Millimeter-wave joint radar and communication system based on photonic frequency-multiplying constant envelope...

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Wireless Communication
• Radar Systems

Background:

• Next-generation wireless networks (6G+) and defense require integrated radar and communication (JRC) systems.
• Existing JRC systems face challenges in achieving both high-resolution ranging and high-capacity data transmission simultaneously.
• Millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frequencies offer potential for high bandwidth but require advanced signal processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel photonics-assisted mm-wave JRC system.
• To achieve multi-Gbit/s data rates for communication and centimeter-level range resolution for radar.
• To develop a robust JRC signal design with a low power-to-average power ratio.

Main Methods:

• Design of an intermediate-frequency (IF) JRC signal via angle modulation of a linear frequency modulation (LFM) radar carrier with orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM).
• Utilizing a broadband photonic frequency (phase)-multiplying scheme to generate the mm-wave JRC signal.
• Employing a constant-envelope OFDM (CE-OFDM) inspired approach for signal generation.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a 60-GHz JRC signal with over 10-GHz instantaneous bandwidth.
• Achieved 1.5-cm range resolution for 2D imaging and an 8-Gbit/s data rate.
• The system exhibited robustness against nonlinear distortions due to a fixed low power-to-average power ratio.

Conclusions:

• The proposed photonics-assisted mm-wave JRC system successfully integrates high-resolution radar and high-speed communication functionalities.
• The CE-LFM-OFDM signal design enables high performance for both radar and communication in a single system.
• Higher-order photonic frequency multiplication can further enhance radar resolution and communication anti-noise capabilities.