Spectral Smoothing by Multiple Radar Pattern Multiplication for Improved Accuracy

This paper presents a novel technique for improving radar accuracy. In particular, by studying the product of multiple radar beam pattern spectrums from different radar sub-module views, a refined and improved total radar response can be obtained. We examine this radar signal processing approach using a 24GHz frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar system equipped with broadband 1.5GHz substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) antenna arrays to ensure high range resolution. The transmitter is defined by 4 sawtooth signals generated by separated radar sub-modules, each having a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) configuration with 4 receivers at each radar submodule. The measured spectral multiplication of the individual radar sub-modules results in a signal quality improvement of more than 10dB when compared to a MIMO radar configuration with the same architecture.