Radar signal processing system and method based on receiving and transmitting end design and electromagnetic original domain processing

Abstract

A novel radar signal processing system based on transmit-receive end design and electromagnetic original domain processing integrates transmit-receive end optimization design and electromagnetic original domain processing technology, and comprises a radar transmitting end module, a radar receiving end module and an electromagnetic original domain processing module. Through the design of a radar receiving and transmitting end, the information entropy contained in a radar echo signal set is increased, an electromagnetic original domain processing algorithm is utilized, the echo signal set received by a radar is directly processed in an electromagnetic original domain, and the radar function is achieved. According to the method, the current typical radar signal processing flow is simplified, the hardware complexity and the processing time delay can be reduced, and the method has universality and can realize multiple radar functions in a complex scene. Based on the novel radar signal processing normal form provided by the invention, the current radar system can be renovated, and the method has important significance for improving the performance of an electronic information system and maintaining the national safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of radar signal processing, and more specifically, to a novel radar signal processing system and method based on transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing. Background Technology

[0002] Radar, as an electronic device capable of operating 24 / 7, in all weather conditions, and at long distances, can efficiently acquire key information such as the distance, speed, angle, and shape of targets, playing a crucial role in early warning, detection, positioning, tracking, and identification. Therefore, radar has become an indispensable tool in electronic information systems for national security and other fields, providing decision-making support for precision strikes and defense. A radar system typically includes modules such as an antenna, transmitter, receiver, signal processor, and terminal display.

[0003] In the mainstream radar signal processing flow, the electromagnetic signal generated by the transmitter is radiated into the air through the transmitting antenna and scattered on the target surface. The scattered echo is then captured by the receiving antenna and, after analog domain signal processing such as down-conversion by the receiver, is converted into a digital signal for further digital domain processing. This processing flow includes multiple steps such as clutter and interference suppression, beamforming, and pulse compression, as shown in the appendix. Figure 1 As shown. Through these processes, target information, such as range, speed, azimuth, and target size and shape, can be extracted from radar echoes, thereby enabling target identification and classification.

[0004] However, with the continuous development of electronic information technology and the increasing complexity of the electromagnetic environment, radar echoes received by antennas are often mixed with a large amount of clutter and interference, which seriously affects the radar's detection capabilities. To suppress or remove these clutter and interference, complex signal processing techniques are required, which not only increases the processing difficulty but also leads to high processing latency. High processing latency limits the radar's ability to acquire instantaneous situational awareness in the environment, thus posing potential security problems. Furthermore, to achieve better radar performance, such as improved positioning and detection accuracy, multi-transmitter / multi-receiver antenna arrays are typically used to acquire more information about the target. For such array antenna radar systems, additional processing, such as beamforming, is required on the radar echoes received by multiple antennas, further increasing the complexity and latency of signal processing.

[0005] In light of the aforementioned problems, researching a novel radar signal processing paradigm is of paramount importance. This paradigm aims to simplify current radar signal processing procedures, reduce processing latency, and even decrease the complexity of radar hardware systems. By employing advanced signal processing methods, this paradigm can directly extract the required target information from radar echoes without the need for traditional clutter suppression, pulse compression, and other signal processing operations. This innovative processing paradigm is of great significance for improving the performance of electronic information systems and safeguarding national security. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention proposes a novel radar signal processing paradigm based on transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing. In this paradigm, the information entropy of the radar echo signal set is increased through transceiver design. Then, an electromagnetic domain processing algorithm is used to directly process the received radar echo signal set contaminated by clutter and multipath interference in the electromagnetic domain, thereby achieving the desired radar function.

[0007] This invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0008] On one hand, the present invention provides a radar signal processing system based on transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing, characterized in that it includes:

[0009] A radar transmitter module, used to generate and transmit signals to detect targets, includes a waveform design module, a waveform generation module, a transmission system module, a transmission antenna design module, and a transmission antenna module. The radar waveform design module designs the intrinsic parameters of the transmitted signal. The waveform generation module generates a pulse signal set based on these intrinsic parameters. The transmission system module adjusts the frequency and power of the pulse signal set so that the signal entering the transmission antenna receiving port meets the frequency band and power requirements of the desired radar function. The transmission antenna design module designs the antenna type, structure, and spatial distribution, and changes the signal polarization. The transmission antenna module then transmits the signal.

[0010] The radar receiver module is used to receive radar echo signals. It includes a receiving antenna design module, a receiving antenna module, and a receiving system module. The receiving antenna design module designs the antenna type, structure, and spatial distribution. The receiving antenna module receives the radar echo signal set. The receiving system module adjusts the frequency and power of the radar echo pulse signal received by the receiving antenna to meet the input requirements of the electromagnetic domain processing module.

[0011] The electromagnetic origin domain processing module is connected to the output of the radar receiver module. It is used to process the radar echo signal set contaminated by clutter and interference in the electromagnetic origin domain, and directly extract target information from the radar echo signal set to realize the expected radar function.

[0012] Preferably, the radar waveform design module in the radar transmitter module is used to design the intrinsic parameters of the transmitted signal, such as frequency, phase, and waveform type; the waveform generation module is used to generate the signal set designed by the radar waveform design module; the transmission system module is used to regulate the frequency and power of the signal set generated by the waveform generation module, so that the signal entering the receiving port of the transmitting antenna meets the frequency band and power requirements for achieving the expected radar function; the transmitting antenna design module aims to change the signal polarization mode by designing the antenna type, antenna structure, and antenna spatial distribution; the transmitting antenna module is used to transmit the signal. Specifically, through the radar waveform design module and the transmitting antenna design module, the information entropy of the signal set transmitted by the radar for target detection is made greater than T bits, where the value of T depends on the radar function to be achieved.

[0013] Preferably, the receiving antenna design module in the radar receiver module aims to design the antenna type, antenna structure, and antenna spatial distribution so that the information entropy of the radar echo signal set is greater than R bits, where the value of R depends on the radar function to be implemented; the receiving antenna module is used to receive the radar echo signal set; the receiving system module is used to adjust the frequency and power of the radar echo received by the receiving antenna so that it meets the input requirements of the electromagnetic domain processing module.

[0014] Preferably, the transmitting antenna in the radar transmitting module and the receiving antenna in the radar receiving module can be various types of antennas such as phased array antennas, horn antennas, and metasurface antennas in various frequency bands. The specific antenna frequency band and type depend on the radar application scenario and the radar function requirements to be achieved.

[0015] Preferably, the radar transmitting module and the radar receiving module can be designed jointly to achieve the intended radar function while reducing hardware resources and costs.

[0016] Preferably, the electromagnetic origin domain processing module can be driven by purely theoretical formulas or by data-driven artificial intelligence. The electromagnetic origin domain processing module can be implemented in either the digital or analog domain.

[0017] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a radar signal processing method utilizing the above-mentioned radar signal system, comprising the following steps:

[0018] Waveform Design and Evaluation: Design the transmit pulse signal set from multiple dimensions and evaluate the degree of waveform optimization by calculating the cross-correlation function and "information entropy".

[0019] Signal transmission and reception: Generate and transmit pulse train signals, and design and configure receiving antenna arrays to efficiently capture radar echoes.

[0020] Signal processing and output: The received radar echo is directly processed using electromagnetic domain processing technology, and the output result is judged to determine whether it meets the expected radar function. If it does not meet the expected function, the waveform design and receiving antenna configuration are iteratively optimized until the expected effect is achieved.

[0021] The preferred method, detailed steps are as follows:

[0022] Step 1: Design the waveform of the radar transmit pulse signal set from aspects such as frequency, phase, polarization, and modulation type; the waveform design of the pulse signal set is a joint design of the waveform of each pulse signal, which needs to be considered from the perspective of the overall pulse train waveform;

[0023] Step two: Calculate the cross-correlation function between different pulse signals in the pulse signal set. In principle, the smaller the peak value of the cross-correlation function, the greater the difference between the pulse waveforms. Design a suitable metric to measure the "information entropy" of the pulse signal set. Here, "information entropy" refers to the average difference between waveforms, and in principle, the higher the "information entropy," the better.

[0024] Step 3: Generate a pulse train signal. The transmitting antenna module transmits the signal, and the receiving antenna module receives the radar echo pulse train.

[0025] Step four: Design the receiving antenna array in the radar receiver module in terms of antenna structure, quantity, and spatial distribution;

[0026] Step 5: Measure the "information entropy" of the radar echo pulse signal set;

[0027] Step six: The receiving antenna array in the radar receiver module receives the radar echo pulse train;

[0028] Step 7: Electromagnetic domain processing algorithms, such as convolutional neural networks, directly process radar echo pulse trains, that is, realize the radar's expected function in the electromagnetic domain.

[0029] Step 8: Determine whether the output of the electromagnetic domain processing algorithm achieves the radar's expected function, such as obtaining the target's range, velocity, angle, and target type with high precision.

[0030] Step 9: If the judgment result in S8 is that the radar's expected function has not been achieved, then it is necessary to redesign the radar's transmitted pulse signal set waveform, and design the structure, quantity, and spatial distribution of the receiving antenna in the radar receiver module. Repeat steps one to eight until the radar's expected function is achieved.

[0031] Compared with the prior art, the technical effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0032] 1) Electromagnetic domain processing technology is employed to process radar echo signal sets in the electromagnetic domain, directly extracting target information from the radar echo signal sets, thus achieving rapid response and efficient processing of the radar's intended functions. This processing can be driven by purely theoretical formulas or by data-driven artificial intelligence, and can be implemented in either the digital or analog domains. This diverse implementation approach allows the radar system to adapt to different application scenarios and requirements.

[0033] 2) The radar waveform design module not only focuses on the waveform design of individual pulse signals but also considers the overall pulse train waveform. By designing parameters such as frequency, phase, polarization, and modulation type, it improves the information entropy of the signal set. This design approach makes the radar-transmitted signals more complex and varied, enhancing the radar system's detection capabilities. By calculating the cross-correlation function between pulse signal sets and measuring "information entropy," it ensures that the radar-transmitted signal set has sufficient diversity, thereby improving the radar system's anti-jamming capability and target identification accuracy. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a typical radar signal processing flow.

[0035] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a novel radar signal processing paradigm based on transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing according to the present invention.

[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the constituent modules of the transmitting end in the novel radar signal processing paradigm of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the constituent modules of the receiver in the novel radar signal processing paradigm of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of an electromagnetic origin domain processing algorithm in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 6 This is an operation flowchart of a novel radar signal processing method based on transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 7 This is a radar target recognition effect diagram based on the transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0041] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0042] This embodiment proposes a novel radar signal processing framework based on transceiver optimization design and direct electromagnetic domain processing, such as... Figure 2 As shown. By designing the transceiver end to increase the amount of target information contained in the radar echo pulse train, and using an electromagnetic in-domain processing algorithm to directly extract information from the radar echo pulse train, the network outputs information such as the target's angle, azimuth, and type. Compared to the traditional radar signal processing flow (see...), this method... Figure 1 The processing steps of the present invention are simpler and more efficient.

[0043] A novel radar signal processing system based on transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing includes: a radar transmitter module 1, a radar receiver module 2, and an electromagnetic domain processing module 3. Figure 2 As shown, radar transmitter module 1 and radar receiver module 2 can be designed jointly; the output of radar receiver module 2 is connected to the input of electromagnetic domain processing module 3. Radar transmitter module 1 aims to design the intrinsic parameters of the transmitted signal and the transmitting antenna to ensure that the information entropy of the radar-transmitted signal set used for target detection is greater than T bits; radar receiver module 2 aims to design the receiving antenna to ensure that the information entropy of the radar echo signal set received by the receiving antenna is greater than R bits; the electromagnetic domain processing module aims to process the aforementioned radar echo signal set from the electromagnetic domain to achieve the desired radar function without requiring multiple steps such as clutter suppression, interference reduction, and pulse compression; the values ​​of T and R need to be set according to the different functions implemented by the radar.

[0044] like Figure 3As shown, the radar transmitter module 1 includes a waveform design module 1-1, a waveform generation module 1-2, a transmission system module 1-3, a transmission antenna design module 1-4, and a transmission antenna module 1-5. The output of the waveform generation module 1-2 is connected to the input of the transmission system module 1-3, and the output of the transmission system module 1-3 is connected to the input of the transmission antenna module 1-5. The waveform design module 1-1 is used to generate signal sets of different frequencies, phases, and waveform types, and the information entropy of the signal sets is greater than T bits. The waveform generation module 1-2 generates the signals designed by the waveform design module. The transmission system module 1-3 is used to adjust the frequency and power of the signals generated by the waveform generation module 1-2 so that the signals entering the receiving port of the transmission antenna meet the frequency band and power required by the application. The transmission antenna design module 1-4 aims to change the signal polarization by designing the antenna type, antenna structure, and antenna spatial distribution. The transmission antenna module 1-5 is used to transmit the signals.

[0045] like Figure 4 As shown, the radar receiver module 2 includes a receiving antenna design module 2-1, a receiving antenna module 2-2, and a receiving system module 2-3. Their connection relationship is as follows: the output of the receiving antenna module 2-2 is connected to the input of the receiving system module 2-3, and the output of the receiving system module 2-3 is connected to the input of the electromagnetic domain signal processing module 3. The receiving antenna design module 2-1 aims to design the antenna type, antenna structure, and antenna spatial distribution to make the information entropy of the radar echo signal set greater than R bits; the receiving antenna module 2-2 is used to receive the radar echo signal set; and the receiving system module 2-3 is used to regulate the frequency and power transformation of the radar echo received by the receiving antenna to meet the input requirements of the electromagnetic domain processing module 3.

[0046] Figure 5 This embodiment of the invention presents an algorithm for the electromagnetic domain processing module 3, specifically a convolutional neural network (CNN). The CNN includes convolutional layers, pooling layers, and fully connected layers. The radar echo pulse train received by the radar receiver module 2 serves as the input to the CNN. After training, the CNN outputs the expected radar function, such as the target's speed, azimuth, and type.

[0047] Figure 6 This is an operational flowchart of a novel radar signal processing method based on transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing, as described in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] S1, design the waveform of the radar transmitted pulse signal set from multiple aspects such as frequency, phase, polarization mode, and modulation type; the waveform design of the pulse signal set is a joint design of the waveform of each pulse signal, which needs to be considered from the perspective of the overall pulse train waveform;

[0049] S2, calculate the cross-correlation function between different pulse signals in the pulse signal set. In principle, the smaller the peak value of the cross-correlation function, the greater the difference between the pulse waveforms. Design a suitable metric to measure the "information entropy" of the pulse signal set. Here, "information entropy" refers to the average difference between waveforms, and in principle, the higher the "information entropy," the better.

[0050] S3 generates a pulse train signal. The transmitting antenna module transmits the signal, and the receiving antenna module receives the radar echo pulse train.

[0051] S4, design the receiving antenna array in the radar receiver module from the aspects of antenna structure, quantity and spatial distribution;

[0052] S5 measures the "information entropy" of a radar echo pulse signal set;

[0053] S6, the receiving antenna array in the radar receiver module receives radar echo pulse trains;

[0054] S7, electromagnetic domain processing algorithms such as convolutional neural networks directly process radar echo pulse trains, that is, to realize the radar's expected function in the electromagnetic domain.

[0055] S8 determines whether the output of the electromagnetic domain processing algorithm achieves the radar's expected function, such as obtaining the target's range, velocity, angle, and target type with high precision.

[0056] S9. If the judgment result in S8 is that the radar's expected function has not been achieved, then it is necessary to redesign the radar's transmitted pulse signal waveform, the structure, quantity, and spatial distribution of the receiving antenna in the radar receiver module, and repeat S1-S8 until the radar's expected function is achieved.

[0057] Preferably, the number, frequency band, and type of antennas in the transmitting antenna module described in S3 and the receiving antenna module described in S6 need to be designed according to the actual application scenario and the radar functions to be implemented.

[0058] Preferably, the electromagnetic domain processing algorithm described in S7 can be a deep learning algorithm or a processing algorithm driven by purely theoretical formulas.

[0059] Figure 7 This is a radar target recognition effect diagram based on the transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 (a) and (b) represent the radar echo pulse trains received by the radar receiver module when the radar transmitter module transmits 10 orthogonal Costas-LFM pulse trains and 10 identical LFM signals, respectively. Figure 6The results of the four types of complex target recognition obtained after the convolutional neural network are shown, with recognition accuracies of 94.39% and 86.73%, respectively. It can be seen that in clutter and multipath interference environments, using orthogonal waveforms as carriers of target information can obtain greater information entropy, which is more conducive to the convolutional neural network extracting key target information and identifying target types with high accuracy.

[0060] A novel radar signal processing paradigm based on transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing directly processes radar echoes in the electromagnetic domain, efficiently extracting target information and achieving the intended radar function. It combines multi-step signal processing in current radar systems into a single step, simplifying the processing flow and reducing processing latency. Furthermore, this novel radar signal processing paradigm can revolutionize current radar systems, significantly improving the performance of electronic information systems and safeguarding national security.

Claims

1. A radar signal processing system based on transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing, characterized in that, include: The radar transmitter module (1) is used to generate and transmit signals to detect targets. It includes a waveform design module (1-1), a waveform generation module (1-2), a transmission system module (1-3), a transmission antenna design module (1-4), and a transmission antenna module (1-5). The radar waveform design module (1-1) designs the intrinsic parameters of the transmitted signal. The waveform generation module (1-2) generates a pulse signal set based on the intrinsic parameters of the transmitted signal. The transmission system module (1-3) adjusts the frequency and power of the pulse signal set so that the signal entering the receiving port of the transmission antenna meets the frequency band and power requirements of the expected radar function. The transmission antenna design module (1-4) designs the antenna type, structure, and spatial distribution, and changes the signal polarization. The transmission antenna module (1-5) transmits the signal. The radar receiver module (2) is used to receive radar echo signals. It includes a receiving antenna design module (2-1), a receiving antenna module (2-2), and a receiving system module (2-3). The receiving antenna design module (2-1) designs the antenna type, structure, and spatial distribution. The receiving antenna module (2-2) receives the radar echo signal set. The receiving system module (2-3) adjusts the frequency and power of the radar echo pulse signal received by the receiving antenna to meet the input requirements of the electromagnetic domain processing module. The electromagnetic origin domain processing module (3) is connected to the output terminal of the radar receiver module (2) and is used to process the radar echo signal set of clutter and interference in the electromagnetic origin domain, directly extract target information from the radar echo signal set, and realize the expected radar function.

2. The radar signal processing system based on transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The output of the waveform generation module (1-2) is connected to the input of the transmitting system module (1-3), and the output of the transmitting system module (1-3) is connected to the input of the transmitting antenna module (1-5). The output of the receiving antenna module (2-2) is connected to the input of the receiving system module (2-3), and the output of the receiving system module (2-3) is connected to the input of the original domain signal processing module (3).

3. The radar signal processing system based on transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radar waveform design module (1-1) and the transmitting antenna design module (1-4) work together to make the information entropy of the pulse signal set transmitted by the radar for detecting targets greater than T bits, where the value of T depends on the radar function to be implemented.

4. The radar signal processing system based on transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The receiving antenna design module (2-1) designs the antenna type, structure and spatial distribution so that the information entropy of the radar echo pulse signal set is greater than R bits, and the value of R depends on the radar function to be implemented.

5. The radar signal processing system based on transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: The transmitting antenna in the radar transmitting module (1) and the receiving antenna in the radar receiving module (2) can be various types of antennas such as phased array antennas, horn antennas, and metasurface antennas in various frequency bands. The specific antenna frequency band and type depend on the radar application scenario and the radar function requirements to be implemented.

6. The radar signal processing system based on transceiver design and electromagnetic domain processing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electromagnetic domain processing module (3) can be driven by pure theoretical formulas or by data-driven artificial intelligence, and can be implemented in the digital domain or analog domain.

7. A radar signal processing method based on the radar signal processing system according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Including the following steps: Waveform Design and Evaluation: Design the transmit pulse signal set from multiple dimensions, and evaluate the degree of waveform optimization by calculating the cross-correlation function and "information entropy". Signal transmission and reception: Generate and transmit pulse train signals, and design and configure receiving antenna arrays to efficiently capture radar echoes. Signal processing and output: The received radar echo is directly processed using electromagnetic domain processing technology, and the output result is judged to determine whether it meets the expected radar function. If it does not meet the expected function, the waveform design and receiving antenna configuration are iteratively optimized until the expected effect is achieved.

8. The radar signal processing method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The steps include the following: S1, Design the waveform of the radar transmitted pulse signal set, including frequency, phase, polarization, and modulation type; S2, calculate the cross-correlation function between different pulse signals in the pulse signal set, and design a metric to measure the "information entropy" of the pulse signal set; S3 generates a pulse train signal and transmits the signal through the transmitting antenna module, while the receiving antenna module receives the radar echo pulse train. S4, Design the receiving antenna array in the radar receiver module, including the structure, number and spatial distribution of the antennas; S5, which measures the "information entropy" of a radar echo pulse signal set; S6, the receiving antenna array in the radar receiver module receives radar echo pulse trains; S7 uses an electromagnetic in-domain algorithm to process radar echo pulse trains. S8. Determine whether the electromagnetic domain processing result meets the expected function of the radar. If not, return to step S1. Redesign the radar transmit pulse signal set waveform, design the structure, quantity, and spatial distribution of the receiving antenna in the radar receiver module, and repeat S1-S8 until the expected function of the radar is achieved.

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