Radar System Characterization Extended to Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation for the Lab-Volt (Trademark) Training System

摘要

Modeling RADAR signals in software allows the testing of potential electronic counter measures and electronic counter counter measures without the associated RADAR hardware and test facilities. Performing a characterization process on a real world RADAR system reveals all imperfections within the system. The Lab-Volt (TM) RADAR system served as the characterized real world RADAR system. The characterization process consisted of measurements at selected front panel locations on the Lab-Volt (TM) transmitter module, antenna pedestal, receiver module, and dual channel sampler module. Due to the overwhelming influence of antenna parameters on a received signal, the characterization process also attempted to derive an antenna transfer function that described how the antenna filters a signal that is passed through it. The characterization process also determined the manner in which different adjustments influenced the signal. A MatLab simulation modeled the Lab-Volt (TM) system operating under ideal conditions. Comparing measurements from the characterization process and the MatLab simulation placed numerical values on the imperfections in the Lab-Volt (TM) system. Finally, integration of the Lab- Volt (TM) system explored an elementary hardware-in-the-loop configuration.