Estimating the target DOA, range and velocity using subspace methods in a MIMO OFDM DFRC system

Dual-function Radar communication (DFRC) systems implement Radar detection and communication us-ing the same hardware simultaneously. Significant attention has been paid to a multiple-input multiple -output DFRC system based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). So far, the directions of arrival of the targets have been well estimated using subspace methods. In this paper, the ranges and/or velocities are estimated using the subspace methods. To this end, the Radar waveform must be based on the data symbols that are replicated over a few sub-carriers and/or during a few OFDM symbols. To avoid data replication, the target ranges and velocities can be estimated based on a least-squares (LS) or total LS method. After giving a few practical considerations, simulation results show that the proposed approaches outperform the existing ones based on the Fourier transform and/or Lasso algorithm. The per-formance of the proposed approaches is compared with the Cramer-Rao bound. Moreover, we show how the performance of the DFRC system (in terms of the accuracy of the estimated target parameters and data rate) evolves when modifying the system parameters, such as the number of sub-carriers and the number of OFDM symbols. (c) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This paper presents a dual-function radar communication system based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), which allows for radar detection and communication simultaneously. The paper proposes using subspace methods to accurately estimate the directions of arrival of targets and least-squares (LS) methods to estimate the ranges and/or velocities. Simulation results show that the proposed approaches outperform existing methods based on Fourier transform and/or Lasso algorithm.