Open AccessIdentifying the operation of a parked car's engine, transmission, and door using millimetre wave pulse Doppler radar
Author(s) -
Rodenbeck C.T.,
Beun J.B.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
electronics letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.375
H-Index - 146
ISSN - 1350-911X
DOI - 10.1049/el.2020.0386
Subject(s) - millimetre wave , radar , doppler radar , doppler effect , millimeter , transmission (telecommunications) , acoustics , computer science , range (aeronautics) , remote sensing , engineering , telecommunications , aerospace engineering , physics , geology , optics , astronomy
This Letter demonstrates the technical capability of millimetre wave pulse‐Doppler radar to identify safety‐critical operating status information for parked cars. A simple 94‐GHz pulsed linear frequency modulated radar with stretch processing on receive provides range‐selective detection of small‐scale vibration along the length of a parked car. The resulting range‐Doppler signature clearly differentiates whether the car's engine is running or not as well as whether the car's transmission is shifting between ‘park’ and ‘drive’. The rotational motion of an opening car door also produces a distinct signature in range‐Doppler space. Incorporating this knowledge into future automotive sensors can alert oncoming vehicles to unanticipated actions of parked cars to avert potential damage or injury.