A MIMO radar device for the decoupled determination of an elevation angle and azimuth angle of an object. The MIMO radar device includes an antenna array including multiple transmitting antennas, whose phase centers are situated spaced apart from one another along a first coordinate direction; and multiple receiving antennas, whose phase centers are situated spaced apart from one another along the first coordinate direction; the phase center of at least one of the transmitting antennas being spaced apart from the phase centers of the remaining transmitting antennas by an offset value along a second coordinate direction; the phase center of at least one of the receiving antennas being spaced apart from the phase centers of the remaining transmitting antennas by the offset value along the second coordinate direction; an evaluation unit to evaluate electromagnetic signals for the decoupled determination of the elevation angle and the azimuth angle of the object.

Embodiments of the present invention disclose an interleaved polarized multi-beam antenna, including: at least one dual-polarized antenna element, where the dual-polarized antenna element includes a +45-degree-polarized first antenna element and a −45-degree-polarized second antenna element; and a first Butler matrix and a second Butler matrix, where the first Butler matrix is connected to the first antenna element so that the first antenna element transmits a first target beam, and the second Butler matrix is connected to the second antenna element so that the second antenna element transmits a second target beam. The first target beam and the second target beam in the embodiments are alternately arranged, and any two adjacent first target beam and second target beam have different polarization characteristics; therefore, complexity, a loss, and costs of implementation of a Butler matrix can be effectively reduced, and interference between adjacent multiplexed beams can be effectively decreased.

An antenna array includes: a first antenna array including M first antenna array units, M being a natural number; a second antenna array including R×M second antenna array units, R being a natural number greater than or equal to 2; and a control circuit configured to control the first antenna array and the second antenna array to generate radiation patterns. Each of the first antenna array units includes R×N first antenna elements, N being a natural number. Each of the second antenna array units includes N second antenna elements.

In some embodiments, an antenna may include a plurality of reflectarray tiles and a frame including a plurality of frame elements coupled electrically and mechanically. The frame may be configured to conform to a shape of a surface. Each frame element may be configured to receive one of the plurality of reflectarray tiles. In some aspects, the plurality of reflectarray tiles may be illuminated directly or indirectly by a feed.

A MIMO radar device for the decoupled determination of an elevation angle and azimuth angle of an object. The MIMO radar device includes an antenna array including multiple transmitting antennas, whose phase centers are situated spaced apart from one another along a first coordinate direction; and multiple receiving antennas, whose phase centers are situated spaced apart from one another along the first coordinate direction; the phase center of at least one of the transmitting antennas being spaced apart from the phase centers of the remaining transmitting antennas by an offset value along a second coordinate direction; the phase center of at least one of the receiving antennas being spaced apart from the phase centers of the remaining transmitting antennas by the offset value along the second coordinate direction; an evaluation unit to evaluate electromagnetic signals for the decoupled determination of the elevation angle and the azimuth angle of the object.

An antenna array includes: a first antenna array including M first antenna array units, M being a natural number; a second antenna array including RM second antenna array units, R being a natural number greater than or equal to 2; and a control circuit configured to control the first antenna array and the second antenna array to generate radiation patterns. Each of the first antenna array units includes RN first antenna elements, N being a natural number. Each of the second antenna array units includes N second antenna elements.

Embodiments of the present invention disclose an interleaved polarized multi-beam antenna, including: at least one dual-polarized antenna element, where the dual-polarized antenna element includes a +45-degree-polarized first antenna element and a 45-degree-polarized second antenna element; and a first Butler matrix and a second Butler matrix, where the first Butler matrix is connected to the first antenna element so that the first antenna element transmits a first target beam, and the second Butler matrix is connected to the second antenna element so that the second antenna element transmits a second target beam. The first target beam and the second target beam in the embodiments are alternately arranged, and any two adjacent first target beam and second target beam have different polarization characteristics; therefore, complexity, a loss, and costs of implementation of a Butler matrix can be effectively reduced, and interference between adjacent multiplexed beams can be effectively decreased.

In some embodiments, an antenna may include a plurality of reflectarray tiles and a frame including a plurality of frame elements coupled electrically and mechanically. The frame may be configured to conform to a shape of a surface. Each frame element may be configured to receive one of the plurality of reflectarray tiles. In some aspects, the plurality of reflectarray tiles may be illuminated directly or indirectly by a feed.

Methods and systems are described herein for time synchronization of a distributed sensor array system (distributed system). The distributed system includes multiple sensor nodes, which are time-synchronized using a combination of RF signal data and message-based time techniques across multiple communications mechanisms. Time synchronization is implemented both internally between a sensor node's components and over-the-air between different sensor nodes. The distributed system further employs multiple layers of standardized and custom synchronization protocols to build a scalable, potentially zero-hop, time transfer network. The time synchronization accuracies achieved by the time transfer network enable coherency in the distributed system.

The present method and system relates to the determination of elevation angles for the case in which more than one target object is situated within a radar cell. Through the estimation according to the present invention of the elevation angles in multi-target scenarios, even in such cases both azimuth angles and elevation angles can be determined, and a reliable classification of the respective target objects can then take place. The present system also relates to a motor vehicle having a radar system that includes an azimuth and elevation angle estimation method and system.