Range and Velocity Estimation to a Target with Uniform Motion by Utilizing Acoustical Distance Measurement Met-hod Based on Interference between Transmitted and Reflected Waves and by Introducing Frame Processing

Abstract

In many engineering fields, it is very important to measure the distance and velocity of a moving target. In order to measure the distance to a stationary target, we previously proposed an Acoustic Distance Measurement (ADM) method that is based on the interference between the transmitted and reflected waves. However, due to the Doppler effect, that ADM method results in measurement errors when the target is moving. In this paper, we propose a distance and velocity estimation method for targets moving at a constant velocity; it can be used at short range, and it is based on the interference of the reflection of a single linear chirp. In particular, we introduce frame processing to the measurement of the distance to a moving target. That is, the velocity of the moving target is first estimated by considering the estimated distances in each short interval; the initial position and the distance to the moving target are then evaluated. We confirm the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method through computer simulations and experiments.