SAFE STOPPING DISTANCE DETECTOR, ANTENNA AND METHOD

摘要

An FM/CW radar system is disclosed for determining a safe stopping distance between a moving vehicle and a potential obstacle. The radar signal is modulated linearly over several slopes. A microstrip phased array transmit/receive antenna is also disclosed having a hybrid tap, corporate feed structure. Signals from the antenna are amplified and filtered, and passed through an analog to digital converter to a signal processor, which performs a Fast Fourier Transform on the signals to convert them from time domain data to frequency domain data. The frequency domain data is then used to solve target range and Doppler equations, determine safe stopping distances, and sound or display alarms if the safe stopping distance has been violated. A sensitivity control adjusts for road conditions or operator reaction time variations.