KR20200123747A - Radar and antenna built in radar - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a radar device, which comprises: a transmission antenna unit including a plurality of transmission antennas; a reception antenna unit including a plurality of reception antennas; a transmission and reception unit transmitting a transmission signal through the transmission antenna unit and receiving a reflection signal reflected from a target through the reception antenna unit; and a processing unit processing the received reflection signal to derive information on the target. The processing unit selects at least one of the plurality of transmission antennas and sets the at least one to one of a medium and long term detection mode or a short term detection mode, and either the transmission antenna unit or the reception antenna unit has a vertical stepped part.

Description

Radar device and antenna device used in radar device {RADAR AND ANTENNA BUILT IN RADAR}

The present invention relates to a radar device and an antenna device used in the radar device.

In general, a radar device must have a high resolution angular resolution in order to detect or track a distance, speed, and angle of a target device through radio wave transmission and reception.

Existing radar devices have used a structure in which a plurality of receiving antennas are arranged to increase angular resolution. However, in the case of a radar device having such an arrangement structure, there is a problem in that the size of the antenna is increased and many elements related to the transmitting and receiving unit are required, so that the total size of the radar device is increased.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2019-0058072 (published on May 29, 2019)

The present invention is to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and a radar capable of improving angular resolution in horizontal and vertical directions in mid-long and short-range sensing through efficient arrangement of a plurality of transmitting antennas and a plurality of receiving antennas. I want to provide a device. However, the technical problem to be achieved by the present embodiment is not limited to the technical problems as described above, and other technical problems may exist.

As a technical means for achieving the above-described technical problem, the radar device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a transmission antenna unit including a plurality of transmission antennas; A receiving antenna unit including a plurality of receiving antennas; A transmission/reception unit configured to transmit a transmission signal through the transmission antenna unit and receive a reflected signal reflected from an object through the reception antenna unit; And a processing unit configured to process the received reflected signal to derive information on the object, wherein the processing unit selects at least one of the plurality of transmission antennas and sets one of a mid- to long-term detection mode or a short-term detection mode, and the transmission One of the antenna unit or the receiving antenna unit has a vertical step.

An antenna device used in a radar device according to a second aspect of the present invention includes: a transmission antenna unit including a plurality of transmission antennas; And a receiving antenna unit including a plurality of receiving antennas, wherein at least one selected from the plurality of transmitting antennas is set to one of a mid- to long-term sensing mode or a short-term sensing mode, and one of the transmitting antenna unit or the receiving antenna unit is vertically stepped. Is formed.

The above-described problem solving means are merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. In addition to the above-described exemplary embodiments, there may be additional embodiments described in the drawings and detailed description of the invention.

According to any one of the above-described problem solving means of the present invention, the present invention can improve the angular resolution in the horizontal and vertical directions in the mid- and long-range sensing through the efficient arrangement of a plurality of transmitting antennas and a plurality of receiving antennas have.

1 is a block diagram of a radar device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 shows a first example of an arrangement configuration of a plurality of transmit antennas and a plurality of receive antennas of an antenna device included in a radar device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3A shows an embodiment for explaining a method of setting a sensing mode using an array configuration of antennas according to a first example of the present invention.
3B shows an embodiment for explaining a method of setting a sensing mode using an array configuration of antennas according to a first example of the present invention.
4A shows an embodiment for explaining a method of deriving a vertical step through a phase difference using an array configuration of antennas according to a first example of the present invention.
4B shows an embodiment for explaining a method of deriving a vertical step through a phase difference by using the antenna arrangement according to the first example of the present invention.
5 illustrates a second example of an arrangement configuration of a plurality of transmit antennas and a plurality of receive antennas of an antenna device included in a radar device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6A illustrates an embodiment for explaining a method of setting a sensing mode using an array configuration of antennas according to a second example of the present invention.
6B shows an embodiment for explaining a method of setting a sensing mode using an array configuration of antennas according to a second example of the present invention.
7 shows an embodiment for explaining a method of deriving a vertical step through a phase difference using an array configuration of antennas according to a second example of the present invention.
8 illustrates a third example of an arrangement configuration of a plurality of transmit antennas and a plurality of receive antennas of an antenna device included in a radar device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9A illustrates an embodiment for explaining a method of setting a sensing mode using an array configuration of antennas according to a third example of the present invention.
9B shows an embodiment for explaining a method of setting a sensing mode using an array configuration of antennas according to a third example of the present invention.
FIG. 10 shows an embodiment for explaining a method of deriving a vertical step through a phase difference using an array configuration of antennas according to a third example of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and similar reference numerals are assigned to similar parts throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part, this includes not only "directly connected" but also "electrically connected" with another element interposed therebetween. . In addition, when a part "includes" a certain component, it means that other components may be further included rather than excluding other components unless specifically stated to the contrary.

In the present specification, the term "unit" includes a unit realized by hardware, a unit realized by software, and a unit realized using both. Further, one unit may be realized using two or more hardware, or two or more units may be realized using one hardware.

In the present specification, some of the operations or functions described as being performed by the terminal or device may be performed instead by a server connected to the terminal or device. Likewise, some of the operations or functions described as being performed by the server may also be performed by a terminal or device connected to the server.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying configuration diagram or processing flow chart, specific details for the implementation of the present invention will be described.

1 is a block diagram of a radar device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the radar device 100 includes an antenna device 110, a transmission/reception unit 120, a processing unit 130, a virtual reception antenna forming unit 140, a derivation unit 150, and an interpolation unit 160. Can include.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 10 together with FIG. 1.

The radar device 100 is mounted at a specific position of the vehicle and transmits a transmission signal through the antenna device 110, and then receives a received signal reflected and returned by an object around the vehicle to determine whether the object exists, location, and It can detect the direction or size. The detection result of the object detected by the radar device 100 is applied to a vehicle system having a collision avoidance function for preventing a collision with a vehicle in front of the vehicle, and a function for safe lane change, so that the vehicle system can accurately control the vehicle. Can be used.

The antenna device 110 includes a transmission antenna unit 112 including a plurality of transmission antennas and a reception antenna unit 114 including a plurality of reception antennas.

2 shows a first example of an arrangement configuration of a plurality of transmit antennas and a plurality of receive antennas of an antenna device included in a radar device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the antenna device 110 includes a transmission antenna unit 112 including a plurality of transmission antennas (Tx1, Tx2, Tx3) arranged in a horizontal direction, and a plurality of reception antennas (Rx1, Tx1, Tx3) that form a vertical step. It includes a receiving antenna unit 114 including Rx2, Rx3, Rx4).

The transmission antenna unit 112 may include a plurality of transmission antennas Tx1, Tx2, and Tx3 for transmitting a transmission signal to detect an object. Specifically, the transmission antenna unit 112 may include a first transmission antenna (Tx1), a second transmission antenna (Tx2), and a third transmission antenna (Tx3) arranged on the same line at a preset horizontal interval. Here, the first transmission antenna (Tx1) and the third transmission antenna (Tx3) are each composed of, for example, six array transmission antennas, and the second transmission antenna (Tx2) is, for example, two array transmission antennas. It can be composed of.

Each of the first transmission antenna (Tx1), the second transmission antenna (Tx2), and the third transmission antenna (Tx3) is disposed in a horizontal direction, and may be arranged at a preset horizontal interval according to a ratio of 1:1. For example, each of the first transmission antenna (Tx1), the second transmission antenna (Tx2), and the third transmission antenna (Tx3) may be arranged in a row in a horizontal direction at a horizontal interval of 2.0 lambda.

Each of the first transmission antenna (Tx1), the second transmission antenna (Tx2), and the third transmission antenna (Tx3) has a horizontal phase difference with respect to the horizontal direction caused by being arranged apart in a ratio of 1:1 in the horizontal direction.

Each of the plurality of transmission antennas included in each of the first transmission antenna (Tx1), the second transmission antenna (Tx2), and the third transmission antenna (Tx3) may have a transmission antenna beam region having a different horizontal direction in which a transmission signal is transmitted. .

The reception antenna unit 114 may include a plurality of reception antennas for receiving a reception signal in which a transmission signal transmitted from the transmission antenna unit 112 is reflected by a nearby object and returned. Specifically, the reception antenna unit 114 is arranged in a horizontal direction and forms a vertical step, a first reception antenna (Rx1), a second reception antenna (Rx2), a third reception antenna (Rx3), and a fourth reception antenna (Rx4). ) Can be included. Here, each of the first reception antenna (Rx1), the second reception antenna (Rx2), the third reception antenna (Rx3), and the fourth reception antenna (Rx4) may be composed of, for example, two array reception antennas.

The first reception antenna (Rx1), the second reception antenna (Rx2), the third reception antenna (Rx3), and the fourth reception antenna (Rx4) are arranged at horizontal intervals according to a ratio of 4:3:2 in the horizontal direction, The third reception antenna Rx3 and the fourth reception antenna Rx4 may be arranged vertically apart by a predetermined vertical interval.

For example, the horizontal interval at which each of the first reception antenna (Rx1), the second reception antenna (Rx2), the third reception antenna (Rx3), and the fourth reception antenna (Rx4) is arranged is at least 2K, 3K, and 4K. The first receiving antenna (Rx1) and the second receiving antenna (Rx2) are arranged at a horizontal interval of 2.0 lambda, and the second receiving antenna (Rx2) and the third receiving antenna (Rx3) are at a horizontal interval of 1.5 lambda. And the third reception antenna Rx3 and the fourth reception antenna Rx4 may be arranged at a horizontal interval of 1.0 lambda.

When each of the first reception antenna (Rx1), the second reception antenna (Rx2), the third reception antenna (Rx3), and the fourth reception antenna (Rx4) is composed of two array antennas per reception channel, reception gain is improved, Beam characteristics and signal to noise ratio (SNR) can be improved.

The transmission/reception unit 120 may transmit a transmission signal through the transmission antenna unit 112 and may receive a reflected signal reflected from the object through the reception antenna unit 114. For example, the transmission/reception unit 120 quickly transmits a transmission signal at regular intervals through the transmission antenna unit 112 using a first transmission method (eg, fast-chirp FMCW method), and the reception antenna unit 114 Through the reflection signal reflected from the object may be received.

The processor 130 may derive information on the object by processing the received reflected signal. For example, the processor 130 may acquire vertical information such as a height of an object and horizontal information such as a width of the object through the received reflection signal.

The processor 130 may select at least one of the plurality of transmission antennas Tx1, Tx2, and Tx3, and set the selected at least one transmission antenna to one of a mid- to long-term detection mode or a short-term detection mode.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3A together, as in the first example, when the receiving antenna unit 114 forms a vertical step, the processing unit 130 includes a first transmission antenna from a plurality of transmission antennas (Tx1, Tx2, Tx3). By selecting (Tx1) and the third transmission antenna (Tx3), the detection mode of the radar device 100 may be set as a mid- to long-term detection mode. According to the present invention, an object located at a medium or long distance may be detected through multiple input/output (MIMO) processing through the first transmission antenna Tx1 and the third transmission antenna Tx3.

When the virtual reception antenna forming unit 140 performs multiple input/output processing through the first transmission antenna (Tx1) and the third transmission antenna (Tx3) selected by the processing unit 130, the reception antenna unit 114 includes Virtual reception antenna units VRx1, VRx2, VRx3, and VRx4 arranged at predetermined horizontal intervals in the same horizontal direction as the plurality of reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4 may be formed.

The virtual reception antenna forming unit 140 is spatially shifted by a spaced interval between the first transmission antenna (Tx1) and the third transmission antenna (Tx3) in the same horizontal direction as the reception antenna unit 114. VRx1, VRx2, VRx3, VRx4) can be formed.

For example, when the same transmission signal is simultaneously transmitted through the first transmission antenna (Tx1) and the third transmission antenna (Tx3), the reception antenna receiving the reception signal reflected from the object based on the transmission signal The received signal is spatially shifted to a position spaced apart by a predetermined horizontal interval (i.e., a separation interval between the first transmission antenna (Tx1) and the third transmission antenna (Tx3), 4K) in the horizontal direction and has the same effect as being received. The reception antennas generated at the shifted positions can be expressed as virtual reception antennas (VRx1, VRx2, VRx3, VRx4).

That is, the first virtual receiving antenna (VRx1) is generated at a position spaced apart from the first receiving antenna (Rx1) by 4K, and the second virtual receiving antenna (VRx2) is at a position separated by 4K from the second receiving antenna (Rx2). Is generated, a third virtual receiving antenna (VRx3) is generated at a position separated by 4K from the third receiving antenna (Rx3), and a fourth virtual receiving antenna is at a position separated by 4K from the fourth receiving antenna (Rx4). VRx4) can be created.

At this time, a first virtual reception antenna group including a first virtual reception antenna (VRx1) and a second virtual reception antenna (VRx2) formed in the same horizontal direction as the first reception antenna (Rx1) and the second reception antenna (Rx2) And, between the second virtual reception antenna group including the third virtual reception antenna (VRx3) and the fourth virtual reception antenna (VRx4) formed in the same horizontal direction as the third reception antenna (Rx3) and the fourth reception antenna (Rx4). Vertical steps may be formed at vertical intervals.

As a result, at the receiving end, the first receiving antenna (Rx1), the second receiving antenna (Rx2), the third receiving antenna (Rx3), the fourth receiving antenna (Rx4), the first virtual receiving antenna (VRx1), and the second virtual receiving antenna. By forming the antenna (VRx2), the third virtual receiving antenna (VRx3), and the fourth virtual receiving antenna (VRx4), it is possible to secure an extended aperture performance that is doubled in the horizontal area. Information can be accurately measured, and resolution or resolution for horizontal information can be improved.

In addition, the present invention detects an object through a plurality of reception antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4) and a plurality of virtual reception antennas (VRx1, VRx2, VRx3, VRx4) in which vertical steps are formed, and uses the phase difference. It is possible to detect and estimate the vertical angle of the object.

The present invention can provide a virtual antenna structure so that the location where the grating lobe occurs is away from the center location where the main beam is located, that is, suppresses the occurrence of the grating lobe by using array interpolation. have.

3A and 4B, the derivation unit 150 includes at least one receiving antenna and a virtual receiving antenna unit among a plurality of receiving antennas Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, and Rx4 included in the receiving antenna unit 114. A phase difference between at least one virtual reception antenna of VRx1, VRx2, VRx3, and VRx4) may be calculated, and a vertical step may be derived based on the calculated phase difference.

The derivation unit 150 is a virtual receiving antenna unit (VRx1, VRx2, VRx3) formed through multiple input/output (MIMO) processing through the first transmission antenna (Tx1) and the third transmission antenna (Tx3) selected by the processing unit 130. Among VRx4), a vertical step may be derived through a phase difference between a received signal in the first virtual receiving antenna VRx1 and a received signal Rx3 + 4 calculated between the third and fourth receiving antennas Rx3 and Rx4. Here, the received signal Rx3+4 calculated between the third and fourth receiving antennas Rx3 and Rx4 is a sum received signal obtained by adding the received signal of the third receiving antenna Rx3 and the received signal of the fourth receiving antenna Rx4. It may be a value divided by 2 (that is, an average value between the received signal of the third receiving antenna Rx3 and the received signal of the fourth receiving antenna Rx4).

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3B together, as in the first example, when the reception antenna unit 114 forms a vertical step, the processing unit 130 is a second transmission antenna from a plurality of transmission antennas (Tx1, Tx2, Tx3). By selecting (Tx2), the detection mode of the radar device 100 may be set to a short-term detection mode. In the case of the short-term detection mode, since only a single transmission antenna is selected and multiple input/output processing cannot be performed, a virtual reception antenna is not formed. In the present invention, an object located in a short distance may be detected using the second transmission antenna Tx2.

3B and 4A, the derivation unit 150 includes a reception signal of the first reception antenna Rx1 among a plurality of reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, and Rx4 included in the reception antenna unit 114, and The first phase difference between the received signals of the second receiving antenna Rx2 is calculated, and the received signal Rx3 + 4 calculated between the receiving signals of the second receiving antenna Rx2 and the third and fourth receiving antennas Rx3 and Rx4 The second phase difference between) can be calculated. Here, the received signal Rx3+4 calculated between the third and fourth receiving antennas Rx3 and Rx4 is a sum received signal obtained by adding the received signal of the third receiving antenna Rx3 and the received signal of the fourth receiving antenna Rx4. It may be a value divided by 2 (that is, an average value between the received signal of the third receiving antenna Rx3 and the received signal of the fourth receiving antenna Rx4). Thereafter, the derivation unit 150 may derive the vertical step difference based on the calculated difference between the first phase difference and the second phase difference.

The interpolation unit 160 performs a phase correction according to the derived vertical step to a plurality of receiving antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4), and then performs the correction to a plurality of receiving antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4) nonlinearly. By applying an array interpolation (NLA Array Interpolation), it is possible to form antenna patterns arranged at predetermined horizontal intervals in a horizontal area corresponding to a plurality of reception antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4). Here, when the nonlinear array interpolation method is applied to the plurality of reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, and Rx4, a maximum radiation opening can be secured in a limited number of reception channels.

The virtual reception antenna forming unit 140 is a virtual reception antenna in which a vertical step is formed at a vertical interval in an antenna pattern arranged at a preset horizontal interval formed by applying a nonlinear array interpolation method to a plurality of reception antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4). Part (VRx1, VRx2, VRx3, VRx4) can be formed.

5 illustrates a second example of an arrangement configuration of a plurality of transmit antennas and a plurality of receive antennas of an antenna device included in a radar device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the antenna device 110 includes a transmission antenna unit 112 including a plurality of transmission antennas Tx1, Tx2, and Tx3 forming a vertical step, and a plurality of reception antennas Rx1 arranged in a horizontal direction. It may include a reception antenna unit 114 including Rx2 and Rx3). Here, the plurality of reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, and Rx3 may be configured to be disposed between the plurality of transmission antennas Tx1, Tx2, and Tx3. For example, the plurality of reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, and Rx3 may be disposed between the second transmission antenna Tx2 and the third transmission antenna Tx3.

Each of the plurality of transmission antennas Tx1, Tx2, and Tx3 included in the transmission antenna unit 112 may include, for example, two or more array transmission antennas.

Each of the plurality of reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, and Rx3 included in the reception antenna unit 114 may include, for example, two or more array reception antennas. As described above, when the array constituting the plurality of reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, and Rx3 is configured as two or more array antennas, a relative gain can be improved.

The first transmission antenna (Tx1), the second transmission antenna (Tx2), and the third transmission antenna (Tx3) have a horizontal phase difference with respect to the horizontal direction caused by being arranged apart according to a ratio of 1:4, and the first transmission antenna (Tx1) has a vertical phase difference with respect to the vertical direction caused by being arranged apart from the second transmission antenna (Tx2) and the third transmission antenna (Tx3) by a predetermined vertical interval.

The first reception antenna (Rx1), the second reception antenna (Rx2), the third reception antenna (Rx3), and the fourth reception antenna (Rx4) may be arranged at horizontal intervals according to a ratio of 1:1:2 in the horizontal direction. have. In addition, the first reception antenna (Rx1), the second reception antenna (Rx2), the third reception antenna (Rx3), and the fourth reception antenna (Rx4) are arranged apart in the horizontal direction according to a ratio of 1:1:2. It has a horizontal phase difference in the horizontal direction.

The processor 130 may select at least one of the plurality of transmission antennas Tx1, Tx2, and Tx3, and set the selected at least one transmission antenna to one of a mid- to long-term detection mode or a short-term detection mode.

5 and 6A, as in the second example, when the transmission antenna unit 112 forms a vertical step, the processing unit 130 forms a vertical step in a plurality of transmission antennas (Tx1, Tx2, Tx3). It is possible to select at least two transmission antennas that do not do so and set them to the mid- to long-term detection mode.

The processing unit 130 selects a second transmission antenna (Tx2) and a third transmission antenna (Tx3) that do not form a vertical step among the plurality of transmission antennas (Tx1, Tx2, Tx3) to set the detection mode of the radar device 100. It can be set to mid- to long-term detection mode. Through multiple input/output processing through the second transmission antenna Tx2 and the third transmission antenna Tx3, an object located at a mid-long distance may be detected in high resolution.

When the virtual reception antenna forming unit 140 performs multiple input/output processing through the second transmission antenna (Tx2) and the third transmission antenna (Tx3) that do not form the vertical step selected by the processing unit 130, the reception antenna unit Virtual reception antenna units (VRx1, VRx2, VRx3, VRx4) arranged at preset horizontal intervals in the same horizontal direction as the plurality of reception antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4) included in 114 may be formed.

5 and 6B, as in the second example, when the transmission antenna unit 112 forms a vertical step, the processing unit 130 forms a vertical step in a plurality of transmission antennas (Tx1, Tx2, Tx3). At least two transmission antennas can be selected and set to a short-term detection mode.

The processing unit 130 selects a first transmission antenna (Tx1) and a second transmission antenna (Tx2) forming a vertical step among a plurality of transmission antennas (Tx1, Tx2, Tx3) to short-term the detection mode of the radar device 100. Can be set to detection mode. The occurrence of a grating lobe may be determined through multiple input/output processing through the first transmission antenna Tx1 and the second transmission antenna Tx2, and vertical detection of an object located at a short distance may be performed.

The virtual reception antenna forming unit 140 is disposed at a preset horizontal interval and a vertical interval, and at least two or more transmission antennas selected for setting a short-term detection mode (a first transmission antenna (Tx1) and a second transmission antenna (Tx2)) In the case of performing multiple input/output processing through, a virtual reception antenna portion disposed at horizontal intervals with the reception antenna portion 114 and vertically stepped at a vertical interval from the reception antenna portion 114 may be formed. In this case, according to the vertical step formed between the first transmission antenna (Tx1) and the second transmission antenna (Tx2), the virtual reception antenna unit may have a vertical step at a vertical interval from the reception antenna unit 114.

When a plurality of receiving antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3) are arranged between a plurality of transmitting antennas (Tx1, Tx2, Tx3) to perform multiple input/output processing, the angular resolution compared to the total size of the antenna device 110 can be improved. have.

6B and 7 together, the derivation unit 150 includes at least one reception antenna and a virtual reception antenna unit among a plurality of reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, and Rx4 included in the reception antenna unit 114. VRx1, VRx2, VRx3, VRx4) may derive a vertical step based on a phase difference between at least one virtual reception antenna.

The derivation unit 150 is one of the virtual receiving antenna units (VRx1, VRx2, VRx3, VRx4) formed through multiple input/output processing through the first transmission antenna (Tx1) and the second transmission antenna (Tx2) selected by the processing unit 130. The phase difference between the reception signal of the first virtual reception antenna (VRx1) and the reception signal (Rx2 + 3) calculated between the second and third reception antennas (Rx2, Rx3) among the plurality of reception antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4) Through this, vertical steps can be derived. Here, the received signal Rx2+3 calculated between the second and third receiving antennas Rx2 and Rx3 is a signal expressed in red in FIG. 7, and the received signal of the second receiving antenna Rx2 and the third receiving antenna It may be a value divided by 2 from the sum received signal obtained by adding the received signal of (Rx3) (that is, an average value between the received signal of the second receiving antenna Rx2 and the received signal of the third receiving antenna Rx3).

In addition, the derivation unit 150 is a virtual receiving antenna unit (VRx1, VRx2, VRx3, VRx4) formed through multiple input/output processing through the first transmission antenna (Tx1) and the second transmission antenna (Tx2) selected by the processing unit 130. ), a vertical step may be derived through a phase difference between the received signal VRx1 + 2 calculated between the first and second virtual receiving antennas VRx1 and VRx2 and the received signal of the third receiving antenna Rx3. Here, the received signal (VRx1 + 2) calculated between the first and second virtual reception antennas (VRx1, VRx2) is a reception signal of the first virtual reception antenna (VRx1) and a reception signal of the second virtual reception antenna (VRx2). It may be a value divided by 2 from the summed reception signal (ie, an average value between the reception signal of the first virtual reception antenna VRx1 and the reception signal of the second virtual reception antenna VRx2). Here, the received signal (VRx1 + 2) calculated between the first and second virtual reception antennas (VRx1, VRx2) horizontally overlaps the reception signal of the third reception antenna (Rx3), and the reception of the third reception antenna (Rx3) There is a difference in the vertical direction from the signal.

The interpolation unit 160 performs phase correction according to the derived vertical step to a plurality of reception antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4), and then to the phase-corrected reception antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4). By applying the nonlinear array interpolation (NLA Array Interpolation), it is possible to form an antenna pattern arranged at a predetermined horizontal interval in a horizontal area corresponding to a plurality of reception antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4).

The virtual reception antenna forming unit 140 is a virtual reception antenna in which a vertical step is formed at a vertical interval in an antenna pattern arranged at a preset horizontal interval formed by applying a nonlinear array interpolation method to a plurality of reception antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4). Part (VRx1, VRx2, VRx3, VRx4) can be formed.

8 illustrates a third example of an arrangement configuration of a plurality of transmit antennas and a plurality of receive antennas of an antenna device included in a radar device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the antenna device 110 includes a transmission antenna unit 112 including a plurality of transmission antennas Tx1, Tx2, and Tx3 forming a vertical step, and a plurality of reception antennas Rx1 arranged in a horizontal direction. It is composed of a receiving antenna unit 114 including Rx2 and Rx3. Here, the plurality of reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, and Rx3 may be configured to be disposed between the plurality of transmission antennas Tx1, Tx2, and Tx3. For example, the plurality of reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, and Rx3 may be disposed between the second transmission antenna Tx2 and the third transmission antenna Tx3.

Each of the plurality of transmission antennas Tx1, Tx2, and Tx3 included in the transmission antenna unit 112 may be formed of, for example, two or more array transmission antennas.

Each of the plurality of reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, and Rx3 included in the reception antenna unit 114 may be configured as, for example, a single array reception antenna. In this way, when the configuration of the array constituting the plurality of reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, and Rx3 is a single array antenna, a wide field of view can be implemented.

The first transmission antenna (Tx1), the second transmission antenna (Tx2), and the third transmission antenna (Tx3) have a horizontal phase difference with respect to the horizontal direction caused by being arranged apart according to a ratio of 2:9, and the first transmission antenna (Tx1) has a vertical phase difference with respect to the vertical direction caused by being arranged apart from the second transmission antenna (Tx2) and the third transmission antenna (Tx3) by a predetermined vertical interval.

The first reception antenna (Rx1), the second reception antenna (Rx2), the third reception antenna (Rx3), and the fourth reception antenna (Rx4) may be arranged at horizontal intervals according to a ratio of 1:3:3 in the horizontal direction. have. In addition, the first reception antenna (Rx1), the second reception antenna (Rx2), the third reception antenna (Rx3), and the fourth reception antenna (Rx4) are arranged apart in the horizontal direction according to a ratio of 1:2:3. It has a horizontal phase difference in the horizontal direction.

The processor 130 may select at least one of the plurality of transmission antennas Tx1, Tx2, and Tx3, and set the selected at least one transmission antenna to one of a mid- to long-term detection mode or a short-term detection mode.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9A together, as in the third example, when the transmission antenna unit 112 forms a vertical step, the processing unit 130 forms a vertical step among a plurality of transmission antennas (Tx1, Tx2, Tx3). By selecting the second transmission antenna Tx2 and the third transmission antenna Tx3 that are not used, the detection mode of the radar apparatus 100 may be set as a mid- to long-term detection mode. Through multiple input/output processing through the second transmission antenna Tx2 and the third transmission antenna Tx3, an object located at a mid-long distance may be detected in high resolution.

When the virtual reception antenna forming unit 140 performs multiple input/output processing through the second transmission antenna (Tx2) and the third transmission antenna (Tx3) that do not form the vertical step selected by the processing unit 130, the reception antenna unit Virtual reception antenna units (VRx1, VRx2, VRx3, VRx4) arranged at preset horizontal intervals in the same horizontal direction as the plurality of reception antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4) included in 114 may be formed.

8 and 9B, as in the third example, when the transmission antenna unit 112 forms a vertical step, the processing unit 130 forms a vertical step among a plurality of transmission antennas (Tx1, Tx2, Tx3). The detection mode of the radar apparatus 100 may be set as a short-term detection mode by selecting the first transmission antenna Tx1 and the second transmission antenna Tx2. The occurrence of a grating lobe may be determined through multiple input/output processing through the first transmission antenna Tx1 and the second transmission antenna Tx2, and vertical detection of an object located at a short distance may be performed.

The virtual reception antenna forming unit 140 is disposed at a preset horizontal interval and a vertical interval, and performs multiple input/output processing through the first transmission antenna (Tx1) and the second transmission antenna (Tx2) selected for setting the short-term detection mode. In this case, it is possible to form a virtual receiving antenna unit disposed at a horizontal interval with the receiving antenna unit 114 and having a vertical step at a vertical distance from the receiving antenna unit 114. In this case, according to the vertical step formed between the first transmission antenna (Tx1) and the second transmission antenna (Tx2), the virtual reception antenna unit may have a vertical step at a vertical interval from the reception antenna unit 114.

9B and 10 together, the derivation unit 150 includes at least one receiving antenna and a virtual receiving antenna unit among a plurality of receiving antennas Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, and Rx4 included in the receiving antenna unit 114. VRx1, VRx2, VRx3, VRx4) may derive a vertical step based on a phase difference between at least one virtual reception antenna.

The derivation unit 150 is one of the virtual receiving antenna units (VRx1, VRx2, VRx3, VRx4) formed through multiple input/output processing through the first transmission antenna (Tx1) and the second transmission antenna (Tx2) selected by the processing unit 130. The vertical step difference may be derived through the phase difference between the second virtual reception antenna VRx2 and the third reception antenna Rx3 among the plurality of reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, and Rx4.

The interpolation unit 160 performs phase correction according to the derived vertical step to a plurality of reception antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4), and then to the phase-corrected reception antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4). By applying the nonlinear array interpolation (NLA Array Interpolation), it is possible to form an antenna pattern arranged at a predetermined horizontal interval in a horizontal area corresponding to a plurality of reception antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4).

The virtual reception antenna forming unit 140 is a virtual reception antenna in which a vertical step is formed at a vertical interval in an antenna pattern arranged at a preset horizontal interval formed by applying a nonlinear array interpolation method to a plurality of reception antennas (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4). Part (VRx1, VRx2, VRx3, VRx4) can be formed.

The above description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able to understand that it can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not limiting. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as being distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims to be described later rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modified forms derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention. .

100: radar device
110: antenna device
112: transmitting antenna unit
114: receiving antenna unit
120: transceiver unit
130: processing unit
140: virtual reception antenna forming unit
150: lead-out unit
160: interpolation unit

Claims (10)

In the radar device,
A transmission antenna unit including a plurality of transmission antennas;
A receiving antenna unit including a plurality of receiving antennas;
A transmission/reception unit configured to transmit a transmission signal through the transmission antenna unit and receive a reflected signal reflected from an object through the reception antenna unit; And
A processing unit for processing the received reflected signal to derive information on the object,
The processing unit selects at least one of the plurality of transmission antennas and sets it to one of a mid- to long-term detection mode or a short-term detection mode,
One of the transmitting antenna unit or the receiving antenna unit is formed with a vertical step.
The method of claim 1,
When the receiving antenna part forms the vertical step,
The processor is to set the mid- to long-term detection mode by selecting a first transmission antenna and a second transmission antenna from the plurality of transmission antennas.
The method of claim 2,
When performing Multi Input Multi Output (MIMO) processing through the first transmission antenna and the second transmission antenna arranged at a preset horizontal interval, the reception antenna unit and a virtual reception antenna arranged at the horizontal interval Virtual receiving antenna forming part forming part
The radar device further comprising a.
The method of claim 3,
A derivation unit for deriving the vertical step based on a phase difference between at least one receiving antenna among the receiving antenna units and at least one virtual receiving antenna among the virtual receiving antenna units
The radar device further comprising a.
The method of claim 1,
When the receiving antenna part forms the vertical step,
The radar device, wherein the processing unit selects a third transmission antenna selected from the plurality of transmission antennas and sets the short-term detection mode.
The method of claim 1,
When the transmission antenna part forms the vertical step,
Wherein the processing unit selects at least two transmission antennas forming the vertical step among the plurality of transmission antennas included in the transmission antenna unit and sets the short-term detection mode.
The method of claim 6,
When performing multiple input/output processing through the selected at least two transmission antennas arranged at predetermined horizontal intervals and vertical intervals, the reception antenna portion and the horizontal interval are arranged, and the vertical interval between the reception antenna unit Virtual receiving antenna forming part forming a virtual receiving antenna part with a step
The radar device further comprising a.
The method of claim 1,
When the transmission antenna part forms the vertical step,
The processing unit selects at least two or more transmission antennas that do not form the vertical step among the plurality of transmission antennas included in the transmission antenna unit and sets the mid- to long-term detection mode,
The radar device, wherein the receiving antenna unit is disposed between the selected at least two transmitting antennas.
The method of claim 8,
When performing multiple input/output processing through the selected at least two transmission antennas arranged at preset horizontal intervals, a virtual reception antenna forming portion forming the reception antenna portion and a virtual reception antenna portion arranged at the horizontal intervals
The radar device further comprising a.
In the antenna device used in the radar device,
A transmission antenna unit including a plurality of transmission antennas; And
It includes a reception antenna unit including a plurality of reception antennas,
At least one selected from among the plurality of transmission antennas is set to one of a mid- to long-term detection mode or a short-term detection mode,
One of the transmitting antenna unit or the receiving antenna unit is formed with a vertical step.

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