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Main Authors: Geng, Ruixu, Li, Yadong, Zhang, Dongheng, Huang, Pengcheng, Wang, Binquan, Zhang, Binbin, Lu, Zhi, Hu, Yang, Chen, Yan
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.23472
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author Geng, Ruixu
Li, Yadong
Zhang, Dongheng
Huang, Pengcheng
Wang, Binquan
Zhang, Binbin
Lu, Zhi
Hu, Yang
Chen, Yan
author_facet Geng, Ruixu
Li, Yadong
Zhang, Dongheng
Huang, Pengcheng
Wang, Binquan
Zhang, Binbin
Lu, Zhi
Hu, Yang
Chen, Yan
contents Millimeter-wave (mmWave) radar systems with large array have pushed radar sensing into a new era, thanks to their high angular resolution. However, our long-term experiments indicate that array elements exhibit phase drift over time and require periodic phase calibration to maintain high-resolution, creating an obstacle for practical high-resolution mmWave sensing. Unfortunately, existing calibration methods are inadequate for periodic recalibration, either because they rely on artificial references or fail to provide sufficient precision. To address this challenge, we introduce AutoCalib, the first framework designed to automatically and accurately calibrate high-resolution mmWave radars by identifying Ambient Radio Anchors (ARAs)-naturally existing objects in ambient environments that offer stable phase references. AutoCalib achieves calibration by first generating spatial spectrum templates based on theoretical electromagnetic characteristics. It then employs a pattern-matching and scoring mechanism to accurately detect these anchors and select the optimal one for calibration. Extensive experiments across 11 environments demonstrate that AutoCalib capable of identifying ARAs that existing methods miss due to their focus on strong reflectors. AutoCalib's calibration performance approaches corner reflectors (74% phase error reduction) while outperforming existing methods by 83%. Beyond radar calibration, AutoCalib effectively supports other phase-dependent applications like handheld imaging, delivering 96% of corner reflector calibration performance without artificial references.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_23472
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Automatic Phase Calibration for High-resolution mmWave Sensing via Ambient Radio Anchors
Geng, Ruixu
Li, Yadong
Zhang, Dongheng
Huang, Pengcheng
Wang, Binquan
Zhang, Binbin
Lu, Zhi
Hu, Yang
Chen, Yan
Signal Processing
Millimeter-wave (mmWave) radar systems with large array have pushed radar sensing into a new era, thanks to their high angular resolution. However, our long-term experiments indicate that array elements exhibit phase drift over time and require periodic phase calibration to maintain high-resolution, creating an obstacle for practical high-resolution mmWave sensing. Unfortunately, existing calibration methods are inadequate for periodic recalibration, either because they rely on artificial references or fail to provide sufficient precision. To address this challenge, we introduce AutoCalib, the first framework designed to automatically and accurately calibrate high-resolution mmWave radars by identifying Ambient Radio Anchors (ARAs)-naturally existing objects in ambient environments that offer stable phase references. AutoCalib achieves calibration by first generating spatial spectrum templates based on theoretical electromagnetic characteristics. It then employs a pattern-matching and scoring mechanism to accurately detect these anchors and select the optimal one for calibration. Extensive experiments across 11 environments demonstrate that AutoCalib capable of identifying ARAs that existing methods miss due to their focus on strong reflectors. AutoCalib's calibration performance approaches corner reflectors (74% phase error reduction) while outperforming existing methods by 83%. Beyond radar calibration, AutoCalib effectively supports other phase-dependent applications like handheld imaging, delivering 96% of corner reflector calibration performance without artificial references.
title Automatic Phase Calibration for High-resolution mmWave Sensing via Ambient Radio Anchors
topic Signal Processing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.23472