A four channel 24-GHz FMCW radar sensor with two-dimensional target localization capabilities

The measurement of different target parameters using radar systems has been an active research area for the last decades. Particularly target angle measurement is a very demanding topic, because obtaining good measurement results often goes hand in hand with extensive hardware effort. Especially for sensors used in the mass market, e.g. in automotive applications like adaptive cruise control this may be prohibitive. Therefore we address target localization using a compact frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar sensor. The angular measurement results are improved compared to standard beamforming methods using an adaptive beamforming approach. This approach will be applied to the FMCW principle in a way that allows the use of well known methods for the determination of other target parameters like range or velocity. The applicability of the developed theory will be shown on different measurement scenarios using a 24-GHz prototype radar system.