Delay lines with a tunable length are used in a number of applications in the field of microwave techniques. The digitally-controlled analogue wideband delay line is particularly useful in noise radar applications as a precise detector of movement. In order to perform coherent reception in the noise radar, a delay line with a variable delay value is required. To address this issue, this paper comprises a new concept of a digitally-controlled delay line with a set of fine distance gates. In the paper, a solution for micro-movement detection is proposed, which is based on direct signal processing in the time domain with the use of a microwave analogue correlator. This concept assumes the use of a microwave analogue tapped delay line structure. It was found that the optimal solution for a noise radar with an analogue signal correlator is a combined delay line consisting of switched reference sections, a tapped delay line, and a precision phase shifter. The combined delay line presented in this paper is dedicated to serving as the adjustable reference delay for a noise radar intended for the detection of micro-movement. The paper contains the calculation results and delay line implementation for a given example. The new structure of the analogue tapped delay line with the calculation of optimal parameters is also presented. The precise detector of movement can be successfully used for the remote sensing of human vital signs (especially through-the-wall), e.g., breathing and heart beating, with the simultaneous determination of position.
Keywords: analogue correlation; delay line; modern radar applications; noise radar; radar signal processing techniques.