Design of high-resolution radar waveforms for multi-radar and dense target environments

Abstract

This study addresses the waveform design problem of high-resolution radar, especially for dense target environments when the detection of small targets in the neighbourhood of large target is more important. Such a practical application demands an ambiguity function with a sharp central spike and large clear area around it, which is free from the sidelobes. This study investigates the sidelobe-pushing property of the Linear Congruence (LC) Codes that can produce the desired sidelobe-free area around the mainlobe. Minimum Sequence Length Criteria for achieving the desired sidelobe-free area are also described. In order to achieve the sharp central mainlobe in the delay–Doppler plane for resolving closely spaced targets, modifications are suggested to the LC codes and such modified sequences are called ‘Modified Linear Congruence Codes’. The designed codes are highly suitable in dense target scenarios as well as in multi-radar environments.