Time and phase synchronization for wideband distributed coherent aperture radar

The distributed coherent aperture radar as a new radar technology is expected to be the next generation radar, which is much easier to transport and less expensive than traditional large aperture radar. However, the time synchronization and phase synchronization between unit radars are key issues to realize the full coherence for wideband distributed coherent aperture radar. Therefore, the time synchronization technique and the phase synchronization technique are investigated respectively in this paper. At first, the error sources of time synchronization and phase synchronization are analysed, and the corresponding mathematical models are developed. Then, the corresponding simulations are carried out to analyse the impact of synchronization error on the coherent performance. At last, the time synchronization and the phase synchronization schemes are proposed respectively based on the noncorrelation transmission technique and the calibration technique by utilizing the wired transmission. Research on the synchronization problem will be very helpful for realization of wideband distributed aperture coherent radar.