IEEE-AESS-Radar-Challenge-2025-RaSS-Team

Interactive MATLAB GUI for radar data replay

Author: RaSS Team
Date: 2025‑09‑15

Figure 1: MATLAB Radar GUI

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Overview

The RadarReplayGUI function implements an interactive MATLAB GUI for replaying and analyzing radar data with optional video synchronization. It provides visualization, target tracking, and micro-Doppler analysis in a multi-panel layout.

Feature	Description
Range–Doppler	Computes 2‑channel range‑doppler maps with optional clutter removal (MTI) and CFAR detection.
Micro‑Doppler	Generates a time‑frequency micro‑doppler profile.
Target Tracking	Maintains tracks across frames using spatial & temporal thresholds.
Video Sync	Loads an external video file (mp4/avi/mov) and syncs it to the radar timeline with adjustable speed / offset.
Nulling	User‑configurable null angle – useful to suppress undesidered target.

The GUI emulates a 2×3 layout:

• RD (Range‑Doppler) & Video (spanning two panels)
• Angle/Time, Micro‑Doppler, and Polar views

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Prerequisites

Item	Minimum Version
MATLAB®	R2020a or newer (works up to 2024b)
Image Processing Toolbox	Optional – for VideoReader and image display.
Signal Processing Toolbox	Optional – used for FFT & CFAR utilities (built‑ins are fine).

No external packages or toolboxes are required beyond the default MATLAB installation.

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Installation & Setup

git clone https://github.com/mandugo/IEEE-AESS-Radar-Challenge-2025-RaSS-Team/
cd IEEE-AESS-Radar-Challenge-2025-RaSS-Team

1. Add helper functions – The MATLAB GUI relies on a handful of helper scripts located in functions/.

   addpath(fullfile(pwd,'functions'));

2. Run the GUI – In MATLAB command window:

   RadarReplayGUI

The script will automatically create the main figure, build all UI components and load the helper functions.

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Usage

1. Load radar data

   • Click “Load…” under FILES → Radar MAT
   • Choose a .mat file that contains variable data.
     Example structure: size(data) = [num_frames, 2, num_chirps, ns].

2. Load video (optional)

   • Click “Load…” under VIDEOS. Supported formats: mp4, avi, mov.

3. Playback controls

   Button	Action
   Play/Pause	Toggle playback. When playing, frames advance automatically at ~30 fps (timer period 0.033 s).
   Step >	Advance one frame manually.
   Stop	Reset to the first frame and clear tracks.
   Loop	Enable/disable looping when reaching the last frame.

4. Adjust parameters

   • Range max, CFAR guard/training cells, null angle, video speed / offset are all editable via their respective edit fields or checkboxes.

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Controls & Parameters

Control	Default value	Description
Range Max [m]	25	Truncates the display to this maximum range.
Null angle [deg]	8.4	Beamforming null direction (degrees). For no nulling or tick No Nulling.
CFAR Pfa	1e‑4	Desired false alarm probability.
Gd/Tr (r,d)	15,15;5,5	Guard & training cells for CFAR in range and doppler dimensions.
Video speed [x]	2.7	Video playback speed relative to radar time.
Video t0 [s]	0.0	Initial video offset (positive → video delayed).

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Dependencies

All helper functions live in the functions/ folder:

Function	Purpose	File
apply_cfar.m	CFAR detection	functions/
calculate_beamforming_weights.m	Compute 2‑beam weights for nulling	functions/
clutterRemoval.m	MTI clutter removal	functions/
extract_targets.m	Extract target coordinates from detections	functions/
rangeDopplerProcessing.m	2‑D FFT and range–doppler	functions/
update_tracks.m	Maintain track history	functions/
setupVisualization.m, updateVisualization.m	Build & refresh axes	functions/

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Processing Workflow

1. Initialization

   • Defines radar parameters (chirps, bandwidth, frequency, etc.).
   • Computes derived quantities (slope, FFT sizes, Doppler axes).
   • Creates a GUI window with visualization panels and a control sidebar.

2. Radar Data Loading

   • Loads radar frames from .mat.
   • Updates FFT sizes and axes (range, velocity).
   • Pre-allocates micro-Doppler history.
   • Updates status in the GUI.

3. Video Loading

   • Reads video frames into memory.
   • Extracts timestamps and frame rate.
   • Stores video metadata for synchronized playback.

4. Playback

   • Timer-driven loop (onTick) processes frames at ~30 FPS.
   • Each frame processing includes:
     • Clutter Removal (if enabled).
     • Range–Doppler Processing per channel.
     • Null Steering across antennas.
     • CFAR Detection to identify targets.
     • Micro-Doppler Extraction.
     • Target Tracking with spatial/time gating and history.
     • Visualization Update of all panels.
     • Optional Video Frame Injection aligned to radar timeline.

5. Shutdown

   • Cleans up timers and GUI state on close.

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License

MIT © 2025 RaSS Team. See LICENSE for details.

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