Adaptive Transmit Waveform Design using Multi-Tone Sinusoidal Frequency Modulation

Abstract: This paper presents an adaptive waveform design method using Multi-Tone Sinusoidal Frequency Modulation (MTSFM). The MTSFM waveform's modulation function is represented as a finite Fourier series expansion. The Fourier coefficients are utilized as a discrete set of design parameters that may be modified to adapt the waveform's properties. The MTSFM's design parameters are adjusted to shape the spectrum, Auto-Correlation Function (ACF), and Ambiguity Function (AF) shapes of the waveform. The MTSFM waveform model naturally possesses the constant envelope and spectrally compact waveforms that make it well suited for transmission on practical radar/sonar transmitters which utilize high power amplifiers. The MTSFM has an exact mathematical definition for its time-series using Generalized Bessel Functions which allow for deriving closed-form analytical expressions for its spectrum, AF, and ACF. These expressions allow for establishing well-defined optimization problems that finely tune the MTSFM's properties. This adaptive waveform design model is demonstrated by optimizing MTSFM waveforms that initially possess a "thumbtack-like" AF shape. The resulting optimized designs possess substantially improved sidelobe levels over specified regions in the range-Doppler plane without increasing the Time-Bandwidth Product (TBP) that the initialized waveforms possessed. Simulations additionally demonstrate that the optimized thumbtack-like MTSFM waveforms are competitive with thumbtack-like phase-coded waveforms derived from design algorithms available in the published literature.