FMCW Radar Range Calculator & Formula

This online FMCW Radar Range Calculator allows you to compute the maximum detection range of a Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar system based on essential parameters such as transmit power, antenna gain, radar cross section, and more. Simply input the required values, and the calculator will provide you with the maximum range at which the radar can effectively detect targets.

Unlike Pulse radar, which measures time-of-flight directly, FMCW radar transmits a continuous signal that changes frequency linearly over time (a “chirp”). The range is determined by measuring the frequency difference (the Beat Frequency) between the transmitted signal and the received echo.

FMCW Radar Range Calculator

Example Calculation:

Scenario : Let us determine the range of a car detected by an automotive FMCW radar sensor.

INPUTS:

Bandwidth (B) = 200 MHz
Sweep Time (Ts) = 1 ms
Beat Frequency (fb) = 40 kHz

OUTPUT:

Range = 30 meters

FMCW Radar Maximum Range Formula

Maximum radar range of FMCW radar can also be calculated using the following radar equation:

FMCW Radar Range Formula

Where:

R = Range to target (meters)
c = Speed of light (approximately 3 x 10^8 meters/second)
Ts = Sweep time or chirp duration (seconds)
B = Bandwidth of the FMCW signal (Hertz)
fb = Beat frequency (Hertz)

References

Skolnik, Merrill I. Introduction to Radar Systems. 3rd Edition. McGraw-Hill, 2001.
Richards, Mark A. Fundamentals of Radar Signal Processing. 2nd Edition. McGraw-Hill, 2014.

FMCW Radar Range Calculator & Formula