Patent ID: 8427362

Claim:
A radar apparatus, comprising: a transmission array antenna that includes a plurality of transmission antenna elements; a directivity control unit on a side of the transmission array antenna, which is configured to control directivity of the transmission array antenna by controlling phase of at least part of the plurality of transmission antenna elements; a reception array antenna that includes a plurality of reception antenna elements; a directivity control unit on a side of the reception array antenna, which is configured to control directivity of the reception array antenna by controlling phase of at least part of the plurality of reception antenna elements; and a target detecting unit configured to detect a target based on a reception signal having a transmission-reception composite directivity into which the directivity of the transmission array antenna and the directivity of the reception array antenna are combined, wherein one of the transmission array antenna and the reception array antenna is set as an array antenna on a grating suppressing side for suppressing a grating lobe and the other of the transmission array antenna and the reception array antenna is set as an array antenna on a grating suppressed side in which the grating lobe is suppressed, a directivity control unit on a grating suppressing side that is the directivity control unit on the side of the one of the transmission array antenna and the reception array antenna set as the antenna array on the grating suppressing side, which is configured to sequentially set a null point in the array antenna on the grating suppressing side to a plurality of setting directions different in angle from one another within a setting range corresponding to a width of the grating lobe in the array antenna on the grating suppressed side, and the target detecting unit is configured to produce a reception signal by averaging a plurality of reception signals which are received under the condition that the null point is set by the directivity control unit on the grating suppressing side, and detect the target based on the produced reception signal.