Fundamentals of short-range FM radar – Book Review
Uwakmfon
The early days of radar (back in the 1930s) were partly devoted to extending the target detection range of experimental systems at hand. All relevant physical phenomena were not yet processed deeply enough and unexpected losses of signal frequently occurred regardless of selected operating principle. Available electronic components for radar transmitters and receivers did not allow large physical surveillance volumes to be covered. Many of those initial -enthusiastic, but sometimes furious experimental arrangements were de facto short-range radars, but contrary to their designers’ view. Later, when commercial pulse Doppler radar system having megawatt-class output stages, and sometimes even parametric amplifier front-ends, started giving ranges above 500 kilometers, the interest in handy equipment for close-by detection tasks rose again. Here, due to fundamental principles, frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radars were particularly studied. Authorities started observing vehicle speeds on the highways with tiny radars and modem cars come with built-in anti-collision radars, no larger than a box of candies. Industrial use of radar includes monitoring of fluid levels in containers and detection of very small physical displacements; e.g., of rotating shafts and searching buried metal objects during construction work (Ground Penetrating Radar or GPR, for example). Medical doctors have found radars suitable for accurate definition of muscle trembling in Parkinson’s disease. Defense has also initiated projects utilizing physically small FMCW concepts. The new book Fundamentals of Short-Range FM Radar by Igor K o m o v and Sergey Smolskiy leads us into this particularly interesting field of radar. This book contains two main parts: Part I, written by Dr. Komarov; and Part 11, by Dr. Smolskiy. There are 11 main chapters, an alphabetical index of 360 search items, and a List of Symbols. The book is mathematical in nature with over 750 equations, but don’t be frightened, most can be mastered through normal university-level calculus skills, although occasional “monsters” require some patience. Each chapter has its own references, but this time, there are not very many, only 41. Illustrations, 132 in total, are used throughout the text to clarify the concepts at hand. They are either block diagrams, circuit drawings, or line art showing waveforms or spectra of signals in use. Chapter 1 is an introduction to FMCE radar technology and relevant applications and gives an easy start even for a novice. Then in Chapter 2, the authors give a comprehensive treatment of FMCW radar signals and various realizations and define the phase-related processing of received target echoes. Various FMCW radar modulation waveforms and their mathematical treatment are the topic of Chapter 3. Particular attention is given to the commonly used sawtooth derivatives. Chapter 4 contains an in-depth analysis of a combined processing scheme for FMCW signals in the receiver.
