Detection of Weak Moving Targets Based on 2-D

Range-Doppler FMCW Radar Fourier Processing

Faiza Ali, Martin Vossiek

Institute of Electrical Information Technology,
Clausthal University of Technology
D-38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
{ali vossiek}@iei.tu-clausthal.de

Abstract— This paper deals with a FMCW radar measurement
scheme and a 2-D range-Doppler FMCW radar Fourier
processing that is especially suited to detect very weak moving
targets. A 2-D Fourier transform is applied to a larger set of
consecutively measured FMCW radar beat signals. By this a
phase coherent evaluation of a very long measuring time and a
highly sensitive target separation in range and Doppler
dimension is feasible. Applications of the proposed method are
for example live sign detection of trapped or buried people,
intruder detection or level measurements to organic fluids. The
practical application of the described method is illustrated with a
24 GHz FMCW radar sensor system. The signal evaluation was
implemented on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) to
facilitate real time processing. Exemplary measurement results
are presented to illustrate the capability of the applied method.
Keywords-FMCW radar; range-Doppler processing; detection;
search and rescue technology.
I. INTRODUCTION
CW-Doppler (continuous wave), FMCW (frequency
modulated CW) and FH (frequency hop / frequency step) radar
systems have successfully been applied for measuring the
distance and speed of moving targets for a very long time [1].
The ability of a CW radar to detect a target is depended on the
radar beat signal SNR (signal to noise ratio) and the resolution
– i.e. the ability to separate adjacent targets – in range or
Doppler directions [1-4]. In a common FMCW radar that uses
at least two different sweep modulation rates – e.g. up-sweep
and down-sweep - a target can by identified and it’s distance
and speed can be determined correctly as long as the distance
values between all targets are greater than the phase velocity c
divided by two times the modulation bandwidth B. In a CW-
Doppler radar with at least two different carrier frequency
values, a target can by identified and it’s distance and speed
can be determined correctly as long as the differences between
the Doppler frequency values of all targets is greater than the
inverse of the measurement time. However, the preceding two
rules of thumb are only valid if all targets have similar
amplitudes. A very weak target may be masked by a strong
target even if both targets are separated notably in range or
Doppler direction. This masking effect is be caused by the
limited side-lobe suppression of the window applied for the
required Fourier processing. E.g. a Hamming window provides
a suppression of the first side-lobe of approx. 40 dB. Hence, a
very weak target that is more than 40 dB smaller than an
adjacent echo may be masked by the echo side-lobes of this
strong target. In addition to this effect, a small echo may also
be masked by noise or clutter.
Applications where the described masking effects cause
severe problems are for instance the detection of trapped and
buried people, tank level measurements to organic fluids, or
through wall intruder detection.
A major shortcoming of the usual CW radar approaches is,
that they are only able to provide resolution in one direction,
either range or Doppler. Subsequently we will present a
FMCW radar measurement scheme and a 2-D range-Doppler
FMCW radar Fourier processing that is able to provide a 2D
resolution. The applied method is based on a concept proposed
in [5]. In this paper the theoretical base of the applied method
is presented and exemplary measurement results are presented
to illustrate the capability of the applied method
II. MEASURING SCHEME AND SIGNAL PROCESSING
The proposed concept is based on a common FMCW radar
system setup as depicted in Fig 1. Let us consider a target that
is located at distance d0 at time t=0 and that is moving with
speed v. The target is reflecting the FMCW signal transmitted
by the radar unit. The function τ ( t ) of the radar signal round
trip time of flight (RTOF) between radar and target can be
defined as:
2 v
τ ( t ) = ⋅ ( d0 + v ⋅ t ) = τ 0 + 2 ⋅ ⋅ t , (1)
c c
The linear frequency modulated radar signal sTx ( t ) , with
v
stx (t ) d0
VCO
srx (t )
FMCW smix (t ) moving
radar ~ target
~
~
sb (t )
Fig. 1 Setup of a usual FMCW radar system

978-3-9812-6681-8 (c) IMA 214 German Microwave Conference 2010

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 Based on (1) the RTOF at time ti - i.e. τ 0 for i=0 - can be
calculated as:

v
τ ( ti ) = τ 0 + 2 ⋅ ⋅ ti . (7)
c

By inserting (7) into (5) we can derive a two-dimensional

beat signal as:

§ 2⋅ω ⋅v 2⋅ωc 0 ⋅v 2⋅v ·

j ⋅¨ ωc 0 ⋅τ 0 + c 0 ⋅ti + ⋅t + μ ⋅τ 0 ⋅t + μ . ⋅t ⋅ti ¸
sb ( t , ti ) = Ab ⋅ e © c c c ¹. (8)

Note, that we use the complex analytic signal of (5) for the
descriptions to simplify the following mathematic expressions.
Fig. 2 Measurement scheme In the next step the nonlinear phase term μ ⋅ 2 ⋅ v c ⋅ t ⋅ ti in (8) is
replaced by a linear expression. The function developed around
stx ( t ) = Atx cos (ϕtx ( t ) ) , (2) the center point (t=T/2, ti=I.ΔT/2) is:

exhibits an instantaneous phase term as: 2⋅v μ ⋅v § I ·

μ. ⋅ t ⋅ ti ≈ ⋅ ¨ I ⋅ ΔT ⋅ t + T ⋅ ti + ΔT ⋅ T ¸ . (9)
c c © 2 ¹
μ
ϕtx ( t ) = ωc 0 ⋅ t + ⋅ t 2 + ϕtx 0 . (3)
2 With the target frequency variables in range and Doppler
direction, ωR and ωDop resp., defined as:
The sweep-rate μ is defined as the quotient of the radar
signal sweep bandwidth B (in radians/s) and the sweep duration 2 ⋅ v ⋅ ωc 0 v ⋅ I ⋅ ΔT
T. The carrier frequency where the modulation started is ωR = + ⋅ μ + μ ⋅τ 0 . (10)
c c
denoted as ωc 0 = 2 ⋅ π ⋅ f c 0 . The signal srx ( t ) that is reflected
by the target and received by the radar is a replica of the and
transmitted signal but delayed by the RTOF. The change of
amplitude and phase caused by the signal transmission and 2 ⋅ (ωc 0 + B 2 ) ⋅ v 2 ⋅ ωcc ⋅ v
reflection is considered by a complex amplitude Arx . Hence, ω Dop = = , (11)
c c
we get:
where ωcc is the carrier center frequency, we finally get:
srx ( t ) = Arx ⋅ stx ( t − τ ( t ) ) , (4)

In the mixer the receive and the transmit signals, srx ( t ) and
stx ( t ) , are multiplied. Then, a lowpass filter is applied to
suppress the signal components located at double carrier
frequency. By solving the multiplication and by considering (1)
and (3), we finally get the beat signal as:
§ ω
sb ( t ) = Ab ⋅ cos ¨ ωc 0 ⋅τ 0 + μ ⋅τ 0 ⋅ t + 2 ⋅ c 0 ⋅ v ⋅ t ¸ .
© c
Note, that all quadratic terms are ignored in (5), which is
valid if μ and v are reasonably small.
Now this FMCW measurement is repeated periodically and
a set of a number of I signals is recorded. The period time is
denoted as ΔT. In Fig.2 an illustration of the measurement
scheme is shown. The time ti when the measurement with
index i starts is given as:
ti = i ⋅ ΔT ; i = 0,1, 2,...I − 1 .
sb ( t , ti ) = Ab ' ⋅ e
(
j ⋅ ω Dop ⋅ti +ω R ⋅t ). (12)
The complex amplitude Ab ' comprises all constant phase
terms. The 2D Fourier Transform of this signal can easily be
derived by considering the well known Fourier modulation
theorem. With the spatial frequency variables u and v in range
and Doppler direction, the spectrum of sb ( t , ti ) is given as:
·
(5)
¹
(
F {sb ( t , ti )} = Sb ( u, v) ) = Ab ' ⋅ δ u − ωR , v − ωDop . (13) )
In Fig. 3 a simulated exemplary 2D spectrum of a signal set
as given in (8) is shown. Here a scenario with three targets in
distances d1=4 m, d2=4.2 m and d3=7 m and with speed v1=0,
v2=0.31 m/s and v3=0.28 m/s is depicted. A center frequency of
24 GHz, a sweep bandwidth of 250 MHz, a sweep duration T=
2.5 ms and a set of I=50 measurements repeated with a period
of ΔT=T=2.5 ms are assumed as measurement parameters.
(6)

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Fig. 3 Simulated 2D spectrum of a moving target.
As visible in Fig. 3, the target distance and speed can be
determined unambiguously by evaluating the positions of the
three 2D impulses based on (10) and (11). The evaluation is
done in two steps. At first each target speed is determined
based on (11). Then, by inserting the determined target speed
into (10) we obtain the range of each target based on the
measured pseudo-ranges that can be obtained from the
respective values of ωR.
The apparent advantage of the applied method is its ability
to resolve a target in range and Doppler direction. Hence, the
probability to detect a very weak moving target is increased
significantly compared to common CW radar approaches. In
section IV we will show some measurement results to illustrate
the benefit of the proposed method.
III. SYSTEM SETUP
The algorithms for signal evaluation were implemented on
a field programmable gate array (FPGA) to facilitate real time
processing. With the use of VHDL (Very High Speed
Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language) we set up a
parallel signal processing and the control of all peripheral units
as ADC, DAC, radar, data transmission interface (USB) etc..
As radar frontend we use a Siemens / Milltronics 24GHz
FMCW radar unit. As visible in Fig. 4, the unit incorporates a
SAW (surface acoustic wave) reference path. The generated
reference signal is used to correct the phase errors in the target
signal which occurs due to the non linearity of the frequency
modulation [2].
Fig. 4 Setup of the applied FMCW radar frontend [2].
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Fig. 5 Setup of the realized radar measurement system
The complete radar system setup is depicted in Fig. 5. The
VCO control signal is generated by a 16bit digital-to-analog
converter (LTC2624). This DAC output is amplified and
filtered. The ramp generation is programmed to realize two
modes: 1) ISM band mode with a bandwidth of 250 MHz and
b) wideband mode with B = 800 MHz. The radar beat signal
and the reference signal are amplified, filtered and sampled
with a two-channel, 14-bit, 1.5 MS/s analog-to-digital
converter (LTC1407). The beat signal phase error is corrected
in the FPGA based on the constant phase interval sampling
technique presented in [2] and [6]. After a set of I beat-signals
has been recorded the 2D fast Fourier transform is carried out.
The resulting 2D spectrum is then transmitted to a PC via an
USB interface. The visualization of the spectrum is done in
Matlab. A photo of the realized system is shown in Fig. 6.
IV. MEASUREMENT RESULTS
The following exemplary measurement results show typical
situation where a usual FMCW radar would reach its limits.
The system parameters used for the subsequently shown
measurements are as follows. The FMCW radar has a center
frequency of 24.805 GHz, a sweep bandwidth of 800 MHz, a
sweep duration T= 5 ms. A set of I=50 measurements were
recorded. The measurement period was ΔT =5 ms
The first two experiments shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8
illustrate the ability of the presented 2D approach to detect a
weak moving target that is located in the range cell of a very
strong target. In the close range to the antenna of a monostatic
radar a sensitive and precise measurement is usually not
feasible. Here target echoes will be masked by the very strong
echo caused by the antenna mismatch and the limited isolation
between transmit and receive paths. Fig. 7 is based on an
Fig. 6 Photo of the developed radar system with FPGA based real time
processing unit
Fig. 7 2D range-Doppler spectrum caused by a sheet of printer paper
(label 1) swayed directly in front of the antenna (label 2).
experiment where a sheet of thin printer paper is swayed
directly in front of the antenna. Even though the RCS of the
paper is very low compared to the antenna echo, the paper echo
(indicated by 1 in the figure) is clearly separable from the
antenna echo (labeled by no. 2). Hence the novel approach has
the ability to improve the close-up range performance of
collision avoidance radar systems or level radar systems. For
instance organic fluids have a very low relative dielectric
constant and consequently low reflectivity. Thus especially in
tank level radar measurements to organic fluids severe
problems occur if the tank level is in the vicinity of the antenna
or approaches the bottom of the tank. In both cases the strong
disturbing echo will mask the very weak reflection of the fluid
surface. With the presented 2D approach every movement of
the surface level and even waves on the surface will separate
the target from disturbing echoes and help to detect the real
tank level.
A similar experiment is shown in Fig. 8 Here the sheet of
paper is swayed directly in front of a corner reflector (label 2 in
Fig. 8) with a large RCS ( σ = 10.4 ⋅10−5 m 2 ). Again both
targets are clearly separated and detectable.
Another very interesting area of radar applications is
intruder detection and the detection of trapped and buried
people in case of disaster [7]. In Fig. 9 measurement results are
shown that impressively shown the possible contribution of the
proposed method in these areas. Usually the radar echo of a
Fig. 8 2D range-Doppler spectrum caused by a sheet of printer paper
(label 1) swayed directly in front of a corner reflector (label 2).
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Fig. 9 2D range-Doppler spectrum caused by a person (label 1) standing
behind a brick wall (label 2)
human being is rather weak compared to echo from
constructive elements of buildings or vehicles. The reflected
energy will be even weaker if the person is partly shadowed or
located behind concrete, bricks or other building materials.
However, as long as a person is alive he will breathe and the
breast will move. A typical breathing frequency is 0.3 Hz and
human typically take at least min. 0.5 l air in every breath and
the resulting usual breast movement speed is v = 0.03 m / s .
In addition a standing person is hardly able to avoid small
movements of the upper part of the body. Hence, with the
proposed method these movements can be utilized to detect
people even if they are located in range cells that are masked
by strong echoes or multiple echoes of obstacles. In Fig. 9 the
signal of a person located behind a brick wall is shown. The
wall (label 2 in Fig. 9) located at approximately 0.9 m causes a
strong echo and a bunch of multiple echoes. However, despite
these strong distortions, the person (label 1 in Fig. 9) behind
the wall is clearly visible. The measured breast movement
speed agrees reasonably well with the above mentioned
expected values.
V. REFERENCES
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York, 2 edition,1990.
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system concept with adaptive compensation of phase errors,” in Proc.
26th European Microwave Conf., Prague, Czech Republic, 1996,pp.
135–139.
[3] S. Schelkshorn and J. Detlefsen “Position ¿nding using simple Doppler
sensors,” in Proc. of International Radar Symposium, Cologne,
September 2007,pp.307-312.
[4] C.Moeller,H.Rohling,R.Mende “Area Surveillance with 24 GHz Radar
Sensors,” in Proc. of International Radar Symposium, Cologne,
September 2007,pp.299-305.
[5] A.Wojthiewicz, J.Misiurewicz,K.Jedrzejewski, and K.Kulpa “Two
dimensional signal processing in FMCW radars,” Conf. on Circuit
Theory and Electronics Circuits, Koáobrzeg, Poland, Oct. 97, pp. 474 –
480.
[6] L. Reindl, C. Ruppel, T. Berek, T. Knauer, M. Vossiek, P. Heide and
L. Oreans, “Design, fabrication, and application of precise SAW delay
lines used in an FMCW radar system,” IEEE Transactions on
Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol. 49, pp. 787-794, Apr. 2001.
[7] M. Loschonsky, Ch. Feige, O. Rogall, S. Fisun, L. M. Reindl
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