WO2020104305A1

WO2020104305A1 - Coding and encryption of radar data in a chip-radar sensor architecture, for data communication in a motor vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2020104305A1
Application number: PCT/EP2019/081446
Authority: WO
Inventors: Martin Randler; Martin Hermann Hahn; Guillaume Bessiere
Original assignee: Zf Friedrichshafen Ag
Priority date: 2018-11-20
Filing date: 2019-11-15
Publication date: 2020-05-28
Also published as: DE102018219841A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and control unit for a radar sensor architecture sensor chip, comprising a RF unit (501) having one or more antennas (TX, RX), the RF unit being designed to generate radar data; a channel coding unit (506) which is designed to code the radar data generated by the RF unit with a channel code; the RF unit (501) and the channel coding unit (506) being formed on the sensor chip (50).

Description

ENCODING AND ENCRYPTION OF RADARD DATA IN A CHIP RADAR SENSOR ARCHITECTURE FOR DATA COMMUNICATION IN THE VEHICLE

TECHNICAL AREA

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and a method for a radar sensor architecture.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

Radar technology (“Radio Detection and Ranging”) relates to devices, methods and systems for locating and recognizing objects based on electromagnetic waves in the radio frequency range. The radar sends an electromagnetic signal and receives echoes from objects. Using radar technology, a position can be determined, for example, by evaluating transit times and, taking frequency signal changes into account (Doppler effect), a relative speed of an object can be determined.

Radar technology is used, for example, in autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles. Autonomous vehicles receive the position and speed of objects such as other road users or obstacles using radar.

High radar resolution is particularly desirable for use in autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles. A high radar resolution is generally directly linked to the physical size of the active antenna area. However, the maximum size and therefore the resolution is limited by a construction boundary condition. One way to get around this is to increase the frequency of the radar signals. However, this is technically complex and costly.

Proceeding from this, the object of the invention is to provide an electronic device and a method for a radar sensor architecture, with which the behavior of the radar sensor architecture is optimized. This object is achieved by the sensor chip according to claim 1, the radar data processing unit according to claim 7, the radar architecture according to claim 9 and the method according to claim 10. Further advantageous refinements of the invention result from the subclaims and the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

According to the exemplary embodiments described below, a sensor chip is provided, comprising an RF unit with one or more antennas, the RF unit being designed to generate radar data; and a channel coding unit configured to code the radar data generated by the RF unit with a channel code; wherein the sensor chip comprises the RF unit and the channel coding unit.

The sensor chip can be, for example, sensor chips, a device for detecting and locating objects based on electromagnetic waves in the radio frequency range. In particular, the sensor chip can be an RF chipset. The RF unit of the sensor chip can include several transmit antennas and receive antennas for the millimeter wave range, for example. By means of the antennas, the RF unit can generate radar signals and receive reflected signals and, on this basis, generate radar data, for example range Doppler data. If the sensor chip has several antennas that are connected to form a radar array, the sensor chip can also generate multidimensional radar data based on an azimuth and / or elevation angle on the basis of beamforming.

The RF unit of the sensor chip preferably carries out an A / D conversion of the radar data it generates and passes this on to the channel coding unit as an A / D-converted baseband signal.

The integration of the channel cadence unit on the RF chipset enables a high number of channels, an effective coding, and possibly also a data reduction to be achieved at low cost through high integration. The channel coding unit is preferably designed to enable parallel transmission in MIMO mode. The sensor chip can thus be combined with a number of other similar sensor chips to form a large-area radar architecture. The channel-by-channel coding enables a high number of channels to be implemented. The channel coding unit performs, for example, digital modulation of the baseband signal with a channel code, so that a full parallel MIMO transmission of the data is made possible by several sensors of the same type.

In one embodiment, the channel coding unit uses an FFT / DMR code decorrelation technique for channel coding. The FFT / DMR code decorrelation technology is known to the person skilled in the art from mobile radio.

The channel coding unit can also be designed to carry out modulation strategies such as code change and frequency hopping. Such modulation strategies are known to the person skilled in the art from mobile radio.

The sensor chip may also include a data compression unit implemented on the sensor chip, which is designed to compress the channel-coded radar data. The data compression unit compresses, for example, the channel-coded baseband signal by means of intelligent data compression, which can contribute to a higher effective bandwidth in the data transmission. This facilitates subsequent, coherent use of the data from multiple sensor chips.

The sensor chip can also include a data encryption unit implemented on the sensor chip, which is designed to encrypt the channel-coded radar data. Data encryption enables secure data transmission to a receiver, such as a processor unit, for further processing of the radar data.

The sensor chip can also include an interference signal monitoring unit implemented on the sensor chip. The interference signal monitoring unit can be a jamming monitor, for example, which The parameters of the RF unit changed, for example the frequency of the radar signal emitted.

The sensor chip can also include a risk monitoring unit implemented on the sensor chip. The risk monitoring unit, for example, monitors the sensor chip in accordance with the ASIL standard (Automotive Safety Integrity Level). This enables a risk analysis to be carried out, in which a potential risk from hardware faults is determined on the basis of the severity, the exposure and the controllability of the operating scenario of the vehicle.

The embodiments also disclose a radar data processing unit that includes a processor configured to receive radar data provided by multiple sensor chips and to decorrelate the received radar data with predetermined channel codes specified for the respective sensor chips are. The radar data processing unit can be, for example, an electronic control unit (ECU = electronic control unit or ECM = electronic control module) of a radar architecture. The radar data processing unit can be, for example, the central control unit (“vehicle controller”) of a motor vehicle, in particular the central control unit of an autonomous or partially autonomous vehicle. The radar data processing unit can also be a control unit for autonomous driving or a central radar processing unit of the vehicle. The radar data processing unit can also be a distributed system for radar data processing or a plurality of processing units which process the radar data independently of one another.

The radar data processing unit can also be designed to carry out a synchronization for a coherent processing of the radar data from several sensor chips.

The exemplary embodiments also disclose a radar architecture comprising one or more sensor chips, as described above and in the detailed leadership examples are described, in each of which an RF unit and a channel coding unit are formed, and a radar data processing unit which decorrelates the radar data provided by the sensor chips with a specific channel code. The radar data processing unit can optionally also decrypt and decompress the received radar data. The sensor chips can provide the radar data to the radar data processing unit, for example, via a vehicle communication network. The vehicle communication network can be, for example, a serial connection with a high data rate, for example a data connection according to the interface standard LVDS ("Low Voltage Differential Signaling") or an Ethernet data network. Since the individual sensor chips communicate with the radar data processing unit via a uniform channel-coded communication technology, the complexity of the radar architecture is reduced.

The exemplary embodiments also disclose a method comprising generating radar data by means of an RF unit with one or more antennas; and encoding the generated radar data with a channel code.

The processor of the radar control unit can be, for example, a computing unit such as a central processing unit (CPU = central processing unit) that executes program instructions.

Potential target objects are, for example, road users or obstacles on a road that are detected by the radar unit.

In the radar control unit, no further lossy further processing of the radar data is carried out - apart from the filtering, in which parts of the radar data in which no potential target object is contained are eliminated. This prevents the radar sensor hardware from becoming complex and expensive due to several processing steps in the radar unit (radar sensor). Because - apart from the elimination of parts of the radar data in which no potential target object is contained - no strong model-based data reduction is used, the data transmitted by the radar unit can be analyzed by a downstream evaluation unit such as a central control unit. Unit of a motor vehicle or a control unit for autonomous or partially autonomous driving can be reconstructed. The overall performance of the radar control unit according to the invention is therefore increased and is sufficient, for example, for automated driving. High-performance algorithms (such as "deep learning") can thus be applied to the radar data and a coherent processing of the data from several radar sensors of the system is also possible.

Since only parts of the radar data in which no potential target object is contained are eliminated in the radar control unit according to the invention, the preprocessing of the radar data in the radar control unit is virtually loss-free. The intelligent lossless data compression in the radar sensor and by unpacking in the vehicle control unit make it possible to transmit the radar raw data losslessly from the radar sensor to a control unit of the vehicle in order to allow the central control unit full data access. The radar control unit of the exemplary embodiments thus does not transmit "target lists" or tracked objects determined on the basis of models, but raw radar data in which only those parts have been eliminated in which no potential target object is contained.

The filtering of the radar data can include, for example, the implementation of a CFAR algorithm for recognizing the parts of the radar data in which no potential target object is contained. The detection of a constant false alarm rate relates to a common form of an adaptive algorithm that is used in radar systems to detect a target object against a background of noise and interference.

The radar data can be present, for example, in the form of range Doppler data, for example as a range Doppler card. During filtering, cells of the range Doppler card, for example, in which no potential target object is contained, are eliminated. By filtering out cells of the range Doppler map in which no potential target object is contained, those parts of the radar data in which no potential target object is contained can be eliminated in order to reduce the amount of radar data. Since only those cells of the spectrum that do not contain a potential target object are eliminated, no significant losses, so that the preprocessing of the radar raw data can be described as lossless.

According to the exemplary embodiments, the radar control unit comprises a communication interface which can be connected to an antenna arrangement in order to receive the radar data obtained from the antenna arrangement. An antenna arrangement comprises, for example, one or more antennas, the antennas being patch antennas that are implemented on the chip. The transmit and receive patch antennas can, for example, be constructed on a substrate. 4 to 16 patch antennas or more can be built on a substrate to form an antenna array. The more patch antennas used, the narrower the antenna pattern of the group. It is also possible to use only one antenna for transmitting and receiving a radar signal, in which case a switch is provided in order to switch between the transmission state and the reception state.

The radar control unit can further comprise a communication interface that can be connected to a vehicle communication system in order to transmit the filtered radar data to an evaluation unit. The communication interface is preferably an interface to a vehicle communication system with a high bandwidth, such as Ethernet or an LVDS bus. In this way, the bandwidth can be controlled and cost-efficient interfaces and connections for the transmission of the radar data are made possible.

The evaluation unit can be, for example, a central control unit of a motor vehicle or a control unit for autonomous or semi-autonomous driving. The evaluation unit could also be a dedicated evaluation unit for the post-processing of radar raw data. The evaluation unit determines, for example, model-based “target lists” or tracked objects from the raw data received by the radar control unit. The processor of the radar control unit can also be designed to perform lossless compression of the filtered radar data. For example, the radar control unit can optionally perform a further lossless compression of the filtered radar data. If data is compressed without loss, the original data can be recovered from the compressed data without loss after compression. Lossless compression can be based, for example, on algorithms such as run length coding (RLC), variable length coding (VLC), Huffman coding or arithmetic coding. If compression is carried out without loss, the raw radar data can be reconstructed from the compressed radar data. The loss-free compressed radar raw data continues to carry the full information content of the radar raw data - apart from the eliminated parts in which there are no target objects.

The exemplary embodiments also show a system comprising a radar control unit as described above and in the detailed exemplary embodiments, and an evaluation unit for receiving the radar data filtered by the radar control unit, the evaluation unit comprising a processor which is designed to fill those parts of the radar data that were eliminated by the filtering with expected noise.

The evaluation unit can be, for example, a control device (ECU = electronic control unit or ECM = electronic control module). The evaluation unit could be a control unit for autonomous driving or a central control unit of a motor vehicle. The control unit for autonomous driving (e.g. an "autopilot") can be used in an autonomous vehicle, for example, so that it can operate in full or in part without the influence of a human driver in road traffic. The processor can be, for example, a computing unit such as a central processing unit (CPU) that executes program instructions.

The evaluation unit can be located in the vehicle, or also outside or partially outside the vehicle. The pipe radar data can be transferred from the vehicle to a server or to a cloud system, where based on the transmitted pipe radar data and a planned driving maneuver, an optimal driving position of the vehicle is determined and the result is transmitted back to the vehicle. Accordingly, it is provided that the central control unit or control logic can also be located entirely or partially outside the vehicle. For example, the control logic can be an algorithm that runs on a server or a cloud system.

The exemplary embodiments also disclose a motor vehicle which comprises a radar control unit and / or an evaluation unit, as described above and in the exemplary embodiments. The vehicle can be, for example, an autonomous or semi-autonomous motor vehicle such as a car, a truck or the like.

The embodiments also disclose a method comprising filtering radar data obtained from an antenna arrangement, wherein when filtering the radar data, portions of the radar data that do not contain a potential target object are eliminated in order to reduce the amount of radar data ren. The method can perform all the functions described above with respect to the radar control unit and evaluation unit.

Embodiments will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a vehicle with a control unit for autonomous (or semi-autonomous) driving,

FIG. FIG. 2 shows a block diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a control unit (ECU 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in FIG. 1),

FIG. 3 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary radar architecture known from the prior art, FIG. 4 shows, as a schematic block diagram, a further exemplary radar architecture known from the prior art,

FIG. 5 shows a radar architecture according to an embodiment of the invention as a schematic block diagram,

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary embodiment of a radar architecture with a plurality of highly integrated sensor chips,

FIG. 7 shows a method for providing channel-coded radar data.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a vehicle with a control unit for autonomous (or semi-autonomous) driving according to an embodiment of the present invention. The autonomous vehicle is a vehicle that can operate on the road without the influence of a human driver. In autonomous driving, the control system of the vehicle takes over the role of the driver entirely or as far as possible. Autonomous (or semi-autonomous) vehicles can use various sensors to perceive their surroundings, determine their position and the other road users from the information obtained, and use the vehicle's control system and navigation software to navigate to the destination and act accordingly on the road.

The autonomous vehicle 1 comprises a number of electronic components which are connected to one another via a vehicle communication network 28. The vehicle communication network 28 can be, for example, a standard vehicle communication network installed in the vehicle, such as a CAN bus (controller area network), a LIN bus (local interconnect network), an Ethernet-based LAN bus (local area network), a MOST -Bus, an LVDS bus or the like.

In the in FIG. 1, the autonomous vehicle 1 includes a control unit 12 (ECU 1). This control unit 12 controls a steering system. The Steering system refers to the components that enable directional control of the vehicle. The autonomous vehicle 1 further includes a control unit 14 (ECU 2) that controls a braking system. The braking system refers to the components that allow the vehicle to brake. The autonomous vehicle 1 further includes a control unit 16 (ECU 3) that controls a drive train. The drivetrain relates to the drive components of the vehicle. The drive train may include an engine, a transmission, a drive Z propeller shaft, a differential, and an axle drive.

The autonomous vehicle 1 further comprises a control unit for autonomous driving 18 (ECU 4). The control unit for autonomous driving 18 is designed to control the autonomous vehicle 1 in such a way that it can operate in whole or in part without the influence of a human driver in road traffic. The control unit for autonomous driving 18 controls one or more vehicle subsystems while the vehicle is operated in the autonomous mode, namely the braking system 14, the steering system 12 and the drive system 14. For this purpose, the control unit for autonomous driving 18 can, for example, via the vehicle communication network 28 communicate with the corresponding control units 12, 14 and 16.

The control units 12, 14 and 16 can also receive vehicle operating parameters from the above-mentioned vehicle subsystems, which parameters can be detected by means of one or more vehicle sensors. Vehicle sensors are preferably such sensors that detect a state of the vehicle or a state of vehicle parts, in particular their state of motion. The sensors may include a vehicle speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, an acceleration sensor, a steering wheel angle sensor, a vehicle load sensor, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, and the like. For example, sensors can also be arranged along the brake line in order to output signals which indicate the brake fluid pressure at various points along the hydraulic brake line. Other sensors in the vicinity of the wheel can be provided which detect the wheel speed and the brake pressure which is applied to the wheel. The vehicle sensor system of the autonomous vehicle 1 further comprises a satellite navigation unit 24 (GPS unit) and one or more optical sensors 20, which are designed to detect optical information. The optical sensors 20 can be arranged inside the vehicle or outside the vehicle. For example, a camera can be installed in a front area of the vehicle 1 for taking pictures of an area in front of the vehicle.

The autonomous vehicle 1 further comprises a radar unit 26. The radar unit 26 can be, for example, a continuous wave radar (CW radar) or a modulated continuous wave radar (FMCW radar). Radar data are acquired by the radar unit 26 and, for example, transmitted to a central control unit 22 (or alternatively to the control unit for autonomous driving, ECU 4).

The central control unit 22 is designed to receive the radar data from the radar unit 26 and to process the radar data. The radar data include information such as the time shift between transmit and receive radar beams and Doppler frequency. Based on the time shift, a distance between the autonomous vehicle 1 and an object is determined and a relative movement is determined by the Doppler frequency. The central control unit 22 can itself evaluate the information received or, for example, transmit it to the control unit for autonomous driving 18.

If an operating state for the autonomous driving is activated on the control side or on the driver side, the control unit for autonomous driving 18 determines, on the basis of available data about a predetermined travel distance, on the basis of the data received by the radar unit 26, on the basis of data recorded by environmental sensors Ambient data, as well as parameters for the autonomous operation of the vehicle (for example target speed, target torque, distance to the vehicle in front, distance to the vehicle) based on vehicle operating parameters detected by the vehicle sensors and supplied to the control unit 18 by the control units 12, 14 and 16 Lane edge, steering process and the like). FIG. 2 shows a block diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a control unit (ECU 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in FIG. 1). The control unit can be, for example, a control unit (electronic control unit ECU or electronic control module ECM). The control unit includes a processor 210. The processor 210 can be, for example, a computing unit such as a central processing unit (CPU) that executes program instructions. The radar control unit further comprises a read-only memory, ROM 230 and a direct access memory, RAM 220 (RAM = Random Access Memory) (e.g. dynamic RAM ("DRAM"), synchronously DRAM ("SDRAM"), etc.) that are rich in program memory and serve as data storage area. Furthermore, the radar control unit for storing data and programs includes a storage drive 260, such as, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a flash memory drive or a non-volatile solid state drive (SSD). The control unit further includes a vehicle communication network interface 240, via which the control unit can communicate with the vehicle communication network (28 in FIG. 2). Each of the units of the control unit is connected via a communication network 250. In particular, the control unit of FIG. 2 as an implementation of the central control unit 22, ECU 5, FIG. 1, with ROM 230, RAM 220 and storage drive 260 serving as a program storage area for programs for evaluating radar data (for example the process of FIG. 11) and as a data storage area for radar data.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary radar architecture known from the prior art. A radar unit 26 has an RF chip 301. The RF chip 301 can be, for example, a single-chip radar, in which a plurality of antennas for, for example, the millimeter-wave range (here n transmit antennas TX and m receive antennas RX) are formed in one chip. Such integration is possible because the radar frequency range makes tiny antennas possible. The size of other necessary components, such as inductivities, is reduced, so that the RF chip 301 is produced in a mass production semiconductor process, as is used for microprocessors can. The RF chip 301 generates the radar signals and receives the reflected signals. The RF chip 301 also carries out an A / D conversion of the generated data and passes it on as an A / D-converted baseband signal to an interface 302 which serves as an interface to a vehicle communication network 28, for example a serializer / de- Serializer. The radar unit 26 is connected via this vehicle communication network 28 to a processor unit 303 (“CPU” = central processing unit). The processor unit 303 can be, for example, the central control unit 22 (“vehicle controller”) from FIG. 1, the control unit 18 for autonomous driving from FIG. 1, or a central radar processing unit that is used for further processing the radar data is provided. In this example, the vehicle communication network 28 is a serial connection with a high data rate, for example a data connection according to the interface standard LVDS (“Low Voltage Differential Signaling”) or an Ethernet data network. The high data rate of the vehicle communication network 28 enables a direct transmission of the A / D-converted baseband signal to the processor unit 303.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of a further exemplary radar architecture known from the prior art. As in the example of FIG. 3, a radar unit 26 has an RF chip 301 with a plurality of antennas for, for example, the millimeter wave range (here n transmit antennas TX and m receive antennas RX), which are formed in one chip. The RF chip 301 generates the radar signals and receives the reflected signals. The RF chip 301 also carries out an A / D conversion of the generated data and forwards this as an A / D-converted baseband signal to a radar microprocessor 304. The radar microprocessor 304 pre-processes the radar data. For example, the radar microprocessor 304 generates a target object list (“untracked”) or an object list (“tracked”) from the radar data and forwards this to the interface 302 to the vehicle communication network 28. The radar unit 26 is connected via this vehicle communication network 28 to a processor unit 303 (“CPU” = Central Processing Unit). The processor unit 303 can be, for example, the central control unit 22 (“vehicle controller”) from FIG. 1, the control unit 18 for autonomous driving from FIG. 1, or a central radar Act processing unit that is provided for the further processing of the radar data. In this example, the vehicle communication network 28 is a serial connection with a lower data rate, for example a data connection according to the interface standard CAN-FD (“Low Voltage Differential Signaling”). Since the entire A / D-converted baseband signal is not transmitted, a lower data rate is sufficient for the transmission to the processor unit 303.

FIG. 5 shows a radar architecture according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention as a schematic block diagram. A radar unit 26 has a highly integrated sensor chip 50, on which a plurality of antennas are formed in an RF unit 501 for example the millimeter wave range (here n transmit antennas TX and m receive antennas RX). The RF unit 501 generates the radar signals and receives the reflected signals. The RF unit 501 also carries out an A / D conversion of the generated data and passes this as an A / D-converted baseband signal to a channel coding unit 506 which is also formed on the sensor chip 50.

The channel coding unit 506 encodes the baseband signal of the RF unit 501 with a channel code. This coding of the baseband signal of the RF unit 501 with a channel code enables parallel transmission of multiple transmitters in the MIMO mode. The sensor chip 50 can thus be combined with a number of other similar sensor chips to form a large-area radar architecture. A high number of channels can be realized through the channel-by-channel coding. The baseband signals of the various transmitters (here sensor chips) are decorated using the channel codes. In the receiver (see CPU 303), the data from the various transmitters can be decorrelated using the channel codes. The channel coding unit 506, for example, digitally modulates the baseband signal with the channel code, which enables a full parallel MIMO transmission of the data from a plurality of sensors of the same type. The channel coding unit 506 can, for example, use the FFT / DMR code decorrelation known to the person skilled in the art from mobile radio in order to implement the channel coding (“DMR” = “Digitam Mobile Radio”). Modulation strategies known from mobile radio such as code change and frequency hopping can be adopted in order to optimize the multi-channel data transmission. A data compression unit 507 formed on the sensor chip 50 compresses the channel-coded baseband signal. Intelligent data compression leads to a higher effective bandwidth for data transmission, which facilitates the coherent use of data from multiple sensors. For example, any spectrum compression can be used. Uncompressed transmission of data from a single high-resolution sensor would require data rates of> 10Gb / s, which would mean high costs for the interface. This is avoided by the compressed transmission of the data.

A data encryption unit 508 formed on the microchip pC encrypts the compressed, channel-coded baseband signal. This data encryption enables secure data transmission to the processor unit 303.

An interface 502, which serves as an interface to the vehicle communication system 28, for example a line driver, sends the encrypted, compressed, channel-coded baseband signal to a processor unit 303. The processor unit 303 can be, for example, the central control unit 22 (“vehicle controller” 1 from FIG. 1 to control unit 18 for autonomous driving from FIG.

1, or act as a central radar processing unit, which is provided for the further processing of the radar data. In this embodiment, the vehicle communication network 28 is a serial connection with a high data rate, e.g. a data connection according to the LVDS interface standard ("Low Voltage Differential Signaling") or an Ethernet data network. The high data rate of the vehicle communication network 28 enables a direct transmission of the complete baseband signal to the processor unit 303.

A jamming monitor 509, which is also formed on the sensor chip 50, controls the RF unit 501 on the basis of the channel-coded baseband signal. The jamming monitor 509 carries out an online monitoring of the baseband signal generated by the RF unit 501 and checks it for potential influences from interference signals. If the jamming monitor 509 detects a fault, it changes parameters of the RF unit, for example by changing the frequency of the radar signal emitted. A monitoring unit 510, which is also formed on the sensor chip 50, monitors the sensor chip in accordance with the ASIL standard. The monitoring unit 510 can, for example, carry out hardware monitoring in accordance with the ASIL-B standard or ASIL-C standard. ASIL (Automotive Safety Integrity Level) is a risk classification according to the ISO 26262 standard - functional safety for road vehicles. ASIL enables a risk analysis to be carried out, in which a potential risk from hardware faults is determined based on the degree of severity, the exposure and the controllability of the operating scenario of the vehicle. The result of the ASIL monitoring can be sent from the monitoring unit 510 via the vehicle communication system 28 to the process unit 303, which carries out an ASIL risk classification of the entire operating scenario and, if appropriate, issues warnings to the driver or the vehicle occupants or initiates emergency measures.

The central control unit 22 transmits control signals for the synchronization of the (pseudo) coherent processing of a plurality of sensor chips. This synchronization enables, for example, synchronization in the range of ~ 1 ps or less for (pseudo) coherent processing of the signals from multiple sensors.

In the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 5, the line driver 502 is implemented as a second microchip separate from the microchip 50. In alternative exemplary embodiments, however, the line driver 502 could also be formed on the highly integrated microchip 50 together with the units 501, 506, 507, 508 and 509.

5, the units 501, 506, 507, 508 and 509 are formed on an RF chipset. The integration of the units 501, 506, 507, 508 and 509 on the RF chipset makes it possible to achieve a high number of channels, an effective coding and data reduction at low cost through high integration.

The sensor chip 50 can be referred to as a fully integrated radar chip and can be implemented using RF-CMOS technology, for example. The sensor chip can be formed on silicon, for example. Since the units 501, 506, 507, 508 and 509 are highly integrated as hardware on the sensor chip, in particular software on the sensor can be dispensed with, which further reduces the complexity of the system. This is advantageous compared to the solution from FIG. 4, where the radar data is preprocessed using software on a radar microcontroller 304.

One or more of such highly integrated sensor chips 50 of FIG. 5 can serve as a highly integrated radar architecture for a distributed radar set-up. This is illustrated in the following Figure 6.

6 shows an exemplary embodiment of a radar architecture with a plurality of highly integrated sensor chips. A radar architecture 26 comprises a number N of sensor chips 50. Each of the sensor chips 50 is connected to a vehicle communication system 28 and uses this to transmit a channel-coded baseband signal to a receiver, for example to a central control unit 22, a control unit for autonomous driving , and / or a central radar processing unit 60. In this exemplary embodiment, MIMO technology is used for the efficient transmission of the sensor data. Using the channel codes, the receiver can decorate the signals of the various sensor chips 50 and, if necessary, decrypt and decompress them. Since the individual sensor chips communicate with the processing units via a uniform channel-coded communication technology, the radar architecture is reduced in complexity.

7 shows a method for providing channel-coded radar data. Radar data is generated in step S100. At step S110, the radar data is channel coded. In step S120, monitoring for interference signals is carried out. At step S130, the channel encoded radar data is compressed. At step S140, the channel encoded radar data is encrypted. At step S140, the channel coded radar data is transmitted to a receiver via a vehicle communication system. Reference sign

Control unit for steering system

Control unit for brake system

Control unit for drive train

Control unit for autonomous driving

optical sensors

Central control unit

Satellite navigation unit

Radar unit

Vehicle communication network

Processor of a control unit

RAM of a control unit

ROM of a control unit

Vehicle communication network interface one

Control unit

Communication network of a control unit external storage drive of a control unit

RF chip

Interface to the vehicle communication system

(Serializer / de-serializer)

Processor unit

Radar mO

highly integrated chips

RF unit of the highly integrated chip

Interface to the vehicle communication system (line driver)

Channel coding unit of the highly integrated chip

Data compression unit of the highly integrated chip

Data encryption unit of the highly integrated chip

Highly integrated chip jamming monitor

ASIL monitoring of the highly integrated chip

Claims

Expectations

1. Sensor chip, comprehensive

an RF unit (501) with one or more antennas (TX, RX), the RF unit being designed to generate radar data;

a channel coding unit (506) configured to encode the radar data generated by the RF unit with a channel code;

wherein the RF unit (501) and the channel coding unit (506) are formed on the sensor chip (50).

2. Sensor chip according to claim 1, wherein the channel coding unit (506) is designed to enable parallel transmission in MIMO mode.

3. Sensor chip according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the channel coding unit (506) uses an FFT / DMR code decorrelation technique for the channel coding.

4. Sensor chip according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the channel encoding unit (506) is designed to modulation strategies such as code change and

Perform frequency hopping.

5. Sensor chip according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a data compression unit (507) formed on the sensor chip (50), which is designed to compress the channel-coded radar data, and / or one on the sensor chip (50) trained data encryption unit (508), which is designed to encrypt the channel-coded radar data.

6. Sensor chip according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising an interference signal monitoring unit (509) implemented on the sensor chip (50) and / or a risk monitoring unit (510) implemented on the sensor chip (50).

7. Radar data processing unit, comprising a processor (210, 303), which is designed to receive radar data provided by a plurality of sensor chips (50) and to decorrelate the received radar data with predetermined channel codes that are used for the respective sensor chips (50) are specified.

8. Radar data processing unit according to claim 7, which is designed to carry out a synchronization of a coherent processing of the radar data from a plurality of sensor chips (50).

9. radar architecture comprising one or more sensor chips (50) according to one of claims 1 to 6, in each of which an RF unit (501) and a channel coding unit (506) are formed, and a radar data processing unit (18, 22, 60, 303) according to claim 7, which decorrelates the radar data provided by the sensor chips (50) with a specific channel code.

10. Process comprising

Generating radar data by means of an RF unit (501) with one or more antennas (TX, RX); and

Encoding the generated radar data with a channel code.