Dual-Use Signal Design for MIMO RadCom with Inter-pulse Index Modulation

This paper deals with the integrated signal design to simultaneously achieve a desired radar beampattern and multi-users communication for a dual-function Multiple Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) system. Inter-pulse modulation strategy via jointing the information embedding subpulses positions selections and differential phase modulation is proposed for communication function, while beampattern Integrated Sidelobe Level (ISL) is minimized to enhance radar detectability. Meanwhile, constant envelope, communication modulation and mainlobe width constraints are forced. To tackle the resulting nonconvex and NP-hard optimization problem, the Linearized Approximation Alternating Direction Penalty Method (LA-ADPM) is proposed. Finally, numerical results demonstrate the designed integrated signal is capable of realizing high data rate communication and ensuring acceptable radar performance.