An Overview of Signal Processing Techniques for Joint Communication and Radar Sensing

Joint communication and radar sensing (JCR) represents an emerging research field aiming to integrate the above two functionalities into a single system, by sharing the majority of hardware, signal processing modules and, in a typical case, the transmitted signal. The close cooperation of the communication and sensing functions can enable significant improvement of spectrum efficiency, reduction of device size, cost and power consumption, and improvement of performance of both functions. Advanced signal processing techniques are critical for making the integration efficient, from transmission signal design to receiver processing. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art on JCR systems from the signal processing perspective. A balanced coverage on both transmitter and receiver is provided for three types of JCR systems, namely, communication-centric, radar-centric, and joint design and optimization

Adaptive MIMO Radar for Target Detection, Estimation, and Tracking

We develop and analyze signal processing algorithms to detect, estimate, and track targets using multiple-input multiple-output: MIMO) radar systems. MIMO radar systems have attracted much attention in the recent past due to the additional degrees of freedom they offer. They are commonly used in two different antenna configurations: widely-separated: distributed) and colocated. Distributed MIMO radar exploits spatial diversity by utilizing multiple uncorrelated looks at the target. Colocated MIMO radar systems offer performance improvement by exploiting waveform diversity. Each antenna has the freedom to transmit a waveform that is different from the waveforms of the other transmitters. First, we propose a radar system that combines the advantages of distributed MIMO radar and fully polarimetric radar. We develop the signal model for this system and analyze the performance of the optimal Neyman-Pearson detector by obtaining approximate expressions for the probabilities of detection and false alarm. Using these expressions, we adaptively design the transmit waveform polarizations that optimize the target detection performance. Conventional radar design approaches do not consider the goal of the target itself, which always tries to reduce its detectability. We propose to incorporate this knowledge about the goal of the target while solving the polarimetric MIMO radar design problem by formulating it as a game between the target and the radar design engineer. Unlike conventional methods, this game-theoretic design does not require target parameter estimation from large amounts of training data. Our approach is generic and can be applied to other radar design problems also. Next, we propose a distributed MIMO radar system that employs monopulse processing, and develop an algorithm for tracking a moving target using this system. We electronically generate two beams at each receiver and use them for computing the local estimates. Later, we efficiently combine the information present in these local estimates, using the instantaneous signal energies at each receiver to keep track of the target. Finally, we develop multiple-target estimation algorithms for both distributed and colocated MIMO radar by exploiting the inherent sparsity on the delay-Doppler plane. We propose a new performance metric that naturally fits into this multiple target scenario and develop an adaptive optimal energy allocation mechanism. We employ compressive sensing to perform accurate estimation from far fewer samples than the Nyquist rate. For colocated MIMO radar, we transmit frequency-hopping codes to exploit the frequency diversity. We derive an analytical expression for the block coherence measure of the dictionary matrix and design an optimal code matrix using this expression. Additionally, we also transmit ultra wideband noise waveforms that improve the system resolution and provide a low probability of intercept: LPI)

Target localization in MIMO radar systems

MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) radar systems employ multiple antennas to transmit multiple waveforms and engage in joint processing of the received echoes from the target. MIMO radar has been receiving increasing attention in recent years from researchers, practitioners, and funding agencies. Elements of MIMO radar have the ability to transmit diverse waveforms ranging from independent to fully correlated. MIMO radar offers a new paradigm for signal processing research. In this dissertation, target localization accuracy performance, attainable by the use of MIMO radar systems, configured with multiple transmit and receive sensors, widely distributed over an area, are studied. The Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) for target localization accuracy is developed for both coherent and noncoherent processing. The CRLB is shown to be inversely proportional to the signal effective bandwidth in the noncoherent case, but is approximately inversely proportional to the carrier frequency in the coherent case. It is shown that optimization over the sensors\u27 positions lowers the CRLB by a factor equal to the product of the number of transmitting and receiving sensors. The best linear unbiased estimator (BLUE) is derived for the MIMO target localization problem. The BLUE\u27s utility is in providing a closed-form localization estimate that facilitates the analysis of the relations between sensors locations, target location, and localization accuracy. Geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) contours are used to map the relative performance accuracy for a given layout of radars over a given geographic area. Coherent processing advantage for target localization relies on time and phase synchronization between transmitting and receiving radars. An analysis of the sensitivity of the localization performance with respect to the variance of phase synchronization error is provided by deriving the hybrid CRLB. The single target case is extended to the evaluation of multiple target localization performance. Thus far, the analysis assumes a stationary target. Study of moving target tracking capabilities is offered through the use of the Bayesian CRLB for the estimation of both target location and velocity. Centralized and decentralized tracking algorithms, inherit to distributed MIMO radar architecture, are proposed and evaluated. It is shown that communication requirements and processing load may be reduced at a relatively low performance cost