Matched‐filter properties of linear‐frequency‐modulation radar signal reflected from a phase‐switched screen

Abstract

The phase-switched screen (PSS) imposes phase modulation onto the radar-reflected signal so that its energy is redistributed into sidebands that lie outside the receiver pass-band. However, when illuminated by a wideband linear frequency modulation (LFM) radar, the modulated reflected signal may still occupy the radar pass-band if the LFM signal bandwidth is greater than the modulating frequency. Previous research about the reflectivity performance of a PSS against LFM radar illumination focuses mainly on the frequency spectrum characteristics. In this study, an investigation has been carried out to determine the matched-filter properties of an LFM radar signal modulated by a PSS. Theoretical analyses and simulation results have proven that even though the radar receiver bandwidth has been corrupted to aliasing by component of the reflected signal, the PSS is shown to be equally effective in shielding a target and additionally provide a multiple-decoy capability.