Systems and methods for virtual aperature radar tracking

A method for virtual aperture array radar tracking comprises:

• transmitting a first probe signal, the first probe signal having a first phase function;
• transmitting a second probe signal, the second probe signal having a second phase function;
• receiving a first reflected probe signal at a radar array in response to reflection of the first probe signal by a tracking target, wherein the tracking target and radar array are connected by a target vector;
• wherein the radar array comprises a first plurality of radar elements positioned along a first radar axis;
• receiving a second reflected probe signal at the radar array in response to reflection of the second probe signal by the tracking target;
• calculating a target range from at least one of the first and second reflected probe signals;
• corresponding signal instances of the first reflected probe signal to physical receiver elements of the radar array;
• corresponding signal instances of the second reflected probe signal to virtual elements of the radar array;
• wherein the virtual elements of the radar array are described in terms of the physical elements of the radar array by an element translation function;
• calculating a first target angle between a first reference vector and a first projected target vector from the first reflected probe signal;
• wherein the first projected target vector is the target vector projected into a first reference plane, the first reference plane containing both of the first radar axis and the first reference vector;
• wherein calculating the first target angle comprises performing beamforming from the signal instances of the first and second reflected probe signals;
• and
• calculating a position of the tracking target relative to the radar array from the target range and first target angle.