Abstract: A radar apparatus includes a first processing unit, a second processing unit, and a speed determining unit. Of these units, the first processing unit determines at least speed including ambiguity caused by phase folding back within a predetermined speed measurement range, from phase rotation of frequency components detected in time-series for a same target, using a beat signal obtained by transmitting and receiving, a plurality of times, a predetermined first modulation wave. The second processing unit determines at least speed that is uniquely determined within the speed measurement range, from Doppler frequency included in frequency components indicating a target, using a beat signal obtained by transmitting and receiving a predetermined second modulation wave.

Abstract: A radar apparatus includes a first antenna and a second antenna. The first antenna includes a plurality of first antenna elements that are arrayed in a first direction on a surface oriented to a forward direction, as antenna elements configuring the first antenna. The second antenna includes a plurality of second antenna elements that are arrayed in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction on the surface oriented to a forward direction, as antenna elements configuring the second antenna. The radar apparatus emits radar waves in a forward direction using either of the first and second antennas, and receives reflected waves of the radar waves using the other of the first and second antennas.

Abstract: A radar apparatus includes a first processing unit, a second processing unit, and a speed determining unit. Of these units, the first processing unit determines at least speed including ambiguity caused by phase folding back within a predetermined speed measurement range, from phase rotation of frequency components detected in time-series for a same target, using a beat signal obtained by transmitting and receiving, a plurality of times, a predetermined first modulation wave. The second processing unit determines at least speed that is uniquely determined within the speed measurement range, from Doppler frequency included in frequency components indicating a target, using a beat signal obtained by transmitting and receiving a predetermined second modulation wave.

Abstract: A power-supply device for supplying electrical power to a radar device that transmits and receives a continuous wave and detects an object reflecting the continuous wave on the basis of a spectrum of a beat signal of the transmitted and reflected waves. The power-supply device includes a power supply section that generates electrical power in a predefined voltage range through a switching section being turned on and off in response to a switching signal, and a switching signal output section that, outputs the switching signal whose frequency is set within one of assignable bands. This leads to a radar system comprised of the radar device and the power-supply device, capable of securely preventing erroneous detection of a frequency peak of the switching signal as a frequency peak of the object.

Abstract: A radar apparatus includes a first antenna and a second antenna. The first antenna includes a plurality of first antenna elements that are arrayed in a first direction on a surface oriented to a forward direction, as antenna elements configuring the first antenna. The second antenna includes a plurality of second antenna elements that are arrayed in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction on the surface oriented to a forward direction, as antenna elements configuring the second antenna. The radar apparatus emits radar waves in a forward direction using either of the first and second antennas, and receives reflected waves of the radar waves using the other of the first and second antennas.

Abstract: In an antenna apparatus, a transmitting antenna includes transmitting-side unit antennas arranged in an arranging-direction at transmitting-side arrangement intervals. Receiving antennas are arranged in the arranging-direction at arrangement intervals. Each of the receiving antennas includes receiving-side unit antennas arranged in the arranging-direction at receiving-side arrangement intervals. The receiving-side arrangement interval is larger than the transmitting-side arrangement interval. A transmission- and reception composition characteristic, which is a composition of directivities of the transmitting antenna and receiving antenna, has a main lobe including a detection angle range.

Abstract: A peak detecting threshold determining method is provided which determines a peak detecting threshold which is used by an FMCW radar in detecting a peak frequency component which appears as representing a target object in a frequency spectrum. A CW radar wave is transmitted to produce a CW noise spectrum. An offset is added to frequency components in a high-frequency region of the CW noise spectrum to define a first distribution as a value of the peak detecting threshold. This enables the value of the peak detecting threshold in the high-frequency region to be determined with high precision by reflecting a receiver noise containing a leakage noise.

Abstract: A radar apparatus includes a transmitter, a receiver, and a signal processor. The transmitter outputs a radar wave. The receiver includes a plurality of receiving antennas and a plurality of receiving devices. Each of the receiving devices mixes a reception signal from the corresponding receiving antenna with a local signal and outputs a beat signal. The signal processor samples the beat signal while selecting one of the receiving devices in order with a selecting period that is less than a half of a sampling period. The signal processor samples the beat signal with the sampling period and derives position information of a target by pair matching of peaks of a rising-modulation signal and a falling-modulation signal of the beat signal.

Abstract: A device for detecting an azimuth has a transmission array antenna having plural transmission antenna elements arrayed along an array axis and a receiving array antenna having plural receiving antenna elements arrayed along the array axis. A reception signal is acquired for each of channels by transmitting and receiving a search wave through each of the channels. The channels are arbitrary combinations of each of the transmission antenna elements and each of the receiving antenna elements. A first spatial frequency analysis is performed along the array axis of either ones of the transmission antenna elements and the receiving antenna elements using the reception signal. A second spatial frequency analysis is then performed along the array axis of the other ones of the antenna elements using results of the first spatial frequency analysis. An azimuth of a target is determined based on analysis results from the second spatial frequency analysis.

Abstract: A radome covers an antenna substrate of a millimeter-band radar apparatus, with a partition wall formed integrally in the radome separating the internal space of the radome into a first internal space, located in correspondence with a transmitting antenna section, and a second internal space, located in correspondence with a receiving antenna section. Increased isolation between transmission and reception is achieved thereby, by reducing the amount of transmitted radar waves which directly reach the receiving antenna section.

Abstract: The array antenna includes a feed line, and a plurality of radiating element sections arranged at a predetermined arranging interval in a first direction, each of the radiating element sections including at least one radiating element fed a traveling wave through the feed line. The inter-element line length as a length of the feed line between each succeeding two of the radiating element sections is longer than the arranging interval in the first direction.

Abstract: In an antenna apparatus, a transmitting antenna includes transmitting-side unit antennas arranged in an arranging-direction at transmitting-side arrangement intervals. Receiving antennas are arranged in the arranging-direction at arrangement intervals. Each of the receiving antennas includes receiving-side unit antennas arranged in the arranging-direction at receiving-side arrangement intervals. The receiving-side arrangement interval is larger than the transmitting-side arrangement interval. A transmission-and reception composition characteristic, which is a composition of directivities of the transmitting antenna and receiving antenna, has a main lobe including a detection angle range.

Abstract: A power-supply device for supplying electrical power to a radar device that transmits and receives a continuous wave and detects an object reflecting the continuous wave on the basis of a spectrum of a beat signal of the transmitted and reflected waves. The power-supply device includes a power supply section that generates electrical power in a predefined voltage range through a switching section being turned on and off in response to a switching signal, and a switching signal output section that, outputs the switching signal whose frequency is set within one of assignable bands. This leads to a radar system comprised of the radar device and the power-supply device, capable of securely preventing erroneous detection of a frequency peak of the switching signal as a frequency peak of the object.

Abstract: A radar apparatus includes a transmitter, a receiver, and a signal processor. The transmitter outputs a radar wave. The receiver includes a plurality of receiving antennas and a plurality of receiving devices. Each of the receiving devices mixes a reception signal from the corresponding receiving antenna with a local signal and outputs a beat signal. The signal processor samples the beat signal while selecting one of the receiving devices in order with a selecting period that is less than a half of a sampling period. The signal processor samples the beat signal with the sampling period and derives position information of a target by pair matching of peaks of a rising-modulation signal and a falling-modulation signal of the beat signal.

Abstract: A peak detecting threshold determining method is provided which determines a peak detecting threshold which is used by an FMCW radar in detecting a peak frequency component which appears as representing a target object in a frequency spectrum. A CW radar wave is transmitted to produce a CW noise spectrum. An offset is added to frequency components in a high-frequency region of the CW noise spectrum to define a first distribution as a value of the peak detecting threshold. This enables the value of the peak detecting threshold in the high-frequency region to be determined with high precision by reflecting a receiver noise containing a leakage noise.

Abstract: A radome covers an antenna substrate of a millimeter-band radar apparatus, with a partition wall formed integrally in the radome separating the internal space of the radome into a first internal space, located in correspondence with a transmitting antenna section, and a second internal space, located in correspondence with a receiving antenna section. Increased isolation between transmission and reception is achieved thereby, by reducing the amount of transmitted radar waves which directly reach the receiving antenna section.

Abstract: A sampled beat signal RD is split into a plurality of short-time data SD in the time direction, for each of antenna elements. Interference component frequency of an interference wave is detected from a frequency spectrum of the short-time data SD. A digital beam forming process is performed for the interference component frequency of the interference wave to extract a peak of the electrical power of an azimuth direction and estimate an absolute value of an incoming direction of interference components. Based on the absolute value of the incoming direction of the estimated interference components, a filter for suppressing the interference components is operated to suppress the interference components.

Abstract: A device for detecting an azimuth has a transmission array antenna having plural transmission antenna elements arrayed along an array axis and a receiving array antenna having plural receiving antenna elements arrayed along the array axis. A reception signal is acquired for each of channels by transmitting and receiving a search wave through each of the channels. The channels are arbitrary combinations of each of the transmission antenna elements and each of the receiving antenna elements. A first spatial frequency analysis is performed along the array axis of either ones of the transmission antenna elements and the receiving antenna elements using the reception signal. A second spatial frequency analysis is then performed along the array axis of the other ones of the antenna elements using results of the first spatial frequency analysis. An azimuth of a target is determined based on analysis results from the second spatial frequency analysis.

Abstract: A radar apparatus has a plurality of receiving antennas and an array transmitting antenna controlled to successively vary the direction of a transmitted beam within a range which includes a target detection range of directions. The direction of any target within the target detection range is detected based on a phase difference between incident reflected waves of adjacent receiving antennas. To eliminate false targets resulting from aliasing, each detected target is authenticated based upon closeness of its detected direction to the current transmitted beam direction. The receiving antennas and transmitting antenna are configured to exclude directions of grating lobes of the transmitted beam from the detection range, and thereby suppress effects of received reflected waves that originate from grating lobes.

Abstract: A FMCW-type radar device generates snapshot data from a beat signal that represents a received condition of the radar device every modulation period. Auto-correlation matrices generated by the snapshot data every modulation period are averaged every set of plural periods. The radar device calculates the target azimuth of a target object such as a preceding vehicle based on the averaged auto-correlation matrix based on MUSIC (MUltiple SIgnal Classification) method. This averaging is performed by weighting average based on an amount of mixed noise (or an interference amount) contained in the snapshot data in each modulation period. A weighting coefficient to be applied to the auto-correlation matrix in each modulation period is set to a value corresponding to the amount of mixed noise, namely, the interference amount of this modulation period. The weighting coefficient becomes large when the interference amount is small, and on the other hand, becomes small when it is large.