Chirp-Sequence-Based Imaging Using a Network of Distributed Single-Channel Radar Sensors

Networks of distributed sensors in automotive applications enable the coverage of wide areas of the surrounding. The spacing between multiple sensors, that observe a common scene, provides different views on jointly detected targets. In this paper, a moving vehicle with multiple single-channel radar sensors is used to create a high-resolution image. The proposed approach is based on a single chirp-sequence measurement of multiple radars. It utilizes a joint radar ego-motion estimation to compensate the motion of the vehicle whereby it is possible to generate an image. Thus, this approach is independent of external systems for the motion compensation like global satellite navigation systems. Measurements at 77GHz with 5 sensors are conducted to demonstrate the performance in an automotive scenario.