Hybrid robust beamforming for enhanced multiple moving object detection with phased array scanning radar

Area of Science:

• Radar Systems Engineering
• Signal Processing
• Array Antennas

Background:

• Conventional radar systems struggle with interference and noise, limiting their effectiveness in complex environments.
• Phased array radars offer enhanced capabilities but require robust beamforming for optimal performance.
• Existing beamforming techniques have limitations in handling multiple targets and strong interferences simultaneously.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel hybrid robust beamforming technique for phased array radar systems.
• To enhance the capability of radar systems for detecting and tracking multiple moving objects in noisy conditions.
• To improve interference rejection performance compared to conventional radar methods.

Main Methods:

• A 30×30 Uniform Rectangular Array (URA) based phased array radar system was designed.
• A hybrid robust beamformer, combining Minimum Variance Distortionless Response (MVDR) and Linearly Constrained Minimum Variance (LCMV) with diagonal loading, was employed.
• Initial simulations and experimental validation were performed on a 1×16 Uniform Linear Array (ULA) system with a conventional beamformer.

Main Results:

• The conventional beamformer on a ULA system achieved 89.80% accuracy in object detection under well-conditioned scenarios but failed in noisy environments.
• The proposed hybrid robust beamformer on the 30×30 URA system demonstrated superior performance in simulations.
• The advanced phased array radar system achieved an overall accuracy of 99.29% for multiple object detection and interference rejection.

Conclusions:

• The proposed hybrid robust beamforming approach significantly enhances phased array radar performance in challenging, noisy environments.
• The 30×30 URA-based system with the novel beamformer offers a robust solution for multi-object detection and interference suppression.
• This advanced radar technology represents a substantial improvement over conventional radar systems for complex operational scenarios.