# US 12,181,568 B2 · 360° MIMO radar system having multiple radar sensors and phase calibration via over-lapping virtual TX and RX antennas of adjacent radar sensors

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- Number: US 12,181,568 B2
- Document ID: US12181568B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/282,980
- Filed: 2019-09-11
- Published: 2021-11-11
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2018-10-05
- Assignees: GM Cruise Holdings LLC
- Applicants: Astyx GmbH
- Inventors: Stefan Trummer
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181568B2

## CPC

- G01S 13/87: Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
- G01S 7/023: {Interference mitigation, e.g. reducing or avoiding non-intentional interference with other HF-transmitters, base station transmitters for mobile communication or other radar systems, e.g. using electro-magnetic interference [EMI] reduction techniques (auxiliary means for detecting or identifying radar signals or the like G01S7/021; means for anti-jamming G01S7/36)}
- G01S 7/0233: {Avoidance by phase multiplex}
- G01S 7/0234: {Avoidance by code multiplex}
- G01S 7/026: {involving the transmission of elliptically or circularly polarised waves}
- G01S 7/03: Details of HF subsystems specially adapted therefor, e.g. common to transmitter and receiver
- G01S 7/352: {Receivers}
- G01S 7/4008: {of transmitters}
- G01S 7/4017: {of HF systems}
- G01S 7/4021: {of receivers}
- G01S 7/4026: {Antenna boresight}
- G01S 13/003: {Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems}
- G01S 13/325: {using transmission of coded signals, e.g. P.S.K. signals}
- G01S 13/36: with phase comparison between the received signal and the contemporaneously transmitted signal
- G01S 13/42: Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S13/46)
- G01S 13/931: of land vehicles
- G01S 2013/9315: {Monitoring blind spots}
- G01S 2013/9327: {Sensor installation details}
- G01S 2013/93271: {in the front of the vehicles}
- G01S 2013/93272: {in the back of the vehicles}
- G01S 2013/93274: {on the side of the vehicles}
- G01S 2013/93275: {in the bumper area}
- G01S 2013/93276: {in the windshield area}
- H03L 7/099: concerning mainly the controlled oscillator of the loop
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- H03L: AUTOMATIC CONTROL, STARTING, SYNCHRONISATION OR STABILISATION OF GENERATORS OF ELECTRONIC OSCILLATIONS OR PULSES (generation of oscillations H03B)

## Abstract

The invention describes a radar system consisting of a plurality of subcomponents each individually having all components of a radar device which comprise at least transmitters, receivers, a mixer and a phase locked loop, wherein an individual phase code is generated for each transmitter; and transmitters and receivers of all subcomponents of the radar system together provide a virtual overall arrangement according to the Multiple Input Multiple Output method, wherein at least one virtual sub-arrangement of the overall arrangement, provided by a combination of transmitters of a subcomponent and receivers of a subcomponent, has at least one overlapping column or one overlapping row with another virtual sub-arrangement of the overall arrangement, wherein the at least other virtual sub-arrangement is provided by another combination of transmitters of a subcomponent and receivers of a subcomponent.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A radar system comprising:
a first radar sensor, where the first radar sensor comprises:
first transmitters that are configured to emit first signals, where the first transmitters have respective first phase codes generated therefor;
a first phase-locked loop (PLL) that is operably coupled to the first transmitters and the first receivers; and
a first mixer that is operably coupled to the first PLL and the first receivers, where a first virtual array is formed according to the Multiple Input Multiple Output method and based upon first positions of the first transmitters and second positions of the first receivers, and further where the first virtual array comprises a first column and a first row of virtual transceivers;
a second radar sensor, where the second radar sensor comprises:
second transmitters that are configured to emit second signals, where the second transmitters have second phase codes generated therefor;
second receivers that are configured to detect the reflections;
a second PLL that is operably coupled to the second transmitters and the second receivers; and
a second mixer that is operably coupled to the second PLL and the second receivers, where a second virtual array is formed according to the Multiple Input Multiple Output method and based upon the first positions of the first transmitters and third positions of the second receivers, the second virtual array comprises a second column and a second row of virtual transceivers, and further where at least one of:
the first column of the first virtual array overlaps with the second column of the second virtual array, where the first column and the second column are in a same position in a virtual overall arrangement that includes the first virtual array and the second virtual array; or
the first row of the first virtual array overlaps with the second row of the second virtual array, where the first row and the second row are in a same position in the virtual overall arrangement,
wherein overlapping columns or overlapping rows correspond to different transmitter-receiver combinations of the first and second radar sensors and are found in the same positions in the virtual overall arrangement.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The radar system according to claim 1, further comprising:
a crystal oscillator that provides a reference phase for the first PLL and the second PLL.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The radar system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first transmitters and the second transmitters are operated with phase codes according to the phase modulated continuous wave modulation method.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the overlapping columns or the overlapping rows are used at least for a phase calibration of the reflections.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The radar system according to claim 1, characterized in that a part of the post-processing of the reflections, which includes at least a correlation and a Fourier transformation for a speed analysis, takes place within the first radar sensor and the second radar sensor, respectively.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The radar system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first radar sensor and the second radar sensor are synchronized.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The radar system according to claim 6, characterized in that the synchronization takes place via a trigger signal that connects the first radar sensor and the second radar sensor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The radar system according to claim 1, characterized in that the overlapping columns or the overlapping rows are used for a phase and amplitude calibration of the reflections.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The radar system according to claim 1, characterized in that:
carrier signals of the first signals and the second signals have a right circular polarization; or
the carrier signals of the first signals and the second signals have a left circular polarization.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The radar system according to claim 9, characterized in that the first receivers are configured for a left circular polarization, and the second receivers are configured for a right circular polarization.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The radar system according to claim 10, characterized in that a comparison of separate signal processings of the first receivers and the second receivers are used for object classification and road condition detection.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The radar system according to claim 1, characterized in that an individual phase code is generated for each of the first transmitters and the second transmitters.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The radar system according to claim 1, where the radar system is installed in an automobile, and further where the radar system operates in a frequency range between 76 GHz and 81 GHz.

### Claim 14

A method for providing 360° environment detection, the method comprising:
placing a radar system onto an automobile, the radar system comprising:
a first radar sensor, where the first radar sensor comprises:
first transmitters that are configured to emit first signals, where the first transmitters have respective first phase codes generated therefor;
first receivers that are configured to detect reflections;
a first phase-locked loop (PLL) that is operably coupled to the first transmitters and the first receivers; and
a first mixer that is operably coupled to the first PLL and the first receivers, where a first virtual array is formed according to the Multiple Input Multiple Output method and based upon first positions of the first transmitters and second positions of the first receivers, and further where the first virtual array comprises a first column and a first row of virtual transceivers;
a second radar sensor, where the second radar sensor comprises:
second transmitters that are configured to emit second signals, where the second transmitters have second phase codes generated therefor;
second receivers that are configured to detect the reflections;
a second PLL that is operably coupled to the second transmitters and the second receivers; and
a second mixer that is operably coupled to the second PLL and the second receivers, where a second virtual array is formed according to the Multiple Input Multiple Output method and based upon third positions of the second transmitters and fourth positions of the second receivers, the second virtual array comprises a second column and a second row of virtual transceivers, and further where at least one of:
the first column of the first virtual array overlaps with the second column of the second virtual array; or
the first row of the first virtual array overlaps with the second row of the second virtual array;
wherein overlapping columns or overlapping rows correspond to different transmitter-receiver combinations of the first and second radar sensors and are found in the same positions in a virtual overall arrangement; and
a central unit that is in communication with the first radar sensor and the second radar sensor; and
providing, from each of the first radar sensor and the second radar sensor to the central unit, distance to an object and speed of the object as computed by the first radar sensor and the second radar sensor.