A dual-function MIMO radar-communications system using frequency-hopping waveforms

The dual use of radio signals for simultaneous operation of radar and communications has recently attracted significant interest. In this paper, we develop a method for information embedding into the emission of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar using frequency-hopping (FH) waveforms. The set of orthogonal waveforms used to implement the primary MIMO radar operation is generated using FH codes. The secondary communication function is implemented by embedding one phase-shift keying (PSK) communication symbol in each frequency hop, i.e., the number of embedded communication symbols during each radar pulse equals the number of transmit antennas times the length of the FH code. We show that the communication operation is transparent to the MIMO radar function of the dual-function system. Standard ratio testing is used to detect the embedded PSK symbols at the communication receiver. The achievable data rate is proportional to the pulse repetition frequency, the number of transmit elements, the length of the FH code, and the size of the PSK constellation. The performance of the proposed technique is investigated in terms of the symbol error rate.