US 10,761,204 B2Granted

Radar attenuation mitigation

AssigneeGoogle Inc.

InventorsPatrick M. Amihood, David Weber, Houshang Aghahassan, Abhijit A. Shah, Jaime Lien

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Abstract

Techniques and apparatuses are described that enable radar attenuation mitigation. To improve radar performance, characteristics of an attenuator and/or properties of a radar signal are determined to reduce attenuation of the radar signal due to the attenuator and enable a radar system to detect a target located on an opposite side of the attenuator. These techniques are beneficial in situations in which the attenuator is unavoidably located between the radar system and a target, either due to integration within other electronic devices or due to an operating environment. These techniques save power and cost by reducing the attenuation without increasing transmit power or changing material properties of the attenuator.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus comprising:

a computing device having an exterior housing;
a movable platform;
an attenuator, the attenuator located between a radar system and a target, the attenuator comprising at least a portion of the exterior housing and having a semi-transparent material that attenuates a radar signal, the attenuator located at the distance from the radar system and having a non-zero thickness;
and
the radar system, the radar system located within the exterior housing of the computing device, mounted to the movable platform, and configured to:
operate within a frequency range and a range of steering angles;
transmit the radar signal using a frequency of the frequency range and a steering angle of the range of steering angles to detect the target;
and
dynamically adjust, during operation of the radar system, the distance from the radar system to the attenuator, the dynamic adjustment of the distance being effective to mitigate attenuation of the radar signal to be between a minimum attenuation and approximately thirty percent above the minimum attenuation that exists across a range of distances and a range of thicknesses for the frequency of the radar signal and the steering angle of the radar signal.

6 more elements

A method comprising:

determining, by a radar system located inside a vehicle, a thickness of an attenuator that is located between the radar system and a target, the vehicle having a windshield, the attenuator comprising the windshield and having a semi-transparent material that attenuates a radar signal;
determining, by the radar system, a distance between the attenuator and the radar system;
dynamically determining, during operation of the radar system and based on the thickness of the attenuator and the distance between the attenuator and the radar system, a desired frequency and a desired steering angle of the radar signal that mitigates attenuation of the radar signal through the attenuator;
and
transmitting the radar signal using the desired frequency and the desired steering angle effective to detect the target through the attenuator.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/844,493Filed 15 Dec 2017
Published: US 2019/0187270 A120 Jun 2019
Granted: 1 Sep 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G01S 7/0232
Interference mitigation, e.g. reducing or avoiding non-intentional interference with other HF-transmitters, base station transmitters for mobile…:…
G01S 7/038
Details of HF subsystems specially adapted therefor, e.g. common to transmitter and receiver: feedthrough nulling circuits
G01S 13/24
Using transmission of interrupted, pulse modulated waves: using frequency agility of carrier wave
G01S 13/72
Radar-tracking systems; Analogous systems: for two-dimensional [2D] tracking, e.g. combination of angle and range tracking, track-while-scan radar