A low-cost multi-target simulator for FMCW radar system calibration and testing

We present the realization of a novel radar target simulator, based on a modulated-reflector radar system. The simulator, designed for the 24 GHz frequency band, uses low-cost modulated-reflector nodes for each single target and thus is highly scalable. It is demonstrated, that the concept is able to simulate multiple artificial targets, located at user-selectable ranges and even velocities, utilized within a completely static setup. Furthermore, the concept allows to dynamically adjust the radar cross section of each single target. This future-ready system is perfectly suitable for fast and reliable IF-chain calibration of multi-channel radar systems.