Hybrid Primary and Secondary Radar Concepts for 6D Wireless Locating and Multi-Perspective Imaging for Cooperative Mobile Systems

用于移动的机器人的全自动驾驶和导航的传感器系统是当前深入研究的主题。用于无线电定位、导航和环境测绘的雷达技术是非常有前途的课题，而且实际上往往是在公路、工业和行星探索等恶劣环境中应用的必要传感器形式。一次雷达用于监视被动目标，而协作定位单元之间的雷达测量则基于二次雷达原理。与雷达技术相关的大波长所产生的典型分辨率问题可以通过合成孔径雷达（SAR）有效解决。然而，合成孔径雷达技术需要关于天线姿态和轨迹的准确信息。一次雷达和二次雷达的功能，特别是基本硬件非常相似。建设两个传感器的方式与相同的硬件和实施合作的设置，包括无线电定位，姿态确定和SAR成像几乎没有被调查到目前为止。拟议的资助计划旨在通过首次调查混合一次/二次雷达概念来填补这一空白。一组协作的移动的单元将形成记录情况。每个单元都配备了一个混合MIMO一次/二次雷达系统，在所有方向上进行测量。在项目期间，将研究和设计新型混合79 GHz一次/二次雷达系统和相关的MIMO天线阵列。每个移动的单元的完整6D姿态（3D旋转和3D平移）和轨迹将通过协作MIMO无线定位系统来确定。在运动中，每个单元产生其周围环境的SAR/ MIMO图像。当这些图像组合在一起时，它们提供了环境的多视角地图。该研究应确定如何有效地基于辐射定位，多角度合成孔径雷达成像是在解决典型的问题，如阴影和镜面反射。混合方法的另一个方面，即姿态确定，应受益于重叠的主要雷达图像的比较。传感器集群在所有6个维度上的自组织是特别具有挑战性的。在这种情况下，专门适用于定位问题的所谓深度优先搜索算法的变体将是一个重要的研究课题。两个申请人都在雷达和MIMO技术、无线电定位和雷达成像领域进行了广泛的相关预备研究和研究，可以为复杂和广泛的工作计划利用优秀的资源。创新的混合雷达技术将从这项研究工作中出现，这将为自动驾驶和移动的机器人导航的新选择铺平道路。

Sensor systems for fully automated driving and navigation of mobile robots are currently the subject of intensive research. Radar techniques for radiolocation, navigation and environment mapping are very promising topics and indeed are often requisite sensor modalities for applications in harsh environments, like public roads, industry and planetary exploration. While primary radar is used to monitor passive targets, radar measurements between cooperating localization units are based on secondary-radar principles. Typical resolution issues arising from the large wavelengths associated with radar technology can be effectively addressed with synthetic aperture radar (SAR). SAR techniques, however, require accurate information on antenna pose and trajectory. The functionality and in particular the basic hardware are very similar with both primary and secondary radar. Building both sensor modalities with identical hardware and implementing a cooperating setup consisting of radio localization, pose determination and SAR imaging has scarcely been investigated to date. The proposed funding plan is aimed at filling this gap by investigating for the first time ever hybrid primary/secondary radar concepts. A group of cooperating mobile units will form the recording situation. Each unit is equipped with a hybrid MIMO primary/secondary radar system performing measurements in all directions. The novel hybrid 79GHz primary/secondary radar system and associated MIMO antenna array will be investigated and designed during the project. The complete 6D pose (3D rotation and 3D translation) and the trajectory of each mobile unit will be determined with a cooperative MIMO wirelss locating system. While in motion, each unit produces a SAR/ MIMO image of its surroundings. When combined, these images provide a multi-perspective map of the environment. The study should establish how effective radiolocation-based, multi-perspective SAR imaging is in tackling typical issues, such as shadowing und specular reflections. Another aspect of the hybrid approach, namely, the pose determination, should benefit from a comparison of overlapping primary radar images. The self-organization of the sensor cluster in all 6 dimensions is particularly challenging. In this context, variants of the so-called depth-first search algorithm specially adapted to the localization problem will be an important research topic.Both applicants have carried out extensive, relevant preparatory studies and research in the fields of radar and MIMO technologies, radiolocation and radar imaging and can draw on outstanding resources for the complex and wide-ranging program of works. Innovative hybrid radar techniques will emerge from this research effort which will pave the way for new options for autonoumous driving and mobile robot navigation.