Matlab and GNU radio-based SFCW radar for range detection

Abstract

In this paper, a radar based on stepped frequency continues wave (SFCW) method is proposed to gain higher range resolution. The method is intended to makes the bandwidth becoming wider without affecting the pulse width to be shorter. Here, the bandwidth equals to the step frequency and the number of generated pulses. The simulation is performed in Matlab® and GNU Radio to measure range detection and its spectrum. It shows that the wide bandwidth of 1.25GHz can be achieve with the range resolution of 0.125m at start frequency of 1.5GHz and step frequency of 10MHz. Moreover, the SFCW radar simulation is also simulated with audio frequency in voice spectrum by using the speaker as transmitter and the microphone as receiver. Although the performance of range resolution is undeterminable accurately due to the echoed signal, however it can show the capability for range detection with the error of 5.35%.