Radar system having a clock pulse generator integrated into a central control unit

Abstract

A radar system for a vehicle. The radar system has at least one central control unit for transmitting data and for processing received data, at least one radar sensor head, which is set apart from the central control unit and has at least one transmitting antenna for generating and at least one receiving antenna for receiving radar waves, and having at least one data line between the at least one central control unit and the at least one radar sensor head, with the at least one central control unit having a clock pulse generator for generating a reference frequency and the reference frequency being transmittable via the at least one data line to the at least one radar sensor head.

Claims

1. A radar system for a vehicle, the radar system comprising: a central control unit; a plurality of radar sensor heads which each (a) is set apart from the central control unit and (b) includes a transmitting antenna for generating radar waves, a frequency synthesizer, a receiving antenna for receiving radar waves, which are reflections of the generated radar waves, and an analog-digital converter to convert the received radar waves into digital measuring data; and at least one data line between the control unit and the plurality of radar sensor heads, wherein: the central control unit (a) has a clock pulse generator configured to generate a reference frequency and (b) is configured to transmit the reference frequency via the at least one data line to each of the plurality of radar sensor heads; the respective frequency synthesizers of each of the plurality of radar sensor heads is configured to implement the reference frequency transmitted by the central control unit to generate a carrier frequency of the generated radar waves of the respective radar sensor heads, wherein the radar system ensures that the data transmitted via the at least one data line are transmitted at a data rate of a number of bits per second that is higher than a value of hertz of the generated carrier frequency of the generated radar waves; the plurality of radar sensor heads are configured to transmit, over the at least one data line, the digital measuring data generated by the respective analog-digital converters to the central control unit; and the central control unit is configured to process the digital measuring data received from the plurality of radar sensor heads in time synchronization with one another.

2. The radar system as recited in claim 1, wherein the reference frequency generated by the clock pulse generator is variably adjustable.

3. The radar system as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital measuring data is marked by at least one time datum.

4. The radar system as recited in claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of radar sensor heads includes a respective time and control device configured to generate the at least one time datum.

5. The radar system as recited in claim 1, wherein the frequency synthesizers each has an oscillator for a supply of a frequency.

6. The radar system as recited in claim 5, wherein the frequency supplied by the oscillator is superposed by the reference frequency generated by the clock pulse generator of the central control unit.

7. The radar system as recited in claim 1, wherein the frequency synthesizers of the plurality of radar sensor heads are synchronized with one another by the transmission of the reference frequency from the central control unit to the plurality of radar sensor heads.

8. The radar system as recited in claim 1, wherein the central control unit has at least one processor configured to process received data and at least one memory for at least intermittent storage of data.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows an example radar system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an example radar system 1 according to a first specific embodiment of the present invention. Radar system 1 is made up of a radar sensor head 2, which is coupled via a data line 4 with a central control unit 6.

(3) Radar sensor head 2 has at least one transmitting antenna 8, which is operable via an antenna control 10. Antenna control 10 is connected to a frequency synthesizer 12 for the generation of a carrier frequency of the radar waves.

(4) Frequency synthesizer 12 receives a reference frequency through data line 4 from central control unit 6 via digitally transmitted control commands ST.

(5) In addition, at least one receiving antenna 14 including a corresponding evaluation unit 16 for receiving radar waves is situated in radar sensor head 2. The received radar waves are able to be converted into digital measuring data by an analog-to-digital converter 18 and then be transmitted via data line 4 to central control unit 6.

(6) A time and control device 20 situated in radar sensor head 2 allocates a time stamp Z to the transmitted digital measuring data, which is also transmitted to central control unit 6.

(7) Central control unit 6 is able to receive the transmitted digital measuring data and then further process the data. Because of time stamps Z transmitted together with the measuring data, the measuring data are able to be precisely categorized in terms of time.

(8) Central control unit 6 has at least one processor 22 for the processing of received data, and at least one memory 24 for the at least intermittent storage of received digital measuring data. In addition, central control unit 6 has a clock pulse generator 26. With the aid of clock pulse generator 26, central control unit 6 is able to generate a reference frequency for synchronizing radar sensor head 2. The reference frequency may subsequently be received by frequency synthesizer 12 via data line 4.