Proposal for an Integrated MMW Radar System for Outdoor Navigation

Abstract

[Note: This technical report is mostly my unchanged thesis document, except for section 2.4, an updated section 7 and appendix B.] The design of a MMW radar sensor for mobile robot outdoor navigation is presented, that is able to operate robustly even under adverse weather conditions. This sensor has a range of approxi-mately 200 metres and uses a linear array of receivers and wavefront reconstruction techniques to compute range and bearing of objects within the field of view. Currently, sensor design and hard-ware fabrication have been completed and the sensor is being integrated with other vehicle sys-tems. Signal processing techniques are discussed and results obtained from simulation and the real sensor are presented. Clutter rejection and the ability to classify and differentiate between objects will be improved in addition by integration of the radar data with information from a road geometry perception sys-tem. Road geometry perception will be based either on lane marker detection through a video camera or a digital road map. The integrated sensor system can operate as a copilot for a human driver for speed control with respect to traffic density and as a safety monitor for lane changing. In addition it will be able to interact with other modules such as road followers and higher level planners for complete auton-omous driving.