24 GHz FMCW MIMO Radar for Marine Target Localization: A Feasibility Study

Radar detection and tracking of targets in the marine environment are common tasks performed to ensure the safe navigation of ships or monitor traffic in harbor areas. More recently, radar technology has been proposed to support the collision avoidance system of autonomous surface vehicles, which are characterized by severe constraints in terms of payload and space. The paper investigates the performance of a small and lightweight 24 GHz Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) radar, originally developed for automotive applications, to localize marine targets at short range. A complete signal processing strategy is presented combining MIMO radar imaging, detection, and tracking algorithms. The validation of the proposed signal processing chain is firstly performed thanks to numerical tests based on synthetic data. After, results of experimental trials carried out in the marine environment are reported. These results demonstrate that the considered radar together with the adopted signal processing strategy allows the localization of static targets and the tracking of moving targets with satisfactory performance, thus encouraging its use in marine environments.