Random noise radar/sodar with ultrawideband waveforms

Random noise waveforms with ultrawide bandwidth improve the range resolution and reduces the probability of intercept in radar/sodar. As a result of the nonperiodic waveform, the range ambiguity is removed as well. By transmitting a sine signal that is phase or frequency modulated by random noise, autocorrelation functions with improved side lobe suppression in range can be formed. There are great similarities in the signal-processing algorithms applied in noise radar and sodar. The much slower propagation velocity of sound compared to light reduces the signal bandwidth but increases the time of measurement, however. In both sodar and radar, the range resolution is determined by the wavelength band occupied by the transmitted waveform, while the velocity resolution is controlled by the ratio of wavelength and time of measurement. The slower sound velocity also enhances the range/Doppler ambiguity problem in sodar when periodic waveforms are applied. This ambiguity could be suppressed if nonperiodic waveforms are introduced, such as random noise. In this paper, fundamental similarities and differences on system level between sodar and radar are first discussed, and signal-processing algorithms applied in random noise radar/sodar are reviewed. In particular, the noise floor of the ambiguity function and its relationship to spectrum width and time of measurement are analyzed, including improved side lobe suppression using mismatched filtering. The signal-processing algorithms were tested on raw data from sodar measurements on moving targets, buildings, vegetation, and water surfaces. An adaptive filter algorithm for suppression of the increased noise floor from dominant reflectors was derived and successfully applied to both sodar and stepped frequency radar data.