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A new measurement technique based on an electromagnetic parametric scattering model has been described. The technique makes it possible to measure antenna gain and the newly defined radiation center by performing two wideband scattering measurements. This approach allows the measurement of the in-situ installed antenna performance. The dispersive nature of the wideband antennas is demonstrated. This dispersive nature of the antenna has significant impact on its use in imaging systems.
Radar return data from various types of aircraft were collected and analyzed during varying flight profiles to determine the presence of consistent, dominant radar returns of point scatterers on the aircraft. These measurements were performed by integrating two separate X-band radars into one system with the ability to simultaneously track and image aircraft. Selected processed data from both radar systems were analyzed and are presented as a function of time, azimuth and elevation angle, and range. I/Q data, high-range resolution (HRR) profile data and inverse synthetic aperture range (ISAR) data are presented for selected flight profiles of helicopters, propeller aircraft, and jet aircraft.
The implementation of low observable (LO) materials and the fielding of aircraft with controlled signatures creates a new degree of difficulty for maintaining, executing prompt accurate inspections and achieving meaningful evaluations. To address this problem, Sensor Concepts, Inc (SCI) has prototyped a new radar system, (the SCI-Xe) to provide a test bed for a lighter, smaller RCS measurement and imaging system. The hardware consists of a suitcase containing RF hardware, computer and display and a hand-held or rail-mounted unit containing two X/Ku band antennas. In the rail-mounted application, imaging is followed by registration and image differencing, which allows an operator reproduce a baseline measurement geometry and evaluate RCS changes. The hand-held application forms a synthetic aperture by moving the antennas by hand. This can be used to quickly investigate an object under test.
This paper presents a first-principles algorithm for estimating a target’s far-field radar cross section (RCS) and/or far-field image from extreme near-field linear (1- D) or planar (2-D) SAR measurements, such as those collected for flight-line diagnostics of aircraft signatures. Wavenumber migration (WM) is an approach that was first developed for the problem of geophysical imaging and was later applied to airborne SAR imagery [1], where it is often referred to as the “Range Migration Algorithm (RMA)”[2]. It is based on rigorous inversion of the integral equation used to model SAR/ISAR imagery, and is closely related to processing techniques for near-field antenna measurements. A derivation of WM and examples of approximate farfield RCS and image reconstructions are presented for the one-dimensional (1D) case, along with a discussion of the angular extent over which the far-field estimates are valid as a function of target size, measurement standoff distance, and near-field aperture dimensions.
The work described in this paper is devoted to measurement and analysis techniques for performing electromagnetic (EM) test environment assessments and error compensations for antenna performance testing and RCS testing at indoor and outdoor test sites. This paper is focused primarily on test articles and test facilities that are physically and/or electrically large and difficult to handle by conventional measurement and analysis techniques. The approaches discussed herein are based on the combined use of 1) arrays of EM field probes to rapidly measure the test zone fields, and 2) specialized EM spectral analysis techniques including the MUSIC high resolution imaging technique and the Spherical Angular Function (SAF) integral formulation of EM coupling and scattering.
A thermal technique for the remote calibration of phased array radar antennas is proposed in this paper. The technique is based on infrared (IR) measurements of the heat patterns produced in a thin planar detector screen placed near the antenna. The magnitude of the field can be measured by capturing an isothermal image (IR thermogram) of the field with an IR imagining camera. The phase of the field can be measured by creating a thermal interference pattern (IR/microwave hologram) between the phased array antenna and a known reference source. This thermal imaging technique has the advantages of speed and portability over existing hard-wired probe methods and can be used in-the-field to remotely measure the magnitude and the phase of the field radiated by the antenna. This information can be used to calibrate the individual elements controlling the radiation pattern of the array.
Static RCS ranges typically generate RCS imagery using ISAR imaging techniques. This provides a twodimensional image of amplitude plotted within some down-range and cross-range extent. The down-range resolution is a function of the bandwidth of the radar system while the cross-range resolution is a function of the target motion between consecutive measurements. A radar look down angle of 0-degrees provides the maximum cross-range information because the target’s movement is normal to the transmitted wave front. As the radar look down angle is changed from 0-degrees to 90-degrees less cross-range information is gathered as the target movement becomes more coplanar to the transmitted wave front. At a radar look down angle of 90 degrees no cross-range information can be discerned. To collect 3-dimensional data for imagery at a look down angle of 90-degrees a raster scan type process can be used. In this implementation the beamwidth of the radar antenna was changed to produce a 6-inch spot on the target rather than fully illuminating the target as is typical with ISAR imaging. A rail was built over the target to support a linearly scanned reflecting plate to direct the transmitted pulse down onto the target to simulate a radar look down angle of 90-degrees. The target was rotated 370-degrees (10-degree overlap) beneath the stationary reflecting plate providing a circumferencial scan i.e. a ring. After each rotation, the reflecting plate was moved a fixed interval radially and another ‘ring’ of data was collected. This procedure was repeated until the entire target was measured. This method of scanning provided two-dimensional information of the target’s length and width with height information obtained by using a 256-stepped-frequency waveform over a bandwidth of 1.6 GHz providing complete three-dimensional imagery.
We present a preliminary evaluation of a microwave measurement system that has been designed to determine electromagnetic fields in the quiet-zone of an antenna measurement range and to produce an image of the sources, intended and unintended, of the incident radiation. This information is of potential value in the processes of improving range perfor mance, correcting pattern results for non-ideal illumination , and evaluating measurement uncertainty.
Near-field ground-to-ground imaging systems are widely used to discover damage that could degrade the radar signature of low observable vehicles. However, these systems cannot presently assess the impact of this damage on the far-field signature of these vehicles. We describe progress made on a method to accurately project the near-field data from these to the far field. Near-field data for the algorithm development is provided by the hybrid finite element/integral equation RCS computer code SWITCH. The near-field data is processed to extract the near-field scattering centers using imaging. The imaging algorithm used differs from the usual far-field imaging formulation in that it incorporates some near-field physics. The processing algorithm, which incorporates a modified version of the CLEAN technique, verifies that the scattering centers that were extracted reproduce the original data when illuminated in the near-field. These near-field scattering centers are then illuminated by a plane wave to produce far-field data. This procedure was tested using VHF band scattering data for a full size treated planform. The near field data was projected to the far-field and then compared to data from a far-field SWITCH computation.
In this paper, we present an interferometric in verse synthetic aperture radar (IF-ISAR) image processing technique for three-dimensional (3-D) radar cross section (RCS) imaging of complex radar targets. A general bistatic 3-D imaging geomet ry and the corresponding 3-D image pro cessing algorithm which relates the interferomet ric phase to the target altitude are developed. The impact of multiple scattering centers on al tit ude image formation is discussed. 3-D RCS image formation examples from both indoor and outdoor test range data are demonstrated for complex radar targets.
Undesired antenna motion can significantly degrade SAR and ISAR image quality on an instrumentation radar operating in an outdoor or uncontrolled environment. Antenna vibration on the order of only a few hundredths of an inch at X-band frequencies can degrade performance to the point that one cannot reliably differentiate between the true and false peaks in the radar image. This paper describes a motion compensation technique that utilizes the measurements from an auxiliary antenna pointing at a stationary target. This "Phase Monitoring Subsystem" accurately records the linear antenna motion profile, which can then be used for compensation. Data collected at the US Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Fisher Island Test Facility on a calibration target demonstrate that this compensation technique can reduce image artifacts by more than 20 dB.
Inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging on a turntable-tower test range permits convenient generation of high resolution two- and three dimensional of radar targets under controlled conditions, typically for characterization of the radar cross section of targets or to provide data for testing SAR image processing and automatic target recognition algorithms. However, turntable ISAR images suffer zero-Doppler clutter (ZDC) artifacts and near-field errors not found in the airborne SAR images they seek to emulate. In this paper, we begin by reviewing a technique to suppress ZDC while minimizing effects on the target signature. Next, turntable ISAR images of a vehicle formed at Georgia Tech's Electromagnetic Test Facility are used to demonstrate a computationally-efficient implementation of a backprojection (BP) image former. BP-formed ISAR images are free of all first order near-field errors. Finally, images generated using these techniques are compared to images obtained using electromagnetic prediction codes.
The purpose of millimeter wave RCS measurements is often to evaluate the performance of scale model aircraft. To representative ISAR it is important that also the resolution cell size is scaled in proportion to the frequency. A typical bandwidth used for full scale aircraft measurements at 10 GHz is 2 GHz. This means that for at a 1:10 scale model measured at 100 a bandwidth of 20 GHz should be used. By modifications of a HP83558A W-Band antenna measu rement equipment, a powerful RCS measurement equipment covering 75 - 103 GHz with high receiver have been achieved. The hardware modifications and the radar and turntable performance are presented. This paper also shows the W-Band requirements for the SAAB indoor RCS measu rement facility in Linkoping, Sweden, and how these requirements are fulfilled. RCS measurements have been performed on 1:50 and 1:10 model aircraft. These measurements are discussed and ISAR images with resolution cell sizes down to 10 mm x 10 mm are presented.
There is a growing interest in generating radar images as data collection is in progress. Such a tool is particularly useful for radar cross section verification purposes where the turnaround time is very important. With the availability of faster processing hardware, real-time radar image formation is now feasible. This paper describes the architecture, operation, and performance of a real time imaging (RTI) system that generates SAR or ISAR images while the data collection is in progress. Real-time performance of the system is benchmarked in terms of image-size and quality (imaging technique), image update rate, and image latency. Several examples of RTI are provided using a Lintek elan radar system.
Classical SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) imaging techniques [1, 2] based on free space propagation may suffer significant distortion when a target of interest is located in a complex environment such as behind a building wall, underground or embedded in foliage. An independently derived analytical solution for electromagnetic wave propagation through a uniform dielectric wall or a uniform dielectric half-space is obtained by the authors. A new and computationally efficient model-based iterative SAR image refocusing algorithm based on the above solution is developed. The algorithm permits non-uniform spatial sampling of imaging data, and cases where a radar unit may be in the radiating near-field of a target. This algorithm is applied to both simulated and measured data. Resulting SAR images are shown to be significant improvement over those generated by the classical free-space back-projection technique.
A three-dimensional (3-D) imaging capability based on a linear FM measurement radar has been developed. This capability provides a means of resolving radar scattering centers in three dimensions, allowing the more accurate feature location and enabling the possibility of separating target returns from undesired environmental clutter. An existing portable radar cross section (RCS) measurement system was modified to incorporate a 3-D imaging capability. This modification allowed the system to remain highly portable and provide quick turnaround time with a typical measurement cycle comprising 20 minutes of data collection, followed by viewable 3D imagery within 5 minutes. The entire measurement system is comprised of a planar scanner and a single equipment rack. A 3-D RCS data set varies by frequency, azimuth, and elevation, and is obtained by scanning the radar antennas in azimuth and elevation. Innovative development of useful data visualization tools was one of the key efforts in this project. Visualization approaches include employing a mesh computer aided design (CAD) model aligned in 3-D space to the image data. The image is mapped to the surface of the model and the user can then move around the model to view it from any aspect in real time.
Phase retrieval is an important issue related to the reconstruction of SAR/ISAR images, when phase information is lost or unavailable. In this paper, an iterative algorithm is formulated which demonstrates the ability to perform phase retrieval with minimal set of constrains on the imaged object. This iterative algorithm requires only rough knowledge of the size of the imaged body and the amplitude of the received, far-field, radiation in the various frequencies and/or aspect angels (for I D or 2D image). By applying iterations between the two planes of the imaged body and the plane of the RADAR reflections (as a function of aspect angles and frequencies), a good reconstruction of the phase and the amplitude of the imaged body as well as the phase of the received radiation, are obtained. The algorithm can be used in the problem of imaging body in motion where motion compensation is difficult or in applications involving mm wave images, where phase information is lost in the turbulent atmosphere.
A novel algorithm for radar imaging is presented. The method comprises two steps. First, a decomposition of the radar data domain into sub-domains and computation of pertinent low resolution images. Second, interpolation, phase-correction and aggregation of the low-resolution images into the final high resolution one. A multilevel domain decomposition algorithm is formulated. The computational cost of the proposed algorithm is comparable to that of the FFT-based techniques while it appears to be considerably more flexible than the latter.
A nonparametric, two-dimensional spectral estimation algorithm, based on adaptive decomposition using the reweighted minimum norm method, is applied to ISAR imaging. This paper will describe the algorithm and demonstrate its performance using numerical simulations and compact range measurements. It will be shown that the technique can provide robust isolation and extraction of target and/or contamination returns in situations where these returns would not be resolvable using conventional Fourier imaging techniques.
A helicopter-based radar cross section (RCS) measurement system was designed and demonstrated during the past year. The system was a novel combination of modified and un-modified commercial off the shelf (COTS) equipment and software, a minor amount of new hardware, and extensive prior experience. Validation was accomplished using known calibration standards and existing test practices relevant to this type of system, and data were collected and processed for a number of targets of opportunity. The primary subsystems include the measurement radar, the helicopter, antennas and associated mount, boresighted video and recorder, and the calibration tools. The SCI1000 radar was employed because of the combination of its excellent performance at the desired test target range and its minimal physical and power demands. The Bell 500 helicopter was chosen for its size and its wide availability on the world market. Data products were RCS vs. aspect, downrange profile history, and two-dimensional imaging following pre-processing by a robust motion compensation algorithm.