US 11,835,645 B2
Reconfigurable RF front end and antenna arrays for radar mode switching
Tzu-Chin Lin, Hsinchu County (TW); and Chih-Ming Hung, McKinney, TX (US)
Assigned to MediaTek Inc.
Filed by MediaTek Inc., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Jun. 13, 2017, as Appl. No. 15/620,854.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/349,682, filed on Jun. 14, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2017/0276770 A1, Sep. 28, 2017
Int. Cl. G01S 7/40 (2006.01); G01S 13/931 (2020.01); H01Q 3/24 (2006.01); H01Q 21/06 (2006.01); H01Q 25/00 (2006.01); H01Q 1/32 (2006.01); H01Q 21/00 (2006.01); G01S 13/02 (2006.01); G01S 7/02 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 7/4004 (2013.01) [G01S 13/931 (2013.01); H01Q 3/24 (2013.01); H01Q 21/06 (2013.01); H01Q 21/061 (2013.01); H01Q 25/002 (2013.01); G01S 7/027 (2021.05); G01S 2013/0245 (2013.01); G01S 2013/93271 (2020.01); G01S 2013/93272 (2020.01); H01Q 1/3233 (2013.01); H01Q 21/0006 (2013.01); H01Q 21/065 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
selecting, by a processor associated with a radar system, a mode of a plurality of modes in which to operate the radar system; and
controlling, by the processor, the radar system to operate in the selected mode by utilizing a plurality of antennas in a respective configuration of a plurality of configurations of the antennas which corresponds to the selected mode,
wherein each configuration of the plurality of configurations of the antennas results in respective antenna characteristics,
wherein each configuration of the plurality of configurations of the antennas utilizes a respective number of antennas of the plurality of antennas,
wherein at least two antennas of the plurality of antennas have one or more characteristics that are different among a plurality of characteristics comprising gain and power consumption,
wherein the controlling of the radar system to operate in the selected mode by utilizing the plurality of antennas in the respective configuration of the plurality of configurations of the antennas which corresponds to the selected mode comprises:
utilizing at least one first antenna of a first subset of two or more antennas of the plurality of antennas to transmit radar signals;
utilizing at least one second antenna of a second subset of two or more antennas of the plurality of antennas to receive reflected radar signals;
detecting a fault in at least one third antenna in the first subset or the second subset; and
utilizing a third subset of one or more antennas of the plurality of antennas to transmit the radar signals and utilizing a fourth subset of one or more antennas of the plurality of antennas to receive the reflected radar signals,
wherein the third subset of one or more antennas comprise one or more functional second antennas from the second subset of two or more antennas,
wherein the fourth subset of one or more antennas comprise one or more functional first antenna from the first subset of two or more antennas, and
wherein the at least one third antenna is not in the third subset of one or more antennas and not in the fourth subset of one or more antennas.