Extrinsic Calibration of 2D Millimetre-Wavelength Radar Pairs Using Ego-Velocity Estimates

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel calibration method for 2D millimetre-wavelength radar pairs that uses ego-velocity estimates, eliminating the need for shared fields of view or special targets, and improves accuracy over existing techniques.

Contribution

The authors propose a new ego-velocity-based calibration approach that estimates key transform parameters without requiring overlapping views or dedicated targets.

Findings

Method is more reliable than state-of-the-art techniques.

Calibration of yaw and translation axis is achieved without shared FOV.

Full transform can be recovered with coarse rotation rate info.

Abstract

Correct radar data fusion depends on knowledge of the spatial transform between sensor pairs. Current methods for determining this transform operate by aligning identifiable features in different radar scans, or by relying on measurements from another, more accurate sensor. Feature-based alignment requires the sensors to have overlapping fields of view or necessitates the construction of an environment map. Several existing techniques require bespoke retroreflective radar targets. These requirements limit both where and how calibration can be performed. In this paper, we take a different approach: instead of attempting to track targets or features, we rely on ego-velocity estimates from each radar to perform calibration. Our method enables calibration of a subset of the transform parameters, including the yaw and the axis of translation between the radar pair, without the need for a shared field of view or for specialized targets. In general, the yaw and the axis of translation are the most important parameters for data fusion, the most likely to vary over time, and the most difficult to calibrate manually. We formulate calibration as a batch optimization problem, show that the radar-radar system is identifiable, and specify the platform excitation requirements. Through simulation studies and real-world experiments, we establish that our method is more reliable and accurate than state-of-the-art methods. Finally, we demonstrate that the full rigid body transform can be recovered if relatively coarse information about the platform rotation rate is available.