Abstract: Short-range vehicular radar systems are described. In one implementation, an apparatus used in radar applications includes a programmable digital receiver having an adaptable interference filter that is configured to reject radar pulses received from another radar system. In another implementation, a short-range vehicular radar system includes receive and transmission antennae, a programmable delay generator, and programmable receiver. The programmable delay generator is configured to control transmission of pulses from the transmission antenna at randomly selected times to prevent ambiguities associated with target objects that are distances away from the transmission antenna that are greater than the speed of light times the pulse repetition rate divided by two. The programmable receiver is calibrated to sample signals received by the receive antenna relative to when the pulses are emitted from the transmission antenna.

Abstract: The invention is a method and apparatus for determining the shape and location of objects by trilateration based on the output of a plurality of range sensors. The range measurements from a plurality of sensors are correlated with each other to identify one or more potential objects. With respect to each potential object, it is assumed that the object can be one of a finite number of possible predefined shapes. For each potential object, a metric is calculated for each of the predefined shapes using the set of range measurements upon which the potential object is based defining the likelihood that the set of readings correspond to an actual object of that predefined shape. Each potential object is then assumed to have the predefined shape that yielded the lowest metric (i.e., that yielded the metric that indicates the highest likelihood that the object has the corresponding shape). The list of potential objects is then ordered according by their calculated metrics from lowest to highest.

Abstract: The invention is a method and apparatus for determining the shape and location of objects by trilateration based on the output of a plurality of range sensors. The range measurements from a plurality of sensors are correlated with each other to identify one or more potential objects. With respect to each potential object, it is assumed that the object can be one of a finite number of possible predefined shapes. For each potential object, a metric is calculated for each of the predefined shapes using the set of range measurements upon which the potential object is based defining the likelihood that the set of readings correspond to an actual object of that predefined shape. Each potential object is then assumed to have the predefined shape that yielded the lowest metric (i.e., that yielded the metric that indicates the highest likelihood that the object has the corresponding shape). The list of potential objects is then ordered according by their calculated metrics from lowest to highest.