Golay Complementary Waveforms in Reed-Müller Sequences for Radar Detection of Nonzero Doppler Targets

Area of Science:

• Radar Signal Processing
• Waveform Design
• Target Detection

Background:

• Golay complementary waveforms (GCWs) offer high range resolution and low sidelobes theoretically.
• Conventional deployment of GCWs generates significant range sidelobes for nonzero Doppler targets, hindering reliable detection.
• Existing methods struggle with accurate detection in scenarios involving multiple targets with nonzero Doppler shifts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop advanced signal processing techniques for GCWs to enhance radar detection performance.
• To address the challenge of unreliable detection caused by range sidelobes from multiple nonzero Doppler targets.
• To improve illumination performance through optimized waveform transmission and return weighting.

Main Methods:

• A novel signal processing procedure is proposed, building upon the Binomial Design algorithm.
• The procedure involves altering the transmission order of GCWs using one of three proposed ordering algorithms.
• A pointwise nonlinear processor combines outputs from the Binomial Design algorithm and the selected ordering algorithm.

Main Results:

• Numerical simulations demonstrate superior detection performance compared to existing methods.
• The proposed procedure achieves lower sidelobes and higher Doppler resolution in the presence of multiple nonzero Doppler targets.
• Computational complexity of the Binomial Design and ordering algorithms was analyzed, alongside statistical performance analysis.

Conclusions:

• The proposed signal processing procedure significantly enhances radar detection capabilities for complex target scenarios.
• This method effectively mitigates range sidelobe issues associated with nonzero Doppler targets.
• The findings offer a more reliable approach to radar detection, particularly in cluttered or dynamic environments.