JP2012098107A - Radar apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a radar apparatus capable of detecting both angles in horizontal and vertical directions of an object.SOLUTION: All antennas are arranged in a vertical surface which is a plane rectangular to a horizontal surface and each have a rectangular aperture plane whose longitudinal direction is arranged in the vertical direction. Receiving antennas Rx1, Rx2 are arranged in the horizontal direction at an element interval Lh, and transmitting antennas Tx1, Tx2 are arranged in the horizontal direction so as to put the receiving antennas Rx1, Rx2 between them. Receiving antennas Rx3, Rx4 are arranged in the vertical direction at an element interval Lv and arranged in the horizontal direction adjacent to the transmitting antenna Tx2. A signal processor 10 allows the transmitting antennas Tx1, Tx2 to transmit high frequency pulse signals in a time division manner, detects an azimuth angle in the horizontal direction from a phase difference between two reception signals received by the receiving antennas Rx1, Rx2, and detects an elevation/depression angle in the vertical direction from a phase difference between two reception signals received by the receiving antennas Rx3, Rx4.

Description

  The present invention relates to a radar device that is mounted on a vehicle or the like, transmits radio waves using an array antenna, receives a reflected wave from a vehicle in front, and recognizes the vehicle in front.

  The in-vehicle radar device needs to distinguish a preceding vehicle or the like traveling ahead from an object that has a high position such as a road sign or a guide plate and cannot be an obstacle to traveling.

  In general, in a radar apparatus, an azimuth (azimuth angle) of an object can be obtained by scanning an antenna beam narrowed to a desired width. As a beam scanning method, a mechanical method is used. There is an electrical method.

  In response to the demand for identifying an object as described above, an in-vehicle monopulse radar device that mechanically scans the horizontal direction and detects the vertical direction by a monopulse method has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  According to these radar devices, since the elevation angle of the vertical direction of the object can be known, the position of a preceding vehicle or the like traveling ahead and a road sign or a guide plate is high, which is an obstacle to traveling. Can be distinguished from objects that cannot.

JP-A-9-288178

  In the mechanical scanning radar device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the angle in the horizontal direction is obtained based on the reception intensity of an adjacent beam, but the reception intensity is easily affected by various factors. was there.

  In addition, since vertical angle measurement is performed by arranging a plurality of mechanical scanning receiving antennas vertically, there is a limit to narrowing the interval between the upper and lower receiving antennas, and there is a problem that miniaturization cannot be achieved. there were.

  On the other hand, when detecting an object in front of the vehicle in the method of performing beam scanning electrically, the range of the elevation angle where the object exists is limited. Therefore, the antenna pattern is wide in the horizontal direction and vertical. A narrow shape is required. In order to realize such an antenna pattern, it is necessary to configure a plurality of antenna elements side by side in the vertical direction in the method of electrically scanning the beam.

  Further, in order to detect the vertical elevation angle of the object using the phase difference of the received signals of the plurality of antennas, it is necessary to arrange the antennas in the vertical direction. For example, when all the antennas are arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the rectangular opening surface is in the vertical direction, a plurality of antennas arranged horizontally in order to measure the horizontal direction are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the opening surface. When two rows are arranged in the vertical direction, the interval between the phase centers of the antennas becomes too wide, and there is a problem that the angle range in which the arrival direction of radio waves can be correctly detected using the phase difference becomes narrow.

  For the reasons described above, it has been difficult for the conventional radar apparatus to detect both the horizontal and vertical angles of the object using the phase difference between the reception signals of a plurality of antennas.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems. By using a method of performing beam scanning electrically using a plurality of antennas, both the horizontal and vertical angles of an object are obtained. It is an object to obtain a radar apparatus capable of detecting

  The radar apparatus according to the present invention switches between a transmitter that outputs a high-frequency signal, first and second transmission antennas that radiate the high-frequency signal to a front space, and the first and second transmission antennas. A transmission switch sequentially connected to the transmitter, first, second, third and fourth receiving antennas for receiving a high-frequency signal reflected by the object; and the first, second, third and fourth A radar apparatus including first, second, third, and fourth receivers that respectively convert a high-frequency signal received by a receiving antenna into a digital signal, and all antennas are planes that are perpendicular to a horizontal plane. And the longitudinal direction of the rectangular opening is arranged in the vertical direction, and the first and second receiving antennas are arranged in the horizontal direction at a first element interval, and the first And the second transmission antenna Are arranged in a horizontal direction so as to sandwich the first and second receiving antennas, and the third and fourth receiving antennas are vertically arranged at a second element interval that is longer than the first element interval. And arranged in the horizontal direction adjacent to the first or second transmission antenna or at a predetermined distance away from each other, and sequentially switching the first and second transmission antennas to connect to the transmitter. Controlling the transmission switch to transmit a high-frequency signal from the first and second transmission antennas in a time-sharing manner, and receiving the first and second high-frequency signals received by the first and second reception antennas. A signal processor for detecting a vertical azimuth angle from a phase difference between the third and fourth high-frequency signals received by the third and fourth receiving antennas, while detecting a horizontal azimuth angle from the phase difference between the third and fourth receiving antennas Further It is as it has.

  According to the radar apparatus of the present invention, an effective measurement angle range in the vertical direction can be freely set by providing the reception antenna for measuring the vertical direction separately from the reception antenna for measuring the angle in the horizontal direction. In addition, two transmitting antennas are provided at both ends of a plurality of receiving antennas that measure the angle in the horizontal direction, radio waves are transmitted from the two transmitting antennas in a time-sharing manner, and digital beam forming (DBF) is performed using the respective reception results. By realizing this, the angular resolution can be improved because the equivalent aperture of about twice can be realized.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the radar apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows antenna arrangement | positioning of the radar apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows another antenna arrangement | positioning of the radar apparatus concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the principle of the method of calculating | requiring the horizontal azimuth from the phase difference of two receiving antennas. It is a figure explaining the principle of the method which can transmit an electromagnetic wave from two transmission antennas by a time division, and can enlarge an opening equivalently. It is a figure which shows another antenna arrangement | positioning of the radar apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the radar apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

  A preferred embodiment of a radar apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The radar apparatus according to the present invention includes a pulse system, a pulse compression system (spread spectrum radar), an FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) system, a 2-frequency CW system, a multi-frequency CW system, and an FMICW (Frequency Modulated Interrupted Continuous Wave). ) Method and the like.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
A radar apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a radar apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In the following, in each figure, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

  In FIG. 1, a radar apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention detects the horizontal azimuth angle and vertical elevation angle of an object such as a vehicle ahead using digital beam forming (DBF) or the like. At the same time, a signal processor 10 for detecting the velocity of the object, a transmitter 20 for converting a digital signal into a high-frequency pulse signal, a transmission switch 30 for switching between two transmission antennas, and a high-frequency pulse signal are radiated to the front space. Two transmitting antennas Tx1, Tx2, four receiving antennas Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4 for receiving a high-frequency pulse signal reflected by an object, and four receivers 70 (71 for converting the high-frequency pulse signal into a digital signal 72, 73, 74).

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the antenna arrangement of the radar apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  FIG. 2 shows an antenna arranged on a vertical plane (vertical plane) that is a plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The transmission antennas Tx1 and Tx2 and the reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, and Rx4 are configured by a slot antenna or a horn antenna, and the opening surface is rectangular. In all antennas, the longitudinal direction of the opening surface is arranged in the vertical direction.

  The longitudinal length of the opening surfaces of the receiving antennas Rx3 and Rx4 is approximately ½ the longitudinal length of the opening surfaces of the transmitting antennas Tx1 and Tx2 and the receiving antennas Rx1 and Rx2. The lengths can be made uniform, the entire apparatus can be miniaturized, and it is convenient when installed in a vehicle or the like, but the relationship between the lengths of both opening surfaces in the longitudinal direction is arbitrary.

  In FIG. 2, two receiving antennas Rx1 and Rx2 are arranged in the horizontal direction with an element interval Lh. Further, the two transmission antennas Tx1 and Tx2 are arranged in the horizontal direction so as to sandwich the two reception antennas Rx1 and Rx2. Further, the two reception antennas Rx3 and Rx4 are arranged in the vertical direction with an element interval Lv (Lv> Lh), and are arranged in the horizontal direction adjacent to the transmission antenna Tx2. All these antennas are arranged on the same vertical plane. Note that the two reception antennas Rx3 and Rx4 may be arranged in the horizontal direction at a predetermined distance from the transmission antenna Tx2 in the front region of the vehicle or the like. The two receiving antennas Rx3 and Rx4 are horizontally adjacent to the transmitting antenna Tx1 on the opposite side of the transmitting antenna Tx2 or separated by a predetermined distance (on the left side in the drawing) in the front area of the vehicle or the like. You may arrange in the direction. In addition, the two receiving antennas Rx3 and Rx4 increase signal processing, but in the area of the front surface of the vehicle or the like, adjacent to the transmitting antenna Tx1 or Tx2, or separated by a predetermined distance above or below the vertical direction ( You may arrange | position in all directions, such as a figure, the upper side or the lower side, and the upper direction or the downward direction of a diagonal direction (on the figure, the left-right diagonal upper side or the left-right diagonal lower side). The same applies to other antenna arrangements described below.

  The element interval Lh is the distance between the centers in the short direction of the opening surfaces of the two receiving antennas Rx1 and Rx2, and the element interval Lv is between the centers in the longitudinal direction of the opening surfaces of the two receiving antennas Rx3 and Rx4. Is the distance.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another antenna arrangement of the radar apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  FIG. 3 shows an antenna disposed on a vertical plane (vertical plane) that is a plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The transmission antennas Tx1 and Tx2 and the reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4,... Are constituted by a slot antenna or a horn antenna, and the opening surface is rectangular. In all antennas, the longitudinal direction of the opening surface is arranged in the vertical direction.

  3 is different from FIG. 2 in that n (n> 2) receiving antennas Rx are arranged in the horizontal direction between the two transmitting antennas Tx1 and Tx2 with the element spacing Lh in the horizontal direction. It is. Similarly, m × V (V> 2) reception antennas Rx are arranged in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction at the element interval Lv in the vertical direction. Note that the number (n) of reception antennas Rx arranged at the element interval Lh is the same as the number (m × V) of reception antennas Rx arranged at the element interval Lv. That is, n = m × V. It goes without saying that the same number of receivers as the number of receiving antennas Rx are required.

  Next, the operation of the radar apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the principle of a method for obtaining a horizontal azimuth angle from a phase difference between two receiving antennas.

  First, the principle of the method for obtaining the azimuth angle from the phase difference between the received signals of the two receiving antennas will be described with reference to FIG. Although two receiving antennas arranged in the horizontal direction will be described, the same applies to two receiving antennas arranged in the vertical direction.

Consider a case in which an incoming wave s ₁ (t) from an azimuth angle θ ₁ is incident on the left-handed system north reference in an array antenna having an element spacing of two receiving antennas Rx1 and Rx2 of Lh.

Specifically, the incoming wave s ₁ (t) from the direction θ ₁ on the right side with respect to the traveling direction of a vehicle or the like equipped with an array antenna is incident, and the received signal r ₁ (t ), R ₂ (t) is considered in a simplified manner. In this principle description, the receiving antennas Rx1 and Rx2 are simply referred to as antennas. Further, the arrangement of the receiving antennas Rx1 and Rx2 is opposite to that of FIG. 2, but there is no problem in explaining the principle.

Assume that the received signals r ₁ (t) and r ₂ (t) are input to the antenna with phases of 0 and φ ₁ with respect to the incoming wave s ₁ (t), respectively. That is, the phase difference between the two received signals r ₁ (t) and r ₂ (t) is φ ₁ . At this time, the received signals r ₁ (t) and r ₂ (t) output to the two antennas are expressed by the following equation (1) ignoring noise.

When the relationship between the received signals r ₁ (t) and r ₂ (t) is derived from the equation (1), the following equation (2) is obtained.

Therefore, the phase difference φ ₁ between the two received signals r ₁ (t) and r ₂ (t) can be obtained by the following equation (3).

From FIG. 4, the phase difference φ ₁ is in the relationship of the element interval Lh and the following equation (4). Note that λ is a wavelength.

When this equation (4) is solved for θ ₁ , the following equation (5) is obtained.

Substituting equation (3) into equation (5), the angle of arrival θ ₁ is obtained. That is, the signal processor 10 can detect the horizontal azimuth angle (arrival angle) θ ₁ from the phase difference φ ₁ between the two received signals r ₁ (t) and r ₂ (t). Similarly, the signal processor 10 can detect the elevation angle θ ₁ in the vertical direction from the phase difference φ ₁ between the two reception signals r ₁ (t) and r ₂ (t).

In the formula (4), since phi ₁ is a phase difference in the range of -π~ + π, it can be determined unambiguously angle (effective measuring range of angles).

Here, as an example, when the element interval Lh = 0.6λ and the phase difference φ ₁ = ± π are substituted, the effective measurement angle range θ ₁ is as follows.
−56 deg <θ ₁ <+56 deg

As another example, when the element interval Lh = 4.2λ and the phase difference φ ₁ = ± π are substituted, the effective measurement angle range θ ₁ is as follows.
−7 deg <θ ₁ <+7 deg

  That is, it can be seen that the effective measurement angle range is narrowed if the element spacing Lh is increased.

  In the radar apparatus according to the first embodiment, the measurement angle range of the horizontal azimuth angle needs to be a wide angle range. As described above, in order to eliminate the ambiguity of the azimuth angle in the horizontal direction, it is necessary to reduce the distance between the receiving antennas Rx1 and Rx2 that measure the azimuth angle in the horizontal direction.

  The signal processor 10 of the radar apparatus according to the first embodiment is a method of measuring the azimuth angle in the horizontal direction, such as digital beam forming (DBF) that uses a phase to measure the azimuth angle of an object. Is used. The DBF is a method in which radio waves transmitted from a transmission antenna Tx and reflected by an object are simultaneously received by a plurality of reception antennas Rx, and various antenna patterns are formed by digital signal processing using the reception signals.

  In this DBF, the received intensity and the phase are detected for each arrival direction of the radar wave specified by the formed beam. Therefore, the angle can be obtained with high accuracy using the phase. In the DBF, since it is not necessary to rotate the antenna as in the mechanical scanning type, a driving mechanism is unnecessary, and the apparatus can be reduced in size and weight. In addition, compared with the conventional phased array antenna device, the analog phase shifter and power combining circuit provided in each antenna are not required, so that the price can be reduced.

  On the other hand, the measurement angle range of the vertical elevation angle does not need to be as wide as the measurement angle range of the horizontal azimuth. Therefore, the radar apparatus according to the first embodiment performs reception for measuring the elevation angle in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 2 separately from the receiving antennas Rx1 and Rx2 for measuring the azimuth angle in the horizontal direction. Antennas Rx3 and Rx4 were provided. The element spacing Lv in the vertical direction between the receiving antennas Rx3 and Rx4 can be arranged sufficiently wider than the element spacing Lh in the horizontal direction between the receiving antennas Rx1 and Rx2.

  In addition, when detecting the elevation angle in the vertical direction, the horizontal beam width is narrowed by a receiving antenna Rx having a two-dimensional array of m × V as shown in FIG. The reflected wave may not be received. In other words, the horizontal beam can be narrowed by increasing the number m of horizontal arrangements of reception antennas that are provided separately from the reception antenna that scans in the horizontal direction. This makes it possible to reduce reflection from unwanted objects in the horizontal direction when detecting the vertical object and adjusting the vertical axis of the radar device. Adjustment accuracy is improved. Furthermore, since the vertical angle detection values are averaged by increasing the vertical array of V receiving antennas that measure the vertical direction, the object detection accuracy and the axis adjustment accuracy are improved as described above. Furthermore, since objects in the vertical direction are limited, a phase monopulse method or the like may be used as the angle measuring method in the vertical direction.

  In the case of an angle detection method using a phase such as DBF or phase monopulse method, it is known that the angle resolution is better as the antenna aperture area is larger, and the resolution limit is basically determined by the wavelength / antenna aperture area. . However, the space for placing the radar device is limited.

  Therefore, in the radar apparatus according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, two transmitting antennas are provided at both ends of a plurality of receiving antennas Rx1, Rx2,... That measure the azimuth angle in the horizontal direction. Tx1 and Tx2 are provided, radio waves are transmitted from the two transmission antennas Tx1 and Tx2 in a time-sharing manner, and the DBF is realized by using each reception result, thereby approximately twice the horizontal antenna aperture. An equivalent aperture is realized to improve the horizontal angular resolution.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the principle of a method in which radio waves are transmitted from two transmission antennas in a time-division manner and the opening can be equivalently enlarged.

  Next, referring to FIG. 5, a pulse having a pulse width of 150 nsec is transmitted from each of the two transmission antennas at a predetermined time, for example, every 1.7 μsec, and every predetermined time, for example, every 3.4 μsec. The principle of a method capable of switching the two transmitting antennas and transmitting radio waves (pulses) in a time division manner to increase the aperture equivalently will be described.

  In FIG. 5, the left side shows the equiphase surface of the radio waves incident on the receiving antennas Rx1 and Rx2 at the time of transmission by the transmission antenna Tx2, and the right side at the time of transmission by the transmission antenna Tx1. Here, it is assumed that the received wave returns from the direction θ on the right side with respect to the traveling direction of a vehicle or the like equipped with the antenna device.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the transmission / reception path difference of the radio waves incident on the receiving antennas Rx1 and Rx2 with respect to the transmitting antenna Tx2 at the time of transmission of the transmitting antenna Tx2 is as follows.
Rx1: + 2Δr
Rx2: + Δr

Here, if the element spacing of the receiving antenna is Lh,
Δr = Lhsinθ
It is represented by

On the other hand, the transmission / reception path difference of the radio waves incident on the reception antennas Rx1 and Rx2 with reference to the transmission antenna Tx2 at the time of transmission of the transmission antenna Tx1 is + 3Δr, and therefore is shown in FIG. 5B. As follows.
Rx1: + 5Δr
Rx2: + 4Δr

Therefore, the transmission / reception phase difference based on the transmission antenna Tx2 can be expressed as follows, as shown in FIG.
When transmitting from the transmission antenna Tx2,
Rx1: -2Δφ
Rx2: -Δφ
And
When transmitting from the transmission antenna Tx1,
Rx1: -5Δφ
Rx2: -4Δφ
It is.

  Here, considering that the position of the transmission antenna Tx1 is virtually matched to the transmission antenna Tx2, 6Δφ may be added to the transmission / reception phase difference between the reception antennas Rx1 and Rx2 during transmission of the transmission antenna Tx1 (phase correction). ).

At this time, at the time of transmission by the transmission antenna Tx1, as shown in FIG.
Rx1: + Δφ
Rx2: + 2Δφ
Thus, as shown in FIG. 5 (e), it can be virtually handled that a total of four receiving antennas Rx are arranged across the transmitting antennas Tx1 and Tx2.

  That is, actually, although only two receiving antennas Rx1 and Rx2 are provided, an antenna opening area almost doubled can be virtually realized, and the angular resolution can be improved.

  The signal processor 10 switches the two transmission antennas Tx1 and Tx2 and controls the transmission switch 30 so as to be sequentially connected to the transmitter 20 to transmit radio waves from the two transmission antennas Tx1 and Tx2 in a time division manner. The horizontal azimuth angle is detected from the phase difference between the two received signals received by Rx1 and Rx2, and the vertical elevation angle is detected from the phase difference between the two received signals received by the receiving antennas Rx3 and Rx4. be able to.

  In the case of the antenna arrangement as shown in FIG. 3, the signal processor 10 calculates the horizontal azimuth angle from the phase difference between two received signals received by adjacent receiving antennas among the n receiving antennas. At the same time, a vertical elevation angle is detected from the phase difference between two received signals received by adjacent receiving antennas among the m × V receiving antennas. Note that the horizontal azimuth angle and the vertical elevation angle can be detected without switching the two transmission antennas Tx1 and Tx2 to time division. That is, the azimuth angle in the horizontal direction and the elevation angle in the vertical direction can be detected even by using one of the two transmission antennas Tx1 and Tx2 and not using the remaining transmission antennas. For example, an example in which the transmission antenna Tx2 is not used is equivalent to FIG. 6 described below.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing still another antenna arrangement of the radar apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  FIG. 6 shows an antenna arranged on a vertical plane (vertical plane) that is a plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane. One transmitting antenna Tx1 and receiving antennas Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4,... Are constituted by a slot antenna or a horn antenna, and the opening surface is rectangular. In all antennas, the longitudinal direction of the opening surface is arranged in the vertical direction.

  In FIG. 6, one transmission antenna Tx1 is disposed adjacent to the reception antenna Rx1. The n reception antennas Rx are arranged adjacent to the transmission antenna Tx1 and are arranged in the horizontal direction with an element interval Lh. Further, the m × V reception antennas Rx are arranged adjacent to the n reception antennas Rx, and are arranged in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction with an element interval Lv in the vertical direction. All these antennas are arranged on the same vertical plane.

  The transmission switch 30 becomes unnecessary. The signal processor 10 does not need to transmit radio waves in a time-sharing manner, detects the azimuth angle in the horizontal direction from the phase difference of the received signals received by the receiving antennas Rx1, Rx2,... And receives the receiving antennas Rx3, Rx4, The elevation angle in the vertical direction can be detected from the phase difference of the received signals received by.

  A radio wave is transmitted from one transmission antenna Tx1, and a reflected wave from the object is received by n reception antennas Rx and m × V reception antennas Rx. The signal processor 10 obtains a reception signal by synthesizing reception signals of an antenna array including a plurality of reception antennas Rx as the same reception channels Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, and Rx4. The signal processor 10 detects the horizontal azimuth angle and the vertical elevation angle of the object using the phase differences between the reception channels Rx1 and Rx2 and Rx3 and Rx4 derived from the obtained reception signals.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
A radar apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a radar apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The antenna arrangement of the radar apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is the same as that of Embodiment 1 shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 7, a radar apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention detects the horizontal azimuth angle and vertical elevation angle of an object such as a vehicle ahead using digital beam forming (DBF) or the like. At the same time, a signal processor 10 for detecting the velocity of the object, a transmitter 20 for converting a digital signal into a high-frequency pulse signal, a transmission switch 30 for switching between two transmission antennas, and a high-frequency pulse signal are radiated to the front space. Two transmission antennas Tx1, Tx2, four reception antennas Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4 for receiving a high-frequency pulse signal reflected by the object, and two reception switches 60 (61, 62) for switching between the two reception antennas And two receivers 70 (71, 72) for converting a high-frequency pulse signal into a digital signal.

  The signal processor 10 controls the transmission switch 30 so that the two transmission antennas Tx1 and Tx2 are switched and sequentially connected to the transmitter 20 to transmit radio waves from the two transmission antennas Tx1 and Tx2 in a time division manner. Control the reception switch 61 to switch the reception antennas Rx1 and Rx3 and sequentially connect to the receiver 71, and control the reception switch 62 to switch the two reception antennas Rx2 and Rx4 and sequentially connect to the receiver 72, A horizontal azimuth angle is detected from the phase difference between the two reception signals received by the two reception antennas Rx1 and Rx2, and the vertical direction is determined from the phase difference between the two reception signals received by the two reception antennas Rx3 and Rx4. Can be detected.

  In the radar apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, the number of receiving antennas Rx arranged in the horizontal direction and the number of receiving antennas Rx arranged in the vertical direction are the same, and the horizontal By providing the receiving switches 61 and 62 for sequentially switching the connection between the receiving antenna Rx and the receivers 71 and 72 in either the direction or the vertical direction, the receiver 70 can be halved, and the radar apparatus can be reduced in size and price.

  10 Signal processor, 20 Transmitter, 30 Transmit switch, 60, 61, 62 Receive switch, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74 Receiver, Rx, Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4 Receive antenna, Tx, Tx1, Tx2 Transmit antenna.

Claims (4)

A transmitter that outputs a high-frequency signal;
First and second transmitting antennas that radiate the high-frequency signal to a front space;
A transmission switch for switching the first and second transmission antennas and sequentially connecting to the transmitter;
First, second, third and fourth receiving antennas for receiving high-frequency signals reflected by the object;
A radar apparatus comprising: first, second, third, and fourth receivers that convert high-frequency signals received by the first, second, third, and fourth receiving antennas into digital signals, respectively. And
All antennas are arranged in a vertical plane that is a plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the longitudinal direction of the rectangular opening is arranged in the vertical direction,
The first and second receiving antennas are arranged in a horizontal direction at a first element interval,
The first and second transmission antennas are arranged in a horizontal direction so as to sandwich the first and second reception antennas,
The third and fourth receiving antennas are arranged in a vertical direction at a second element interval that is longer than the first element interval, and are adjacent to the first or second transmitting antenna or at a predetermined interval Are arranged horizontally by a distance,
Switching the first and second transmission antennas to control the transmission switch to sequentially connect to the transmitter, causing the first and second transmission antennas to transmit high-frequency signals in a time-sharing manner,
A horizontal azimuth angle is detected from the phase difference between the first and second high-frequency signals received by the first and second receiving antennas, and the third and fourth receiving antennas receive the third azimuth angle. And a signal processor for detecting a vertical elevation angle from the phase difference of the fourth high-frequency signal. A transmitter that outputs a high-frequency signal;
First and second transmitting antennas that radiate the high-frequency signal to a front space;
A transmission switch for switching the first and second transmission antennas and sequentially connecting to the transmitter;
N (n> 2) + m × V (V> 2) receiving antennas for receiving the high-frequency signal reflected by the object;
a radar apparatus comprising: a plurality of receivers each converting high-frequency signals received by n + m × V receiving antennas into digital signals;
All antennas are arranged in a vertical plane that is a plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the longitudinal direction of the rectangular opening is arranged in the vertical direction,
The n receiving antennas are arranged in the horizontal direction at the first element interval,
The first and second transmitting antennas are arranged in a horizontal direction so as to sandwich the n receiving antennas,
The m × V receiving antennas are arranged in a vertical direction at a second element interval that is longer than the first element interval, and are adjacent to the first or second transmission antenna or by a predetermined distance. Placed horizontally apart,
n = m × V,
Switching the first and second transmission antennas to control the transmission switch to sequentially connect to the transmitter, causing the first and second transmission antennas to transmit high-frequency signals in a time-sharing manner,
A horizontal azimuth angle is detected from a phase difference between two high-frequency signals received by adjacent receiving antennas among the n receiving antennas, and an adjacent receiving antenna among the m × V receiving antennas. A radar apparatus, further comprising: a signal processor that detects a vertical elevation angle from a phase difference between two high-frequency signals received by. A transmitter that outputs a high-frequency signal;
First and second transmitting antennas that radiate the high-frequency signal to a front space;
A transmission switch for switching the first and second transmission antennas and sequentially connecting to the transmitter;
First, second, third and fourth receiving antennas for receiving high-frequency signals reflected by the object;
First and second receivers for converting high-frequency signals received by the first, second, third and fourth receiving antennas into digital signals, respectively;
A first receiving switch that switches the first and third receiving antennas to sequentially connect to the first receiver;
A radar apparatus comprising: a second reception switch that switches the second and fourth reception antennas and sequentially connects to the second receiver;
All antennas are arranged in a vertical plane that is a plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the longitudinal direction of the rectangular opening is arranged in the vertical direction,
The first and second receiving antennas are arranged in a horizontal direction at a first element interval,
The first and second transmission antennas are arranged in a horizontal direction so as to sandwich the first and second reception antennas,
The third and fourth receiving antennas are arranged in a vertical direction at a second element interval that is longer than the first element interval, and are adjacent to the first or second transmitting antenna or at a predetermined interval Are arranged horizontally by a distance,
Switching the first and second transmission antennas to control the transmission switch to sequentially connect to the transmitter, causing the first and second transmission antennas to transmit high-frequency signals in a time-sharing manner,
The first reception switch is controlled to switch the first and third reception antennas to sequentially connect to the first receiver, and the second and fourth reception antennas are switched to switch the second reception antenna. The second receiving switch is controlled so as to be sequentially connected to the receiver, and the horizontal azimuth angle is detected from the phase difference between the first and second high-frequency signals received by the first and second receiving antennas. And a radar device further comprising a signal processor for detecting a vertical elevation angle from a phase difference between the third and fourth high-frequency signals received by the third and fourth receiving antennas. . A transmitter that outputs a high-frequency signal;
A transmitting antenna that radiates the high-frequency signal to a front space;
First, second, third and fourth receiving antennas for receiving high-frequency signals reflected by the object;
A radar apparatus comprising: first, second, third, and fourth receivers that convert high-frequency signals received by the first, second, third, and fourth receiving antennas into digital signals, respectively. And
All antennas are arranged in a vertical plane that is a plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the longitudinal direction of the rectangular opening is arranged in the vertical direction,
The first and second receiving antennas are arranged in a horizontal direction with a first element interval adjacent to the transmitting antenna;
The third and fourth reception antennas are arranged in a vertical direction at a second element interval that is longer than the first element interval, and are adjacent to the second reception antenna or the transmission antenna or at a predetermined interval. Placed horizontally by a distance of
Transmitting a high-frequency signal from the transmitting antenna;
A horizontal azimuth angle is detected from the phase difference between the first and second high-frequency signals received by the first and second receiving antennas, and the third and fourth receiving antennas receive the third azimuth angle. And a signal processor for detecting a vertical elevation angle from the phase difference of the fourth high-frequency signal.

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