US 12,007,498 B2
Signal processing for near-field radar
Timothy Campbell, Los Angeles, CA (US); and Brett Coon, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 19, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/952,328.
Application 16/952,328 is a continuation of application No. 15/974,145, filed on May 8, 2018, granted, now 10,866,305.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/611,971, filed on Dec. 29, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0080539 A1, Mar. 18, 2021
Int. Cl. G01S 7/292 (2006.01); G01S 13/42 (2006.01); G01S 13/931 (2020.01)
CPC G01S 7/2923 (2013.01) [G01S 13/42 (2013.01); G01S 13/931 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
transmitting, by a radar unit coupled to a vehicle, a plurality of radar signals into an environment of the vehicle as the vehicle navigates a path in the environment;
receiving, at the radar unit, a plurality of radar reflection signals corresponding to the plurality of radar signals;
detecting, based on the plurality of radar reflection signals, a degree of curvature of radar reflection signals corresponding to near-field measurements of the environment;
based on detecting the degree of curvature of the radar reflection signals corresponding to near-field measurements, generating, by a computing system coupled to the vehicle, a filter configured to offset near-field effects of radar reflection signals received at the radar unit as the vehicle navigates the path in the environment, wherein one or more parameters of the filter compensate for the degree of curvature of the radar reflections corresponding to near-field measurements and depends on an azimuth angle and a distance for one or more surfaces in the environment that caused the radar reflection signals corresponding to near-field measurements; and
storing the filter in memory prior to powering off the radar unit, wherein the computing system is configured to access the filter in memory and subsequently use the filter to process near-field measurements of radar reflection signals received by the radar unit.