Phase-coded frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar system method and architecture
AssigneeRockwell Collins, Inc.
InventorsLuca Manica, Carlo L. Tiana
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Abstract
A method of phase-code alignment of one or more phase-coded frequency-modulated continuous wave (PC-FMCW) signals received at a PC-FMCW radar system, is disclosed. The method may include monitoring the amplitude of a phase-coded received signal and whenever a change in the square amplitude of the phase-coded received signal is detected, the signal may be multiplied by a delayed version of the phase code to generate an uncoded signal.
Claims12
A method of phase-code alignment, the method comprising:
- receiving one or more phase-coded frequency modulated continuous wave (PC-FMCW) signals from a PC-FMCW radar system;
- receiving a first beat signal based on a first received signal of the one or more PC-FMCW signals received;
- upon receiving the first beat signal, sampling the first beat signal using an analog-to-digital converter;
- monitoring an amplitude of the first beat signal in real-time using an amplitude detector;
- and
- upon detecting a change in a square amplitude of the first beat signal using the amplitude detector, wherein the square amplitude is based on a squared function of the amplitude of the first beat signal multiplying the first beat signal by a delayed version of a phase code, using a decoder, to generate an uncoded signal in real-time upon receiving the first beat signal.
A method of detecting an object with a phase-coded frequency-modulated continuous wave (PC-FMCW) radar system, the method comprising:
- generating an initial signal in a synthesizer;
- phase-coding the initial signal in an encoder to provide a coded signal;
- generating a transmission signal by modulating a carrier signal with the coded signal;
- transmitting the coded signal;
- receiving a reflected signal resulting from the transmitted signal reflecting off an object;
- receiving a first beat signal based on the reflected signal received;
- monitoring an amplitude of the first beat signal in real-time using an amplitude detector;
- upon receiving the first beat signal and detecting a change in a square amplitude of the first beat signal, decoding the reflected signal in real-time;
- and
- determining a range of the object from the decoded signal;
- wherein the step of decoding the reflected signal further comprises performing phase-code alignment of the reflected signal.
A phase-coded frequency-modulated continuous wave (PC-FMCW) radar system comprising:
- a synthesizer for generating an initial signal;
- an encoder for phase-coding the initial signal to generate a phase-coded signal;
- a local oscillator configured for modulating the phase-coded signal to provide a PC-FMCW signal;
- a transmitter antenna configured for transmitting the PC-FMCW signal as a transmitted signal;
- a receiver for receiving a reflected phase-coded signal resulting from the transmitted signal reflecting from an object;
- a system configured for aligning a phase code of the reflected phase-coded signal to generate code-aligned signals, wherein the system comprises an amplitude detector, wherein the amplitude detector triggers a decoder, in real-time, to decode the code-aligned signals to generate decoded signals, in real-time, upon receipt of a first beat signal being received based on the reflected phase-coded signal received via the receiver;
- and
- a decoder for decoding the code-aligned signals,
- wherein the decoded signals are analyzed in real-time to determine a range of the object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.