Consideration of higher frequency bands in accurate millimeter-wave FMCW-radar system simulations for automotive applications

In this paper we demonstrate the necessity of taking harmonic bands into account when performing accurate simulations for millimeter-wave frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar systems. Especially under nonlinear conditions when harmonics are generated and influence the signal quality of target detection the higher frequency bands cannot be neglected anymore. In ordinary complex baseband simulations, that are considered as a means to keep the amount of data low in FMCW radar simulations, previous knowledge is needed to explicitly model the impact of effects in higher frequency bands on the specific circuit. Our approach takes the effects of multiples of the actual operating frequency into account, thus enabling higher accuracy while keeping the amount of data moderate. As an example for the capability of this simulation approach a scenario is calculated showing the difference between both simulation strategies.