실시간 근거리 영상화를 위한 MIMO 역합성 개구 레이더 시스템

학위논문(박사) -- 서울대학교대학원 : 공과대학 전기·정보공학부, 2022. 8. 남상욱.Microwave and millimeter wave (micro/mmW) imaging systems have advantages over other imaging systems in that they have penetration properties over non-metallic structures and non-ionization. However, these systems are commercially applicable in limited areas. Depending on the quality and size of the images, a system can be expensive and images cannot be provided in real-time. To overcome the challenges of the current micro/mmW imaging system, it is critical to suggest a new system concept and prove its potential benefits and hazards by demonstrating the testbed. This dissertation presents Ku1DMIC, a wide-band micro/mmW imaging system using Ku-band and 1D-MIMO array, which can overcome the challenges above. For cost-effective 3D imaging capabilities, Ku1DMIC uses 1D-MIMO array configuration and inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) technique. At the same time, Ku1DMIC supports real-time data acquisition through a system-level design of a seamless interface with frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar. To show the feasibility of 3D imaging with Ku1DMIC and its real-time capabilities, an accelerated imaging algorithm, 1D-MIMO-ISAR RSA, is proposed and demonstrated. The detailed contributions of the dissertation are as follows. First, this dissertation presents Ku1DMIC – a Ku-band MIMO frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar experimental platform with real-time 2D near-field imaging capabilities. The proposed system uses Ku-band to cover the wider illumination area given the limited number of antennas and uses a fast ramp and wide-band FMCW waveform for rapid radar data acquisition while providing high-resolution images. The key design aspect behind the platform is stability, reconfigurability, and real-time capabilities, which allows investigating the exploration of the system’s strengths and weaknesses. To satisfy the design aspect, a digitally assisted platform is proposed and realized based on an AMD-Xilinx UltraScale+ Radio Frequency System on Chip (RFSoC). The experimental investigation for real-time 2D imaging has proved the ability of video-rate imaging at around 60 frames per second. Second, a waveform digital pre-distortion (DPD) method and calibration method are proposed to enhance the image quality. Even if a clean FMCW waveform is generated with the aid of the optimized waveform generator, the signal will inevitably suffer from distortion, especially in the RF subsystem of the platform. In near-field imaging applications, the waveform DPD is not effective at suppressing distortion in wide-band FMCW radar systems. To solve this issue, the LO-DPD architecture and binary search based DPD algorithm are proposed to make the waveform DPD effective in Ku1DMIC. Furthermore, an image-domain optimization correction method is proposed to compensate for the remaining errors that cannot be eliminated by the waveform DPD. For robustness to various unwanted signals such as noise and clutter signals, two regularized least squares problems are applied and compared: the generalized Tikhonov regularization and the total variation (TV) regularization. Through various 2D imaging experiments, it is confirmed that both methods can enhance the image quality by reducing the sidelobe level. Lastly, the research is conducted to realize real-time 3D imaging by applying the ISAR technique to Ku1DMIC. The realization of real-time 3D imaging using 1D-MIMO array configuration is impactful in that this configuration can significantly reduce the costs of the 3D imaging system and enable imaging of moving objects. To this end, the signal model for the 1D-MIMO-ISAR configuration is presented, and then the 1D-MIMO-ISAR range stacking algorithm (RSA) is proposed to accelerate the imaging reconstruction process. The proposed 1D-MIMO-ISAR RSA can reconstruct images within hundreds of milliseconds while maintaining almost the same image quality as the back-projection algorithm, bringing potential use for real-time 3D imaging. It also describes strategies for setting ROI, considering the real-world situations in which objects enter and exit the field of view, and allocating GPU memory. Extensive simulations and experiments have demonstrated the feasibility and potential benefits of 1D-MIMO-IASR configuration and 1D-MIMO-ISAR RSA.마이크로파 및 밀리미터파(micro/mmW) 영상화 시스템은 비금속 구조 및 비이온화에 비해 침투 특성이 있다는 점에서 다른 이미징 시스템에 비해 장점이 있다. 그러나 이러한 시스템은 제한된 영역에서만 상업적으로 적용되고 있다. 이미지의 품질과 크기에 따라 시스템이 매우 고가일 수 있으며 이미지를 실시간으로 제공할 수 없는 현황이다. 현재의 micro/mmW 이미징 시스템의 문제를 극복하려면 새로운 시스템 개념을 제안하고 테스트베드를 시연하여 잠재적인 이점과 위험을 입증하는 것이 중요하다. 본 논문에서는 Ku-band와 1D-MIMO 어레이를 이용한 광대역 micro/mmW 이미징 시스템인 Ku1DMIC를 제안하여 위와 같은 문제점을 극복할 수 있다. 비용 효율적인 3차원 영상화 기능을 위해 Ku1DMIC는 1D-MIMO 배열 기술과 ISAR(Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar) 기술을 사용한다. 동시에 Ku1DMIC는 주파수 변조 연속파 (FMCW) 레이더와의 원활한 인터페이스의 시스템 수준 설계를 통해 실시간 데이터 수집을 지원한다. Ku1DMIC를 사용한 3차원 영상화의 구현 및 실시간 기능의 가능성을 보여주기 위해, 2차원 영상화를 위한 1D-MIMO RSA과 3차원 영상화를 위한 1D-MIMO-ISAR RSA가 제안되고 Ku1DMIC에서 구현된다. 따라서, 본 학위 논문의 주요 기여는 Ku-band 1D-MIMO 배열 기반 영상화 시스템 프로토타입을 개발 및 테스트하고, ISAR 기반 3차원 영상화 기능을 검사하고, 실시간 3차원 영상화 가능성을 조사하는 것이다. 이에 대한 세부적인 기여 항목은 다음과 같다. 첫째, 실시간 2D 근거리장 이미징 기능을 갖춘 Ku 대역 MIMO 주파수 변조 연속파(FMCW) 레이더 실험 플랫폼인 Ku1DMIC를 제시한다. 제안하는 시스템은 제한된 수의 안테나에서 더 넓은 조명 영역을 커버하기 위해 Ku 대역을 사용하고 고해상도 이미지를 제공하면서 빠른 레이더 데이터 수집을 위해 고속 램프 및 광대역 FMCW 파형을 사용한다. 플랫폼의 핵심 설계 원칙은 안정성, 재구성 가능성 및 실시간 기능으로 시스템의 강점과 약점을 광범위하게 탐색한다. 설계 원칙을 만족시키기 위해 AMD-Xilinx UltraScale+ RFSoC(Radio Frequency System on Chip)를 기반으로 디지털 지원 플랫폼을 제안하고 구현한다. 실시간 2D 이미징에 대한 실험적 조사는 초당 약 60프레임에서 비디오 속도 이미징의 능력을 입증했다. 둘째, 영상 품질 향상을 위한 파형 디지털 전치왜곡(DPD) 방법과 보정 방법을 제안한다. 최적화된 파형 발생기의 도움으로 깨끗한 FMCW 파형이 생성되더라도 특히 플랫폼의 RF 하위 시스템에서 신호는 필연적으로 왜곡을 겪게된다. 근거리 영상화 응용 분야에서는 파형 DPD는 광대역 FMCW 레이더 시스템의 왜곡을 억제하는 데 효과적이지 않다. 이 문제를 해결하기 위해 Ku1DMIC에서 파형 DPD가 유효하도록 LO-DPD 아키텍처와 이진 탐색 기반 DPD 알고리즘을 제안한다. 또한, 파형 DPD로 제거할 수 없는 나머지 오류를 보상하기 위해 이미지 영역 최적화 보정 방법을 제안한다. 노이즈 및 클러터 신호와 같은 다양한 원치 않는 신호에 대한 견고성을 위해 일반화된 Tikhonov 정규화 및 전체 변동(TV) 정규화라는 두 가지 정규화된 최소 자승 문제를 적용 후 비교한다. 다양한 2차원 영상화 실험을 통해 두 방법 모두 부엽 레벨을 줄여 화질을 향상시킬 수 있음을 확인한다. 마지막으로, ISAR 기법을 2차원 영상 플랫폼에 적용하여 실시간 3차원 영상을 구현하기 위한 연구를 진행한다. 1D-MIMO-ISAR 구성에서 실시간 3D 이미징의 구현은 이러한 구성이 3D 이미징 시스템의 비용을 크게 줄일 수 있다는 점에서 영향력이 있다. 따라서 이 논문에서는 1D-MIMO-ISAR 구성에 대한 이미징 재구성을 가속화하기 위해 1D-MIMO-ISAR 범위 스태킹 알고리즘(RSA)을 제안한다. 제안된 1D-MIMO-ISAR RSA는 널리 알려진 Back-Projection 알고리즘과 거의 동일한 이미지 품질을 유지하면서도 수백 밀리초 이내에 이미지를 재구성함으로써 실시간 영상화에 대한 가능성을 보여준다. 또한 물체가 시야에 들어오고 나가는 실제 상황을 고려하기 위한 ROI 설정, 그리고 메모리 할당에 대한 전략을 설명한다. 광범위한 시뮬레이션과 실험을 통해 1D-MIMO-IASR 구성 및 1D-MIMO-ISAR RSA의 가능성과 잠재적 이점을 확인한다.1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Microwave and millimeter-wave imaging 1 1.2 Imaging with radar system 2 1.3 Challenges and motivation 5 1.4 Outline of the dissertation 8 2 FUNDAMENTAL OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL IMAGING USING A MIMO RADAR 9 2.1 Signal model 9 2.2 Consideration of waveform 12 2.3 Image reconstruction algorithm 16 2.3.1 Back-projection algorithm 16 2.3.2 1D-MIMO range-migration algorithm 20 2.3.3 1D-MIMO range stacking algorithm 27 2.4 Sampling criteria and resolution 31 2.5 Simulation results 36 3 MIMO-FMCW RADAR IMPLEMENTATION WITH 16 TX - 16 RX ONE- DIMENSIONAL ARRAYS 46 3.1 Wide-band FMCW waveform generator architecture 46 3.2 Overall system architecture 48 3.3 Antenna and RF transceiver module 53 3.4 Wide-band FMCW waveform generator 55 3.5 FPGA-based digital hardware design 63 3.6 System integration and software design 71 3.7 Testing and measurement 75 3.7.1 Chirp waveform measurement 75 3.7.2 Range profile measurement 77 3.7.3 2-D imaging test 79 4 METHODS OF IMAGE QUALITY ENHANCEMENT 84 4.1 Signal model 84 4.2 Digital pre-distortion of chirp signal 86 4.2.1 Proposed DPD hardware system 86 4.2.2 Proposed DPD algorithm 88 4.2.3 Measurement results 90 4.3 Robust calibration method for signal distortion 97 4.3.1 Signal model 98 4.3.2 Problem formulation 99 4.3.3 Measurement results 105 5 THREE-DIMENSIONAL IMAGING USING 1-D ARRAY SYSTEM AND ISAR TECHNIQUE 110 5.1 Formulation for 1D-MIMO-ISAR RSA 111 5.2 Algorithm implementation 114 5.3 Simulation results 120 5.4 Experimental results 122 6 CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK 127 6.1 Conclusions 127 6.2 Future work 129 6.2.1 Effects of antenna polarization in the Ku-band 129 6.2.2 Forward-looking near-field ISAR configuration 130 6.2.3 Estimation of the movement errors in ISAR configuration 131 Abstract (In Korean) 145 Acknowlegement 148박

An Ultra-Wideband, Microwave Radar for Measuring Snow Thickness on Sea Ice and Mapping Near-Surface Internal Layers in Polar Firn

Sea ice is generally covered with snow, which can vary in thickness from a few centimeters to >1 m. Snow cover acts as a thermal insulator modulating the heat exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere, and it impacts sea-ice growth rates and overall thickness, a key indicator of climate change in polar regions. Snow depth is required to estimate sea-ice thickness using freeboard measurements made with satellite altimeters. The snow cover also acts as a mechanical load that depresses ice freeboard (snow and ice above sea level). Freeboard depression can result in flooding of the snow/ice interface and the formation of a thick slush layer, particularly in the Antarctic sea-ice cover. The Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) has developed an ultra-wideband, microwave radar capable of operation on long-endurance aircraft to characterize the thickness of snow over sea ice. The low-power, 100mW signal is swept from 2 to 8GHz allowing the air/snow and snow/ ice interfaces to be mapped with 5 c range resolution in snow; this is an improvement over the original system that worked from 2 to 6.5 GHz. From 2009 to 2012, CReSIS successfully operated the radar on the NASA P-3B and DC-8 aircraft to collect data on snow-covered sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic for NASA Operation IceBridge. The radar was found capable of snow depth retrievals ranging from 10cm to >1 m. We also demonstrated that this radar can be used to map near-surface internal layers in polar firn with fine range resolution. Here we describe the instrument design, characteristics and performance of the radar

THE HIGH FREQUENCY SURFACE WAVE RADAR SOLUTION FOR VESSEL TRACKING BEYOND THE HORIZON

With maximum range of about 200 nautical miles (approx. 370 km) High Frequency Surface Wave Radars (HFSWR) provide unique capability for vessel detection far beyond the horizon without utilization of any moving platforms. Such uniqueness requires design principles unlike those usually used in microwave radar. In this paper the key concepts of HFSWR based on Frequency Modulated Continuous (FMCW) principles are presented. The paper further describes operating principles with focus on signal processing techniques used to extract desired data. The signal processing describes range and Doppler processing but focus is given to the Digital Beamforming (DBF) and Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) models. In order to better present the design process, data obtained from the HFSWR sites operating in the Gulf of Guinea are used.  

An inclusive survey of contactless wireless sensing: a technology used for remotely monitoring vital signs has the potential to combating COVID-19

With the Coronavirus pandemic showing no signs of abating, companies and governments around the world are spending millions of dollars to develop contactless sensor technologies that minimize the need for physical interactions between the patient and healthcare providers. As a result, healthcare research studies are rapidly progressing towards discovering innovative contactless technologies, especially for infants and elderly people who are suffering from chronic diseases that require continuous, real-time control, and monitoring. The fusion between sensing technology and wireless communication has emerged as a strong research candidate choice because wearing sensor devices is not desirable by patients as they cause anxiety and discomfort. Furthermore, physical contact exacerbates the spread of contagious diseases which may lead to catastrophic consequences. For this reason, research has gone towards sensor-less or contactless technology, through sending wireless signals, then analyzing and processing the reflected signals using special techniques such as frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) or channel state information (CSI). Therefore, it becomes easy to monitor and measure the subject’s vital signs remotely without physical contact or asking them to wear sensor devices. In this paper, we overview and explore state-of-the-art research in the field of contactless sensor technology in medicine, where we explain, summarize, and classify a plethora of contactless sensor technologies and techniques with the highest impact on contactless healthcare. Moreover, we overview the enabling hardware technologies as well as discuss the main challenges faced by these systems.This work is funded by the scientific and technological research council of Turkey (TÜBITAK) under grand 119E39

Modeling Backscattering Behavior of Vulnerable Road Users Based on High-Resolution Radar Measurements

Bei der Weiterentwicklung der Technologie des autonomen Fahrens (AD) ist die Beschaffung zuverlässiger dreidimensionaler Umgebungsinformationen eine unverzichtbare Aufgabe, um ein sicheres Fahren zu ermöglichen. Diese Herausforderung kann durch den Einsatz von Fahrzeugradaren zusammen mit optischen Sensoren, z. B. Kameras oder Lidars, bewältigt werden, sei es in der Simulation oder in konventionellen Tests auf der Straße. Das Betriebsverhalten von Fahrzeugradaren kann in einer Over-the-Air (OTA) Vehicle-in-the-Loop (ViL) Umgebung genau bewertet werden. Für eine umfassende experimentelle Verifizierung der Fahrzeugradare muss jedoch die Umgebung, insbesondere die gefährdeten Verkehrsteilnehmer (VRUs), möglichst realistisch modelliert werden. Moderne Radarsensoren sind in der Lage, hochaufgelöste Erkennungsinformationen von komplexen Verkehrszielen zu liefern, um diese zu verfolgen. Diese hochauflösenden Erkennungsdaten, die die reflektierten Signale von den Streupunkten (SPs) der VRUs enthalten, können zur Erzeugung von Rückstreumodelle genutzt werden. Darüber hinaus kann ein realistischeres Rückstreumodell der VRUs, insbesondere von Menschen als Fußgänger oder Radfahrer, durch die Modellierung der Bewegung ihrer Extremitäten in Verkehrsszenarien erreicht werden. Die Voraussetzung für die Erstellung eines solchen detaillierten Modells in verschiedenen Situationen sind der Radarquerschnitt (RCS) und die Doppler-Signaturen, die sich aus den menschlichen Extremitäten in einer bewegten Situation ergeben. Diese Daten können durch die gesammelten Radardaten aus hochauflösenden RCS-Messungen im Radial- und Winkelbereich gewonnen werden, was durch die Analyse der Range-Doppler-Spezifikation der menschlichen Extremitäten in verschiedenen Bewegungen möglich ist. Die entwickelten realistischen Radarmodelle können bei der Wellenausbreitung im Radarkanal, bei der Zielerkennung und -klassifizierung sowie bei Datentrainingsalgorithmen zur Validierung und Verifizierung der Kfz-Radarfunktionen eingesetzt werden. Anschließend kann mit dieser Bewertung die Sicherheit von fortschrittlichen Fahrerassistenzsystemen (ADAS) beurteilt werden. Daher wird in dieser Arbeit ein hochauflösendes RCS-Messverfahren vorgeschlagen, um die relevanten SPs verschiedener VRUs mit hoher radialer und winkelmäßiger Auflösung zu bestimmen. Eine Gruppe unterschiedliche VRUs wird in statischen Situationen gemessen, und die notwendigen Signalverarbeitungsschritte, um die relevanten SPs mit den entsprechenden RCS-Werten zu extrahieren, werden im Detail beschrieben. Während der Analyse der gemessenen Daten wird ein Algorithmus entwickelt, um die physischen Größen der gemessenen Testpersonen aus dem extrahierten Rückstreumodell zu schätzen und sie anhand ihrer Größe und Statur zu klassifizieren. Zusätzlich wird ein Dummy-Mensch vermessen, der eine vergleichbare Größe wie die vermessenen Probanden hat. Das extrahierte Rückstreuverhalten einer beispielhaften VRU-Gruppe wird für ihre verschiedenen Typen ausgewertet, um die Übereinstimmung zwischen virtuellen Validierungen und der Realität aufzuzeigen und den Genauigkeitsgrad der Modelle sicherzustellen. In einem weiteren Schritt wird diese hochauflösende RCS-Messtechnik mit der Motion Capture Technologie kombiniert, um die Reflektivität der SPs von den menschlichen Körperregionen in verschiedenen Bewegungen zu erfassen und die Radarsignaturen der menschlichen Extremitäten genau zu schätzen. Spezielle Signalverarbeitungsschritte werden eingesetzt, um die Radarsignaturen aus den Messergebnissen des sich bewegenden Menschen zu extrahieren. Diese nachbearbeiteten Daten ermöglichen es der Technik, die zeitlich variierenden SPs an den Extremitäten des menschlichen Körpers mit den entsprechenden RCS-Werten und Dopplersignaturen einzuführen. Das extrahierte Rückstreumodell der VRUs enthält eine Vielzahl von SPs. Daher wird ein Clustering-Algorithmus entwickelt, um die Berechnungskomplexität bei Radarkanalsimulationen durch die Einführung einiger virtueller Streuzentren (SCs) zu minimieren. Jedes entwickelte virtuelle SCs hat seine eigene spezifische Streueigenschaft

An ultra-wideband, microwave radar for measuring snow thickness on sea ice and mapping near-surface internal layers in polar firn

This is the published version. Copyright 2013 International Glaciological SocietySea ice is generally covered with snow, which can vary in thickness from a few centimeters to >1 m. Snow cover acts as a thermal insulator modulating the heat exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere, and it impacts sea-ice growth rates and overall thickness, a key indicator of climate change in polar regions. Snow depth is required to estimate sea-ice thickness using freeboard measurements made with satellite altimeters. The snow cover also acts as a mechanical load that depresses ice freeboard (snow and ice above sea level). Freeboard depression can result in flooding of the snow/ice interface and the formation of a thick slush layer, particularly in the Antarctic sea-ice cover. The Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) has developed an ultra-wideband, microwave radar capable of operation on long-endurance aircraft to characterize the thickness of snow over sea ice. The low-power, 100mW signal is swept from 2 to 8GHz allowing the air/snow and snow/ ice interfaces to be mapped with 5 cm range resolution in snow; this is an improvement over the original system that worked from 2 to 6.5 GHz. From 2009 to 2012, CReSIS successfully operated the radar on the NASA P-3B and DC-8 aircraft to collect data on snow-covered sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic for NASA Operation IceBridge. The radar was found capable of snow depth retrievals ranging from 10cm to >1 m. We also demonstrated that this radar can be used to map near-surface internal layers in polar firn with fine range resolution. Here we describe the instrument design, characteristics and performance of the radar

Backscattering Behavior of Vulnerable Road Users Based on High-Resolution RCS Measurements

Automotive radars, along with optical sensors such as cameras or lidars, offer a reliable way of obtaining the 3-D information about the environment. Of particular interest in autonomous driving (AD) is the reliable detection of particularly vulnerable road users (VRUs). Modern radar sensors are able to detect, distinguish, and track targets with high resolution. Relying on that, a backscattering model of complex traffic targets can be generated from the reflected signals of their scattering points (SPs). These models can be employed in the radar channel simulations for verification methods of advanced driver assistance systems. Therefore, in this work, different persons as the most vital VRUs are measured with high radial and high angular resolution. The necessary signal processing steps are explained in detail for the determination of the relevant SPs. Thus, the corresponding radar cross section (RCS) values can be assigned to certain body regions. In addition to real persons, further measurements are compared with a dummy of the corresponding size. Based on the measurement results, not only accurate models of road users can be derived, but also the measurement results can be employed for calculating wave propagation in traffic scenarios. From the measured SPs, the classification of the persons by size and stature is derived

Comparison between Trigonometric, and traditional DDS, in 90 nm technology

The Direct Digital frequency Synthesizer (DDS) is an architecture largely used for the generation of numeric sine and/or cosine waveforms in different applications. In this work, authors compare two different DDS architectures: the traditional architecture, based on the exploitation of quarter wave symmetry, and the Symon’s DDS (trigonometric DDS) presented in 2002. The two layout configurations have been implemented in 90 nm technology and compared in terms of area, speed and power consumption. Comparisons have been performed in terms of circuital complexity on architectures having the same Spurious Free Dynamic Range (SFDR) and phase resolution. Experiments show that the trigonometric architecture is very efficient in terms of area

Design and Implementation of a Stepped Frequency Continuous Wave Radar System for Biomedical Applications

There is a need to detect vital signs of human (e.g., the respiration and heart-beat rate) with noncontact method in a number of applications such as search and rescue operation (e.g. earthquakes, fire), health monitoring of the elderly, performance monitoring of athletes Ultra-wideband radar system can be utilized for noncontact vital signs monitoring and tracking of various human activities of more than one subject. Therefore, a stepped-frequency continuous wave radar (SFCW) system with wideband performance is designed and implemented for Vital signs detection and fall events monitoring. The design of the SFCW radar system is firstly developed using off-the-shelf discrete components. Later, the system is implemented using surface mount components to make it portable with low cost. The measurement result is proved to be accurate for both heart rate and respiration rate detection within ±5% when compared with contact measurements. Furthermore, an electromagnetic model has been developed using a multi-layer dielectric model of the human subject to validate the experimental results. The agreement between measured and simulated results is good for distances up to 2 m and at various subjects’ orientations with respect to the radar, even in the presence of more than one subject. The compressive sensing (CS) technique is utilized to reduce the size of the acquired data to levels significantly below the Nyquist threshold. In our demonstration, we use phase information contained in the obtained complex high-resolution range profile (HRRP) to derive the motion characteristics of the human. The obtained data has been successfully utilized for non-contact walk, fall and limping detection and healthcare monitoring. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated using measured results

Space weather studies of IONOLAB group

IONOLAB is an interdisciplinary research group dedicated for handling the challenges of near earth environment on communication, positioning and remote sensing systems. IONOLAB group contributes to the space weather studies by developing state-of-the-art analysis and imaging techniques. On the website of IONOLAB group, www.ionolab.org, four unique space weather services, namely, IONOLAB-TEC, IRI-PLAS-2015, IRI-PLAS-MAP and IRI-PLAS-STEC, are provided in a user friendly graphical interface unit. Newly developed algorithm for ionospheric tomography, IONOLAB-CIT, provides not only 3-D electron density but also tracking of ionospheric state with high reliability and fidelity. The algorithm for ray tracing through ionosphere, IONOLAB-RAY, provides a simulation environment in all communication bands. The background ionosphere is generated in voxels where IRI-Plas electron density is used to obtain refractive index. One unique feature is the possible update of ionospheric state by insertion of Total Electron Content (TEC) values into IRI-Plas. Both ordinary and extraordinary paths can be traced with high ray and low ray scenarios for any desired date, time and transmitter location. 2-D regional interpolation and mapping algorithm, IONOLAB-MAP, is another tool of IONOLAB group where automatic TEC maps with Kriging algorithm are generated from GPS network with high spatio-temporal resolution. IONOLAB group continues its studies in all aspects of ionospheric and plasmaspheric signal propagation, imaging and mapping. © 2016 IEEE