Signal Detection in Distributed MIMO Radar With Non-Orthogonal Waveforms and Sync Errors

Although routinely utilized in literature, orthogonal waveforms may lose orthogonality distributed multi-input multi-output (MIMO) radar with spatially separated transmit (TX) and receive (RX) antennas, as the experience distinct delays Doppler frequency offsets unique to different TX-RX propagation paths. In such cases, output of each waveform-specific matched filter (MF), employed unravel at RXs, contains both an auto term multiple cross terms, i.e., filtered response desired and, respectively, undesired waveforms. We consider impact non-orthogonal their terms on target detection or without timing, frequency, phase errors. To this end, we present a general signal model for MIMO radar, examine using existing coherent/non-coherent detectors two new detectors, including hybrid detector that requires coherence locally but not across provide statistical analysis leading closed-form expressions false alarm probabilities all detectors. Our results show can behave like foes friends, if they add destructively constructively, depending delay, offsets. Regarding sync errors, errors affect only coherent degrade non-coherent detector, while are impacted by timing which result loss signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).