On MIMO radar transmission schemes for ground moving target indication

Abstract

We compare several multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar transmission schemes, including code division, time division and Doppler frequency division multiplexing approaches, for ground moving target indication (GMTI). To utilize probing waveforms with low sidelobe levels for range compression, we transmit sequences specifically designed to have low correlation levels. At the receiver side, we apply the iterative adaptive approach (IAA), which uses only the primary data, to form high resolution angle-Doppler images. To mimic real world scenarios, we apply our algorithms to a simulated dataset which contains high-fidelity, site-specific, simulated ground clutter returns. By combining the usage of intelligent transmission schemes, probing waveforms with good correlation properties, and the adaptive angle-Doppler imaging approach, we show that slow moving targets can be more clearly separated from the clutter ridge in the angle-Doppler images and potentially more easily detected by MIMO radar than by its conventional single-input multiple-output (SIMO) counterpart.