Distributed PMCW Radar Network in Presence of Phase Noise

TL;DR

This paper explores how to mitigate phase noise effects in distributed PMCW radar networks by leveraging code sequences, enabling improved performance without sharing signals across radars.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to reduce uncorrelated phase noise impact in multi-static PMCW radar networks using code sequences, without signal sharing.

Findings

Effective phase noise compensation in Doppler dimension.

Enhanced radar network performance with uncorrelated phase noise.

Validation through numerical simulations.

Abstract

In Frequency Modulated Continuous Waveform (FMCW) radar systems, the phase noise from the Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) can increase the noise floor in the Range-Doppler map. The adverse effects of phase noise on close targets can be mitigated if the transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) employ the same chirp, a phenomenon known as the range correlation effect. In the context of a multi-static radar network, sharing the chirp between distant radars becomes challenging. Each radar generates its own chirp, leading to uncorrelated phase noise. Consequently, the system performance cannot benefit from the range correlation effect. Previous studies show that selecting a suitable code sequence for a Phase Modulated Continuous Waveform (PMCW) radar can reduce the impact of uncorrelated phase noise in the range dimension. In this paper, we demonstrate how to leverage this property to exploit both the mono- and multi-static signals of each radar in the network without having to share any signal at the carrier frequency. The paper introduces a detailed signal model for PMCW radar networks, analyzing both correlated and uncorrelated phase noise effects in the Doppler dimension. Additionally, a solution for compensating uncorrelated phase noise in Doppler is presented and supported by numerical results.