Patent ID: 8339305

Claim:
A method for detecting an object with an frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) ranging system, comprising: transmitting a signal towards the object; receiving a reflected signal caused by reflections of the transmitted signal; calculating a frequency difference signal of the transmitted signal and the received reflected signal; and determining a frequency spectrum of the frequency difference signal and analyzing the frequency spectrum to determine a frequency related to the object to be detected, wherein analyzing the frequency spectrum comprises: determining a strongest sinusoidal component in the frequency spectrum and removing the determined component from the spectrum; repeating said prior determining step at least once; adding a component determined in the prior determining and repeating steps to the frequency spectrum, and re-determining the strongest sinusoidal component in the frequency spectrum and removing the re-determined component from the frequency spectrum; repeating the adding step for each of remaining determined sinusoidal component; and repeating the adding and repeated adding step for each of remaining determined sinusoidal component until a desired degree of convergence is reached.