Signal Modeling for Bistatic FMCW Radar Asynchronization and Its Effect on ISAR Images

Abstract

A static frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar imaging system uses different local oscillator (LO) and clock signals owing to the spatial separation of the transmitter and receiver, resulting in asynchronization problems of various factors that can deteriorate the quality of radar images. In this study, we defined signal models for bistatic FMCW asynchronization factors:1) the time difference between reference signals in the transmitter and receiver, 2) LO phase noise difference, 3) pulse repetition frequency mismatch, and 4) center frequency difference. We generated ISAR images of the point scatterer for each asynchronization factor to analyze the influence of asynchronization through the ISAR image in terms of quality parameters.