Raytheon 2012-2013

Sponsor: Raytheon

Efficient Superposition of Communication and Radar Waveforms

The Raytheon-Olin SCOPE team worked to expand potential applications for multi-function radar arrays by researching methods for superimposing radar and communication waveforms. Current radar application areas often require system designers to co-locate specialized radar and communications antennae, introducing interference and consuming space and power. By transmitting radar and communications signals simultaneously, this work has the potential to enable technologies that consume significantly fewer resources than present-day communication and radar systems. 

  

Transmitting these two types of waveforms through the same device requires amplifying communication signals in a high-distortion regime that compromises signal integrity. The goal of the Raytheon-Olin SCOPE team was to identify pairs of communication and radar waveforms that could be superimposed through a single nonlinear amplifier while still fulfilling primary communications and radar functions. The team investigated candidate performance using hardware experimentation and industry-standard simulation. The results of this study begin to define the conditions for successful simultaneous communications and radar transmission through a single non-linear amplifier.

Raytheon poster

Faculty Advisor 

Siddhartan Govindasamy

Team Members

Anton Frolenkov 

Vidie Pong 

Sasha Sproch 

Amy Whitcombe

Team photo