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Method and system for object detection within an angular zone, and its applications
| Details |
Inventors: Cornic, Pascal; Crenn, Patrice;
Assignee: Thomson-CSF (Puteaux, FR)
Primary Examiner: Sotomayor; John B.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.
A method for detecting fixed or moving objects within an angular zone, as may be used in vehicle anti-collision systems, employs separate and distinct transmission and reception patterns. The transmission pattern successively illuminates consecutive segments of the angular zone. The reception pattern receives echo signals in parallel from illuminated objects in each zone segment. The echo signals are then digitally beam formed into a total field signal. The angular positions of the detected objects are then derived from the total field signal. |
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention provides a method that is intermediate between mechanical scanning and electronic scanning, which consists in adapting the principle of DBF (digital beam forming) to the relevant problem.
More precisely, the invention provides a method using electromagnetic waves to detect one or more objects located in a given angular zone comprising the steps of: successively illuminating, during transmission, a plurality of elementary zones that divide up said angular zone using at least one radiation pattern having a main lobe, said main lobe being defined as the region of said radiation pattern above a fixed threshold which is higher than or equal to the level of the side lobes of said pattern, said main lobe completely including a useful portion corresponding to a region free of overlap by main transmission lobes for the consecutive elementary zones; receiving echo signals on a thinned array comprising several receiving elements and having an array function such that, for each illuminated elementary zone, a first lobe of said array function is comprised within said useful portion, and the two lobes immediately preceding and succeeding said first lobe are outside said main lobe, reception employing digital beam forming in a plurality of angular directions .
theta.
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sub.
78 belonging to said elementary zone; detecting, by comparison with a given threshold, the presence of echoes received in the various angular directions .
theta.
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sub.
78 ; and deducing therefrom the angular position of objects detected.
The invention also relates to a detection system using electromagnetic waves for carrying out the said method, comprising: a plurality of transmitting antennae, transmission from which is controlled by command means enabling said antennae to successively illuminate elementary zones; a receiving device comprising a thinned receiving array comprising several receiving elements, and a receiver linked to the receiving elements of said array, said receiver having means for digital beam forming and means for detecting echoes received in the various angular directions
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