US 11,454,705 B2Granted

Tracking system and method for characterizing target height using percentage of range bins

AssigneeVeoneer US, Inc.

InventorsReza Mardani, Florian Trompeter, Tony Chan, Eric Stark Willmann, Eduardo Martony, Etty J. Lee

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A system and method characterizes the height of targets in an environment around a vehicle. Signals are transmitted into the environment and return signals are received to determine a track corresponding to a target. For each track, bins are generated, each bin corresponding to a segment of the range, the segments having a gradually increasing size between the minimum range and maximum range. Range and magnitude values of the received return signals are determined for a selected track. A plurality of filled bins are determined, filled bins indicating that a return signal within the selected track has a range value falling within the segment corresponding to said bin. When the number of filled bins exceeds a set threshold, the return signals having range values within the segments corresponding to the filled bins are analyzed to characterize a height of the target.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method of characterizing height of targets in an environment around a vehicle, comprising:

a) determining a range from a minimum range to a maximum range within which targets will be characterized;
b) transmitting a plurality of signals into the environment such that the signals reflect off the targets in the environment to create a plurality of return signals;
c) for at least one of the targets in the environment, receiving the return signals to determine a track corresponding to said target;
d) for each track, generating a plurality of bins, each bin corresponding to a segment of the range such that the entire range is accounted for, the segments having a gradually increasing size between the minimum range and maximum range;
e) during a cycle, determining a range value and a magnitude value of the received return signals for a selected track of the tracks;
f) determining a plurality of filled bins during the cycle, filled bins indicating that a return signal within the selected track has a range value falling within the segment corresponding to said bin during the cycle;
and
g) when the number of filled bins exceeds a set threshold, analyzing the return signals having range values within the segments corresponding to the filled bins to characterize a height of the target corresponding to the selected track, wherein the set threshold of filled bins is between 20 and 30 percent of a total number of bins.

5 more elements

A detection system for characterizing height of targets in an environment around a vehicle, comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a plurality of signals into the environment such that the signals reflect off targets in the environment to create return signals;
a receiver configured to receive the return signals;
and
a processing module connected to a memory configured to:
for a given cycle, store a range from a minimum range to a maximum range within which targets will be characterized;
determine a selected track corresponding to a target in the environment;
for the selected track, store data related to a plurality of bins, each bin corresponding to a segment of the range such that the entire range is accounted for, the segments having a gradually increasing size between the minimum range and maximum range;
determine a range value and magnitude value of the received signals for the selected track during the cycle;
determine a plurality of filled bins during the cycle, filled bins indicating that a return signal within the selected track has a range value falling within the segment corresponding to said bin;
and
when the number of filled bins exceeds a set threshold, analyze the return signals having range values corresponding to the segments the filled bins to characterize a height of the target within the selected track, wherein the set threshold of filled bins is between 20 and 30 percent of a total number of bins.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/692,699Filed 22 Nov 2019 · us provisional application
Priority: 22 Feb 2019
Published: US 2020/0271757 A127 Aug 2020
Granted: 27 Sep 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G01S 7/415
Using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section: identification of targets based on measurements…
G01S 7/2927
Based on data belonging to a number of consecutive radar periods: by deriving and controlling a threshold value
G01S 7/354
Receivers: extracting wanted echo-signals
G01S 7/414
Using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section: discriminating targets with respect to…