Module 4 — Radar Fundamentals and FMCW#
Radar Fundamentals and FMCW
Send it, hear it come back, and work out what is out there.
Lessons 25–31 · Antennas, Phased Arrays, and Radar Systems · Dr. Neil Rogers
Where This Module Goes
Radar is the antenna course with a clock attached. The radar equation says whether you will hear the echo at all; range, resolution and Doppler say what you can tell about the thing that sent it back.
Then it gets real: FMCW on the PHASER, processed into range, a range waterfall, range-Doppler, MTI, and CFAR — the same chain a fielded radar runs. You build that chain one lab at a time, and then explain it in the final project, a report in your own words.
Detection is a decision under noise, not a measurement. At a fixed SNR, the probability of detection and the probability of false alarm move together along one curve, and CFAR exists because the noise floor will not hold still. The module then ends on what a radar does with a detection once it has one: classify it from its micro-Doppler signature, and track it in range and angle.
Learning Objectives 4.1-4.3
- I can apply the radar equation to calculate received power for a given geometry, and account for path loss and radar cross section (RCS).
- I can calculate range resolution, unambiguous range, and Doppler shift for a given radar waveform.
- I can apply radar detection theory (PD, FAR, dwell time) to determine detection performance under noise.
Learning Objectives 4.4-4.6
- I can describe FMCW radar operation and configure an FMCW waveform on the ADALM-PHASER.
- I can process FMCW radar data to produce range, range-waterfall, and range-Doppler results.
- I can apply moving target indication (MTI) processing to distinguish moving targets from clutter.
Learning Objectives 4.7-4.9
- I can apply constant false-alarm rate (CFAR) processing to radar data and evaluate detection performance.
- I can integrate FMCW radar processing with a phased-array front-end to track a moving target.
- I can classify a detected target from its micro-Doppler signature and report the classifier's accuracy.
Lessons 25-27: The Equation, and What It Takes to Detect
The Radar Equation, Path Loss, and RCS
Radar equation, path loss, and radar cross section. Objective 4.1.
Lesson 26Range, Resolution, and Doppler
Range resolution, unambiguous range, Doppler shift, and radar types. Objective 4.2.
Lesson 27Radar Detection
Detection theory: probability of detection, false-alarm rate, and dwell time under noise. Objective 4.3.
Lessons 28-29: FMCW Range and Doppler on the Bench
FMCW on the Phaser
FMCW operation and configuring an FMCW waveform on the PHASER, then the L28 Lab: range and the range waterfall from one capture. Objectives 4.2, 4.4, 4.5.
Lesson 29Range-Doppler and MTI
Range-Doppler processing of a burst of chirps, and MTI to separate movers from clutter, then the L29 Lab on your own kit. Objectives 4.5, 4.6.
Lessons 30-31: Detect, Classify, and Track
CFAR Processing
Constant false-alarm-rate processing, then the L30 Lab: CFAR on your own range-Doppler maps. Objective 4.7.
Lesson 31Classification and Tracking
Micro-Doppler classification and range and angle tracking, then the L31 Lab: classify a target from its spectrogram and track a walker in range and angle. Objectives 4.8, 4.9.
The Final Project
One report, in your own words, on the radar you built: 30% of the course grade.
The L28-L31 Labs are the scaffolding: range, range-Doppler and MTI, CFAR, classification.
The lab packets alone are not the project. Extra credit for an approved extension.