MIMO radar using a vector network analyzer

Abstract

In this paper, a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar system was developed using a Keysight’s N5244A 4-port PNA-X network analyzer and Simulink. The system can transmit and receive TDM stepped-frequency continuous wave signals with a total sweep bandwidth of 450 MHz. The system also provides a reliable, self-contained phase-coherent RF front-end across four RF channels, which is a critical requirement for MIMO Radar signal processing algorithms. A Simulink model was built to organize the collected S-parameters into a virtual array and to perform IFFT processing so that range and angle information from targets could be extracted. The experimental results show the ability of the MIMO radar to distinguish between multiple closely spaced targets with a 33 cm range resolution and a 19° angle resolution.