High-Accuracy Range Estimation for FC-FMCW Radar Using Phase Evaluation in Static Scenarios

High-accuracy range estimation provides valuable information about an environment, especially in the industrial context. Using radar sensors, this can be achieved independently of lighting conditions or pollution. A system and processing model for high-accuracy range estimation with a fast chirp frequency-modulated continuous wave (FC-FMCW) radar is presented. The results are validated through simulations as well as measurements. Just by signal processing, <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">μ m-accuracy</tex> is accomplished without the need for complex and costly hardware, utilizing the concept of combined frequency- and phase-based range estimation. Different possibilities for phase evaluation are discussed, influence factors on the achieved accuracy are investigated, and the results are contextualized using the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB).