The Complete OFDM Radar Processor

Definition:

OFDM Radar Processing Pipeline

The OFDM radar processor builds on Chapter 22's framework:

  1. Transmit MM OFDM symbols with NN subcarriers
  2. Receive echo with delay τ\tau and Doppler fdf_d
  3. Element-wise division Z[k,m]=Y[k,m]/X[k,m]Z[k,m] = Y[k,m]/X[k,m]
  4. IFFT along subcarriers \to range
  5. FFT along symbols \to Doppler
  6. CFAR detection on the 2D range-Doppler map

Definition:

2D CA-CFAR

For a 2D range-Doppler map, 2D CFAR uses a rectangular window of training cells around the CUT:

def cfar_2d(rd_map, n_train_r, n_train_d, n_guard_r, n_guard_d, pfa):
    Nr, Nd = rd_map.shape
    n_total = (2*n_train_r+2*n_guard_r+1)*(2*n_train_d+2*n_guard_d+1) \
              - (2*n_guard_r+1)*(2*n_guard_d+1)
    alpha = n_total * (pfa**(-1/n_total) - 1)
    detections = np.zeros_like(rd_map, dtype=bool)
    for r in range(n_train_r+n_guard_r, Nr-n_train_r-n_guard_r):
        for d in range(n_train_d+n_guard_d, Nd-n_train_d-n_guard_d):
            window = rd_map[r-n_train_r-n_guard_r:r+n_train_r+n_guard_r+1,
                            d-n_train_d-n_guard_d:d+n_train_d+n_guard_d+1].copy()
            window[n_train_r:n_train_r+2*n_guard_r+1,
                   n_train_d:n_train_d+2*n_guard_d+1] = 0
            noise_est = np.sum(window) / n_total
            if rd_map[r, d] > alpha * noise_est:
                detections[r, d] = True
    return detections

Example: Complete OFDM Radar Processor

Implement the full OFDM radar processing chain: generate OFDM waveform, simulate target echoes, form range-Doppler map, apply 2D CFAR.

Complete OFDM Radar System

Full OFDM radar: transmit, receive, process, detect.

Parameters

Range-Doppler Map with CFAR Detections

Range-Doppler Map with CFAR Detections
Example range-Doppler map with two targets and CFAR detection results.

Quick Check

What is a key advantage of OFDM radar over FMCW chirp radar?

Better range resolution

Lower PAPR

Joint communication and sensing capability

Simpler hardware

Key Takeaway

OFDM radar reuses the communication waveform for sensing: element-wise division removes data, IFFT gives range, FFT gives Doppler, and 2D CFAR provides detection. This is the foundation of 6G integrated sensing and communication (ISAC).

ISAC

Integrated Sensing and Communication: using the same waveform, hardware, and spectrum for both radar sensing and data communication.

FMCW

Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave: a radar waveform that continuously sweeps frequency; standard in automotive radar.