Implementation of Digital Signal Processor for Pulse Doppler Radar

Abstract

This paper presents the design and implementation of a digital signal processor (DSP) board, utilizing a TMS320C50 family DSP chip, for pulse-Doppler radar systems. Pulse-Doppler radar systems often encounter challenges such as strong clutter, noise, and jamming in dealing with echoes. To overcome these challenges, advanced digital signal processing techniques are employed. The main objective of this paper is to introduce a cost-effective signal processing solution that significantly enhances the performance of the radar system and brings it up to speed with modern radar technologies. The hardware described in this work can also be effectively utilized for implementing various types of signal processing algorithms. Additionally, as a secondary objective, the paper presents the digital realization of a radar detector. Traditionally, this detector was constructed using an analog Doppler filter bank. However, in this work, it is digitally implemented using N digital filters in place of the analog bank. By utilizing the designed DSP board and implementing the radar detector digitally, this paper demonstrates the potential for improved performance and efficiency in pulse-Doppler radar systems. The advancements made in this work contribute to the development of cost-effective and technologically advanced radar systems. The research results are presented for four different wind conditions, showcasing the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Furthermore, the paper suggests an algorithm that combines parametric and non-parametric techniques and provides a detailed explanation of its implementation. Finally, using the non-parametric technique, the probability of detection curves (PD) are simulated with respect to the signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR) for each wind condition, and the simulation results are depicted and compared. The achievements of this paper include the proposal of an efficient approach for clutter suppression in ground surveillance pulse Doppler radar, the comparison of different clutter suppression algorithms, and the development of an algorithm that combines parametric and non-parametric techniques. The simulation results provide valuable insights into the performance of the proposed algorithms under different wind conditions.