RARE
The Radar Advanced Receiver and Exciter (RARE) program is an ongoing MDA Phase II SBIR program in which CEI is designing a hardware and software modular open architecture to facilitate radar and EW system design and implementation by combining high performance computing, ease of programmability, low cost, and I/O flexibility to realize receivers, stimulators, and related signal and general processing functions.(Back to Hardware Products)
Radar Advanced Receiver and Exciter (RARE)
Get the RARE Program Brochure in .pdf format
Description:
RARE is a scalable signal processing architecture utilizing state-of-the-art general purpose processors, FPGAs, and flexible I/O fabrics to facilitate radar system design and implementation. RARE com-bines open architecture, high performance computing, ease of programmability, low cost, and I/O flexibility to realize receivers, stimulators, and related radar, ELINT and SIGINT signal processing functions for a variety of environments and ground, ship, and air-borne platforms.
The RARE architecture supports high level system programmability. Firmware building blocks that engineers can leverage through MATLAB®, Simulink®, and SystemC enable quick implementation of algorithms and system level designs on RARE’s embedded processing resources. RARE also supports low level programmability and allows users to add firmware building blocks unique to their application.
Homogeneous general purpose processing approaches offer programming flexibility but cannot provide the low latency performance afforded by more hardware-centric solutions. FPGA solutions can meet the latency requirements of high performance radars but can be difficult to program, thus limiting flexibility. RARE satisfies the need for high level programmability, flexible I/O configurations, and low-latency performance while optimizing SWaP and minimizing system implementation and life cycle costs. Support of graphical programming methodologies and SOA software facilitates fusion and rapid implementation of new algorithms.
RARE offers versatile signal processing building blocks for rapid realization of radar, EW, SIGINT, and ELINT systems for ground, ship, and airborne platforms. The technology can benefit any application where high performance embedded processing is needed while meeting SWaP and implementation cost constraints.
Applications:
Digital Radar Receivers
Digital Exciter/Waveform Generation or Stimulator
Electronic Warfare
Signals Intelligence
Electronic Intelligence
Communications
Anti-Tamper/Information Assurance
Digital Signal Processing
Features:
Balances state-of-the-art general purpose processors with FPGAs to realize high performance computing
Support of various I/O fabrics promotes flexibility, system scalability, and interoperability
Contains A/D conversion capability to support multi-channel analog inputs
Adherence to open systems architecture methods facilitates system-of-system integration and lowers total cost of ownership
Ability to program platform using familiar high level system engineering tools (i.e. MATLAB®, Simuliink®, and SystemC) enables rapid algorithm prototyping and deployment
Application of RARE architecture increases range and Doppler resolution, improves target discrimination, and optimizes Cost, Size, Weight, And Power (CSWAP) while minimizing development time and Line Replacement Unit (LRU) count