DIRAC (DIRAC)

Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are transforming cars into securely-connected, highly-autonomous vehicles with the capability of sensing the environment, thinking, and taking adequate decisions in a huge number of traffic conditions. Enabling components of ADAS are radar transceivers permanently measuring the range, angle, and velocity of objects around the vehicle. The penetration of radars into urban scenarios requires extremely high angular resolution to separate pedestrians, bicycles, pets and even smaller targets.

Angular resolution is a challenge for single mmWave radars of limited aperture size. That is why in this new joint project with NXP Semiconductors we will therefore pursue a distributed, synchronized network of small aperture radar sensors in this research project.  It deals with high-resolution imaging of the environment using a moving platform, wideband mmWave signals, and multiple distributed MIMO radars with a small number of antennas. Solutions for four critical radar architectural and signal processing challenges will be pursued: Imaging topology, waveform and radar synchronization, 360 degrees image focusing, and bistatic signaling. Two PhD students (one at ELCA, another one at MS3) will work for this project.