A Comparison of Phase-Coded CW Radar Modulation Schemes for Integrated Radar Sensors

For radar sensors, for example, automotive radar sensors based on integrated circuits, taking advantage of the growing capabilities of digital circuits is becoming of increasing interest. Currently used linear frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) signals could be replaced with phase-coded ones. As a consequence, the codes used would become a significant design parameter. In our investigation, we applied three binary codes (binary m-sequence, almost perfect autocorrelation sequence, and Golay-complementary sequence), one two-valued code (Golomb's code), and one ternary sequence (Ipatov's ternary sequence) and used a linear FMCW signal for comparison. The codes were selected with a future realization of the radar system based on integrated circuits in mind. We provide brief instructions for generating each sequence. Finally, we demonstrate the performance of the phase-coded signals by means of measurements carried out with a SiGe-based RF IQ-transceiver.