High-Fidelity FMCW Radar Simulation Framework for Multipath-Aware Sensing in Automotive, Robotics, and Industrial Applications

Le résumé fourni par la source

This paper presents a novel simulation framework for Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar sensors, developed to meet the growing need for realistic and efficient radar modeling. Radar sensors play a vital role in autonomous driving, robotics, and industrial automation, where accurate detection and perception of the environment are essential. Built within the Unity game engine, the framework replicates key radar features such as time-domain raw data, antenna arrays, multipath propagation, and radiation patterns. It integrates manual ray tracing with Gaussian-based modeling of the radar’s radiation pattern, offering fine control over radar parameters like chirp time, slope, bandwidth, antenna configuration, gain, beamwidth, and sidelobes. A core feature of the framework is its ability to simulate the Intermediate Frequency (IF) signal of a commercial radar sensor, enabling the full radar signal processing chain to be applied to both simulated and real data. Unlike conventional simulations that rely on abstracted models, this approach avoids black-box methods, ensuring full transparency for detailed analysis and testing. The framework is validated against real radar measurements in a complex parking garage scenario characterized by strong multipath effects due to metallic structures. The Unity-based environment accurately models these conditions, allowing in-depth investigation of multipath interference and radiation pattern effects. The close match between simulated and real radar outputs demonstrates the framework’s capability to produce realistic radar point clouds. By effectively handling key physical effects, this framework provides a valuable tool for radar system research, development, and validation in complex environments.

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