Automotive forward looking sensor blockage detection system and related techniques
US5959570A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 21, 1997 |
| Grant date | Sep 28, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 21, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S2013/93271
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An automotive Forward Looking Sensor (FLS) including a transmit antenna, a receive antenna and a receiver circuit for determining whether RF leakage from the transmit antenna to the receive antenna exceeds a predetermined threshold level. If the leakage exceeds the predetermined threshold level, then the antenna is blocked, as may be caused by mud, salt, ice, etc. In one embodiment, the received RF signal is processed by a digital signal processor performing a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and the energy content of the received RF signal within a predetermined range of frequencies corresponding to approximately zero Doppler is assessed to determine whether such energy content exceeds the predetermined threshold level.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.