Method for evaluating radar signals in a radar system including multiple sensor units

A method of vehicle control performed with a radar system of a vehicle, the method comprising:

• with respect to each of at least some of a plurality of sensors of the radar system that (I) each (i) is embodied on a respective one of a plurality of hardware chips and (ii) includes a respective plurality of receiver antennas and a respective sensor unit processor, and (II) have overlapping fields of view of a surrounding environment of the vehicle:
• obtaining, by the respective plurality of receiver antennas of the respective sensor, radar signal reflections, thereby providing a respective raw radar signal metrics;
• identifying, by the respective sensor unit processor, one or more respective objects in the surrounding environment;
• the respective sensor unit processor selecting, from the identified one or more respective objects, a respective one or more selected objects;
• based on the selecting, generating, by the respective sensor unit processor, a respective message regarding each of the respective one or more selected objects, the generation of the message being performed according to respective portions of the raw radar signal metrics that correspond to the respective one or more selected objects, and the message not including the raw radar signal metrics and including, for each of the respective one or more selected objects, a respective probability that the respective selected object is a real object present in the surrounding environment, the respective probability being based on the raw radar signal metrics;
• and
• directly or indirectly transmitting, by the respective sensor, the generated respective message to a consolidation processor that is on a different hardware chip than the plurality of sensor unit processors;
• selecting, by the consolidation processor and from all of the selected objects of the messages that are from all of the at least some of the plurality of sensors, a subset of the selected objects, the selection by the consolidation processor being based on a combination of content of the messages from all of the at least some of the plurality of sensors;
• generating, by the consolidation processor, a radar output providing an indication regarding the subset of the selected objects relative to the surrounding environment;
• and
• performing, by the vehicle, a vehicle drive control based on the radar output.