Performance characterization of electronic FMCW active imagers

In an electronic frequency-modulated continuous-wave active imager (eFMCW), the intensity of the transmitted signal is modulated with a chirped frequency, and the received echo is demodulated using a copy of the original modulation pattern (local oscillator). Using this system design technique, the target’s distance and range-dependent velocity are simultaneously recoverable. In this study, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and range precision of a notional eFMCW active imager are modeled and compared with two additional range-resolving imaging techniques. The results of this modeling show that eFMCW is a promising system design technique due to its increased sensitivity and range precision when compared to similar methods. These findings assist in motivating the development of a prototype eFMCW imager, which is also presented in this study.