Waveform generation and signal processing for a multifunction radar system

Abstract

A multifunction, single platform RF sensor capable of performing target acquisition and tracking, combat identification, high data rate communications, and active protection is of interest to the U.S. Amy. The sensor ultimately must be affordable and the size minimized to meet the demands of a rapidly deployable force. To address these needs, the Army Research Laboratory has built and tested a multifunction radar test bed capable of performing multiple tasks simultaneously at K,-band. The system has integrated high-end RF components together with commercial-off-theshelf (COTS) signal processing technology. Key elements of the test bed are a commercial direct digital synthesizer (DDS) for adaptable waveform generation, multiple COTS field programmable gate array (FPGA) processors for real-time data acquisition and signal processing, a COTS FPGA based multi-port input/output (I/O) board programmed for radar timing and control, and an electronically scanned antenna (ESA) based upon a Rotman lens beam-former with active elements for multi-beam generation. The radar is capable of transmitting and receiving two simultaneous and independent beams in azimuth with up to 3 GHz of bandwidth and up to 8 watts of average power. The current configuration uses one beam for a radar target acquisition function and the other for a high data rate communication channel. The emphasis of this paper is on the radar's waveform generation and signal processing capability.

Architectures and components for multifunctional wireless systems

“…This goal has been pursued by the US Department of Defense in a number of programs of record including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Intelligent RF Front Ends (IRFFE) program [5], the Navy Advanced Multifunction RF Concept (AMRFC) [6], [7], the Air Force Sensorcraft concept [8], [9], and the Army Multifunction RF (MFRF) Advanced Technology Objective [10], [11].…”

FPGA architecture for real-time wideband waveform synthesis

“…Historically, dedicated Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS) integrated circuits (ICs) have been used to generate analog waveforms, while field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) provided timing and control signals [1]. As technology advanced, it became practical for the DDS function and additional modulations to be performed directly in the FPGA.…”

Velocity Error Analysis of a K-Band Dual Mode Traffic Radar

“…However, most commercial millimeter radar works in the single mode, which can not meet the needs in Intelligent Transportation Systems. Thus the dual-mode or multi-mode radar will play an important role [6][7][8][9][10][11], especially in accurate traffic information collection.…”