US 11,733,376 B2
Vehicle radar system with solution for ADC saturation
Sergio Duque Biarge, Munich (DE); and Luca Marotti, Munich (DE)
Assigned to Magna Electronics Inc., Auburn Hills, MI (US)
Filed by Magna Electronics Inc., Auburn Hills, MI (US)
Filed on Jun. 28, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/304,858.
Application 17/304,858 is a continuation of application No. 16/280,380, filed on Feb. 20, 2019, granted, now 11,047,977.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/632,704, filed on Feb. 20, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0325530 A1, Oct. 21, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01S 13/931 (2020.01); G01S 13/32 (2006.01); G01S 13/86 (2006.01); G01S 13/34 (2006.01); G01S 7/03 (2006.01); G01S 7/40 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 13/931 (2013.01) [G01S 7/032 (2013.01); G01S 7/4021 (2013.01); G01S 13/325 (2013.01); G01S 13/346 (2013.01); G01S 13/867 (2013.01); G01S 2013/93271 (2020.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for detecting objects via a vehicular radar sensing system, the method comprising:
equipping a vehicle with the vehicular radar sensing system, the vehicular radar sensing system comprising a radar sensor disposed at the vehicle so as to have a field of sensing;
wherein the radar sensor comprises (i) a plurality of transmitters that transmit radio signals via a plurality of antennas and (ii) a plurality of receivers that receive radio signals via the plurality of antennas;
wherein the vehicular radar sensing system comprises a first analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a second ADC, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and a subtractor, and wherein the first ADC has a dynamic range that is different than a dynamic range of the second ADC;
transmitting, via the plurality of transmitters, radio signals, and receiving, via the plurality of receivers, received radio signals that are transmitted radio signals reflected from an object present in the field of sensing of the radar sensor;
converting, via the first ADC, an analog input signal derived from the received radio signals into a first number of bits M;
converting, via the DAC, the first number of bits M into a first analog signal;
determining a second analog signal by subtracting, via the subtractor, the first analog signal from the analog input signal;
converting, via the second ADC, the second analog signal into a second number of bits K;
establishing a total number of bits N by concatenating the first number of bits M to the second number of bits K, wherein the total number of bits N represents a digital value of a voltage of the analog input signal; and
processing, via a processor, the total number of bits N to detect the object that the received radio signals are reflected from.