TECHNICAL REPORT: AMBUITY FUNCTION AND ITS APPLICATION

by
David Moon


A report submitted in fulfillment
of the requirements for

ELC 4V97: Radar Waveform Optimization














Department of Electrical Computer Engineering
Baylor University
Summer 2012

ii
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................................................................iv
ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................2
TheAmbiguityFunction............................................................................................................................2
I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................2
II. BACKGROUND..................................................................................................................................2
III. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF FINDING RANGE AND VELOCITY.............................................................2
Figure1:OverviewofRangeandVelocityDetection............................................................................3
IV. CORRELATION.................................................................................................................................4
V. THE AMBIGUITY FUNCTION (x, u): AN EXTENSION OF THE RANGE-DOPPLER CORRELATION
(qR, Dx, u)............................................................................................................................................7
VI. CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................................8
EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS......................................................................................................................9
MATLABAmbiguityFunctionImplementation.........................................................................................9
I. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................9
II. OVERVIEW AMBIGUITY FUNCTIONS IN MATLAB...............................................................9
III. AMBIGUITY FUNCTIONS PERFORMED ON WAVEFORMS IN MATLAB..........................9
DerivingtheAmbiguityoftheChirpFunctionandMATLABImplementation.......................................14
I. INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................14
II. DERIVING THE AMBIGUITY OF THE CHIRP WAVEFORM.................................................14
BestAmbiguityApproachUsingPiecewiseLinearChirps.......................................................................16
I. INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................16
II. AN APPROACH TO MINIMIZE AMBIGUITY USING LINEAR CHIRPS................................17
III. THE PIECEWISE LINEAR CHIRP: MATHEMATICAL APPROACH TO DECREASE
AMBIGUITY......................................................................................................................................18
IV. MATLAB APPROACH TO MINIMIZE AMBIGUITY USING PIECEWISE LINEAR CHIRPS
............................................................................................................................................................19
TheQuadraticChirp................................................................................................................................20
I. INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................20
II. INTRODUCTION TO THE QUADRATIC CHIRP......................................................................21
III. THE QUADRATIC CHIRP..........................................................................................................23
iii
IV. THE AMBIGUITY FUNCTION OF THE QUADRATIC CHIRP...............................................24
V. QUADRATIC CHIRP AMBIGUITY: MATLAB IMPLEMENTATION.....................................26
VI. CONCLUSION: MATLAB IMPLEMENTATION OF THE QUADRATIC CHIRP..................27
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................................28
APPENDIX.................................................................................................................................................29
AppendixI:ChirpSpectrumandAmbiguityinMATLAB.........................................................................29
AppendixII:AmbiguityFunctionofLinearChirpinMATLAB.................................................................33
AppendixIII:PiecewiseLinearChirpinMATLAB....................................................................................33
AppendixIV:TheQuadraticChirpinMATLAB........................................................................................37
AppendixV:TheAmbiguityFunctionoftheQuadraticChirpinMATLAB..............................................38

iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research is a collaborative effort of the Wireless and Microwave research group at Baylor
University. I would like to especially thank Dr. Charles Baylis, Dr. Robert J. Marks, and Larry Cohen for
their insightful advisement throughout this summer course. Additionally, I would like to give a special
thanks to my research coworkers, Matthew Moldovan and Josh Martin. They have served indispensable
roles as helpers and friends towards my work.

ABSTRACT
The ambiguity function is a fundamental concept in the field of radar engineering. Since the advent of modern
radars in World War II, the ambiguity function complemented radar technology by quantifying a signals ability to
detect range and velocity of a moving target. Over the years, the ambiguity function has been altered to meet the
complex requirements of diverse radar systems. However, understanding of the ambiguity function has always
served as the basis on which signals are engineered in order to meet necessary requirements for precision and
accuracy.
In order to find a targets range and velocity, the exact time delay and Doppler shift between the transmitted and
reflected signals must be found. The solution to extract this information exists in the correlation function.
Correlation function simply shows how one set signal is similar in nature to a second signal that could have
variations. If the variations of the second signal are time delay and Doppler shift in comparison to the first signal,
the correlation function provides a quantification method to determine how robust an engineered signal is to detect
range and Doppler.
Ambiguity functions has diverse applications in radar signals engineering, including the optimization search for
the piecewise linear chirp used commonly in radar applications. In prior research, a method to restrict the bandwidth
to certain spectral mask requirements was shown. Compiling the ambiguity functions of diverse piecewise linear
chirps has given us information about the best time delay and Doppler shift resolution. The closed form solution to
the linear chirp reveals that the tilt angle of the ambiguity function can be determined by the fixed chirp rate.
Depending on where tilt angle lies, a signal that has been engineered to this time delay and Doppler shift resolution
would be nearly impossible to detect. Using this information, several steps in the optimization procedure could be
eliminated.
Furthering the research of linear piecewise-linear chirps, the possible superposition of multiple linear chirp
segments ambiguity functions was considered. Multiple chirp segments of a given piecewise linear chirp with
varying chirp rates have different tilt angles. The ambiguity function of these individual chirp segments seemed to
add up together at the origin (superimpose on top of one another) to converge into a two-dimensional Dirac impulse,
which is the ideal ambiguity function. For this theory to hold true, the quadratic chirp would yield a result closest to
the ideal ambiguity function. However, the experimental results showed that the quadratic chirps ambiguity
function is similar in nature to that of an ideal time delay resolution signal (time-domain impulse signal) rather than
one that is ideal for both time delay and Doppler shift resolution. The theory of the superposition of piecewise-linear
chirps required evaluation of initial calculations and provided insight on the limitations of linear chirps.

2
INTRODUCTION
TheAmbiguityFunction
I. INTRODUCTION
The ambiguity function has been utilized for half a century, since the advent of matched filters [1]. Over the years,
radar systems advanced as well as the complexity of radar systems. If one searches for Ambiguity Function on
IEEEXplore, nearly 2,000 results pop-up to indicate the impact of the ambiguity function on the advancement of
radar technology. The applications of the ambiguity function are diverse ranging from monostatic radars to
multistatic radars. There is, however, a considerable disconnect between the modern forms of the ambiguity function
and the original form, from which all were contrived. This leaves a sense of daunting unease towards the concept of
the ambiguity function. Contrary to this notion, the derivation of the ambiguity function is surprisingly
straightforward. In order to fully appreciate the intent of the ambiguity function, we will first observe the means
required to derive the range and velocity of a target. Then we will look at how correlation works and the correlation
of the transmitted infinite complex sinusoid and impulse waveforms to their reflected time-delayed waveforms.
Furthermore, we will look at the correlation of the same original signals to the received signals Doppler-shifted
instead. We will conclude by taking the general correlation equation of an arbitrary transmitted and reflected wave
to derive the ambiguity function.
II. BACKGROUND
During and after WWII, the military placed a heightened interest in radar applications [2]. Around the same time
in the middle of the 20
th
century, Ville, Woodward and Davies established the quantitative basis for modern radar
signal performance with the advent of the ambiguity function [2]. In 1953 Woodward published in his book,
Probability and Information Theory, that the ambiguity function is a correlation function for a combined time and
frequency shift [3]. Woodward also described the principle of radar signals generation, stating that a targets range
and velocity information cannot be obtained if at the exact time-delay and Doppler-shift, the ambiguity value is
unity. For over 10 years since Woodward made the claim, radar signals engineers believed that it was possible to
construct an ideal signal with a single large time-bandwidth signal [2]. Much of this hope subsided due to the
complex effects of reflecting surfaces on radar signals [2]. Nonetheless, large time-bandwidth FM signals have been
developed to yield adequate results for target detection and information extraction. Though these signals were
widely distributed, they were being catered to accommodate specific goals in fields ranging from seismology to flaw
detection in metals [2]. Even with continuous improvement in radar technology, there are limitations in creating the
ideal ambiguity signal. One of the major current issues is the limitation on linearity and the distortion of signals that
result from nonlinear high-power amplification [4]. Throughout the progress of radar signals engineering, the
ambiguity function remains as a crucial basis for determining the level of success of radar waveforms.
III. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF FINDING RANGE AND VELOCITY
Is it possible to determine the range R and velocity of a given target :
tugct
? The following shows how to
determine just these quantities by simply sending out a signal and gathering information about the signal that returns.
Comparing the transmitted signal Ix and reflected signal Rx is sufficient to determine range and velocity as
explicated below:





3














A. Range (R)
How long does it take to detect the reflected signal after transmitting a signal? It can be easily deduced that the
total delay time it would take for the signal to reach the target and back is equivalent to the total distance the signal
travels divided by the velocity of the signal, as given in the equation below
At =
totuI dstuncc

signcl
=
2R

signcl
(1)

Therefore, given the exact total delay time At, the range can be calculated as
R =
v
sgnaI
2At
. (2)
B. Velocity (:
tugct
)
As for figuring out the velocity of the target, we must apply the Doppler Effect. The Doppler Effect describes the
change in the transmitted signal frequency
1x
due to moving objects (in our case, due to the moving target and the
transmitter). The following describes the relationship of the transmitted and reflected frequencies
f = f
Rx
-f
Tx
. (3)
And the Doppler Effect states
f
Rx
=
(v
sgnaI
+v
tansmtte
)
(v
sgnaI
+v
taget
)
f
Tx
. (4)
:
tunsmttc
is said to be positive if it is moving towards the target and inversely :
tugct
is said to be positive
when it is moving away from the transmitter. Therefore, given the reflected signal frequency
Rx
, it is possible to
derive the targets velocity :
tugct
using (4) as
v
targct
=
I
Tx
I
Rx
(v
sIgnaI
+v
transmIttcr
) -(v
sIgnaI
). (5)
Figuie 1: 0veiview of Range anu velocity Betection
4
IV. CORRELATION
It is seen above that the total delay time At and the Doppler shift of the transmitted signal A are needed to obtain
the range R and velocity of the target:
tugct
. But how do we obtain At and A? One method, and possibly the best
method, is to utilize the correlation of the transmitted signal Ix and the reflected signal Rx. The correlation of
two waveforms describes their similarity with respect to a time-lag and/or frequency-shift applied to Ix. A high
correlation indicates that the two waveforms match up closely. Thus, to find the exact At, we would apply a time-lag
on the transmitted signal and convolve it with time. The equation for the range correlation is given below:

R
() = ] Rx(t) Tx

(t -)ut

t=-
. (6)
Similarly, to find A, we would apply a frequency-shift u on the transmitted signal and convolve it with frequency.
The equation for the Doppler correlation is given below:

D
(u) = ] Rx(t) Tx

(t)e
-j2ut
ut

t=-
. (7)
It is also possible to find both the At and A at the same time. This would require the combination of both
equations (6) and (7) that would give us the range-Doppler correlation:

R,D
(, u) = ] Rx(t) Tx

(t -)e
-j2u(t-1)
ut

t=-
. (8)
If = At and/or u = A, the magnitude of the correlation is high since the transmitted signal and reflected
signal overlap each other in their respective domains. However, could it be possible that there would be a high
correlation when = At and/or u = A. If the correlation were high at the wrong time- and/or frequency-shift, we
would obtain a faulty At and/or A. Determining the optimum Ix for its specific application is therefore important.
The ambiguity in evaluating the correct At and/or A depends on the signal properties. The correlation of the
transmitted, infinite time, complex sinusoid and impulse waveforms to their respective reflected waveforms will be
examined below by applying the two types of lags.
A. Range Correlation (
R
()) of the Complex Sinusoid and Impulse Wave
The transmitted complex sinusoid wave and its corresponding time-delayed reflected signal can be represented as:
Tx(t) = A
Tx
e
j2I
Tx
t
(9)
Rx(t) = Tx(t -t) = A
Tx
e
j2I
Tx
(t-At)
. (10)
In (9) and (10), A
1x
is the arbitrary amplitude of the transmitted signal. Applying these signals into the Range
correlation given in (6) yields:

R
() = ] A
Tx
e
j2I
Tx
(t-At)

t=-
A
Tx
e
-j2I
Tx
(t-1)
ut. (11)
Cancelling and combining like terms, (11) becomes

R
() = A
Tx
2
e
j2I
Tx
(1-At)
] 1ut

t=
(12)

R
() = A
Tx
2
e
j2I
Tx
(1-At)
|-(-)] (13)
which resolves to
|
R
()| = foi all . (14)
(14) indicates that for the transmitted complex sinusoid wave, there is a high correlation for all time-lag. This
mean that it is nearly impossible to extract the true At.
Correspondingly, the transmitted impulse wave and its corresponding time-delayed reflected signal can be
represented as:
5
Tx(t) = (t) (15)
Rx(t) = Tx(t -t) = (t -t). (16)
Again, substituting these signals into the Range correlation given in (6) yields:

R
() = ] (t -t) (t -)ut

t=-
. (17)
Applying the sifting property, (17) becomes

R
() = ( -t) (18)
which resolves to
|
R
()| =
0 whcn 1=At
whcn 1=At
. (19)
(19) suggests that the transmitted impulse wave has only a high correlation at = At and is 0 elsewhere. This
indicates that the impulse waveform should always yield the correct t and is ideal to measure the range of a target.
B. Doppler Correlation (

(u)) of the Complex Sinusoid and Impulse Wave

The transmitted complex sinusoid wave and its corresponding Doppler-shifted reflected signal can be represented
as:
Tx(t) = A
Tx
e
j2I
Tx
t
(20)
Rx(t) = Tx(t)e
j2AIt
= A
Tx
e
j2I
Tx
t
e
j2AIt
= A
Tx
e
j2(I
Tx
+AI)t
(21)
As noted before, A
1x
is the arbitrary amplitude of the transmitted signal in (20) and (21),. Applying these signals
into the Doppler correlation given in equation (7) yields

D
(u) = ] A
Tx
e
j2(I
Tx
+AI)t

t=0
A
Tx
e
-j2I
Tx
t
e
-j2ut
ut. (22)
Combining like terms, we achieve

D
(u) = ] A
Tx
2
e
j2(AI-u)t
ut

t=0
. (23)
Substituting = 2n(A -u), we obtain

D
(u) = 2A
Tx
2
|
1
2
] e
jmt
ut

t=-
]. (24)
Applying the definition of an impulse to (24), the term in the bracket becomes

D
(u) = 2A
Tx
2
|()]. (25)
Finally this becomes
|
D
(u)| =
0 whcn u=AI
whcn u=AI
. (26)
(26) indicates that the transmitted complex sinusoid wave has a high correlation only at u = f and is 0 elsewhere.
This tells us that the complex sinusoid waveform should always yield the correct f and is ideal to measure the
velocity of a target.
Correspondingly, the transmitted impulse wave and its corresponding Doppler-shifted reflected signal can be
represented as
Tx(t) = (t) (27)
Rx(t) = Tx(t)e
j2AIt
= (t)e
j2AIt
. (28)
28
REFERENCES
[1] J.E.Gray,"AnInterpretationofWoodward'sAmbiguityFunctionandItsGeneralization,"RadarConference,2010IEEE,vol.,no.,pp.859
864,1014May2010.
[2] C.E.CookandM.Bernfeld,RadarSignals:AnIntroductiontoTheoryandApplication,NewYork,NY:AcademicPressInc.,1967.
[3] P.M.Woodward,TheTransmittedRadarSignal,inProbabilityandInformationTheorywithApplicationstoRadar,London,GreatBritain:
PergamonPressLTD.,1953,ch.7,sec.2,pp.120.
[4] N.LevanonandE.Mozeson,RadarSignals,Hoboken,NJ:JohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,2004.
[5] Y.K.Chan,M.Y.Chua,andV.C.Koo,"Sidelobesreductionusingsimpletwoandtristagesnonlinearfrequencymodulation
(nlfm),"ProgressInElectromagneticsResearch,Vol.98,3352,2009.
[6] T.Puhakka,P.Puhakka,andF.OHora.OnthePerformanceofNLFMPulseCompressionwithPolarimetricDopplerradar,inERAD2006,
Barcelona,Spain,2006.
[7] PanYichun;PengShirui;YangKefeng;DongWenfeng;,"OptimizationdesignofNLFMsignalanditspulsecompressionsimulation,"Radar
Conference,2005IEEEInternational,vol.,no.,pp.383386,912May2005.
[8] Luszczyk,M.;,"NumericalEvaluationofAmbiguityFunctionforSteppedNonLinearFMRadarWaveform,"Microwaves,Radar&Wireless
Communications,2006.MIKON2006.InternationalConferenceon,vol.,no.,pp.11641167,2224May2006.
[9] A.W.Doerry,GeneratingNonlinearFMChirpWaveformsforRadar,SandiaNatl.Lab.,Albuquerque,NM,Rep.SAND20065856,2006.
[10] XiangGenXia;,"DiscretechirpFouriertransformanditsapplicationtochirprateestimation,"SignalProcessing,IEEETransactionson,
vol.48,no.11,pp.31223133,Nov2000.
[11] B.R.Mahafza,TheAmbiguityFunctionAnalogWaveforms,inRadarSignalAnalysisandProcessingUsingMATLAB,1sted.BocaRaton,
FL:ChapmanandHall/CRC,2008,ch.5,sec.4,pp.208215.
[12] M.I.Skolnik,PulseCompressionRadar,inRadarHandbook,2nded.NewYork,NY:McGrawHill,1990,ch.10,sec.4.

29
APPENDIX
AppendixI:ChirpSpectrumandAmbiguityinMATLAB
In order to implement this code correctly in MATLAB, add the measured Chirp signal and functions onto the
desktop and verify the paths to the respective files (highlighted in purple below).

% This program reads in a measured chirp spectrum, plots it and also
% computes the ambiguity function and plots it as well.
%
clear all;
xtMeas = [];

% Adding necessary paths to MATLAB current folder
addpath('C:\Users\David\Desktop\AmbiguityFuncs\AmbiguityFuncs\PSL_and_ISL');
addpath('C:\Users\David\Desktop\AmbiguityFuncs\AmbiguityFuncs\amcorr');
addpath('C:\Users\David\Desktop\AmbiguityFuncs\AmbiguityFuncs\complexAmbiguity');

% Default Definitions
ntime = 1000; % Time coefficient for x-axis (must be less than or equal to N)
Fs = 1000; % Sampling frequency (at least 2 * Bandwidth)
**************************************SAMPLING RATE!!!!!!!!!!!**********
T = 1/Fs; % Sample time
N = 1000; % Length of signal
n = (0:N-1);
t = n*T; % Time vector



SIGNAL=input('\nWhat signal do you want in the time domain? (sine, impulse, chirp, chirpcombo):
','s');
if strcmp(SIGNAL,'chirpcombo')
SIGNAL=input(' What combination do you desire? (chirpsine, chirpimpulse, chirpchirp): ','s');
end

%SINE WAVE*****************************************
if strcmp(SIGNAL,'sine')

f = input(' What is the signal frequency? (in Hertz {up to 250Hz}): '); % Signal frequency

%Time Domain Signal
signal1 = sin(2*pi*f*t);

%Frequency Domain Signal
fftPoint = 2^(nextpow2(N)); % Next power of 2 from length of y
fftptlim = fftPoint/2+1; % Upper limit of frequency point axis
Signal1 = fft(signal1,fftPoint)/N;
faxispts = Fs/2*linspace(0,1,fftptlim);


% Plot single-sided amplitude spectrum.
figure(1)
subplot(221);time=plot(Fs*t(1:ntime),signal1(1:ntime));
title('{\bf TimeDomain} {\bf Sine}');set(time, 'Linewidth', 1);
xlabel('{\it time} ({\it milliseconds})')

fxmin=0;fxmax=2*f;fymin=0;fymax=(2.5*max(abs(Signal1)));
Frange=[fxmin fxmax fymin fymax];
subplot(222);fftr=plot(faxispts,2*abs(Signal1(1:fftptlim)));
axis(Frange)
title('{\bf FFT} {\bf Sine}');set(fftr,'Linewidth',1);
xlabel('{\it Frequency} ({\it Hz})');ylabel('|{\it Y}({\it f})|')


xtMeas = signal1; % Time domain signal
XuMeas = Signal1; % Frequency domain signal
end
%SINE WAVE*******************************************