Simple techniques to correct for VCO nonlinearities in short range FMCW radars

Standard hardware techniques for the linearization of the frequency sweep in FMCW radars are difficult to implement and often offer only moderate improvement in linearity. A simple software-based linearization technique is introduced for short-range FMCW radars, and compared with a simple hardware linearization scheme. These techniques have been verified in an existing C-band FMCW scatterometer, and result in a dramatic focusing of the point return. The resulting range resolution (measured) approaches the theoretical limit, with a >20 dB reduction in sidelobes.