Design and Implementation of Random Noise Radar with Spectral-Domain Correlation for Moving Target Detection

A correlation processing algorithm in the spectral domain is proposed for detecting moving targets with random noise radar. AD converted reference and Rx signals are passed through FFT block, and they are multiplied after the reference signal is complex conjugated. Now inverse FFT yields the sub-correlation results, and range and velocity information can be accurately extracted by an additional FFT processing. In this design procedure, specific considerations have to be made for correlation length, averaging number, and number of sub-correlation data for Doppler processing. The proposed algorithm was verified by Simulink (Mathworks) simulation, and its logic was implemented with Xilinx FPGA device (Vertex5 series) by System Generator block sets (Xilinx) in the Simulink environment. A CW X-band random-FM noise radar prototype with an instantaneous bandwidth of 100 MHz was designed and implemented, and laboratory and field tests were conducted to detect moving targets, and the observed results showed the validity of the proposed algorithm and the operation of implemented FPGA logics.