Optimization of Diverse PCFM Waveforms and Joint Mismatched Filters

Finding codes for the desired autocorrelation function (ACF) based on phase-coded modulation waveforms has always been a popular research topic, and the relevant literature is abundant. However, the optimized ACF may not be obtained in band-limited hardware due to the extended spectral sidelobes generated by instantaneous phase changes. Polyphase-coded FM (PCFM) waveforms based on continuous phase modulation (CPM), which uses a shape filter to smooth phase jumps, can provide effective spectral containment. However, for PCFM waveforms using the existing optimized phase codes, the original desired property of the ACF, e.g., a low integrated sidelobe level (ISL) or weighted ISL (WISL), will not be obtained because of the smoothness among all phases. Hence, PCFM waveforms based on CPM should be redesigned and optimized. Moreover, designing pulse-agile waveforms with different phase codes to mitigate range ambiguity has also attracted increased attention in recent years. However, different waveforms will yield range sidelobe modulation (RSM) in Doppler processing, which degrades the attendant Doppler coherency, leading to high sidelobes in the Doppler dimension. In this article, optimization algorithms for designing diverse PCFM waveforms and relevant joint mismatched filters (JMMFs) are proposed. A CPM-based cyclic algorithm (CPM-CA) using the method of alternating projection for optimizing the PCFM waveform with a desired ACF is proposed in the first step. The design of multiple diverse PCFM waveforms with similar ACFs and a small RSM effect is also considered. Then, to further optimize the ISL/WISL and reduce the RSM effect, a novel method for designing JMMFs using a cyclic algorithm (JMMF-CA) is proposed. Simulations and an experiment based on a real radar system indicate that the optimized PCFM waveforms and JMMFs using CPM-CA and JMMF-CA can yield a desired ISL/WISL while achieving a small RSM effect with a low loss of signal-to-noise ratio and satisfactory Doppler robustness.