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;
• and
• identify and output a velocity value that is common to the first and second velocity vectors as a correct unambiguous velocity of the object.

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;
• and
• identifying and outputting a velocity value that is common to the first and second velocity vectors as a correct unambiguous velocity of the object.