MIMO Multifunction RF Systems: Detection Performance and Waveform Design

Abstract: This paper studies the detection performance of a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) multifunction radio frequency (MFRF) system, which simultaneously supports radar, communication, and jamming. We show that the detection performance of the MIMO MFRF system improves as the transmit signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR) increases. To analyze the achievable SINR of the system, we formulate an SINR maximization problem under the communication and jamming functionality constraint as well as a transmit energy constraint. We derive a closed-form solution of this optimization problem for energy-constrained waveforms and present a detailed analysis of the achievable SINR. Moreover, we analyze the SINR for systems transmitting constant-modulus waveforms, which are often used in practice. We propose an efficient constant-modulus waveform design algorithm to maximize the SINR. Numerical results demonstrate the capability of a MIMO array to provide multiple functions, and also show the tradeoff between radar detection and the communication/jamming functionality.