KR20150109884A - Method and apparatus for counting number of object using uwb radar - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a method and an apparatus for counting the number of objects by using UWB radar. An apparatus for counting objects from a received signal of radar includes: a maximum peak value detection unit which detects the maximum peak value from a first detection signal which is a detection signal for the received signal; a condition determination unit which determines whether or not a first condition that the maximum peak value is greater than or equal to a certain threshold value is satisfied and a second condition that the maximum peak value is the maximum value for a certain section of the first detection signal is satisfied when the first condition is satisfied; and a counting unit which counts the maximum peak value by identifying the maximum peak value as the object when both of the first condition and the second condition are satisfied. The certain section is determined with respect to the maximum peak value.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COUNTING NUMBER OF OBJECT USING UWB RADAR < RTI ID = 0.0 >

Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a UWB radar, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for identifying and counting a target existing in a received signal when using a UWB radar.

In the field of outdoor positioning, GPS is a satellite navigation system represented by a very precise unit performance, but there are various methods for indoor location tracking and object recognition due to lack of reliable solution.

Representative indoor location recognition and object recognition methods have problems in that it is difficult to accurately recognize the position of a vehicle using an image of a vision-based camera or an environment in which sufficient illumination is not provided or an obstacle exists due to a fire or the like.

Recently, the UWB radar system has been attracting attention as indoor position measurement and object recognition technology.

The UWB radar operates by a method of determining the existence and distance of an object by transmitting a short impulse signal of several tens of nano / picos unit width at a speed of light, utilizing the time difference between a signal received and a transmission signal,

Since the transmission power is very small, it can be implemented with low power and low cost, and it is strong against narrowband interference by using wide band, and the spectrum of the signal shows a similar noise shape, thereby improving the security.

A method of counting the number of targets existing in a specific space using such a UWB radar has been proposed.

However, in the conventional counting method, it is difficult to distinguish whether the peak value of the detection signal is generated from a single target or a new target, and there is a problem of a large error.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a method for increasing the accuracy and counting the number of targets without confusing multiple peaks or multiple peaks generated by one target, Device.

In order to achieve the above object, an apparatus for counting a target from a received signal of a radar according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a maximum peak detecting unit for detecting a maximum peak value from a first detection signal, And a condition judging unit for judging whether a first condition that the maximum peak value is equal to or greater than a specific threshold value and a second condition that the maximum peak value is a maximum value for a specific period of the first detection signal when the first condition is satisfied, And a counting unit for counting the maximum peak value as a target when the first and second conditions are all satisfied, wherein the specific period is determined based on the maximum peak value.

In one aspect of the present invention, the target counting apparatus further includes a detection signal modulating section for modulating the first detection signal to erase the signal of the specific section, and the counting section detects the maximum peak value larger than the specific threshold value The counting operation is repeatedly performed until the counting operation is not performed.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the maximum peak value detecting section detects a subsequent maximum peak value from a second detection signal which is a detection signal modulated by the detection signal modulating section, and the condition judging section judges whether or not the first And using the detection signal to determine whether the next maximum peak value satisfies the first condition and the second condition.

In one aspect of the present invention, the maximum peak value detector performs a cross correlation with respect to the received signal and a template signal, and then squares the result of the performance to obtain the first detection signal. .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for identifying and counting a target from a received signal of a radar device, the method comprising the steps of: (a) (B) a first condition that the maximum peak value is equal to or greater than a specific threshold value and a second condition that the maximum peak value satisfies a second condition that is a maximum value relative to a specific period of the first detection signal when the first condition is satisfied And (c) if the first and second conditions are both satisfied, counting and counting the maximum peak value as a target, wherein the specific period is determined based on the maximum peak value .

In one aspect of the present invention, the target counting method further includes modulating, between the step (b) and the step (c), to erase the signal of the specific period in the first detection signal, ), The counting operation is repeated until a maximum peak value larger than the specific threshold value is not detected.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the target counting method further includes, between the steps (b) and (c), detecting a subsequent maximum peak value from the second detection signal which is the modulated detection signal, And determining whether the next maximum peak value satisfies the first condition and the second condition using the first detection signal.

In order to achieve the above object, a radar receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a receiving antenna for receiving a reflected signal of a pulse radiated from a radar transmitting apparatus; A first condition that the maximum peak value is equal to or greater than a specific threshold value and a second condition that the maximum peak value satisfies a second condition that is a maximum value relative to a specific period of the first detection signal, And a signal processing unit for identifying and counting the maximum peak value as a target when both the first condition and the second condition are satisfied, wherein the specific period is determined based on the maximum peak value.

In one aspect of the present invention, the signal processing section modulates the first detection signal to erase the signal of the specific section, detects a subsequent maximum peak value from the second detection signal which is the modulated detection signal, The counting operation is repeatedly performed until the next maximum peak value satisfies the first condition and the second condition using the first detection signal until the maximum peak value larger than the specific threshold value is not detected .

According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to identify and count targets by increasing accuracy without confusing multiple peaks or multiple peaks generated by one target with a plurality of targets.

It should be understood that the effects of the present invention are not limited to the above effects and include all effects that can be deduced from the detailed description of the present invention or the configuration of the invention described in the claims.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall structure of a UWB radar system to which an apparatus and method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a signal processing unit of a UWB receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a condition determination unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4A to 4E are diagrams illustrating a process of counting the number of targets according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of counting the number of targets according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted, and similar parts are denoted by like reference characters throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is referred to as being "connected" to another part, it includes not only "directly connected" but also "indirectly connected" .

Also, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements, not excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall structure of a UWB radar system to which an apparatus and method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

Referring to FIG. 1, a UWB radar system 100 to which the present invention is applied may include a UWB transmitting apparatus 100 and a UWB receiving apparatus 200.

The UWB transmission apparatus 100 may include an impulse generator 110, a transmission antenna 120, and a controller 130 as an apparatus for radiating an impulse signal for sensing to the outside.

Here, the impulse generator 110 may generate an impulse based on the impulse generation data provided from the controller 130.

For reference, UWB radar may contain more information as the pulse period is shorter. According to the FCC definition, a pulse signal having a pulse width of only a few ns is generated so that the bandwidth is over 500 MHz or the bandwidth is 20 %, The impulse generator 110 may be included in the UWB radar, and the impulse generator 110 may generate an impulse corresponding to this definition.

The transmission antenna 120 may radiate a pulse signal generated by the impulse generator 110 to the outside, and a pulse signal may be generated in a predetermined area.

For reference, the transmitting antenna 120 is preferably an ultra-wideband antenna having high directivity.

The controller 130 may provide the impulse generator 110 with data for generating the impulse and the impulse generator 110 may generate the impulse under the control of the controller 130. [

Meanwhile, the UWB receiving apparatus 200 may include a receiving antenna 210 and a signal processing unit 220.

Here, the receiving antenna 210 may receive the reflected signal of the pulse radiated by the UWB transmitting apparatus 100, and an ultra-wideband antenna having high directivity may be used.

The signal processing unit 220 may analyze the signal received by the receiving antenna 210.

A signal received through the receiving antenna 210 may analyze a signal in a non-processed state including a signal such as background noise or the like, in addition to a signal corresponding to a target, And analyze the noise suppressed signal.

A method and apparatus for counting the number of targets of the present invention to be described later may be included in the signal processing unit 220 of the UWB receiving apparatus 200 and may be a multi-path or a plurality of Without confusing the peak with multiple targets, it is possible to increase the accuracy and identify the targets located within a specific space and count the number.

2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a signal processing unit of a UWB receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The signal processing unit 220 of the UWB receiving apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a signal detecting unit 221, a condition determining unit 222, and a counting unit 223.

The signal detecting unit 221 can generate a detection signal from the reception signal received by the reception antenna 210. [

At this time, the signal detector 221 may perform a cross correlation on the received signal and the template signal, and then generate a detection signal by squaring the result.

For example, the signal of the raw state received by the receiving antenna 210 may include a signal for a target included in a specific space, a background signal, etc., and the signal detecting unit 221 may detect the non- Or may generate a detection signal in which only the component for the target exists by removing the background signal from the signal in the non-processed state.

The condition determiner 222 may analyze the detection signal to find the maximum peak value present in the detection signal and determine whether the maximum peak value is a valid value that can be counted as a target.

To this end, the condition determiner 222 determines whether the maximum peak value of the detection signal is greater than or equal to a specific threshold value (hereinafter, referred to as a "first condition") and whether the maximum peak value is a maximum value , The second peak value may be determined as a new target only when the first and second conditions are satisfied.

Here, the 'specific section' can be defined based on the maximum peak value.

The condition determining unit 222 modulates the detected signal so as to erase the signal of the specific period based on the maximum peak value, finds again the maximum peak value in the modulated detection signal, It can be determined whether or not the second condition is satisfied.

A more detailed description of the condition determination unit 222 will be described later with reference to FIG.

On the other hand, the counting unit 223 can count the number of peak values determined as a new target by the condition determination unit 222 and provide the number of targets existing in the specific space.

For reference, the counting unit 223 may repeat the counting operation until the maximum peak value found again in the modulated detection signal does not satisfy the first condition.

3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a condition determination unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The condition determiner 222 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a maximum peak value detector 222a, a condition checker 222b, and a detection signal modulator 222c.

Describing each component, the maximum peak value detection section 222a can detect the maximum peak value from the detection signal.

On the other hand, the condition check unit 222b determines whether the maximum peak value present in the detection signal is a valid value that can be counted as a target, that is, whether it satisfies the first condition and the second condition, It is possible to judge the peak value as a new target only if both conditions are satisfied.

Specifically, the condition checker 222b can first determine whether the maximum peak value of the detection signal is greater than or equal to a specific threshold value.

As a result of the determination, when the maximum peak value is less than the specific threshold value, the condition checker 222b can determine that the maximum peak value is not the peak value based on the new target.

If the maximum peak value satisfies the first condition, the condition checker 222b determines whether the maximum peak value has a maximum value in the first detection signal with respect to the signal existing in the specific interval on the basis of the maximum peak value .

As a result of the determination, if the peak value is the maximum value, the condition checker 222b can store the maximum peak value and the position.

On the other hand, the detection signal modulating section 222c can modulate the detection signal so as to erase the signal of the specific section based on the maximum peak value.

This can eliminate unnecessary elements leaving only the elements necessary to count the target from the detection signal, i.e., the maximum peak value.

Thereafter, the maximum peak value detection section 222a can detect the maximum peak value (hereinafter referred to as a 'subsequent maximum peak value') again from the detection signal modulated by the detection signal modulation section 222c.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that a detection signal is a first detection signal and a modulation signal in which a signal of a specific section is deleted based on a maximum peak value in a detection signal is referred to as a second detection signal, 2 detection signal can be used as a reference signal which can determine whether or not the subsequent maximum peak value detected in the detection signal is a maximum value with respect to a specific section.

Then, the condition checker 222b determines whether the next maximum peak value satisfies the first condition, and if so, whether the next maximum peak value has a maximum value with respect to the specific interval on the basis of the following maximum peak value in the first detection signal, , It can be determined whether or not the second condition is satisfied.

Thereafter, the condition checker 222b may detect the next maximum peak value in the second detection signal and repeat the process of determining whether the next maximum peak value satisfies the first condition and the second condition, The process may be performed until a subsequent maximum peak value that does not satisfy the first condition is detected.

The number of maximum peak values stored during the repeatedly performed process as described above can be counted by the counting unit 223 as the number of targets.

Hereinafter, the determination of the first condition and the second condition of the condition determination unit 222 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4E.

4A to 4E are diagrams illustrating a process of counting the number of targets according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The detection signal shown in FIG. 4A is a signal received from five targets. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the clutter by the fixed object is removed by the signal detection unit 221 and only the component for the target exists.

As shown in FIG. 4A, it is necessary to distinguish whether there are a plurality of peak values in the detection signal, and whether the peaks are generated from a single target or each new target.

First, in FIG. 4B, the condition determination unit 222 detects the maximum peak value A in the first detection signal (1) and determines whether the maximum peak value A is greater than or equal to a specific threshold value (2) < / RTI >

If the maximum value is determined as a result of the determination, the condition determination unit 222 stores the maximum peak value and the position, modulates the first detection signal to erase the signal of the specific period based on the maximum peak value A, Find the next maximum peak value B in the signal (3).

4C, the condition determining unit 222 determines whether the maximum peak value B is greater than or equal to a specific threshold value, and then determines whether the peak value B has a maximum value with respect to a specific interval based on the maximum peak value B in the first detection signal (4) .

4C, since the maximum peak value B is greater than or equal to the specific threshold value but not the maximum value relative to the specific section of the first detection signal, the condition determination unit 222 stores the maximum peak value B position The signal of the specific section is deleted based on the maximum peak value B, and the subsequent maximum peak value C is found again from the second detection signal (5)

4D, the condition determining unit 222 determines whether the maximum peak value C is greater than or equal to a specific threshold value, and then determines whether the first peak value C has a maximum value with respect to a specific interval based on the maximum peak value C (6) .

4D, since the maximum peak value C is not a maximum value relative to the specific section, the condition determination section 222 deletes the signal of the specific section on the basis of the maximum peak value C, The next maximum peak value D is found again in the detection signal (7).

Thereafter, the condition determination unit 222 may terminate the process of detecting a valid peak value for one target when the maximum peak value D is less than a specific threshold, that is, when the first condition is not satisfied.

4A, it is possible to confirm whether the peak values are valid for the target through the above-described process, and the final result is as shown in FIG. 4E.

As shown in FIG. 4E, all five effective maximum peaks can be detected, and the total of five targets in the detection signal can be counted.

On the other hand, in the conventional target counting method, it is difficult to distinguish whether the detected peak value is generated from a single target or a new target, There are many problems.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of counting the number of targets according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

5 may be performed by the signal processing unit 220 of the UWB receiving apparatus 200.

First, the signal processing unit 220 detects the maximum peak value in the first detection signal (S501).

After step S501, the signal processing unit 220 determines whether the maximum peak value is greater than or equal to a specific threshold, that is, satisfies the first condition (S502).

If the first condition is satisfied after step S502, the signal processing unit 220 determines whether the corresponding maximum peak value has a maximum value with respect to a specific section of the first detection signal, that is, satisfies the second condition (S503).

If it is determined in step S503 that the second condition is satisfied, the signal processing unit 220 stores the corresponding maximum peak value and position (S504), deletes the signal in the specific interval on the basis of the maximum peak value, (S505).

As a result of the determination in step S503, if the second condition is not satisfied, the signal processing unit 220 performs step S505 of deleting the signal of the specific section based on the maximum peak value.

After step S505, the signal processing unit 220 finds the next maximum peak value in the second detected signal by deleting the signal of the specific section, and repeats the process of steps S501 to S505 described above. If the subsequent maximum peak value is S502 , It is possible to count the peak value stored in S504 (S506) and to provide the number of targets in the specific space.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only and that those of ordinary skill in the art can readily understand that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. will be.

It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive.

For example, each component described as a single entity may be distributed and implemented, and components described as being distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention.

100: UWB radar system
100: UWB transmitting apparatus
110: Impulse generator
120: transmitting antenna
130:
200: UWB receiver
210: receiving antenna
220: Signal processor
221: Signal detection unit, 222: Condition determination unit
222a: peak value detection unit, 222b: condition check unit
222c: detection signal modulating section, 223: counting section

Claims (9)

An apparatus for counting a target from a received signal of a radar,
A maximum peak value detector for detecting a maximum peak value from a first detection signal which is a detection signal for the received signal;
A condition judging unit for judging whether a first condition that the maximum peak value is equal to or greater than a specific threshold value and a second condition that the maximum peak value is a maximum value with respect to a specific period of the first detection signal when the first condition is satisfied; And
And a counting unit for counting the maximum peak value as a target when the first and second conditions are satisfied,
, ≪ / RTI &
Wherein the specific interval is determined based on the maximum peak value. The method according to claim 1,
A detection signal modulating section for modulating the first detection signal to erase the signal of the specific section,
Further comprising:
The counting unit counts,
And repeatedly performs the counting operation until a maximum peak value larger than the specific threshold value is not detected. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the maximum peak value detector comprises:
Detects a subsequent maximum peak value from a second detection signal which is a detection signal modulated by the detection signal modulation section,
The condition judging unit judges,
And uses the first detection signal that is not modulated to determine whether the subsequent maximum peak value satisfies the first condition and the second condition. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the maximum peak value detector comprises:
And performing a cross correlation on the received signal and a template signal and then squaring the result of the calculation to calculate the first detection signal. A method for identifying and counting a target from a received signal of a radar,
(a) detecting a maximum peak value from a first detection signal which is a current detection signal for the received signal;
(b) determining a first condition that the maximum peak value is greater than or equal to a specific threshold value and, if the first condition is satisfied, a second condition that the maximum peak value is a maximum value relative to a specific period of the first detection signal; And
(c) if the first condition and the second condition are both satisfied, counting the maximum peak value as a target and counting
, ≪ / RTI &
Wherein the specific interval is determined based on the maximum peak value. 6. The method of claim 5,
Between step (b) and step (c)
Modulating the first detection signal to erase the signal of the specific period
Further comprising:
The step (c)
Wherein the counting operation is repeatedly performed until a maximum peak value larger than the specific threshold value is not detected. The method according to claim 6,
Between step (b) and step (c)
Detecting a subsequent maximum peak value from a second detection signal which is the modulated detection signal; And
Determining whether the next maximum peak value satisfies the first condition and the second condition using the first detection signal that is not modulated
Wherein the target counting device further comprises: A radar receiving apparatus comprising:
A receiving antenna for receiving a reflected signal of a pulse radiated from the radar transmitting device; And
A first condition in which the maximum peak value is greater than or equal to a specific threshold value and a second condition in which the maximum peak value is greater than a maximum value And a signal processing unit for identifying and counting the maximum peak value as a target when the first condition and the second condition are both satisfied,
Wherein the specific period is determined based on the maximum peak value. 9. The method of claim 8,
The signal processing unit,
A second detection signal which is a modulated detection signal and detects a subsequent maximum peak value from the first detection signal, and detects the next maximum peak value from the second detection signal, which is the modulated detection signal, And repeatedly performs the counting operation until it is determined that the maximum peak value satisfies the first condition and the second condition, but a maximum peak value larger than the specific threshold value is not detected.

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