OS CFAR performance in a 77 GHz radar sensor for car application

The target detection procedure in a radar sensor for car application is a very important point, due to the strong requirements for extreme low false alarm rates. Furthermore, multi-target situations with up to 10 targets inside a single CFAR window may occur when driving on routes and highways. In this paper the performance of an OS CFAR method is described, applied in an FMCW radar based automotive intelligent cruise control (AICC) system. It is shown that for the applied frequency coded type of waveform OS CFAR is a powerful technique to ensure both reliable detection and very low false alarm rate simultaneously. The applied CFAR procedure can be optimized regarding the required low computational complexity. Theoretical and practical results are presented