx) antennas 114 are used to receive electromagnetic waves (radar signals) reflected from the target. Radar operation involves distance (separation), relative speed and possibly direction estimation. The latter may be done when more than one receive antenna is used in the receive antenna array. Radar systems using multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas are commonly referred to as MIMO radars. Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radars can simulate larger aperture phased array radars for proper transmit antennas. This larger array may be referred to as a virtual array.

A distance processor 120 located downstream of the RF transceiver front end 110 is configured to perform distance estimation. The distance to the target, R, can be determined based on the round trip time delay required for the electromagnetic wave to propagate to and from the target: r ═ c τ/2, where τ is the round trip time delay in seconds and c is the speed of light in meters per second. Thus, the estimation of τ enables distance measurements. For example, a pulse modulated Continuous Wave (CW) may include pulses of periodic and short power and rest periods. The quiet period allows the radar to receive the reflected signal and act as a timing marker for the radar to perform range estimation. With a pulsed radar configuration using Frequency Modulated (FM) CW pulses, simultaneous range-speed estimation in multi-target traffic scenarios may be provided. The FMCW radar transmits periodic FM pulses (also referred to as chirps or ramps) whose frequency increases linearly during the pulses. Received signal and transmission reflected from targetThe signals are conjugate mixed to produce a low frequency beat signal (also referred to as a baseband signal), the frequency of which gives the range of the target. This operation may be repeated for P consecutive FMCW pulses. The two-dimensional (2D) waveform 210 in fig. 2 depicts successive reflected pulses arranged across two time indices p, n. The so-called slow time index p corresponds only to the number of pulses. On the other hand, the so-called fast time index n assumes: for each pulse at a frequency f _sTo sample the corresponding successive beat signals to collect N samples over the pulse duration T.

The distance processor 120 may be configured to perform a first discrete fourier transform (e.g., FFT) across a fast time n to obtain a frequency f related to the doppler frequency f_dCoupled beat frequency f_b. This operation is also commonly referred to as range transform or range gating, which allows the doppler shift corresponding to a unique range gate or bin to be estimated by applying a second fourier transform (e.g., FFT) across slow times. This may be done by the rate processing element 130. Thus, referring to fig. 2, a range-doppler plot 220 may be generated by using a 2D FFT. The example range-doppler plot 220 illustrated in fig. 2 shows two targets, the first at 10m separation and a relative velocity of 0 mph, and the second at 20m separation and a relative velocity of 20 mph. The target may be a sub-region of interest of a range-doppler plot.

Up to now, it has been assumed that automotive radars only receive reflections from objects of interest, such as vehicles driving ahead. However, in addition to direct reflections from objects of interest, radar also receives reflections from, for example, road debris, guardrails, and walls. This unwanted return on the radar is commonly referred to as clutter. The amount of clutter in the system varies with the environment surrounding the vehicle. Thus, adaptive algorithms, such as Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) processing and space-time adaptive processing (STAP), may be used to mitigate the effects of clutter. In order to identify valid targets in the presence of clutter, the threshold for target detection should be properly selected. For example, if the amplitude of the range-doppler plot is greater than a certain threshold at the estimated range, the target may be said to be detected. Thus, the threshold should depend on the noise (e.g., clutter) in a given system. As the clutter increases, a higher threshold may be selected. A simple CFAR method based on cell or interval averaging may use a sliding window to derive the local clutter level by averaging over multiple distances. The described threshold selection and target (peak) detection is performed in processing block 140.

The use of broadband pulses, such as FMCW pulses, provides discrimination of the target in pitch and velocity. A multi-antenna array may be used (such as in a multi-antenna radar system) to distinguish among directions. A multi-antenna radar system may deploy multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, and multiple waveforms to take advantage of all available degrees of freedom. To spatially resolve the targets and deliver a comprehensive representation of the traffic scene, the angular location of the targets is estimated. Thus, in automotive radar, the target location can be described in terms of a spherical coordinate system (R, θ, ρ), where (θ, ρ) indicates azimuth and elevation, respectively. A single antenna radar setup is sufficient to provide a range-velocity map, but insufficient to provide angular information because the measured time delay lacks information on the angular location of the target. To enable direction estimation, the radar is configured to receive reflected waves with multiple antennas. For example, locating a target in two dimensions using electromagnetic waves requires collecting reflected wave data from the object in two distinct dimensions. These distinct dimensions may be formed in a variety of ways using a combination of time, frequency and space across the receive antennas. For example, the linear receive antenna array 114 and the wide frequency band waveform (such as FMCW) form two unique dimensions. Additionally, smaller wavelengths in the millimeter wave band correspond to smaller aperture sizes, and thus many antenna elements may be densely packed in an antenna array. Thus, the stronger, sharper effective radiation beam in turn increases the resolution of the angular measurement.

Consider an antenna array lying in plane z-0 and let l be the abscissa corresponding to each receiver antenna position, see fig. 3. Order (R)_q,θ_q) For the location of the qth object in the spherical coordinate system, the qth object is at a velocity v relative to the radar_qAnd (4) moving. By far field approximation for the qthThe target, the round trip time delay between the transmitter at the origin and the receiver at coordinate/is given by:

where d is the spacing (typically half the wavelength) between antenna elements arranged in a linear constellation. Delay term τ l_qCreating a uniform phase sequence (phase progression) across antenna elements, which allows the angle θ to be estimated by the FFT in the spatial domain_q. Thus, the 2D location (distance and angle) and velocity of the target can be estimated by the 3D FFT. A third angle FFT is performed in processing block 150 of the example radar signal processing block diagram of fig. 1.

Yet another conventional automotive radar process may include target clustering 160, target tracking 170, and optional sensor fusion 180 with sensor data of other environmental sensor types (e.g., camera, lidar, etc.).

As mentioned previously, high-resolution radar systems (e.g., MIMO radar systems) use multiple transmit and/or receive channels. However, the number of possible transmit and receive channels in a single radar MMIC chip is limited. Thus, several MMIC chips may be cascaded, i.e. several radar transceiver MMIC chips may be coupled, wherein one MMIC chip may act as a master and provide a system clock for clock synchronization, a trigger signal providing a pulse enable signal, and a high frequency signal for phase synchronization, etc. Other MMIC chips (slaves) provide additional transmit/receive channels for the radar system. The present disclosure presents an efficient concept for distributing radar signal processing among different radar MMIC chips for distinguishing targets by pitch, velocity and direction.

Fig. 4 illustrates a basic arrangement of a radar apparatus 400 according to the present disclosure.

The radar apparatus 400 includes a first radar-MMIC 410-1 and a second radar-MMIC 410-2. The first radar-MMIC 410-1 and the second radar-MMIC 410-2 may be cascaded. The radar-MMIC 410-1 may be coupled to a first antenna (#1, #2, #3) of the antenna array 414, and the second radar-MMIC 410-2 may be coupled to a different second antenna (#4, #5, #6) of the same antenna array. The antenna array may be, for example, a linear antenna array. The first radar-MMIC 410-1 is configured to process a first reception signal from the first antenna (#1, #2, # 3). In the illustrated example, the radar-MMIC 410-1 includes three receive chains. Each receive chain may include, for example, a low noise amplifier, a mixer, and an analog-to-digital converter. Persons of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the present disclosure will appreciate that the number of receive chains may vary, and that the radar-MMIC 410-1 may also include one or more transmitter chains with integrated Power Amplifiers (PAs), synthesizers capable of delivering fast ramps for FMCW radar operation, integrated clock references, and temperature sensors. The first radar-MMIC 410-1 comprises signal processing circuitry configured to determine a first range-doppler plot based on the (sampled) first received signal and to determine a first sub-region of the first range-doppler plot based on a predetermined criterion. For example, the predetermined criteria may include an amplitude or energy level of the range-doppler plot FFT interval above or below a predetermined threshold. For example, if the amplitude of the range-doppler plot at the estimated range/velocity is greater than a certain threshold, it can be said that a peak of the first sub-region of interest is detected. One or more such detected peaks may constitute a sub-region of interest.

In some embodiments, the first radar-MMIC 410-1 is configured to determine, for each first receive signal in an active receive channel corresponding to the first radar-MMIC 410-1, a range-doppler plot for the particular antenna. Each first received signal originates from a different one of the first antennas (#1, #2, # 3). Thus, the first radar-MMIC 410-1 is configured to determine, for each antenna (#1, #2, #3) associated with the first radar-MMIC 410-1, a range-doppler plot for the particular antenna. The first radar-MMIC 410-1 is further configured to generate a first range-doppler plot based on a linear combination of the antenna-specific range-doppler plots, such as a coherent or non-coherent summation or integration of the antenna-specific range-doppler plots of the first received signal.

Likewise, the second radar-MMIC 410-2 is configured to process a second receive signal from a second antenna (#4, #5, #6) of the antenna array 414. In some implementations, the hardware of the second radar-MMIC 410-2 substantially corresponds to the first radar-MMIC 410-1. The second radar-MMIC 410-2 comprises signal processing circuitry configured to determine a second range-doppler plot based on the (sampled) second received signal and to determine a second sub-region of the second range-doppler plot based on the criterion of interest. The second radar-MMIC 410-2 may perform the same range-doppler processing as the first radar-MMIC 410-1, but utilize the second received signal instead of the first received signal. For example, if the amplitude of the range-doppler plot at the estimated range/velocity is greater than a certain threshold, a peak is detected for the second sub-region of interest. Again, one or more detected peaks may constitute a sub-region of interest.

In some embodiments, the second radar-MMIC 410-2 may be configured to determine a range-doppler plot for a particular antenna for each second received signal. Each second received signal originates from a different one of the first antennas (#4, #5, # 6). The second radar-MMIC 410-1 may be configured to determine the second range-doppler plot based on a linear combination such as a summation or an integration of the range-doppler plots for the particular antenna for the second received signal.

The radar apparatus 400 further comprises a data interface 420 coupling the first radar-MMIC 410-1 with the second radar-MMIC 410-2. The data interface 420 is configured to forward information indicative of the detected first and/or second range-doppler plot sub-regions to the common processor for further processing. In some implementations, the common processor may be a remote processor or MMIC410-3 different from the first radar-MMIC 410-1 and the second radar-MMIC 410-2. Alternatively, a processor implemented in one of the first radar-MMIC 410-1 and the second radar-MMIC 410-2 may act as a common processor. In some implementations, the data interface 420 may be a unidirectional data interface. In some implementations, the data interface 420 may be based on a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) which is a synchronous serial communication interface. However, those having ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other implementations of high-speed inter-IC communication interfaces are possible.

In some implementations, the detected cell or interval index (p, n) of the first and/or second sub-region may be forwarded to the common processor via the data interface 420. The interval index of the sub-regions not of interest (undetected sub-regions) may be selected not to be forwarded to the common processor. In this way, the communication bandwidth may be reduced and/or the processing speed may be increased, and the common processor may nevertheless reconstruct the detected sub-regions. Whether the first, second or both detected sub-regions are selected for forwarding via the data interface 420 depends on the implementation of a common processor. In some embodiments, if the second radar-MMIC 410-2 acts as a common processor, it may be sufficient to forward only information about the first detected sub-region(s) to the second radar-MMIC 410-2. Optionally, complex amplitude values associated with the detected interval indices of the first sub-region and/or the second sub-region may be forwarded to the common processor via the data interface 420. This may be done across all antennas of the respective radar-MMIC, so that fourier transforms (FFTs) may be performed on the detected sub-regions at a later stage for angle estimation.

The common processor may be configured to combine the first signal sub-region and the second signal sub-region, e.g. via a logical or-combination of FFT intervals, to obtain one or more combined sub-regions. For example, in the first logic diagram, each FFT interval of the first sub-region is represented as a logic value 1, and FFT intervals that are not within the first sub-region are represented as logic values 0. Likewise, in the second logic diagram, the FFT interval of the second sub-region is represented as a logic value 1, and the FFT interval that is not within the second sub-region is represented as a logic value 0. For each FFT interval, a combinational logic diagram may be obtained by or-combining the logic values in the respective first and second logic diagrams, wherein the combinational sub-region is represented by the resulting logic value 1. Based on the one or more combined sub-regions and additional phase information associated with the one or more combined sub-regions (across the antenna), a third discrete fourier transform across the antenna may be performed for direction or angle processing.

An example of detected sub-region data that may be exchanged via the data interface 420 is shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 5 illustrates an example FFT spectrum 500 for one receive antenna with 16 FFT bins (from indices 0 through 15). Each FFT interval i (i ═ 0 … 15) has an associated complex value (Ai, bi) and amplitude Ai. The amplitude value Ai is compared with a fixed or adaptive threshold th. If Ai > th, the corresponding interval i is said to be detected or to belong to the sub-region of interest. In the illustrated example, the intervals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 12, 13, 14 and 15 are detected and thus constitute sub-regions of interest. A length-16 metadata vector (binary map), indicating the detected intervals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 12, 13, 14 and 15, may be forwarded. Here, the metadata vector has "1" at positions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 12, 13, 14, and 15, and "0" at other positions. A "1" in the metadata vector indicates the sub-region(s) of interest. Further, the complex values (ai, bi) associated with the detected intervals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 12, 13, 14 and 15 may be forwarded via the data interface 420. The complex values associated with undetected intervals 0, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 need not be forwarded. According to the example of fig. 5, only complex values (ai, bi) indicating the amplitude and phase of the detected intervals are transmitted (for each receive antenna), while logical values (metadata) are transmitted for all intervals. Since the complex values (ai, bi) comprise the phases of the respective received signals, the data format example illustrated in fig. 5 inherently also comprises information indicative of the phases or phase sequences of the first and/or second received signals, which may be used to obtain spatial information about the sub-region(s) of interest.

In each of the first and second radar-MMICs 410-1 and 410-2, a plurality of such FFT spectra or range-doppler plots, each associated with a respective receive antenna, may be integrated coherently or non-coherently. Coherent integration is performed before amplitude detection, thus preserving phase information, while non-coherent integration is performed after amplitude detection, thus lacking phase information. Fig. 5 may thus also be considered as an FFT spectrum resulting from coherent or non-coherent integration of the FFT spectra of a plurality of specific antennas.

In some implementations, the second radar-MMIC 410-2 may be configured to implement a common processor. In this case, the first radar-MMIC 410-1 may be configured to forward information indicative of the phase of the first received signal (the phase sequence across antenna elements #1, #2, # 3) to the radar-MMIC 410-2 sequence via the data interface 420. As mentioned above, this phase information may be inherent to the complex value (ai, bi) associated with the detected interval/sub-region. The complex values (ai, bi) of the FFT interval detected across all the first antenna elements #1, #2, #3 may be used to perform a spatial or angular FFT. Then, the second radar-MMIC 410-2 may be configured to determine a spatial direction (e.g., an azimuth or elevation angle) of the detected sub-region based on the detected sub-region from the combination of the first radar-MMIC 410-1 and the second radar-MMIC 410-2 and based on the phases of the first and second received signals. Here, complex values (ai, bi) of FFT intervals detected across all antenna elements #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 may be used to perform spatial or angular FFTs. Accordingly, an FFT may be performed on the detected sub-regions across the combination of all antennas of the antenna array to estimate the angle(s).

An example signal flow according to such an implementation is shown in fig. 6 a.

FIG. 6a illustrates an example time signal processing procedure for the first radar-MMIC 410-1 and the second radar-MMIC 410-2. Here, the second radar-MMIC 410-2 acts as a master MMIC, while the first radar-MMIC 410-1 acts as a slave MMIC. The FMCW signal ramp is generated in the second radar-MMIC 410-2 and distributed to the first radar-MMIC 410-1. Thus, both radar-MMICs 410-1, 410-2 use the same FMCW signal ramp for transmitting and receiving in a synchronized manner.

At a first time interval t_FFT1During this time, both radar-MMICs 410-1, 410-2 perform respective first FFTs (range FFTs) of the respective (sampled) received signals. This is done for each receive channel. At a second subsequent time interval t_FFT2During this time, both radar-MMICs 410-1, 410-2 perform a respective second FFT (Doppler FFT) across the slow time (subsequent pulse). Again, this is done for each receive channel. In this way, range-doppler plots for all respective receive channels may be obtained. When a target is illuminated by a radar beam, it typically reflects a large number of pulses. The probability of detection can be increased by summing or integrating all range-doppler plot data for all Tx-Rx antenna pairs. In the illustrated example, each radar-MMIC 410-1, 410-2 is coupled to 8 receive antennas. Thus, by using the radar-MMICs 410-1, 410-2, a virtual antenna array consisting of 8 transmit antennas and 16 receive antennas can be formed. In the illustrated example, at a subsequent time interval t _{NCI_local}During this time, both radar-MMICs 410-1, 410-2 perform non-coherent integration (NCI) of the range-Doppler plot for all respective receive and transmit channels associated with the respective radar-MMIC. At a subsequent time interval t_localDetDuring this time, the two radar-MMICs 410-1, 410-2 detect respective sub-regions of the range-doppler plots of the respective integrals (NCIs) based on the criteria of interest and provide a logical representation of whether the FFT interval is within the detected sub-region. As mentioned previously, for example, a sub-region may contain range-doppler plot intervals associated with NCI amplitudes exceeding a certain threshold. In the following short communication time interval t_DetCommThe detected information of the range-doppler map sub-region of the first radar-MMIC 410-1 is transmitted to the second radar-MMIC 410-2 via the data interface 420. This may be done, for example, according to the example data format of fig. 5. Thus, the metadata vector associated with the detected interval and optionally the complex values (ai, bi) (for all Tx-Rx antenna pairs of the first radar-MMIC 410-1) may be forwarded from the first radar-MMIC 410-1 to the second radar-MMIC 410-2 via the data interface 420. As described above, the transmitted information relating to the detected range-doppler plot sub-region includes, for each FFT interval within the sub-region, amplitude and phase information and 1-bit information whether the FFT interval is within the sub-region. For FFT intervals not in the detected sub-region, only 1 bit of whether the FFT interval is in the sub-region is transmitted And (4) information. Note that the amount of data required to transmit the detected range-doppler plot sub-region before NCI is much lower than the range-doppler plot data for all antennas transmitted. At a subsequent time interval t_finalDetMeanwhile, the second radar-MMIC 410-2 combines the detected range-doppler map sub-region of the first radar-MMIC and the detected range-doppler map sub-region of the second radar-MMIC via logical or to obtain a combined detected sub-region. At a subsequent short time interval t_finalDetMeanwhile, the second radar-MMIC 410-2 may request additional phase information associated with a combined detected sub-region from the first radar-MMIC 410-1 that is not within a previously detected range-doppler plot sub-region of the first radar-MMIC. This additional phase information associated with the missing sub-region may be forwarded from the first radar-MMIC 410-1 to the second radar-MMIC 410-2 via the data interface 420, for example in the form of a complex value (ai, bi). Then, at a subsequent time interval t_AntCommDuring which the requested additional phase information is transferred from the first radar-MMIC 410-1 to the second radar-MMIC 410-2. The second radar MMIC410-2 then has the information that it is allowed to transmit in the time interval t _DoADuring which directional or angular information for the combined sub-regions is generated via a third (angular) FFT across all antennas. The distance information, velocity information and angle information of the detected (combined) sub-area may then be forwarded to a remote processor, such as the ECU of the vehicle, for example. Another option would be to perform a third (angle) FFT at an external processor, such as an ECU.

The example time signal processing of fig. 6b differs from that of fig. 6a in that at time interval t_DoADuring this, a third (angle) FFT is performed alternatively or additionally to the first radar-MMIC 410-1. In FIG. 6b, the second radar-MMIC 410-2 is configured to, at a time interval t_AntCommDuring which the combined sub-region and associated information indicating the phase of the second received signal are forwarded to the first radar-MMIC 410-1 via the data interface 420. Then, based on the FFT bin for the combined sub-region across the first and second antennas, the first radar-MMIC 410-1 may determine the groupSpatial direction of the zygotic region (target object).

Fig. 7a, 7b illustrate a flow chart of the time signal processing procedure according to fig. 6a, 6 b. In fig. 7a, 7b, the right column corresponds to actions performed in the master device (e.g., the second radar-MMIC 410-2), while the left column corresponds to actions performed in the slave device (e.g., the first radar-MMIC 410-1).

In a respective first action 710-1, 710-2, the radar-MMICs 410-1, 410-2 each perform a respective first FFT (range FFT) of the respective received signal. This may be done for each receive channel. In a subsequent second action 720-1, 720-2, both radar-MMICs 410-1, 410-2 perform a respective second FFT (doppler FFT) across the slow time. Again, this may be done for each receive channel. Thus, after the second actions 720-1, 720-2, range-Doppler plots for a particular receive channel are available in both radar-MMICs 410-1, 410-2. In a subsequent third action 730-1, 730-2, the radar-MMIC 410-1, 410-2 performs, for all respective receive (and transmit) channels, non-coherent integration (NCI) of the range-doppler plot of its respective particular receive channel to obtain a respective partially integrated (NCI) range-doppler plot. In a subsequent fourth act 740-1, 740-2, the radar-MMICs 410-1, 410-2 each detect a respective sub-region of a respective partially integrated (NCI) range-doppler plot based on the criterion of interest. The detected range-doppler map sub-region of the first radar-MMIC 410-1 is then transmitted to the second radar-MMIC 410-2 via the data interface 420. As indicated in fig. 7a, the detected range-doppler map sub-region of the first radar-MMIC 410-1 may have been combined (logically or) with a detected range-doppler map sub-region of another radar-MMIC (not shown). In this way, a cascade of various radar-MMICs may be implemented, wherein each radar-MMIC detects a respective sub-region and forwards these sub-regions to the next radar-MMIC of the cascade. A binary map (0 and 1 indicating the respective sub-region) may be provided from each MMIC in the cascade to the next MMIC, and each MMIC receiving the binary map may further combine the binary maps (at 750-1). Finally, the correspondent host may generate a final binary map indicating the finally detected sub-region(s) by combining the received binary map with its own binary map (at 750-2). Information about the final detected sub-region indicated by the final binary map may then be distributed to each MMIC and request that the relevant phase information (and amplitude information) be extracted and sent to the correspondent host (at 765-1). The communications host may then calculate an angle FFT or send data to the external ECU for use in calculating the angle FFT (at 770-2).

In the flow chart of fig. 7b, information about the finally detected sub-region indicated by the final binary map is distributed to each MMIC and requests the extraction and transmission of the relevant phase information (and amplitude information). Fig. 7b differs from fig. 7a in that, for example, a single MMIC does not send the relevant phase information (phase sequence across the antennas) to the communication host, but to an external ECU. The ECU may then calculate an angle FFT based on the information received from the MMIC.

In action 765-1, a first radar-MMIC 410-1 may be selected to calculate first angle information (via angle FFT) for a first subset of the finally detected sub-regions (peaks), while in action 765-2, a second radar-MMIC 410-2 may be selected to calculate second angle information (via angle FFT) for a second subset of the finally detected sub-regions (peaks). Likewise, a third radar-MMIC may be selected to calculate third angle information for a third subset of the finally detected sub-regions. For example, the selection may be based on a selection criterion, such as a load balancing criterion. The radar-MMICs may share phase information associated with the assigned sub-regions via the data interface 420. For example, phase information associated with the first subset of eventually detected sub-regions may be provided from the second radar MMIC 410-2 (and any more radar-MMICs) to the first radar-MMIC 410-1 for use in calculating angle information by the first radar-MMIC 410-1 in act 765-1. Phase information associated with the second subset of eventually detected sub-regions may be provided from the first radar-MMIC 410-1 (and any more radar-MMICs) to the second radar-MMIC 410-2 for use in calculating angle information by the second radar-MMIC 410-2 in act 765-2, and so on. The information about the different subsets of finally detected sub-areas (peaks) may then be forwarded (770-2) together with the relevant angle information obtained from the actions 765-1, 765-2 via an ethernet link to an external ECU, for example. Thus, the flow chart of FIG. 7d illustrates an embodiment with distributed angle processing between different radar-MMICs 410-1, 410-2.

Two example cascaded radar-MMIC layouts according to embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in fig. 8a, 8 b.

Fig. 8a shows an implementation with three radar-MMICs 410-1, 410-2, 410-3 acting as receiver ICs and another radar-MMIC 810-4 acting as transmitter IC. Each radar in the radar-MMICs 410-1, 410-2, 410-3 is connected to a subset of receive antennas of an array of receive antennas (not shown). The radar-MMIC 810-4 is connected to the transmit antennas of a transmit antenna array (not shown). The radar-MMIC 410-2 provides a Local Oscillator (LO) signal as a synchronization signal to the other radar-MMICs 410-1, 410-3, and 810-4. All radar-MMICs 410-1, 410-2, 410-3 and 810-4 are connected via SPI. When the radar-MMIC 410-3 acts as an SPI master, the other radars act as SPI slaves. The communication cascade reaches the radar-MMIC 410-3 from the radar-MMIC 410-1 via the radar-MMIC 410-2.

In one example implementation, the second radar-MMIC 410-2 may combine the detected range-doppler map sub-region (e.g., its binary map) received from the first radar-MMIC 410-1 with its own detected range-doppler map sub-region via a logical or to obtain a combined sub-region, and may forward this result to the third radar-MMIC 410-3 for further combination with its own detected range-doppler map sub-region to obtain a complete detected sub-region. Then, information about the finally detected sub-region indicated by the final binary map may be distributed to each of the MMICs 410-1, 410-2 and request extraction of the relevant phase information and sending it to the third radar-MMIC 410-3. The third radar-MMIC 410-3 may then calculate a final angle FFT or send the data to an external ECU.

Alternatively, in a first round, the binary maps of the detected range-doppler map sub-regions are transmitted together with the phase information of each detected range-doppler map sub-region. The second radar-MMIC 410-2 may combine the binary map received from the first radar-MMIC 410-1 with its own binary map via a logical or to obtain a combined sub-region, and forward this result to the third radar-MMIC 410-3 for further combination with its own binary map to obtain the final detected sub-region. In the second round, each MMIC may provide additional phase information for those eventually detected sub-regions of the first round that are not in its own detected range-doppler map sub-region.

In the example of fig. 8a, MMICs are cascaded in such a way that no dedicated processing host is present. Each processing element independently processes the data to identify a respective candidate FFT peak (detected range-doppler plot sub-region) to be sent to the central ECU. Each MMIC shares a respective list of candidate FFT peaks in order to generate a combined list of candidate peaks. Each of them sends its own FFT peak and a list of FFT peaks found by other processing element(s) in the radar. There is no master device, but only one device may be used to manage external communications (and therefore send information describing the FFT peaks). The concept of concatenation is based on a data concatenation link to the device managing the communication (communication host) and a link used to send commands from the communication host to other devices. The link is shown as a SPI, but may take any other form (circular ring, etc.).

Fig. 8b shows an implementation consistent with the flowchart of fig. 7 b. Here, the single MMIC does not transmit the phase information of the detected range-doppler map sub-region to the communication host, but transmits it to the external ECU. The ECU may then calculate an angle FFT based on information describing the detected range-doppler map sub-region received from the MMIC

With the proposed concept, the latency can be reduced, since intermediate results do not have to be passed to the master to select the peak to be transmitted. In the case where they have to be transmitted, the master managing the communication may start to transmit the peaks it finds. The working principle of this concept is the same when compressed communication using range-doppler plot sub-regions or FFT peaks.

The aspects and features mentioned and described, as well as one or more of the examples and figures detailed earlier, may also be combined with one or more other examples in order to replace similar features of another example or in order to additionally introduce such features to another example.

Examples may further be or relate to a computer program having a program code for performing one or more of the methods described above, when the computer program is executed on a computer or processor. The steps, operations or processes of the various methods described above may be performed by a programmed computer or processor. Examples may also encompass program storage devices (such as a digital data storage medium) that are machine, processor, or computer readable and encode a machine-, processor-, or computer-executable program of instructions. The instructions perform or cause the performance of some or all of the acts of the methods described above. The program storage device may include or may be, for example, digital memory, magnetic storage media (such as magnetic disks and tapes), hard disk drives, or optically readable digital data storage media. Further examples may also encompass a computer, processor or control unit programmed to perform the above-described method, or a (field) programmable logic array ((F) PLA) or (field) programmable gate array ((F) PGA) programmed to perform the actions of the above-described method.

The specification and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, all examples detailed herein are expressly intended for illustrative purposes only in principle to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the disclosure and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art. All statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and examples of the disclosure, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.

A functional block labeled "means for … …" that performs a function may refer to circuitry configured to perform the function. Thus, the "means for doing" may be implemented as "means configured or adapted to do" such as a device or a circuit configured or adapted to a respective task.

The functions of the various elements shown in the figures, including any functional blocks labeled as "means", "means for providing a signal", "means for generating a signal", etc., may be implemented in the form of dedicated hardware, such as "signal provider", "signal processing unit", "processor", "controller", etc., as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individual processors, some or all of which may be shared. However, the term "processor" or "controller" is not limited to hardware capable of exclusively executing software, so far, but may include Digital Signal Processor (DSP) hardware, network processors, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Read Only Memories (ROMs) for storing software, Random Access Memories (RAMs), and non-volatile memories. Other hardware, conventional and/or custom, may also be included.

For example, the block diagrams may illustrate high-level circuit diagrams implementing the principles of the present disclosure. Similarly, flowcharts, task diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudocode, and the like may represent various processes, operations, or steps, e.g., which may be substantially represented in computer readable media and so executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown. The methods disclosed in the specification or claims may be implemented by an apparatus having means for performing each respective action of the methods.

It should be understood that the disclosure of various actions, processes, operations, steps, or functions disclosed in the specification or claims may not be construed as limited to a particular sequence, unless expressly or implicitly stated otherwise, for example, for technical reasons. Thus, the disclosure of multiple acts or functions will not limit them to a particular order unless these acts or functions are not interchangeable for technical reasons. Further, in some examples, a single action, function, procedure, operation, or step may include or may be divided into multiple sub-actions, sub-functions, sub-procedures, sub-operations, or sub-steps, respectively. Such sub-acts may be included or may be part of the single act disclosure unless explicitly excluded.

Furthermore, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate example. Although each claim may stand on its own as a separate example, it should be noted that, although a dependent claim may refer in the claims to a specific combination with one or more other claims, other examples may also include a combination of a dependent claim with the subject matter of each other dependent or independent claim. Such combinations are expressly set forth herein unless a specific combination is stated which is not intended. Furthermore, it is intended that features of a claim are also included in any other independent claim, even if that claim is not directly dependent on that independent claim.