Fusion of radar sensing, data communications, and GPS interoperability via software-defined OFDM architecture
This chapter considers a variety of functionalities that are typically assigned to distinctly different devices, each designed separately and each requiring its own power supply, analog front end (AFE), physical space, spectral allocation, and computational processing power. Specifically, these devices comprise a radar-based sensor, a data communication transceiver, and a radio frequency (RF) position/navigation system. The rationale behind this “division of labor” is well understood. Certain types of waveforms are simply better suited to particular tasks. For example, linear frequency modulation (LFM) chirp signals are a veritable radar staple, while a variety of keying modulation formats are used for communications. There is an obvious redundancy in this approach; a redundancy that often leads to a critical increase in power consumption, spectral overcrowding, instrument weight and size, and demands upon computing resources. When combined, these increases may represent a formidable challenge especially when these systems are designed for autonomous, long-endurance platforms such as unmanned (aerial, ground, underwater) vehicles. Consequently, instead of choosing system parameters that are best suited to each function, it is worth investigating a prospective compromise solution that allows for a combination of these functions via judicious signal design. A uniting factor throughout this chapter is thus the signal and system architecture format that enables the fusion of the aforementioned functionalities. We explore this potential via the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) software-defined radar system (SDRS) concept.




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