Optimisation of the ambiguity function of short-dwell arbitrary pulsed waveforms

A method based on optimising the ambiguity diagram is described for the design of very short pulsed radar waveforms that still allow both target range and velocity to be measured. The coherent processing interval of the waveform is comprised of a sequence of modulated pulses whose inter-pulse timings and transmission frequencies are chosen independently for optimal performance. When optimised, the waveform structure allows measurement of both target range and velocity whilst maintaining good target visibility at all ranges/velocities. The optimisation process has been conducted using an evolutionary algorithm. The waveforms derived here demonstrate an interesting alternative to conventional low, medium or high pulse repetition frequency processing for situations such as in electronically scanned array antennas where short dwell times are often necessary.