Velocity and range disambiguation using radar networks with waveform optimization

A radar system comprising:

• a first radar sensor and at least a second radar sensor;
• one or more processors configured to:
• assign a first pulse rate interval (PRI) to the first radar sensor;
• assign a second PRI to the second radar sensor;
• receive, for a object detected by the first and second radar sensors, a first ambiguous velocity estimate from the first radar sensor, and a second ambiguous velocity estimate from the second radar sensor;
• determine a first maximum detectable velocity (Vmax) for the first radar sensor based on the first PRI, and determine a second Vmax for the second radar sensor based on the second PRI;
• generate a first velocity vector for the first radar sensor based on the first Vmax and the first ambiguous velocity estimate, and generate a second velocity vector for the second radar sensor based on the second Vmax and the second ambiguous velocity estimate;
• compare velocity values in the first velocity vector to velocity values in the second velocity vector;
• identify and output a velocity value that is common to the first and second velocity vectors as a correct unambiguous velocity of the object;
• and
• wherein signals transmitted from the first radar sensor in the sensor network and signals transmitted from the second radar sensor in the sensor network are transmitted at different times and wherein a transmission time difference between the signals is less than a possible range migration of the object during measurement.

A central processing unit comprising:

• a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform certain acts;
• one or more processors configured to execute the instructions, the acts comprising:
• assigning a first pulse rate interval (PRI) to a first radar sensor in a radar network;
• assigning a second PRI to a second radar sensor in the radar network;
• receiving, for a object detected by the first and second radar sensors, a first ambiguous velocity estimate from the first radar sensor, and a second ambiguous velocity estimate from the second radar sensor;
• determining a first maximum detectable velocity (Vmax) for the first radar sensor based on the first PRI, and determining a second Vmax for the second radar sensor based on the second PRI;
• generating a first velocity vector for the first radar sensor based on the first Vmax and the first ambiguous velocity estimate, and generating a second velocity vector for the second radar sensor based on the second Vmax and the second ambiguous velocity estimate;
• comparing velocity values in the first velocity vector to velocity values in the second velocity vector;
• identifying and outputting a velocity value that is common to the first and second velocity vectors as a correct unambiguous velocity of the object;
• and
• wherein signals transmitted from the first radar sensor in the sensor network and signals transmitted from the second radar sensor in the sensor network are transmitted at different times and wherein a transmission time difference between the signals is less than a possible range migration of the object during measurement.