Effect of Volume Distributed Clutter in PSK Modulated Automotive Radar

Due to rapid progress in silicon technology, a number of companies have developed automotive radars which use Phase Shift Keying modulated signals. The effect of Volume Distributed Clutter (VDC), e.g. rain, hail, etc. on the radar performance is considered in this paper. It is shown that the sidelobe levels of the signal Ambiguity Function dramatically affects the radar performance, and modulation codes should be selected taking into account the presence of VDC. The methodology of the system performance evaluation is presented and accompanied with practical examples.