Digital and Analog Subcomplementary Sequences for Pulse Compression

Golay's complementary pairing has been a method to increase the utility of binary sequences, because of the temporal sidelobe suppression in the autocorrelation vector summation. Complementary sets of Tseng and Liu and of Hollis exhibit the same effect when several autocorrelations are combined. These complementary pairs and sets of sequences can be extended into long complementary chains by a simple transformation. This transformation is extended here to all pulse compression waveforms. By this method, even though analog complementary sequences cannot be formed, a new class of waveforms, called subcomplementary waveforms, can be formed. Following these rules, repetition of waveforms such as linear frequency modulation (LFM) or linear stepped frequency modulation (LSFM) in a prescribed manner is possible without creating autocorrelation grating lobes or repetitive sidelobes. This method is equally applicable to all analog or digital pulse compression waveforms.