Mixed signal integration issues in radar systems

Nowadays, radar design teams are finding themselves at a criticial juncture. No longer can a radar design team focus solely on RF/microwave measurements when evaluating a prototype. More and more, the systems they design have become increasingly digital in nature, often employing FPGAs, DSPs along with RF components to achieve the flexibility required to switch between different waveforms and configurations. This digital section requires a separate baseband designer or design team, and must be simulated and measured using tools that differ from those traditionally used by RF designers to debug, validate and characterize intermediate frequency (IF) and RF signals. Unfortunately, the disparate design and test methodologies used by the baseband design team designing the radar signal processor and RF team designing the RF exciters and receivers often result in a host of system integration issues and testing challenges.

This application note presents an alternate design and test approach for today's complex radar systems that relies on a common analysis platform to bridge the gap between baseband and RF designers and design teams. This approach uses the Agilent Vector Signal Analysis (VSA) software in conjunction with Agilent's logic analyzer and Infiniium Series Digital Oscilloscope. Agilent's SystemVue software is also used. By providing a common measurement framework, this approach makes it much easier for the baseband and RF teams to come together to create a working radar system.

View the PDF document for more information.

Originally published by Agilent Technologies Inc. at www.agilent.com as "Mixed-Signal Integration Challenges in Complex Radar Systems".