Visualization of Real-Time Radar Data by Integration of X-Band Software

To have a fully functional FMCW X-band radar for the SMARTLabs ACHIEVE trailer, it is necessary to produce code to retrieve data from an FPGA board linked to the radar, calculate Fourier transforms and display the power spectrum in near-real time using a computer code based on freely available scientific development tools. In order for the communication between the FPGA board and the computer to be reliable and accurate, developing a specific format through the use of C was an initial step. This was followed by the development of a method to visualize data efficiently. In this case, Python, along with its matplotlib, SciPy, and NumPy modules, were used. Both programs were then integrated together within a graphical user interface.