An approach to traffic flow detection improvements of non-contact microwave radar detectors

This study applies fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) and prescribed smart decisions to enhancing traffic detection of non-contact microwave radars (MRs). Adequate thresholds are selected for filtering FFTs of regional lane contexts in multiple-lane environments. So, frequency-modulated continuous waves of a MR reflected from vehicles are distinguished from clutter and noise. Though lane-crossing FFT sidelobes may occur, smart decisions improve the reliability of detected traffic of each lane. On-site urban traffic experiments demonstrate the advantage and feasibility of the proposed method.