Nonlinearity-Compensated Short-Range FMCW Radar for Weak Target Imaging

Abstract

An easily implementable, low-cost, and portable broadband frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system is presented for short-range imaging applications. Design considerations and radar performance metrics are discussed in detail while investigating systematic and nonsystematic performance-limiting factors. This article introduces a signal processing procedure based on a closed-form comprehensive mathematical model to characterize the impact of the nonlinear frequency sweep on radar performance. Based on the proposed model, the nonlinearity is compensated using the time-resampling technique and without needing a reference response. A single-zone calibration does not provide enough accuracy when multiple targets are widely distributed in the cross-range direction. A range-and angle-dependent calibration scheme is proposed to mitigate the second-order effects more precisely, which are otherwise difficult to model mathematically. Detecting less reflective targets in the presence of a strong scatterer is challenging. A range-gating method based on a tunable active bandpass filter (BPF) is proposed to improve the radar system’s sensitivity by suppressing the dominant reflection and enhancing the weaker scatterer. The results are verified by developing SAR images of targets in free space and through a residential wall.