Investigation into distortion control in OFDM radar by spectral avoidance

Abstract

The Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation/demodulation scheme is finding interest as a radar modulation scheme. While advantages are seen in the fidelity of the waveforms generated, and the ability to adapt the modulation quite rapidly, OFDM schemes have been noted in the past to suffer in the presence of non-linearities in the electronic system. Here the spectral avoidance scheme is investigated in order to reduce the influence of non-linearities in OFDM radar. Measurements on an experimental OFDM Radar show that the spectral avoidance scheme can indeed reduce the influence of non-linearities. The scheme does not compromise the ability of OFDM to provide waveform fidelity and adaptability.