US 12,235,341 B2
Radar tracking with greater than range resolution precision
Jouya Jadidian, Los Gatos, CA (US); Seyedsohrab Madani, Watertown, MA (US); Mohammad Malik, Snoqualmie, WA (US); Muddassar Aslam, Mountain View, CA (US); Alfonsus Lunardhi, San Ramon, CA (US); Scott Fullam, Palo Alto, CA (US); and Rubén Caballero, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC, Redmond, WA (US)
Filed by Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC, Redmond, WA (US)
Filed on Dec. 6, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/543,727.
Prior Publication US 2023/0176203 A1, Jun. 8, 2023
Int. Cl. G01S 13/42 (2006.01); G01S 13/58 (2006.01); G01S 13/66 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 13/42 (2013.01) [G01S 13/66 (2013.01); G01S 13/584 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of using radar to track a distance of an object with greater precision than a range resolution of the radar, the method comprising:
receiving a sequence of digital data comprising multiple phasors, each phasor corresponding to a respective frequency, each phasor having an amplitude and a phase, the multiple phasors being frequency domain representations of a difference between a transmitted radar signal and a received radar signal, the received radar signal being the transmitted radar signal as reflected by the object;
determining an initial distance of the object in a first range bin based on a first frequency at which the amplitude of a first phasor corresponding to the first frequency is greater than the amplitudes of other phasors corresponding to other frequencies;
tracking the object by determining changes from the initial distance of the object in the first range bin based on corresponding changes in the phase of the first phasor;
identifying a range change as the object moves from the first range bin to a second range bin by detecting that the amplitude of a second phasor corresponding to a second frequency has become greater than the amplitude of the first phasor;
determining, in response to the identified range change, a quantity of a phase discontinuity that is a phase difference between a last phase of the first phasor and a first phase of the second phasor;
generating an adjusted first phase of the second phasor to maintain phase continuity between the last phase of the first phasor in the first range bin and the first phase of the second phasor in the second range bin; and
continuing to track the object by determining changes in the distance of the object in the second range bin based on corresponding changes in the adjusted first phase of the second phasor.