Glossary

Direct leakage

Direct leakage refers to the transmission of the radar signal directly from the transmitter to the receiver without reflecting off a target. The length of the direct leakage varies with the transmitted pulse length. The transmitted pulse length is set using Profiles.

PCR

Pulsed Coherent Radar.

PRF

Pulse repetition frequency. The frequency at which the radar transmits wavelets.

Profile

Profiles are used to set the transmitted pulse length in discreet steps. The higher the Profile, the longer the transmitted pulse length.

SNR

Abbreviation of Signal-to-noise ratio. General ratios quantify how much more there is of one thing (Signal in this case), compared to the other thing (noise). Generally, a high SNR means high signal quality.

Reflectivity

A property of physical materials. If a material is more reflective, more power finds its way back to the sensor and vice versa.

Radar Cross Section

Depends on the shape of the Object measured. Affects how much power returns to the sensor.

Object

The physical thing a sensor should measure.

Detector

A reusable, well tested, package-offering that consists of an API for Sensor Control, higher-level output (like distance to objects) all backed by signal processing algorithms.

Detectors are used to enable many use cases. They are diligently used in our Reference Applications.

Sensor Control

Describes controlling the sensor on a low level or the sequence of sensor verbs (prepare, measure, process, power_on, etc.) in the context of Detectors, Reference Applications or Example Applications.

Reference Application

A nearly complete use case specific package-offering. Unlike Detectors, these packages are targeting more specific use cases, such as Tank Level or Parking.

Example Application

A use case specific proof-of-concept signal processing algorithm that haven’t undergone significant testing, but works quite well in the scenarios tested.

Exploration Tool

Acconeer’s graphical sensor evaluation application. All Detectors, Reference Applications and Example Applications are showcased here and new ones are added continuously.