VCO nonlinearity correction scheme for a wideband FM-CW radar

Abstract

When an FM-CW radar is used to measure the target distance, the nonlinear relationship between the VCO control voltage and the output frequency has an adverse effect on the measurement accuracy. This paper presents a new technique to compensate for the VCO nonlinearity using a phase correction function derived from a calibration signal. To demonstrate the validity of the presented technique, an indoor experiment was conducted, and the results show a marked improvement in the shape of the range profile and the range resolution. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.