Abstract: A radar system for a ground vehicle includes a MIMO system including a plurality of transmitters, a plurality of receivers, and a controller including an interpreter in communication with the plurality of transmitters and the plurality of receivers. The transmitters include a first transmitter and a plurality of second transmitters, and each of the transmitters includes a signal generator in communication with a transmitting antenna that is disposed to transmit a radar signal. Each of the radar signals is a linear-frequency-modulated continuous-wave (LFM-CW) radar signal including a chirp-start portion, and each of the receivers includes a receiving antenna that is disposed to receive reflected radar signals. The transmitters are controllable such that the chirp-start portions of the LFM-CW radar signals from the second transmitters have progressively increasing time delays as compared to the chirp-start portion of the LFM-CW radar signal from the first transmitter.

Abstract: A system and method for obtaining an overall image that is constructed from multiple sub-images. The method includes: capturing a first sub-image having a first sub-image field of view using an image sensor of an electronically-steerable optical sensor; after capturing the first sub-image, steering light received at the electronically-steerable optical sensor using an electronically-controllable light-steering mechanism of the electronically-steerable optical sensor so as to obtain a second sub-image field of view; capturing a second sub-image having the second sub-image field of view using the image sensor of the electronically-steerable optical sensor; and combining the first sub-image and the second sub-image so as to obtain the overall image.

Abstract: A method of mitigating vibration in a radar system on a moving platform includes obtaining received signals resulting from reflections of transmitted signals by one or more objects in a field of view of the radar system. The received signals are a three-dimensional data cube. The method also includes processing the received signals to obtain a first three-dimensional map and second three-dimensional map, estimating the vibration based on performing a first detection using the second three-dimensional map, and cancelling the vibration from the first three-dimensional map to obtain a corrected first three-dimensional map. A corrected second three-dimensional map is obtained by further processing the corrected first three-dimensional map; and a second detection is performed using the corrected second three-dimensional map.

Abstract: A hyperbolic waveform multiple-input multiple-output radar includes a generator circuit, multiple transmit circuits, a multiple-input multiple-output antenna, and multiple receive circuits. The generator circuit may be operable to generate a linear frequency modulated signal and a hyperbolic frequency modulated signal. The transmit circuits may be operable to generate multiple transmit signals by analog mixing the linear frequency modulated signal and the hyperbolic frequency modulated signal in response to a plurality of coding family parameters, wherein the transmit signals define an orthogonal family of waveforms. The multiple-input multiple-output antenna may be operable to transmit the transmit signals toward an object and receive multiple receive signals from the object. The receive circuits may be operable to determine multiple data signals in response to the receive signals, wherein the data signals are suitable to determine a distance between the multiple-input multiple-output antenna and the object.

Abstract: A scanning and perception system for a vehicle camera having an instantaneous field of view (iFOV) and configured to capture an image of an object at a saturation level in the camera's iFOV. The system also includes a light source configured to illuminate the camera's iFOV. The system additionally includes a radar configured to determine the object's velocity and the object's distance from the vehicle, and a mechanism configured to steer the radar and/or the camera. The system also includes an electronic controller programmed to regulate the mechanism and adjust illumination intensity of the light source in response to the saturation level in the image or the determined distance to the object. The controller is also programmed to merge data indicative of the captured image and data indicative of the determined position of the object and classify the object and identify the object's position in response to the merged data.

Abstract: A radar system may include a transmitter, a receiver, and a controller. The controller may calculate a received beam response spectrum based on the received reflected radar signal, detect a first maximum value of the received beam response spectrum, identify an angle corresponding to the first maximum value as a first target angle, obtain a threshold envelope based on the first maximum value and the first target angle, detect a second maximum value in a portion of the received beam response spectrum being greater than the threshold envelope, identify an angle corresponding to the second maximum value as a second target angle, and output the first target angle as the angle of arrival of the reflected radar signal from the first target and the second target angle as the angle of arrival of the reflected radar signal from the second target.

Abstract: A radar circuit for use with a host system such as a vehicle includes a radio frequency (RF) signal generator configured to generate a predetermined RF waveform, an RF antenna connected to the RF signal generator, and an ECU which executes a method. As part of such a method, a signal generator transmits the RF waveform toward different radar target types, and receives return signatures reflected therefrom. The ECU receives the return signatures from the antenna, processes the return signatures via parallel constant false-alarm rate (CFAR) subdetectors each with defined cells under test to detect the target types as a set of detection events, merges the detection events into a merged set, and executes a control action aboard the host system responsive to the merged set. Each subdetector detects a corresponding one or more of the radar target types via corresponding detection parameters.

Abstract: A multi-mode radar antenna apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a transmitting antenna section comprising a first plurality of transmitting antennas configured to a transmit a steerable mode signal, a second plurality of transmitting antennas configured to a transmit an imaging mode signal, and a third plurality of transmitting antennas configured to a transmit an imaging mode signal and a steerable mode signal, and a receiving antenna section comprising a plurality of receiving antennas.

Abstract: A vehicle, radar system of a vehicle and method of extending a range of the radar system. The radar system includes a transmitter antenna, a receiver antenna and a processor. The transmitter antenna transmits a reference signal. The receiver antenna receives an echo signal in response to reflection of the reference signal from an object located at a distance outside of the range limit of the radar system, wherein the range limit indicating a frequency sampling range. The processor generates a frequency peak for the object from the received echo signal, wherein the frequency peak lies outside of the frequency sampling range, shifts the frequency peak to within the frequency sampling range, and determines a range of the object using the frequency-shifted peak.

Abstract: System and method of controlling operation of a device in real-time. The system includes an optical sensor having a steerable optical field of view for obtaining image data and a radar unit having a steerable radar field of view for obtaining radar data. A controller may be configured to steer a first one of the optical sensor and the radar unit to a first region of interest and a second one of the optical sensor and the radar unit to the second region of interest. The controller may be configured to steer both the optical sensor and the radar unit to the first region of interest. The radar data and the image data are fused to obtain a target location and a target velocity. The controller is configured to control operation of the device based in part on at least one of the target location and the target velocity.

Abstract: A radar system for use in a vehicle may include a radar transmitter structured to transmit a radar signal having a waveform; and a controller operably connected to the radar transmitter and configured to control the waveform. The waveform may be characterized by a waveform parameter. The controller may be configured to set a value of the waveform parameter based on a present operational state of the vehicle, thereby generating an updated waveform. The radar transmitter may be structured to transmit an updated radar signal having the updated waveform.

Abstract: System and method of controlling operation of an optical sensor in a device. The optical sensor is configured to employ a scan pattern to scan respective portions of a full field of view. A navigation sensor is configured to obtain location coordinates of the device. An inertial sensor is configured to obtain an acceleration data of the device in a plurality of directions. A controller is configured to determine a position of the device at the present time based in part on the location coordinates and the acceleration data. The controller is configured to determine a sun striking zone based in part on a relative position of the sun and the device. When a sun overlap region between the respective portions of the full field of view and sun striking zone exceeds a first overlap threshold, operation of the optical sensor is modified.

Abstract: A method and system include transmitting transmit signals from a radar system. The transmit signals are linear frequency modulated continuous wave signals. The method includes receiving reflected signals at the radar system based on reflection of at least at subset of the transmit signals by one or more objects. A range from the radar system associated with each of the reflected signals corresponds with a frequency of the reflected signal. The reflected signals are processed to identify and locate the one or more objects. Processing includes applying an adaptive range-selective gain control (ARSGC) to control a gain corresponding with each of the reflected signals based on the range associated with the reflected signal.

Abstract: A system and method to perform target detection includes transmitting frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) pulses as chirps from a radar system. The method also includes receiving reflections resulting from the chirps, and processing the reflections to obtain a range-chirp map for each beam associated with the transmitting. Curve detection is performed on the range-chirp map for each beam, and one or more targets is detected based on the curve detection.

Abstract: A system and method to perform multi-target detection in a code division multiple access (CDMA) radar system involve transmitting, from each transmitter among T transmitters, a transmitted signal with a different code, and receiving, at each receiver among one or more receivers, a received signal that includes reflections resulting from each of the transmitted signals with the different codes. The method includes processing the received signal at each of the one or more receivers by implementing T processing chains. Each of the T processing chains is iterative. The method also includes detecting an object at each completed iteration at each of the T processing chains, and subtracting a subtraction signal representing a contribution of the object to the received signal prior to subsequent iterations.

Abstract: A method and apparatus that compensate radar channel length variation are provided. The method includes transmitting a signal from the transmitter, determining a response of each of the receivers to the transmitted signal, and storing the determined responses; for each stored response of the stored responses, calculating a path length of the transmitted signal; for each of the transmitters, determining and storing a median receive path difference in the path length between a transmitter and each receiver; for each receiver of the receivers, determining and storing a median receive path difference in the path length between a receiver and each transmitter; and compensating for the median receive path difference and the median transmit path difference by performing a frequency shift on or time delaying a signal to be transmitted by a transmitter or received by a receiver.

Abstract: A system and method to achieve angular ambiguity resolution in a two-dimensional Doppler synthetic aperture radar system include transmitting pulses using a plurality of transmit elements during movement of a platform on which the system is mounted. Reflections are received from a target resulting from the pulses and the reflections are processed to determine a Doppler measurement. The processing includes isolating movement of the target in the Doppler measurement, and determining a target azimuth angle and a target elevation angle to the target based on an iterative process that includes estimating the target elevation angle or the target azimuth angle and then determining the target azimuth angle or the target elevation angle, respectively, based on a beamforming matrix. The beamforming matrix indicates amplitude and phase at each azimuth angle and each elevation angle among a set of azimuth angles and a set of elevation angles.

Abstract: A vehicle, radar system for the vehicle and method of operating the vehicle is disclosed. The radar system includes a transmitter, a receiver and a processor. The transmitter transmits a source signal into a region proximate the vehicle. The receiver receives a reflected signal formed by reflection of the source signal from an object in the region. The processor obtains non-linear terms of a phase from the reflected signal and resolves a Doppler ambiguity of the object using the non-linear terms. A navigation system navigates the vehicle with respect to the object based on the resolved Doppler ambiguity.

Abstract: A method of synchronizing a plurality of spatially distributed multi-input multi-output (MIMO) radar systems includes designating one of the plurality of MIMO radar systems that includes a linear frequency modulator as a master MIMO radar system, and designating each of the other plurality of MIMO radar systems as slave MIMO radar systems. Each of the slave MIMO radar systems receives an output of the linear frequency modulator. A synchronization signal is sent from the linear frequency modulator through the modulator splitter to each of the slave MIMO radar systems over respective cables, and a return signal is sent from each of the slave MIMO radar systems to the master MIMO radar system over the respective cables. A time delay is determined between the master MIMO radar system and each of the slave MIMO radar systems based on a frequency difference between the synchronization signal and the respective return signal.

Abstract: A system and method to generate a family of orthogonal signals for a code division multiple access (CDMA) radar system involve selecting a first signal of the family of orthogonal signals for transmission by one of a plurality of transmitters of the radar system. The method includes using an algorithm to determine a second signal of the family of orthogonal signals. The algorithm uses cross-correlation values between candidate signals for consideration as the second signal of the family of orthogonal signals and the first signal. The method also includes transmitting the first signal of the family of orthogonal signals and the second signal of the family of orthogonal signals simultaneously from two different transmitters, and obtaining and processing reflections resulting from transmission of the first signal of the family of orthogonal signals and the second signal of the family of orthogonal signals.