Generalized Ambiguity Function for FDA Radar Joint Range, Angle and Doppler Resolution Evaluation

Differs from conventional phased-array, frequency diverse array (FDA) employs a frequency increment across the array elements and thus produces a range-angle-dependent beampattern. This additional range dependence finds applications in target detection/localization, high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging, and SAR deceptive jamming. To capture the essence behind those applications, we analyze the range, angle, and Doppler resolution capabilities of FDA radar signal via ambiguity function. As conventional ambiguity function is defined for a single-input single-output (SISO) signal, we extend it to the generalized ambiguity function for FDA radar signal, parameterized with the range, angle, and Doppler shifts of a target. Both theoretical analysis and numerical results show that the FDA radar with a large frequency increment has potentials in high-resolution ranging but will suffer from additional range ambiguity within the range bin and Doppler ambiguity. Moreover, the use of frequency increment brings FDA radar a virtual transmit aperture but decreases the directional gain.