An orthogonal waveform scheme for imaging MIMO-Radar applications

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) based on Digital Beamforming (DBF) belongs to the family of Multi-Modal Radar Systems (MMRSs) which offer higher operational flexibility and improved performance compared to conventional radar systems using analog beam steering. DBF SAR, in particular, overcomes the fundamental resolution-coverage limitation of classical SAR systems and can deliver high resolution and simultaneously wide swath images. The purpose of this paper is to present recently obtained measurement results of a novel waveform called Short-Term Shift-Orthogonal Waveform obtained with the MMRS Demonstrator - a reconfigurable radar system based on a DBF and Multiple- Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) architecture, which is being developed at the Microwaves and Radar Institute of DLR. The results are the first step towards future spaceborne MMRSs, such as MIMO radars using orthogonal waveforms and reflector-based DBF SAR.