A comparison of processing approaches for distributed radar sensing

Radar networks received increasing attention in recent years as they can outperform single monostatic or bistatic systems. Further attention is being dedicated to these systems as an application of the MIMO concept, well know in communications for increasing the capacity of the channel and improving the overall quality of the connection. However, it is here shown that radar network can take advantage not only from the angular diversity in observing the target, but also from a variety of ways of processing the received signals. The number of devices comprising the network has also been taken into the analysis. Detection and false alarm are evaluated in noise only and clutter from a theoretical and simulated point of view. Particular attention is dedicated to the statistics behind the processing. Experiments have been performed to evaluate practical applications of the proposed processing approaches and to validate assumptions made in the theoretical analysis. In particular, the radar network used for gathering real data is made up of two transmitters and three receivers. More than two transmitters are well known to generate mutual interference and therefore require additional e�fforts to mitigate the system self-interference. However, this allowed studying aspects of multistatic clutter, such as correlation, which represent a first and novel insight in this topic. Moreover, two approaches for localizing targets have been developed. Whilst the first is a graphic approach, the second is hybrid numerical (partially decentralized, partially centralized) which is clearly shown to improve dramatically the single radar accuracy. Finally the e�ects of exchanging angular with frequency diversity are shown as well in some particular cases. This led to develop the Frequency MIMO and the Frequency Diverse Array, according to the separation of two consecutive frequencies. The latter is a brand new topic in technical literature, which is attracting the interest of the technical community because of its potential to generate range-dependant patterns. Both the latter systems can be used in radar-designing to improve the agility and the effciency of the radar

Introduction to Drone Detection Radar with Emphasis on Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) technology

This paper discusses the challenges of detecting and categorizing small drones with radar automatic target recognition (ATR) technology. The authors suggest integrating ATR capabilities into drone detection radar systems to improve performance and manage emerging threats. The study focuses primarily on drones in Group 1 and 2. The paper highlights the need to consider kinetic features and signal signatures, such as micro-Doppler, in ATR techniques to efficiently recognize small drones. The authors also present a comprehensive drone detection radar system design that balances detection and tracking requirements, incorporating parameter adjustment based on scattering region theory. They offer an example of a performance improvement achieved using feedback and situational awareness mechanisms with the integrated ATR capabilities. Furthermore, the paper examines challenges related to one-way attack drones and explores the potential of cognitive radar as a solution. The integration of ATR capabilities transforms a 3D radar system into a 4D radar system, resulting in improved drone detection performance. These advancements are useful in military, civilian, and commercial applications, and ongoing research and development efforts are essential to keep radar systems effective and ready to detect, track, and respond to emerging threats.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, submitted to a journal and being under revie

Development and Evaluation of a Multistatic Ultrawideband Random Noise Radar

This research studies the AFIT noise network (NoNET) radar node design and the feasibility in processing the bistatic channel information of a cluster of widely distributed noise radar nodes. A system characterization is used to predict theoretical localization performance metrics. Design and integration of a distributed and central signal and data processing architecture enables the Matlab®-driven signal data acquisition, digital processing and multi-sensor image fusion. Experimental evaluation of the monostatic localization performance reveals its range measurement error standard deviation is 4.8 cm with a range resolution of 87.2(±5.9) cm. The 16-channel multistatic solution results in a 2-dimensional localization error of 7.7(±3.1) cm and a comparative analysis is performed against the netted monostatic solution. Results show that active sensing with a low probability of intercept (LPI) multistatic radar, like the NoNET, is capable of producing sub-meter accuracy and near meter-resolution imagery

Three-Dimensional Target Localization and Cramér-Rao Bound for Two-Dimensional OFDM-MIMO Radar

Target localization using a frequency diversity multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system is one of the hottest research directions in the radar society. In this paper, three-dimensional (3D) target localization is considered for two-dimensional MIMO radar with orthogonal frequency division multiplexing linear frequency modulated (OFDM-LFM) waveforms. To realize joint estimation for range and angle in azimuth and elevation, the range-angle-dependent beam pattern with high range resolution is produced by the OFDM-LFM waveform. Then, the 3D target localization proposal is presented and the corresponding closed-form expressions of Cramér-Rao bound (CRB) are derived. Furthermore, for mitigating the coupling of angle and range and further improving the estimation precision, a CRB optimization method is proposed. Different from the existing methods of FDA-based radar, the proposed method can provide higher range estimation because of multiple transmitted frequency bands. Numerical simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach and its improved performance of target localization

Advances in Sonar Technology

The demand to explore the largest and also one of the richest parts of our planet, the advances in signal processing promoted by an exponential growth in computation power and a thorough study of sound propagation in the underwater realm, have lead to remarkable advances in sonar technology in the last years.The work on hand is a sum of knowledge of several authors who contributed in various aspects of sonar technology. This book intends to give a broad overview of the advances in sonar technology of the last years that resulted from the research effort of the authors in both sonar systems and their applications. It is intended for scientist and engineers from a variety of backgrounds and even those that never had contact with sonar technology before will find an easy introduction with the topics and principles exposed here

An investigation of a frequency diverse array

This thesis presents a novel concept for focusing an antenna beam pattern as a function of range, time, and angle. In conventional phased arrays, beam steering is achieved by applying a linear phase progression across the aperture. This thesis shows that by applying an additional linear frequency shift across the elements, a new term is generated which results in a scan angle that varies with range in the far-field. Moreover, the antenna pattern is shown to scan in range and angle as a function of time. These properties result in more flexible beam scan options for phased array antennas than traditional phase shifter implementations. The thesis subsequently goes on to investigate this phenomenon via full scale experimentation, and explores a number of aspects of applying frequency diversity spatially across array antennas. This new form of frequency diverse array may have applications to multipath mitigation, where a radio signal takes two or more routes between the transmitter and receiver due to scattering from natural and man-made objects. Since the interfering signals arrive from more than one direction, the range-dependent and auto-scanning properties of the frequency diverse array beam may be useful to isolate and suppress the interference. The frequency diverse array may also have applications to wideband array steering, in lieu of true time delay solutions which are often used to compensate for linear phase progression with frequency across an array, and to sonar, where the speed of propagation results in large percentage bandwidth, creating similar wideband array effects. The frequency diverse array is also a stepping stone to more sophisticated joint antenna and waveform design for the creation of new radar modes, such as simultaneous multi-mode operation, for example, enabling joint synthetic aperture radar and ground moving target indication