Noise in Homodyne FMCW radar systems and its effects on ranging precision

In this paper, a closed-form expression for the ranging uncertainty of a primary frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar is introduced. In addition to basic system parameters also the phase noise profile of the transceiver serves as an input for this novel approach. On the signal processing side, phase noise range correlation effects are taken into account and an estimate for the ranging uncertainty is deduced. Thus, the influence of phase noise on the system performance in terms of precision can be directly predicted. For support of the theory, Monte-Carlo simulations were conducted. Measurement results acquired with a 77 GHz radar system are in good agreement with the theory.