In this paper, a coherent multistatic radar network with a novel system architecture is presented, which circumvents the general problems of clock distribution and phase noise-related signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) issues. The proposed network consists of a variable number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar sensors and a variable number of repeater tags, all of which operate incoherently on the hardware level. In a minimum configuration, the network only consists of one MIMO radar sensor and a repeater tag. The theory behind such a multistatic network is mathematically derived, and simulations are presented to show key aspects of the network, i.e., multistatic range and Doppler measurements, as well as high-resolution angle estimation, exploiting a very large virtual aperture spanning the whole network. Measurements with one sensor and one repeater tag at 77 GHz are carried out to verify the simulations. The measurements show that the bistatic path between the sensor and the repeater tag retains coherency.
Next-generation radar sensors require imaging capabilities with high angular resolution. As for a single sensor, the aperture, and thus the achievable resolution, is limited due to the constraints of the front end, radar networks consisting of multiple sensors are a possible solution. However, their incoherency usually makes joint angle estimation impossible. This article presents a network concept consisting of an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) radar and repeater elements, which receive the reflections from targets and retransmit them back to the radar. Thereby, any frequency conversion from radio frequency to baseband and vice versa is omitted such that the signal remains coherent to the initial transmit signal. To distinguish the bistatic signal transmitted by the repeater from the monostatic one of the OFDM radar, the orthogonal subcarrier structure of OFDM waveforms is exploited by combining a sparse radar transmit signal with a low-frequency modulation in the repeater. This allows to evaluate the bistatic signals at the radar with standard multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO)-OFDM signal processing, leading to separate range-Doppler images for each virtual channel. Finally, it is shown that this method offers a coherent angular estimation based on the extended aperture of the network. For this purpose, a method to establish phase coherency by a reconstruction of the modulation phase is presented. The network concept is proved with measurements at 77 GHz.
In the last few years automotive radar has been transformed from being a niche sensor to becoming standard even in middle-class cars. With Euro-NCAP ratings now requiring automated braking and pedestrian safety functionality, radar is often identified as the best suited sensor for this purpose. Additionally, future automated driving will require detailed and highly reliable information on the environment and surrounding street traffic. This requires radar sensors to provide more detailed information about the environment, foremost in the spatial domain. Automotive radar has always benefited significantly from technological advances, especially in semiconductor technology and packaging, allowing a better performance and much more functionality in the radar frontend. A second key area is the antenna system, where new concepts to acquire more information about signals reflected from the environment can significantly improve resolution and detection performance.
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