Patent ID: 8432309

Claim:
A radar system for a vehicle comprising: a transmit unit including a single beam transmit antenna for output of a radar signal into a target zone external to said vehicle; and a receive unit including a single beam receive antenna capable of receiving a direct receive signal and an indirect receive signal, each of said direct and indirect receive signals being reflections of said radar signal from an object in said target zone, and said direct and indirect receive signals being summed to produce a detection signal indicating a presence of said object in said target zone, wherein said target zone includes a first region adjacent to a side of said vehicle and a second region displaced outwardly and backwardly from a rear quarter panel of said vehicle, and said each of said single beam transmit and receive antennas exhibits an antenna pattern having a main lobe directed in said second region and a side lobe reflected from a reflective panel of said vehicle into said first region such that when said object is located in said second region, a first signal strength of said direct receive signal dominates a second signal strength of said indirect receive signal in said detection signal and when said object is located in said first region, said second signal strength of said indirect receive signal dominates said first signal strength of said direct receive signal in said detection signal.