Near-Field Target Detection with Range-Angle-Coupled Matching Based on Distributed MIMO Radar

Area of Science:

• Radar Systems Engineering
• Signal Processing
• Electromagnetics

Background:

• Conventional far-field detection methods in distributed MIMO radar systems are inadequate for near-field conditions.
• Wavefront curvature in near-field scenarios causes target energy loss and inaccurate parameter estimation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robust near-field target detection framework for distributed MIMO radar.
• To address the limitations of existing methods in handling near-field complexities.

Main Methods:

• Design of a frequency division-linear frequency modulation (FD-LFM) signal for improved orthogonality and Doppler tolerance.
• Development of a 3D grid-based echo model for near-field targets in the range-azimuth-elevation domain.
• Implementation of coherent pulse integration via multi-dimensional matching for precise delay alignment and echo accumulation.
• Proposal of a parallelization scheme with GPU acceleration for real-time near-field processing.

Main Results:

• Effective compensation for spherical wave propagation effects in near-field detection.
• Demonstration of high-resolution near-field target detection capabilities.
• Validation of the framework's effectiveness through simulations and experimental data.

Conclusions:

• The proposed range-angle-coupled matching framework significantly enhances near-field target detection in distributed MIMO radar.
• The method provides accurate parameter estimation and overcomes energy loss issues inherent in near-field conditions.
• The framework enables real-time processing and high-resolution imaging for near-field radar applications.