EP-4737946-A1 - MULTI-RADAR JOINT DETECTION SYSTEM

EP4737946A1EP 4737946 A1EP4737946 A1EP 4737946A1EP-4737946-A1

Abstract

A radar system and method include a first dataset received from a first radar device. The first dataset includes a data peak associated with a first object, wherein the data peak is associated with a range value and a direction of arrival value expressed in a first coordinate space. A second dataset is received from a second radar device, wherein the second dataset includes values associated with range values and direction of arrival values expressed in a second coordinate space. The second dataset is modified using a coordinate transformation function to generate a third dataset including second values associated with range values and direction of arrival values expressed in the first coordinate space. The third dataset is processed to determine that the second peak is associated with a valid detection of the first object.

Inventors

SARI, ALP
KANEKO, TAKESHI
CHAN, Lu Lu
GEHRELS, CORNELIS
Kusters, Frank Johannes Marie
KOPPELAAR, ARIE GEERT CORNELIS

Assignees

NXP B.V.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20251024

Claims (15)

A system, comprising: a first radar device, including: a first plurality of transmitter modules configured to transmit a first plurality of transmitted radar signals, a first plurality of receiver modules configured to receive first reflections of the first plurality of transmitted radar signals and to generate first signals based on the first received reflections, and a first processor configured to process the first signals to generate a first dataset that includes a first two-dimensional data frame, wherein the first two-dimensional data frame includes a first data peak associated with a first object associated with a first range value and a first direction of arrival value expressed in a first coordinate space relative to a location of the first radar device; a second radar device, including: a second plurality of transmitter modules configured to transmit a second plurality of transmitted radar signals, a second plurality of receiver modules configured to receive second reflections of the second plurality of transmitted radar signals and to generate second signals based on the second received reflections, and a second processor configured to process the second signals to generate a second dataset that includes first values expressed in a second coordinate space relative to a location of the second radar device; and a third processor configured to: receive the first dataset from the first radar device; receive the second dataset from the second radar device; modify the second dataset using a coordinate transformation function to generate a third dataset, wherein the third dataset includes second values expressed in the first coordinate space; process the third dataset using a constant false alarm rate algorithm to identify a second data peak associated with a second range value and a second direction of arrival; and determining, by comparing the second direction of arrival value to the first direction of arrival value, that the second data peak is associated with a valid detection of the first object.
The system of claim 1, wherein first dataset and the second dataset are generated using the constant false alarm rate algorithm having a first detection threshold and the third dataset is processed using the constant false alarm rate algorithm having a second detection threshold, wherein the second detection threshold is less than the first detection threshold.
The system of claim 2, wherein the second detection threshold is at least partially determined by a probability value associated with the first object.
The system of claim 3, wherein the second detection threshold is calculated according to the following expression in which Thr default is the first detection threshold, Pr [ object ] is a probability detection associated with the first object, Pr[ noise ] is a noise probability, and α is a hyperparameter configured to control a scaling of the second detection threshold: Thr default − α ⋅ Pr object Pr object + Pr noise .
The system of claim 2, wherein processing the third dataset using the constant false alarm rate algorithm using the second detection threshold includes processing only a subset of the third dataset that falls within a region of interest determined at least in part by the first direction of arrival value.
The system according to any preceding claim, wherein a first field of vision of the first radar device at least partially overlaps a second field of vision of the second radar device.
The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the third processor is configured to determine that the second direction of arrival value is within a threshold value of the first direction of arrival.
The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the third processor is configured to determine that the second direction of arrival value is equal to the first direction of arrival.
The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the third processor is configured to communication with a driver-assistance system based upon the determination that the second data peak is associated with a valid detection of the first object.
A method, comprising: receiving a first dataset from a first radar device, wherein the first dataset includes a data peak associated with a first object, wherein the data peak is associated with a range value and a direction of arrival value expressed in a first coordinate space; receiving a second dataset from a second radar device, wherein the second dataset includes values associated with range values and direction of arrival values expressed in a second coordinate space; modifying the second dataset using a coordinate transformation function to generate a third dataset including second values associated with range values and direction of arrival values expressed in the first coordinate space; and processing the third dataset to determine that a second data peak is present within the third dataset at the range value and the direction of arrival value to determine that the second peak is associated with a valid detection of the first object.
The method of claim 11, wherein the first dataset and the second dataset are generated using a constant false alarm rate algorithm having a first detection threshold and the third dataset is processed using a constant false alarm rate algorithm having a second detection threshold.
The method according to claim 10 or claim 11, further comprising determining the second detection threshold is less than the first detection threshold.
The method of claim 12, further comprising determining the second detection threshold using a detection probability value associated with the first object.
The method of claim 13, further comprising determining the second detection threshold using the following expression in which Thr default is the first detection threshold, Pr [ object ] is the detection probability value, Pr[ noise ] is a noise probability, and α is a hyperparameter configured to control a scaling of the second detection threshold: Thr default − α ⋅ Pr object Pr object + Pr noise .
The method according to any of claims 10 to 14, further comprising determining that the first object is associated with a valid object detection by determining that a first direction of arrival of the first object determined using the first dataset is within a threshold a second direction of arrival determined using the second data peak in the third dataset.

Description

FIELD The present disclosure generally relates to automotive radar systems and, more specifically, to an automotive radar system that includes multiple individual radar devices configured to detect objects in a vicinity of a vehicle. BACKGROUND A radar system, such as automotive radar system that may be used in civil automotive applications, transmits an electromagnetic signal and receives back reflections of the transmitted signal. The time delay between the transmitted and received signals can be determined and used to calculate the distance and/or the speed of objects causing the reflections. For example, in automotive applications, automotive radar systems can be used to determine the distance and/or the speed of oncoming vehicles and other obstacles. Automotive radar systems enable the implementation of advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) functions that are likely to enable increasingly safe driving and, eventually, fully autonomous driving platforms. Such systems can rely on the output data of an automotive radar system to provide various driver assistance functions, such as aiding in vehicle collision avoidance. The effectiveness of an automotive radar system is largely dependent upon the system's ability to accurately detect objects with a relatively small number of false positives (i.e., falsely determining that an object is present in the vicinity of the vehicle) and false negatives (i.e., failing to detect an object). As such, in automotive radar applications, it is generally desirable to maximize the probability of detecting objects, while minimizing false object detections. In an automotive radar application, failing to detect an object could lead to poor performance of a vehicle's ADAS. SUMMARY This summary section is neither intended to be, nor should be, construed as being representative of the full extent and scope of the present disclosure. Additional benefits, features and embodiments of the present disclosure are set forth in the attached figures and in the description hereinbelow, and as described by the claims. Accordingly, it should be understood that this Summary section may not contain all of the aspects and embodiments claimed herein. Additionally, the disclosure herein is not meant to be limiting or restrictive in any manner. Moreover, the present disclosure is intended to provide an understanding to those of ordinary skill in the art of one or more representative embodiments supporting the claims. Thus, it is important that the claims be regarded as having a scope including constructions of various features of the present disclosure insofar as they do not depart from the scope of the methods and apparatuses consistent with the present disclosure (including the originally filed claims). Moreover, the present disclosure is intended to encompass and include obvious improvements and modifications of the present disclosure. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, including: a first radar device, including: a first plurality of transmitter modules configured to transmit a first plurality of transmitted radar signals, a first plurality of receiver modules configured to receive first reflections of the first plurality of transmitted radar signals and to generate first signals based on the first received reflections, and a first processor configured to process the first signals to generate a first dataset that includes a first two-dimensional data frame, wherein the first two-dimensional data frame includes a first data peak associated with a first object associated with a first range value and a first direction of arrival value expressed in a first coordinate space relative to a location of the first radar device; a second radar device, including: a second plurality of transmitter modules configured to transmit a second plurality of transmitted radar signals, a second plurality of receiver modules configured to receive second reflections of the second plurality of transmitted radar signals and to generate second signals based on the second received reflections, and a second processor configured to process the second signals to generate a second dataset that includes first values expressed in a second coordinate space relative to a location of the second radar device; and a third processor configured to: receive the first dataset from the first radar device; receive the second dataset from the second radar device; modify the second dataset using a coordinate transformation function to generate a third dataset, wherein the third dataset includes second values expressed in the first coordinate space; process the third dataset using a constant false alarm rate algorithm to identify a second data peak associated with a second range value and a second direction of arrival; and determining, by comparing the second direction of arrival value to the first direction of arrival value, that the second data peak is associated with a valid detection of the first objec