ni.com

RADAR

Design, Simulation and Test

Jacques Cilliers

2ni.com

Radar System Engineering Trend and

Challenges

•Target

•Jammer

Environment

(Propagation,

Clutter)

Unified tools for simulation, design and test:

integration of simulation/design with RF generators/analyzers

3ni.com

Radar System and Sub-systems

Syste

m

V&

V

• Environment • Clutter, DTED, Jammer,

Pattern, Antenna

•Target

• RCS, Swerling, Velocity,

Position

• Receiver/Transmiter• System emulator (beamforming)

• Measurements on the waveforms: pulse; spectrum; peak

power; timing; etc.

• Measurements on the “analog receiver (RF)”: NF, harmonics

(3rd), detection treshold, etc.

• Measurements on the “digital receiver (IF)”: spectrum, NF,

power, etc.

• Signal Processing

• DBF, ADBF, MTI, MTC, PC

• Data Processing

• MW, RWC, CFAR

• Tracker• 2B filter, KF, EKF, PF

Su

b-S

yste

ms V

&V • Antenna Measurements

• Near Field /Far Field

• RCS

• Antenna Sub-systems• TRM: Core Chip; HPA; LNA

• Power Supply

• RF-interfaces

Stalo (LO): Phase stability measurements

Data

Storag

e

Radar

Processor

RF/Microwave IF/Baseband

Data Bus

Data Bus

ADCs Data BusSignal

Conditioning

Down-

Converters

STAL

O

Signal

ConditioningUp-Converters DACs

Active Phased Array Antenna

(AESA)

Radar Display

TRM

TRM

TRM

TRM

TRM

TRM

TRM

TRM

Ma

info

ld

C&C

4ni.com

Sub-system

Simulation, Design and Test Sub-system Test

System Simulation, Design and Test System Test

Radar System Simulation, Design and TestMeasurements in the RF Design Flow

Logistic

Support

(MRO)

Concept of

Operations

System

Specifications

High-Level

Design

Detailed

Design

Unit/Device

Testing

System

Testing

Subsystems

Testing

Acceptance

Testing

Software/Hardware Development

Validating the System

Verifying the System

Verifying the Subsystems

Verifying the

Units/Devices

>> Implementation >>

5ni.com

PORTDOUTPORTDIN AMP_B

1 2

NL_S

ISOLATOR

M_PROBE

BPFB

MMIC PA

340MHz

10MHz

8665MHz

9015MHz

Behavioral PA

or

BPFE BPFBBPFBBPFB AMP_BAMP_B

TP

TONETONE

IN OUT

LO

MIXER_B

IN OUT

LO

MIXER_B BPFE

AMP_B

BPFBAMP_BBPFB

M_PROBE

INOUT

LO

MIXER_B

TONE

BPFEAMP_B

INOUT

LO

MIXER_B BPFE

TONE

AMP_B

BPFBPORTDOUT

PORTDIN

LNA9015MHz

8665MHz

350MHz10MHz

340MHz

Environment Antenna ProcessingExciter Receiver

Radar System Simulation

MTD

6ni.com

VSS Radar Library

7ni.com

NI RF Portfolio

Long-Range Search

IEEE HF VHF UHF L S C X Ku K Ka V W mm

NATO A B C D E F G H I J K L M LIDAR

Frequency3-30

MHz

30-300

MHz

300-1000

MHz1-2 GHz 2-4 GHz 4-8 GHz

8-12

GHz

12-18

GHz

18-27

GHz

27-40

GHz

40-75

GHz

75-110

GHz

110-300

GHz

Surface-to-Air Defense

Missile Guidance

Weather

Air Traffic Control

Air-to-Air Multifunction

Missile

Guidance

Police Speed

Radar Altimeter

Missile Radar

Weather

Surface Mapping

Terrain FollowingPassive Radar

Early Warning

Analyzers

PXIe-5668R, 20 Hz – 26.5 GHz

PXIe-566x, 20 Hz – 3.6/6.6/14GHz, 50 MHz BW

Generators

PXIe-5654, 250 kHz – 20 GHz, CW, AM, PM, FM, Pulse

PXIe-5673E, 85 MHz – 6.6 GHz, 100 MHz BW

Transceivers PXIe-564xR, 65 MHz – 6 GHz, 80/200 MHz BW

HS Digitizers

PXIe-5622 16 bits

PXIe-5701 14 bits, 250 MS/s

PXIe-5624R, 1.7 GHz, 2GS/s, 12 bits

VNA PXIe-5632, 300 kHz – 8.5 GHz (Pulsed S-Parameters with Anteverta up to 40 GHz)

Power metersUSB 5680, 6 GHz

USB 5681, 18 GHz

AWGPXIe-5451 16 bits, 400 MS/s

AT-121x, 14 bits,

8ni.com

PXIe System Capabilities

Data Transfer and Latency:

• Peer-to-Peer 3.2 GB/s slot-to-slot in <10us

PXIe x 8 Gen2 3.2 GB/s per slot

PXI Express timing and synchronization

PXImc

2.7 GB/s

Up to 3.6 GB/s, 24 TB

PXIe-

6592R

9ni.com

Radar System Design & Validation

Environment Antenna ProcessingExciter Receiver

RF signals

Digital data

MIMO Generator and Playback

RF signals

MIMO Receiver and Recorder

10ni.com

Passive RADAR Design in PXI

“We chose NI products is because of the user-friendly environment to

develop the software”

- Dr. Riccardo Mancinelli, Selex Sistemi Integrati

ni.com

System Design and Simulation

12ni.com

Digital Radar Receiver up to C-band 1/2

• 65 MHz to 6 GHz

• 200 MHz ist. BW

Data

Storag

e

Radar

Processor

RF/Microwave IF/Baseband

Data Bus

Data Bus

ADCs Data BusSignal

Conditioning

Down-

Converters

STAL

O

Signal

ConditioningUp-Converters DACs

Active Phased Array Antenna

(AESA)

Radar Display

TRM

TRM

TRM

TRM

TRM

TRM

TRM

TRM

Ma

info

ld

C&C

13ni.com

Digital Radar Receiver up to C-band 2/2

NI HDD-8266 up to 3.6 GB/s

sustained read and write speeds

PXImc

14ni.com

System-in-Loop Testing

• Definition

• Studying the behavior of a system

against a stimuli by mathematically

modeling the system, sub-systems, its

performance environment and the

linkages to other sources of influence.

15ni.com

Complex Radio Environment – Subsystem/ Software

Baseband

Processor

Analog Tx

Chain

Amplifier

Radiation

pattern

vx

Platform

Trajectory

Baseband

Processor

Analog Rx

Chain

Amplifier

Channel

Platform

Dynamics

Topography

InterferenceNavigational

Aids

Transmitter Receiver

User

Interface3rd-party

Systems

16ni.com

Complex Radio Environment - Components

Baseband

Processor

Analog Tx

Chain

Amplifier

Radiation

pattern

vx

Platform

Trajectory

Baseband

Processor

Analog Rx

Chain

Amplifier

Channel

Platform

Dynamics

Topography

InterferenceNavigational

Aids

Transmitter Receiver

User

Interface3rd-party

Systems

17ni.com

Complex Radio Environment – External Linkages

Baseband

Processor

Analog Tx

Chain

Amplifier

Radiation

pattern

vx

Platform

Trajectory

Baseband

Processor

Analog Rx

Chain

Amplifier

Channel

Platform

Dynamics

Topography

InterferenceNavigational

Aids

Transmitter Receiver

User

Interface3rd-party

Systems

18ni.com

Complex Radio Environment - Channel

Baseband

Processor

Analog Tx

Chain

Amplifier

Radiation

pattern

vx

Platform

Trajectory

Baseband

Processor

Analog Rx

Chain

Amplifier

Channel

Platform

Dynamics

Topography

InterferenceNavigational

Aids

Transmitter Receiver

User

Interface3rd-party

Systems

19ni.com

Why do we need System in Loop testing?%

Sys

tem

Err

ors

Ide

nti

fie

d

Test Coverage

Simulation

Component Level Parametric Test

System Functional Test

Channel modeling

EDA Tools

Discreet Instruments

Automated Test Equipment

Channel

Emulator

Scenario Simulation

System-in-Loop

Test Coverage of a Critical System

20ni.com

Cost of Test – Field Tests and Flight Trials

Scenario Simulation (Modeling and Simulation) is cost and time effective

ni.com

Efficient architecture for system-in-loop testing

22ni.com

System Modeling and Simulation

Bus technology

RF/uW

DownconverterIF Digitizer

Signal

ProcessingIF AWG

RF/uW

Upconverter

Math

Model

23ni.com

Hardware Architecture for System Modeling

Bus technology

RF/uW

DownconverterIF Digitizer

Signal

ProcessingIF AWG

RF/uW

Upconverter

FPGA

ni.com

COTS Platform for System Modeling

25ni.com

A Closer Look at the PXIe-5644R VST

RF Input

65 MHz – 6 GHz

80 MHz BW

RF Output

65 MHz – 6 GHz

80 MHz BW

Reference In/Out

High-Speed DIO

24 channels

Additional triggers

LOs In/Out

Independent

In & Out

MIMO Support

Calibration In/OutAlways keep the calibration

cable connected

Trigger

26ni.com

LO

Sharing Shared Sampling

ClockTriggered

Acquisition and

Generation

Common Reference for

LO and Sampling ClockVST Synchronization Architecture

27ni.com

28ni.com

Software-Designed InstrumentationCompletely Open-Source Driver Ensures Ultimate Flexibility

The vector signal transceiver is ready to run out of the box, but the driver

is written entirely in LabVIEW, giving you direct access to the instruments

I/O.

29ni.com

Examples

30ni.com

Open Loop test of a SAR

1. Navigation Unit (INS/GPS)

2. Targets (Buildings, Vehicles, Etc..)

3. Environment (Urban, Forest, etc..)

4. Sensor (Radar Type)

31ni.com

Simulation Capabilities of SAR Echo Simulator

Scenario Generation

a) Type of Modes – Strip Mode and Spot Light mode

b) Defining of Platforms, Sensor, Environment, Mission area,

Point reflectors etc…

c) Flight Preview (animation)

d) Raw Data Generation

e) Raw Data Processing

32ni.com

DRFM Based Target Simulator

FPGA

Generation

Doppler

Range

Acceleration

RCS

RCS Variations

Multiple targets

Target

Parameters

VGPO

RGPO

CW Repeater

Spot Noise Jamming

Swept Spot Noise

Burst Noise

ECM

Features

Topography

Clutter

Channel

DU

T R

xD

UT

Tx

Acquisition

Δɸ

-Δɸ

IQ out

IQ in

Vector Signal Transceiver

RF in

RF out

33ni.com

Target Generator

RF OutRF In

•Delay (memory)

•Range

•Radar Cross Section

•Doppler Shift

34ni.com

Thank you