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 concerns a method and apparatus for estimating a height of a target object using radar signals reflected from the target object wherein a receiver detects a plurality of radar signals reflected from the target object, respectively, at a plurality of different ranges, resolves the amplitudes of the plurality of reflected signals at the respective plurality of different ranges to generate an amplitude data set, and determining if the amplitude data set correlates to a particular height.

Abstract: A process of determining target parameters of an object within a field of detection of an automotive radar system, the process comprising the steps of: (a) establishing a target range from a sequence of ranges; (b) dwelling on the target range for an initial dwell time to obtain sensor data; (c) determining if the sensor data corresponds to the presence of an object or to the absence of an object at the target range based on probability density distributions of an object being present and being absent at the target range, and if such the determination cannot be made, then repeating steps (b)-(c) until the determination can be made; (d) if the sensor data is determined to correspond to the presence of an object in step (c), then dwelling at the target range for an extended dwell time to obtain additional sensor data for determining the target parameters of the object before proceeding to step (e); and (e) establishing the next of the sequence of ranges as the target range before reiterating steps (b)-(e).

Abstract: A process of determining an imminent-collision between a vehicle and an object, said vehicle having a sensing system for obtaining one or more images representing at least one observed object within a field of detection, said process comprising: (a) obtaining one or more images representing an observed object within said field of detection; and (b) determining that a collision between said vehicle and said observed object is imminent when the ratio of the probability that said observed object is actually within a collision zone to the probability that said observed object is actually within a safe zone is greater than a certain value.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method and apparatus for estimating a height of a target object using radar signals reflected from the target object wherein a receiver detects a plurality of radar signals reflected from the target object, respectively, at a plurality of different ranges, resolves the amplitudes of the plurality of reflected signals at the respective plurality of different ranges to generate an amplitude data set, and determining if the amplitude data set correlates to a particular height.

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.

Abstract: The invention is a method and apparatus for determining the locations of a plurality of actual objects based on the output of a plurality of range sensors. A multiplicity of range measurements are obtained from a plurality of sensors, each sensor capable of providing a multiplicity of range measurements. The range measurements from the plurality of sensors are correlated with each other to generate a list of potential objects and to order that list of potential objects from highest to lowest likelihood of being an actual object. The order may be based upon a cumulative error of the individual sensor measurements upon which the potential object is based. The ordered list of potential objects is then pared down to a smaller list of actual objects by assuming that the potential object highest in the ordered list as an actual object, and then removing from the list all other lower-ordered potential objects that are based on any of the range measurements upon which the selected object is based.