Real-time signal processing system for high resolution CWLFM millimeter-wave radars

An FPGA-based real-time signal processing unit has been developed to perform Doppler processing in a high resolution CWLFM (continuous wave linear frequency modulated) millimeter-wave radar demonstrator. The article focuses on the strategies followed in order to achieve the required throughput as well as on the measures taken to guarantee coherency. Doppler processing is accomplished to output Range-Doppler radar images and transfer them to a PC application for display. Two different experimental setups have been used to verify the correct operation of the processing flow. The system has been designed so as to allow for future addition of complex target detection - classification schemes.