Monostatic Ranging Sensor (Pulsed)

Radar System

Component Descriptions

Signal Chain Walkthrough

A pulsed monostatic ranging radar measures target distance by timing the round-trip delay of short RF pulses. The transmitter generates high-power pulses; the receiver listens for echoes during the interpulse period.

T/R Switch

A fast-switching T/R (transmit/receive) device protects the LNA from the high-power transmit pulse and routes the weak echo to the receiver. Recovery time after the TX pulse determines the minimum detectable range (blind zone).

Pulse Modulator

Switches the oscillator output on and off to create RF pulses. Pulse width determines range resolution: ΔR = c×τ/2 where τ is the pulse width. Shorter pulses give finer range resolution but require wider receiver bandwidth.

Envelope Detector + Timing

The envelope detector extracts the pulse shape from the IF signal. The timing processor measures the delay between the transmitted pulse and the received echo to calculate range: R = c×Δt/2.

Typical Specifications

Component Specifications

Component	Parameter	Typical Value
Oscillator	Frequency	9.4 - 77 GHz
PA	Peak Power	+30 to +50 dBm
Pulse Width	Duration	10 ns - 10 μs
T/R Switch	Recovery Time	10 - 100 ns
LNA	Noise Figure	1.0 - 3.5 dB
Range Resolution	ΔR	1.5 m per μs

Design Note: Minimum range is determined by the T/R switch recovery time and pulse width: R_min = c×(t_pulse + t_recovery)/2. For a 1 μs pulse with 100 ns recovery, R_min = 165 m. For short-range applications, use shorter pulses or consider FMCW architecture which has no minimum range limitation.

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