A vehicle radar sensor utilizes Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar signals that incorporate non-uniform FMCW chirps having chirp profiles that differ from one another to sense one or more parameters of one or more objects in a field of view of the radar sensor. The chirp profiles may differ from one another in various manners, e.g., based on starting frequency, repetition interval, duration and/or slope, and among other advantages, may be used to enhance sensing of various parameters such as range, Doppler/velocity and/or angle.

A testing device for testing a distance sensor that operates using electromagnetic waves includes: a receiving element for receiving an electromagnetic free-space wave as a receive signal (S.sub.RX); and a radiating element for radiating an electromagnetic output signal (S.sub.TX). In a test mode, a test signal unit generates a test signal (S.sub.test), and the radiating element is configured to radiate the test signal (S.sub.test) or a test signal (S′.sub.test) derived from the test signal (S.sub.test) as the electromagnetic output signal (S.sub.TX). In the test mode, an analysis unit is configured to analyze the receive signal (S.sub.RX) or the derived receive signal (S′.sub.RX) in terms of its phase angle (Phi) and/or amplitude (A) and store a determined value of phase angle (Phi) and/or amplitude (A) synchronously with the radiation of the test signal (S.sub.test) or of the derived test signal (S′.sub.test) as the electromagnetic output signal (S.sub.TX).

Technologies are described herein that are configured to identity detections output by a frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar system that are caused by an interfering signal. The detections are detected as being caused by an interferer based upon numbers of detections assigned to bins in a velocity-direction histogram.

Provided are a system and method for processing a radar signal for deriving a Doppler frequency from a sampled digital input signal radiated by a frequency modulation continuous wave (FMCW) radar. The system includes a transmission module that repeatedly transmits a radar signal having a unique frequency variation and a pulse repetition interval, a variation module that varies the frequency variation or pulse repetition interval of the radar signal transmitted by the transmission module, an extraction module that, upon occurrence of interference between the radar signal having the varied frequency variation or pulse repetition interval and another radar signal, extracts an interference signal from the varied radar signal, and an adjustment module that adjusts the radar signal to reduce the extracted interference signal.

In one example, a continuous-wave radar circuit receives reflection signals, computer processing circuitry processes data corresponding to the reflection signals, and emulation circuitry introduces a plurality of diagnostic data sets into the radar circuit to cause the radar circuit to process simulated reflection signals as though the simulated reflection signals are reflections from objects remote from the apparatus. The radar circuit may receive the reflection signals in response to chirp sequences actually transmitted as reflections from objects.

A novel and useful radar sensor incorporating detection, mitigation and avoidance of mutual interference from nearby automotive radars. The normally constant start frequency sequence for linear large bandwidth FMCW chirps is replaced by a sequence of lower bandwidth chirps with start frequencies spanning the wider bandwidth and randomly ordered in time to create a pseudo random chirp hopping sequence. The reflected wave signal received is reassembled using the known hop sequence. To mitigate interference, the signal received is used to estimate collisions with other radar signals. If detected, a constraint is applied to the randomization of the chirps. The chirp hopping sequence is altered so chirps do not interfere with the interfering radar's chirps. Offending chirps are re-randomized, dropped altogether or the starting frequency of another non-offending chirp is reused. Windowed blanking is used to zero the portion of the received chirp corrupted with the interfering radar's chirp signal.

Examples disclosed herein relate to a radiating structure. The radiating structure has a transmission array structure having a plurality of transmission paths with each transmission path having a plurality of slots and a pair of adjacent transmission paths forming a superelement. Each superelement has a phase control module to control a phase of a transmission signal. The radiating structure also includes a radiating array structure having a plurality of radiating elements configured in a lattice, with each radiating element corresponding to at least one slot from the plurality of slots and the radiating array structure positioned proximate the transmission array structure. A feed coupling structure is coupled to the transmission array structure and adapted for propagation of a transmission signal to the transmission array structure. The transmission signal is radiated through at least one superelement and at least one of the plurality of radiating elements and has a phase controlled by the phase control module in the at least one superelement.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to test RADAR integrated circuits. A radar circuit comprising a local oscillator (LO), a transmitter coupled to the LO and configured to be coupled to a transmission network, a receiver configured to be coupled to the transmission network, and a controller coupled to the LO, the transmitter, and the receiver, the controller to cause the LO to generate a frequency modulated continuous waveform (FMCW), cause the transmitter to modulate the FMCW as a modulated FMCW, cause the transmitter to transmit the modulated FMCW via the transmission network and the receiver to obtain a received FMCW from the transmission network, and in response to obtaining the received FMCW from the receiver, generate a performance characteristic of the radar circuit based on the received FMCW.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to test RADAR integrated circuits. A radar circuit comprising a local oscillator (LO), a transmitter coupled to the LO and configured to be coupled to a transmission network, a receiver configured to be coupled to the transmission network, and a controller coupled to the LO, the transmitter, and the receiver, the controller to cause the LO to generate a frequency modulated continuous waveform (FMCW), cause the transmitter to modulate the FMCW as a modulated FMCW, cause the transmitter to transmit the modulated FMCW via the transmission network and the receiver to obtain a received FMCW from the transmission network, and in response to obtaining the received FMCW from the receiver, generate a performance characteristic of the radar circuit based on the received FMCW.

A method for calibrating a receiving (Rx) channel of a frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar system includes: setting the Rx channel in calibration mode, where the Rx channel includes a mixer, a phase shifter coupled to a first input of the mixer, a filter coupled to an output of the mixer, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to an output of the filter; setting a value for a phase shifter control word of the phase shifter; sending a chirp signal to the phase shifter; sending a modulated chirp signal to a second input of the mixer, where an output signal at the output of the mixer includes a beat signal; and forming an amplitude curve based on data samples from the ADC, where the amplitude curve illustrates amplitudes of the beat signal at a plurality of frequencies within an operating frequency band of the FMCW radar system.