Area Target Response of Triangularly Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave Radars

For a postulated model of the area target returns, the variance of the signal appearing at the detector output of a frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar is analytically and graphically displayed as a function of the range and Doppler spread. The influence of important system parameters like modulation frequency, measuring time, and frequency excursion are also included in the analysis. Closedform relationships are given for sawtooth or triangular frequency modulation and a Gaussian separable scattering function. A comparison is also made between the range noise of an ideal frequency detector and a zero-crossings counter.