Multiple input multiple output (MIMO) frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar system

A system, comprising:

• a radar transceiver having a reception channel, a first transmission channel, and a second transmission channel,
• wherein the radar transceiver is configured to transmit a sequence of radio frequency (RF) chirps via at least one of the first transmission channel and the second transmission channel, including transmitting a first subsequence of successive chirps and transmitting a second subsequence of successive chirps,
• wherein the reception channel is configured to generate a digital radar signal having a sequence of signal segments from chirp echoes corresponding to the sequence of RF chirps, wherein each signal segment of the sequence of signal segments is respectively associated with a different chirp of the sequence of RF chirps;
• and
• at least one processor configured to:
• generate a range-Doppler map based only on a first subsequence of successive signal segments of the sequence of signal segments, wherein the first subsequence of successive signal segments are associated with the first subsequence of successive chirps;
• detect radar targets in the range-Doppler map, including determining a distance value and a velocity value for each detected radar target from the range-Doppler map;
• ascertain whether the detected radar targets comprise a group of radar targets having overlapping signal components in a distance dimension of the range-Doppler map;
• and
• in response to detecting the group of radar targets having the overlapping signal components, calculate a spectral value for each radar target of the group of radar targets having the overlapping signal components based on a second subsequence of successive signal segments of the sequence of signal segments and based on velocity values, ascertained from the range-Doppler map, that correspond to the radar targets of the group of radar targets, wherein the second subsequence of successive signal segments are associated with the second subsequence of successive chirps,
• wherein the second subsequence of successive chirps has a smaller number of chirps than the first subsequence of successive chirps.

A method, comprising:

• transmitting a first subsequence of temporally successive chirps via a first channel of a radar system;
• transmitting a second subsequence of temporally successive chirps via a second channel of the radar system, wherein the second subsequence of temporally successive chirps is either transmitted after the first subsequence of temporally successive chirps in time or transmitted before the first subsequence of temporally successive chirps in time, and wherein the second subsequence of temporally successive chirps has a smaller number of chirps than the first subsequence of temporally successive chirps;
• generating a range-Doppler map based only on the first subsequence of temporally successive chirps;
• detecting one or more radar targets in the range-Doppler map;
• determining a distance value and a velocity value for each detected radar target based on the range-Doppler map;
• generating a range map based only on the second subsequence of temporally successive chirps;
• and
• calculating an angle for each detected radar target based on signal components extracted from the range map and velocity values determined from the range-Doppler map.

A system, comprising:

• a radar transceiver configured to transmit a first subsequence of temporally successive chirps via a first channel of a radar system and to transmit a second subsequence of temporally successive chirps via a second channel, wherein the second subsequence of temporally successive chirps is either transmitted after the first subsequence of temporally successive chirps in time or transmitted before the first subsequence of temporally successive chirps in time, and wherein the second subsequence of temporally successive chirps has a smaller number of chirps than the first subsequence of temporally successive chirps;
• and
• at least one processor configured to:
• generate a range-Doppler map based only on the first subsequence of temporally successive chirps,
• detect one or more radar targets in the range-Doppler map,
• determine a distance value and a velocity value for each detected radar target based on the range-Doppler map,
• generate a range map based only on the second subsequence of temporally successive chirps, and
• determine an angle for each the detected radar target based on the signal components extracted from the range map and velocity values determined from the range-Doppler map.