A distributed transmit beamforming synchronization strategy for multi-element radar systems

ABSTRACT

The distributed transmit beamforming has recently been discussed as an energy-effective technique in wireless communication systems. A common ground of various techniques is that the destination node transmits a beacon signal or feedback to assist source nodes to synchronize signals. However, this approach is not appropriate for a radar system since the destination is a non-cooperative target of an unknown location. In our paper, we propose a novel synchronization strategy for a distributed multiple-element beamfoming radar system. Source nodes estimate parameters of beacon signals transmitted from others to get their local synchronization information. The channel information of the phase propagation delay is transmitted to nodes via the reflected beacon signals as well. Next, each node generates appropriate parameters to form a beamforming signal at the target. Transmit beamforming signals of all nodes will combine coherently at the target compensating for different propagation delay. We analyse the influence of the local oscillation accuracy and the parameter estimation errors on the performance of the proposed synchronization scheme. The results of numerical simulations illustrate that this synchronization scheme is effective to enable the transmit beamforming in a distributed multi-element radar system.

KEYWORDS:

• Distributed transmit beamforming
• synchronization scheme
• multi-element radar
• beacon signal
• detection and estimation

Acknowledgements

This work has been supported by The Academic Degree Guidance, Overall Arrangement, Construction and Training Project in Graduate Education Innovation Program of Shanghai [Grant No. 13sc002], The Excellent Youth Scholars Supporting Program in Shanghai’s Universities [Grant No. ZZgcd14017], and Doctoral Start-up Foundation of Shanghai University of Engineering and Science [Grant No. 2014-16].

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work has been supported by The Academic Degree Guidance, Overall Arrangement, Construction and Training Project in Graduate Education Innovation Program of Shanghai [Grant No. 13sc002], The Excellent Youth Scholars Supporting Program in Shanghai’s Universities [Grant No. ZZgcd14017], and Doctoral Start-up Foundation of Shanghai University of Engineering and Science [Grant No. 2014-16].