Successive-MFCW modulation for ultra-fast narrowband radar

Real time imaging radar requires short dwell time and low hardware complexity, limiting the application of many existing radar modulation methods. In this paper, we propose a novel Successive Multiple Frequency Continuous Wave (S-MFCW) modulation scheme to address these challenges. The S-MFCW signal model is formulated and the impact of noise is analyzed, leading to a very short dwell time and narrow signal bandwidth with excellent range and speed accuracy. From the numerical simulation of an automotive radar example, we show that S-MFCW achieves comparable range and speed performance, but orders of magnitude lower requirements on dwell time and bandwidth compared to the commonly used FMCW radar.