FMCW Transceiver Wideband Sweep Nonlinearity Software Correction

International audienceThis paper presents a novel sideband sweep nonlinearity software correction method for a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) transceiver based on the high-order ambiguity function (HAF) and time resampling. By emphasizing the polynomial-phase nature of the FMCW signal, it is shown that the HAF processing algorithm is well suited for estimating the sweep nonlinearity coefficients. The estimated coefficients are used to build a correction function which is applied by resampling the beat signal on each sweep interval. The sweep nonlinearity correction procedure is validated on real data acquired with a low-cost X-band T/R module

Nonlinearity Correction Algorithm for Wideband FMCW Radars

International audienceThis paper presents a novel nonlinearity correction algorithm for wideband frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radars based on high-order ambiguity functions (HAF) and time resampling. By emphasizing the polynomial phase nature of the FMCW signal, it is shown that the HAF is an excellent tool for estimating the sweep nonlinearity polynomial coefficients. The estimated coefficients are used to build a correction function which is applied to the beat signal by time resampling . The nonlinearity correction algorithm is tested by simulation and validated on real data sets acquired with an X-band FMCW radar

Short-range wideband FMCW radar for millimetric displacement measurements

International audienceThe frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar is an alternative to the pulse radar when the distance to the target is short. Typical FMCW radar implementations have a homodyne architecture transceiver which limits the performances for short-range applications: the beat frequency can be relatively small and placed in the frequency range affected by the specific homodyne issues (DC offset, self-mixing and 1/f noise). Additionally, one classical problem of a FMCW radar is that the voltage controlled oscillator adds a certain degree of nonlinearity which can cause a dramatic resolution degradation for wideband sweeps. This paper proposes a short-range X-band FMCW radar platform which solves these two problems by using a heterodyne transceiver and a wideband nonlinearity correction algorithm based on high-order ambiguity functions and time resampling. The platform's displacement measurement capability was tested on range profiles and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images acquired for various targets. The displacements were computed from the interferometric phase and the measurement errors were situated below 0.1 mm for metal bar targets placed at a few meters from the radar

Short-Range FMCW Radar Platform for Millimetric Displacements Measurement

International audienceA frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar platform for millimetric displacement measurements of short-range targets is presented in this paper. The platform's transceiver is based on a heterodyne architecture because the beat frequency is relatively small for short-range targets and it can be placed in the frequency range influenced by the specific homodyne architecture problems: DC offset, self-mixing and 1/f noise. The platform's displacement measurement capability was tested on range profiles and SAR images acquired for various targets. The displacements were computed from the interferometric phase. The displacements errors were situated below 0.1 mm for metallic bar targets placed at a few meters from the radar

Deconvolution Method for Eliminating Reference Signal Coupling/Reflections in Bistatic SAR

Bistatic radar receivers that use an opportunistic transmitter require a reference channel to capture the original transmitted signal, which is then used as a reference signal for constructing the matched-filter during the range compression step. Because the reference signal is received from line-of-sight, it is orders in magnitude larger than the reflections captured by the receive channel. It is generally difficult to construct the system such that the reference signal is not leaked into the received signal, either via coupling in the circuitry or via reflections off objects in the vicinity of the receiver. Due to its much larger amplitude, the reference signal can easily mask smaller targets with its side-lobes. In this paper we propose a novel deconvolution method for bistatic SAR images as a means of eliminating leakage of the reference signal

SAR Images Refocusing and Scattering Center Detection for Infrastructure Monitoring

International audienceInfrastructure monitoring applications can require the tracking of slowly moving points of a certain structure. Given a certain point from a structure to be monitored, in the context of available SAR products where the image is already focused in a slant range - azimuth grid, it is not obvious if this point is the scattering center, if it is in layover or if it is visible from the respective orbit. This paper proposes a refocusing procedure of SAR images on a set of measured points among with a 4D tomography based scattering center detection. The refocusing procedure consists of an azimuth de-focusing followed by a modified back-projection on the given set of points. The presence of a scattering center at the given positions is detected by computing the local elevation-velocity plane for each point and testing if the main response is at zero elevation. The refocusing and scattering center detection algorithm is validated on real data acquired with the TerraSAR-X satellite during March-June 2012. The mean displacement velocities of the detected scatterers show good agreement with the in-situ measurements

Repeat-Pass Spaceborne Transmitter-Stationary Receiver Bistatic Sar Interferometry - First Results

This paper presents the first results obtained by repeat-pass bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry using a fixed C-band ground-based receiver and the Sentinel-1A/B satellites as transmitters of opportunity. The methodology developed to obtain repeat-pass bistatic SAR interferograms uses as input a stack of range compressed bistatic acquisition data and mainly consists in the following stages: raw inter-ferograms computation on a two-dimensional grid in ground geometry, atmospheric phase screen removal and topographic phase compensation. The displacements of a high-rise building were estimated using two stacks of bistatic SAR images acquired between April-June 2017 over an area of Bucharest city, Romania

Infrastructure Monitoring with Spaceborne SAR Sensors

International audienceThis book presents a novel non-intrusive infrastructure monitoring technique based on the detection and tracking of scattering centers in spaceborne SAR images. The methodology essentially consists of refocusing each available SAR image on an imposed 3D point cloud associated to the envisaged infrastructure element and identifying the reliable scatterers to be monitored by means of four dimensional (4D) tomography. The methodology described in this book provides a new perspective on infrastructure monitoring with spaceborne SAR images, is based on a standalone processing chain, and brings innovative technical aspects relative to conventional approaches. The book is intended primarily for professionals and researchers working in the area of critical infrastructure monitoring by radar remote sensing

Phase sensitivity analysis of spaceborne transmitter - stationary ground-based receiver bistatic SAR interferometry with one imaging channel

This paper makes an analysis of repeat-pass bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry performed with a stationary ground-based receiver and a satellite as transmitter of opportunity. A numerical approach is developed in order to asses the sensitivity of the repeat-pass across-track bistatic interferometric phase to height (relative to the digital elevation model used for focusing) and displacements (in the bistatic lines of sight, between consecutive acquisitions). Compared to the monostatic case, the conversion from height/displacement to phase is not straightforward and is dependent on the considered geometry. The method is applied for a bistatic SAR interferogram generated over an area of Bucharest city, Romania, using a ground receiver with one imaging channel and Sentinel-1A/B as transmitter of opportunity