Lecture Notes Radar Systems (Week 10)

FMCW Radar
Dr Sajid Ahmed

Information Technology University

Lahore, Pakistan
e-mail: sajid.ahmed@itu.edu.pk
April 30, 2020
 Types of Radar

• There are two basic types of Radar.

– Pulse Radar
∗ Good for spatial resolution.
– Continuous-Wave Radar
∗ Good for range-rate or Doppler-shift measurement.
• By combining the above two radars we get
– Frequency Modulated Continuous-Wave Radar
∗ Good for range and Doppler-shift measurement.
– Synthetic-aperture-radar (SAR) and Space-time adaptive processing (STAP)
radar
∗ Airborne radars used for ground imaging and locating moving objects on
the ground.

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 Pulse Radar (1/2)

1.5
τ0
1

Pulse amplitude
0.5
Receiver is active
0

−0.5

−1
T
−1.5
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1
Time
Figure 1: Pulsed Radar Pulse.

• A pulse of duration τo and period T is transmitted.

• Isolation not a problem but more complex hardware.

• Good for measuring range but poor for measuring Doppler shift.

2
 Pulse Radar (2/2)

Target

Radar
R

Figure 2: Basic Radar System.

• If a target is present at distance R, the reflected pulse will be received at time

2R
t=
c
• The range, R, can be calculated as
ct
R=
2
• For pulse period T maximum range can be calculated as
cT
Rmax =
2
3
 Sine Pulse Radar (1/4)

• The transmitted pulse of frequency 1kHz and duration τ0 = 10msec.

Pulse Amplitude 1

−1

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
time (seconds)
Matched−filter output

−1

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
time (seconds)

Figure 3: Sine pulse and its matched filter output for a target present at a distance 0.01sec.
4
 Sine Pulse Radar (2/4)

• Two targets; the 1st one at 10msec and the 2nd one at 30msec from the radar.

Received Signal 1

−1

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
time (seconds)
Matched−filter output

−1

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
time (seconds)

Figure 4: Sine pulse and its matched filter output for two point targets. The distance between the targets is 2cτ0 .
5
 Sine Pulse Radar (3/4)

• Two targets; the 1st one is at 10msec and the 2nd one at 20msec from the radar

Received Signal 1

−1

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
time (seconds)
Matched−filter output

−1

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
time (seconds)

Figure 5: Sine pulse and its matched filter output for two point targets. The distance between the targets is cτ0 .
6
 Sine Pulse Radar (4/4)

• Two targets; the 1st one at 10msec and 2nd one at 15msec from the radar.

Received Signal 1

−1

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
time (seconds)
Matched−filter output

−1

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
time (seconds)

Figure 6: Sine pulse and its matched filter output for two point targets. The distance between the targets is cτ0 /2
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 Drawbacks of Sine Pulse Radar

The main drawbacks of sine pulse radar are

• Spatial resolution of the radar depends on the pulse duration.

• Lower the pulse duration higher the bandwidth of the signal and better the
spatial resolution.

• With lower pulse duration high power can not be transmitted as a consequence
range of the radar may decrease.

• Chirp pulse can mitigate the problem with sine pulse.

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 Chirp Pulse Radar (1/4)

• Chirp pulse signal is given by  

 B 2 
pc (t) = sin 2π fo t + t + θ0 ,
2T
where fo is the initial frequency of the Chirp pulse, B is the bandwidth of the
chirp signal, and θ0 is the initial phase of the Chirp signal.

1.5

0.5
p (t)

0
c

−0.5

−1

−1.5
0 0.0020.004 0.006 0.008 0.01
t(seconds)
B
Figure 7: Chirp signal, where f0 = 1kHz, 2T
= 0.1M , and θ0 = 0.

9
 Chirp Pulse Radar (2/4)
• The transmitted Chirp pulse of duration τ0 = 10msec.

Transmitted Pulse 1

−1

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
time (seconds)
Matched−filter output

−1

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
time (seconds)

Figure 8: Transmitted Chirp pulse and its matched filter output for a target at a distance 0.01sec.
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 Chirp Pulse Radar (3/4)
• Two targets; 1st one at 10msec and the 2nd one at 20msec from the radar

Received Signal 1

−1

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
time (seconds)
Matched−filter output

−1

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
time (seconds)

Figure 9: Received Chirp pulses and matched filter output for two point targets. The distance between the targets is cτ0 .
11
 Chirp Pulse Radar (4/4)
• Two targets; the 1st one at 10msec and the 2nd one is at 15msec from the radar.

Received Signal 1

−1

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
time (seconds)
Matched−filter output

−1

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
time (seconds)

Figure 10: Received Chirp pulses and matched filter output for two point targets. The distance between the targets is cτ0 /2.

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 Continuous-Wave Radar (1/2)

• Transmit continuous sine wave at one frequency.

• Transmitter and receiver are constantly active.

• If vr is the relative velocity between the radar and target, fc is the carrier
frequency, and c is the velocity of light, the Doppler shift in the reflected signal
can be written as
2vr fc
fd =
c
• Relatively simple hardware but Tx/Rx isolation may be a problem.
• Good for measuring velocity of the target.
• Poor for measuring range, but can measure range with more complex
hardware.

13
 Continuous-Wave Radar (2/2)

Figure 11: Continuous-Wave/Doppler Radar.

PSfrag replacements X LPF

sin(2πfd )
θK
Figure 12: Basic continuous-wave radar receiver.

14
 FMCW Radar Design (1/1)

• The transmitted complex linear chirp signal can be written as

B
x(t) = ej2π fc + 2T t t .

• The received signal, y(t), from the target at a distance R will be delayed &
attenuated

B
j2π fc + 2T (t−τ ) (t−τ )
y(t) = e + v(t),
2R
where τ = c .
The demodulated signal at the receiver can be written as




B B B
z(t) = ej2π fc + 2T t t e−j2π fc + 2T (t−τ ) (t−τ ) + v ∗ (t)ej2π fc + 2T t t



B B 2
= ej2π fc + 2T t t e−j2π fc (t−τ )+ 2T (t−τ ) + w(t)


B 2
= e−j2π −fc τ + 2T (−2tτ +τ ) + w(t)


2Bτ Bτ
= ej2π 2T t+(fc − 2T )τ + w(t)



Bτ Bτ Bτ
= ej2π(fc − 2T )τ ej2π T t + w(t) = ej2πfl τ ej2π T t + w(t). (1)
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where fl = (fc − Bτ
2T ). The beat frequency is Bτ
T , which can be found by
collecting N samples and taking the FFT of the signal. In discrete domain, the
nth sample can be written as


Bτ
z(n) = ej2πfl τ ej2π T n + w(n). (2)

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 FMCW Radar System Design (1/4)

• In real system design I and Q data are generated as

2
 
2πBt
I(t) = cos ,
2T
2
 
2πBt
Q(t) = sin ,
2T
• I and Q data are modulated as
2
 
2πBt
cos(2πfc t)I(t) = cos(2πfc t) cos ,
2T
2 2
     
Bt Bt
= cos 2π fc t + + cos 2π fc t − ,
2T 2T
2πBt2
 
sin(2πfc t)Q(t) = sin(2πfc t) sin ,
2T
2 2
     
Bt Bt
= cos 2π fc t − − cos 2π fc t + , (3)
2T 2T
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• The transmitted signal will be
2
  
Bt
cos(2πfc t)I(t) + sin(2πfc t)Q(t) = cos 2π fc t − (4)
2T

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 FMCW Radar System Design (2/4)

• The received signal after reflection from the target will be time and frequency
shifted (if target is moving)
2
  
B(t − τ )
r(t) = cos 2π (fc + fd )(t − τ ) − (5)
2T
• The received signal is demodulated

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• I and Q data are modulated as
2
  
B(t − τ )
cos(2πfc t)r(t) = cos(2πfc t) cos 2π (fc + fd )(t − τ ) − ,
2T
2
  
B(t − τ )
= cos 2π 2fc t + fd t − (fc + fd )τ −
2T
2
  
B(t − τ )
+ cos 2π −fd t + (fc + fd )τ + ,
2T
2
  
B(t − τ )
sin(2πfc t)r(t) = sin(2πfc t) cos 2π (fc + fd )(t − τ ) − ,
2T
2
  
B(t − τ )
= sin 2π 2fc t + fd t − (fc + fd )τ −
2T
2
  
B(t − τ )
+ sin 2π −fd t + (fc + fd )τ + .
2T

20
 FMCW Radar System Design (3/4)

• Both stream signals are passed through the LPF to get

2
  
B(t − τ )
rcLPF(t) = cos 2π −fd t + (fc + fd )τ + ,
2T
2
  
B(t − τ )
rsLPF r(t)) = sin 2π −fd t + (fc + fd )τ + ,,
2T

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• The LPFed signals are multiplied with the corresponding unmodulated chirps
2 2 2
      
2πBt B(t − τ ) 2πBt
rcLPF(t) cos = cos 2π −fd t + (fc + fd )τ + cos
2T 2T 2T
B(t − τ )2 Bt2
  
= cos 2π −fd t + (fc + fd )τ + +
2T 2T
2 2
  
B(t − τ ) Bt
+ cos 2π −fd t + (fc + fd )τ + − ,
2T 2T
2 2 2
      
2πBt B(t − τ ) 2πBt
rsLPF r(t)) sin = sin 2π −fd t + (fc + fd )τ + sin
2T 2T 2T
2 2
  
B(t − τ ) Bt
, = cos 2π −fd t + (fc + fd )τ + −
2T 2T
2 2
  
B(t − τ ) Bt
− cos 2π −fd t + (fc + fd )τ + + ,
2T 2T

22
 FMCW Radar System Design (4/4)

• Adding both of these signals we get

2 2
   
2πBt 2πBt
y(t) = rcLPFr(t)) cos + rsLPF r(t)) sin
2T 2T
B(t − τ )2 Bt2
  
= cos 2π −fd t + (fc + fd )τ + −
2T 2T
Bτ 2
   
Bτ
= cos 2π fd + t − (fc + fd )τ +
T 2T

• Here signal y(t) has only a sinusoidal signal of frequency fd + Bτ

T
. This
frequency depends on velocity of the target and range. Both of these
frequencies are coupled, and difficult to separate. However, by transmitting
multiple pulses and coherent integration, both of the frequencies uncoupled. In
coherent integration a sample matrix is formed and fft is applied to find the
Doppler shift in each range bin.

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 Assignment 2 Hints (1/2)

• Transmitted signal
T 2

!!
B t− 2
x(t) = exp 2π fc t + .
2T

• Received signal from a moving target at a distance τ1 /2

T 2

!!
B t − τ1 − 2
r(t) = exp 2π (fc + fd )(t − τ1 ) + .
2T
• Demodulated received signal
y(t) = r(t) exp(−j2πfc t), τ ≤t≤τ +T
T 2

!!
B t − τ1 −2
= exp 2π (fc + fd )(t − τ1 ) + exp(−j2πfct)
2T
T 2

!!
B t − τ1 − 2
= exp 2π −(fc + fd )τ1 + exp(j2πfdt). (6)
2T

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