Automotive radar using OFDM pilot and data carriers for integrated radar and communications

A system for a vehicle, comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a non-transitory memory storing computer code which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to:
• construct a wireless signal based on a set of pilot subcarriers and a set of data subcarriers, wherein the set of pilot subcarriers is used for radar processing and channel estimation while the set of data subcarriers is used for transmitting data;
• transmit the wireless signal;
• listen for radar feedback associated with the wireless signal;
• determine pilot-subcarrier radar data from the radar feedback, wherein the pilot-subcarrier radar data describes a part of the radar feedback that is associated with the set of pilot subcarriers;
• generate a radar processing result based on the pilot-subcarrier radar data to reduce a peak to side-lobe ratio of the radar processing result;
• assess radar performance based on the radar processing result;
• and
• modify one or more locations of the set of pilot subcarriers or one or more locations of the set of data subcarriers in the wireless signal based on the radar performance.

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory memory storing computer-executable code that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:

• construct a wireless signal based on a set of pilot subcarriers and a set of data subcarriers, wherein the set of pilot subcarriers is used for radar processing and channel estimation while the set of data subcarriers is used for transmitting data;
• transmit the wireless signal;
• listen for radar feedback associated with the wireless signal;
• determine pilot-subcarrier radar data from the radar feedback, wherein the pilot-subcarrier radar data describes a part of the radar feedback that is associated with the set of pilot subcarriers;
• generate a radar processing result based on the pilot-subcarrier radar data to reduce a peak to side-lobe ratio of the radar processing result;
• assess radar performance based on the radar processing result;
• and
• modify one or more locations of the set of pilot subcarriers or one or more locations of the set of data subcarriers in the wireless signal based on the radar performance.