Radar elevation angle validation

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions which when executed by one or more processors result in performing operations comprising:

• transmitting, from a radar, one or more signals towards a corner reflector situated in a direction of the radar;
• receiving, at the radar, reflected signals from the corner reflector at the radar;
• measuring signal energy of at least one of the reflected signals;
• accessing a baseline dataset stored in a datastore, the baseline dataset comprising a plurality of radar elevation angles indexed in the datastore by different sets of signal energy values, corner reflector elevation values, and radar-to-reflector distances;
• comparing the measured signal energy to one or more of the plurality of signal energy values contained in the baseline dataset;
• retrieving a radar elevation angle from the plurality of radar elevation angles contained in the baseline dataset that is associated with a signal energy value of the plurality of signal energy values matching to the measured signal energy;
• comparing the radar elevation angle retrieved from the baseline dataset to a validation threshold;
• determining whether the radar is pitched upwards or downwards based on a deviation of the radar elevation angle of the baseline dataset from the validation threshold;
• and
• determining a radar validation status based on the comparison.

A method comprising:

• transmitting, from a radar, one or more signals towards a corner reflector situated in a direction of the radar;
• receiving, at the radar, reflected signals from the corner reflector at the radar;
• measuring signal energy of at least one of the reflected signals;
• accessing a baseline dataset stored in a datastore, the baseline dataset comprising a plurality of radar elevation angles indexed in the datastore by different sets of signal energy values, corner reflector elevation values, and radar-to-reflector distances;
• comparing the measured signal energy to one or more of the plurality of signal energy values contained in the baseline dataset;
• retrieving a radar elevation angle from the plurality of radar elevation angles contained in the baseline dataset that is associated with a signal energy value of the plurality of signal energy values matching the measured signal energy;
• comparing the radar elevation angle retrieved from the baseline dataset to a validation threshold;
• determining whether the radar is pitched upwards or downwards based on a deviation of the radar elevation angle of the baseline dataset from the validation threshold;
• and
• determining a radar validation status based on the comparison.