Human Tracking Using Doppler Processing and Spatial Beamforming

We present a continuous-wave Doppler radar with a multi-element receiver array for tracking humans. Joint Doppler processing and spatial beamforming are used to resolve multiple movers in the Doppler and direction of arrival (DOA) space. The improvement in the performance of the multi-element array compared to a previously developed two-element system is evaluated through Monte Carlo simulation. In an array of limited size, the sidelobes of the strong targets prevent the detection of weaker targets. To overcome this limitation, the monopulse, CLEAN and RELAX algorithms are investigated in conjunction with software beamforming. The improvement in the performance of the radar towards the detection of multiple targets is evaluated by simulation. Measurements are conducted using a 4-element receiver for different targets in line-of-sight and through-wall scenarios.