Global Tuning for System Performance Optimization of RF MIMO Radars

Abstract

RF systems, including RF MIMO RADARs, are increasingly integrated with digital systems in fine-geometry processes. Due to the prevalent use of RF MIMO RADARs in automotive and other safety-critical applications, in-field testing and tuning of these systems are needed to meet performance and safety targets. The fundamental performance targets of an RF MIMO system include the signal-to-noise ratio at the end of the receiver chain, matching characteristics between different signal paths, gain, noise figure, and linearity of the RF front end. In a RADAR device, matching between signal paths affects the angular resolution of the system. The gain and noise figure of the receiver control the maximum distance and the smallest object that the system can detect. In this work, we present a global tuning algorithm for RF MIMO RADARs to meet critical system performance targets while minimizing power consumption. The efficacy of the method is demonstrated with extensive simulations and hardware experiments.