Advanced Multistatic Imaging Leveraging Collaborative Vehicle Networks

Coherent multistatic radio imaging is a promising approach for the next generation of wireless networks, leveraging distributed nodes that collaborate to achieve high sensing resolution and robustness. This paper explores the application of this concept in vehicular radar networks. The proposed scenario envisions a system where multiple vehicles, each equipped with low-performance radars, operate simultaneously on different frequency channels. Upon request from a user, all vehicles switch to cooperative mode, collectively capturing echoes from targets in response to all transmitted signals. This cooperation effectively transforms the vehicle formation into a single distributed multistatic radar, significantly enhancing spatial resolution. Coherent multistatic processing is made possible through a meticulous three-step phase synchronization procedure, which is essential for aligning individual oscillators within a fraction of the carrier cycle and refining navigational data to within a fraction of the carrier wavelength. Notably, data from a dedicated acquisition campaign illustrate how cooperation between two vehicles enables the detection of a pedestrian's legs near a parked car.