METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR HYPERVIEW AUTOMOTIVE RADAR

摘要

Methods and apparatus are presented that reduce the overall system cost for automotive radar sensing applications. In accordance with aspects of the present invention, one way sensor count reduction can be achieved is through the coverage of multiple vehicle sides through a single sensor. One embodiment combines all high-frequency signal sensor components with an antenna network which are together separately housed as an antenna unit. Each antenna unit transmits high-frequency radar signals and receives and down-converts reflected portions of said transmitted signal. The low-frequency down-converted signals produced by each antenna unit are processed through a shared processing unit which may be separately housed from all antenna units or commonly housed with an antenna unit. In addition, methods for effectively utilizing a sensor comprising multiple antenna units are described according to aspects of the present invention. Other methods and apparatus are presented.