Robust space-time adaptive processing for airborne radar in nonhomogeneous clutter environments

Space-time adaptive processing (STAP) holds tremendous potential for the new generation airborne surveillance radar, in which the phased array antennas and pulse Doppler processing mode are adopted. A new STAP approach using the multiple-beam and multiple Doppler channels is presented here for airborne phased array radar. The approach with space-time multiple-beam (STMB) architecture is robust to array errors and has very low system degrees of freedom (DOFs). Hence, it has low sample support requirement and it is very suitable for the practical planar phased array radar under nonhomogeneous clutter environments. Meanwhile, a new nonhomogeneous detector (NHD) based on the correlation dimension (CD) is also proposed here, which is used as an effective method to screen tracing data prior to detection processing. It can further improve the performance of the STAP approach in the severely nonhomogeneous clutter environments. Therefore, a scheme that incorporates the correlation dimension nonhomogeneity detector (CD-NHD) with the STMB is recommended, which we term CD-NHD-STMB. The experimental simulation results indicate that: 1) the STMB processor is robust to array element error and has high performance under nonhomogeneous clutter environments; 2) the CD-NHD is also effective on the nonhomogeneous clutter. As a result, the CD-NHD-STMB scheme is robust to array element error and nonhomogeneous clutter, and therefore available for airborne phased array radar applications.     

相控阵雷达导引头波束稳定技术研究

 相控阵雷达导引头已成为新型空空导弹制导系统的首选,相控阵雷达导引头应用在空空导弹上需要首先解决导引头波束稳定的技术难题。本文基于波束指向在惯性空间不变性原理提出一种相控阵雷达导引头波束稳定算法,对影响相控阵雷达导引头隔离度性能的主要因素进行了仿真分析。仿真结果表明:该算法可以实现相控阵雷达导引头波束惯性空间指向稳定并且满足工程应用要求;通过减小速率陀螺数据周期和波束控制周期,及引入速率陀螺传输延时补偿算法可以提高导引头的隔离度性能。     

相控阵天线方向图仿真与分析

相控阵天线目前广泛应用于雷达中,促进了多目标、多任务雷达的发展。但随着电扫描角度的变化,其诸多指标也随之变化,对雷达的性能产生直接影响,因而对相控阵天线方向图进行实时定量分析具有重要意义。文章基于相控阵天线的基本原理,利用LabVIEW语言开发了相控阵天线方向图仿真软件。软件设置了相控阵天线各影响参数的输入控件,通过图形和数值2种方式进行仿真结果的显示,并以表格文件存储。通过不同条件下的仿真结果对比分析,软件可合理有效地对相控阵天线方向图进行实时定量的仿真分析,可应用于相控阵雷达的性能分析和评估中。     

Potential technological breakthroughs for phased array antennas

This reports on the analysis of technologies opening avenues for potential technological breakthroughs in phased array antennas. We report on recent results on the insertion of hardware technologies such as RF MEMS and RF Photonics, in the front-end of phased array antennas. Future prospects for the insertion of nanotechnologies are presented.     

Noise-correlating radar based on retrodirective antennas

A new retrodirective antenna-based search radar system has been introduced. The suggested system uses a noise correlation technique to detect the presence and the direction of the target. Simulation and analytical results show an order of magnitude improvement in acquisition time of the radar when compared with a phased array antenna-based radar system with the same specifications, except transmit power. To the best knowledge of the authors, no radar of a comparable acquisition time has been designed to this date. Power versus acquisition time tradeoff has been compared with a phased array radar for evaluating performance of the system. The radar is self-tracking due to retrodirectivity of the antenna array, and is much easier to implement, as it does not require any phase shifters etc.     

MIMO radar: snake oil or good idea?

MIMO communication is theoretically superior to conventional communication under certain conditions, and MIMO communication also appears to be practical and cost-effective in the real world for some applications. It is natural to suppose that the same is true for MIMO radar, but the situation is not so clear. Researchers claim many advantages of MIMO radar relative to phased array radars (e.g., better detection performance, better angular resolution, better angular measurement accuracy, improved robustness against RFI, ECM, multipath, etc.). We will evaluate such assertions from a system engineering viewpoint. In particular, there are serious trade-offs of MIMO vs. phased array radars relative to cost, system complexity, and risk considering numerous real world effects that are not included in most theoretical analyses. Moreover, in many cases one can achieve essentially the same radar system improvement with phased array radars using simpler, less expensive, and less risky algorithms. We evaluate roughly a dozen asserted advantages of MIMO radar relative to phased arrays.     

基于天线安装的菱形翼无人机翼型优化设计

以菱形翼布局高空长航时(HALE)传感器无人机研究为背景,分析了翼型内部安装平面相控阵雷达天线的基本原理。通过推导雷达探测性能的估算方程,建立了在翼型中安装平面相控阵雷达天线的数学模型。采用数值模拟的方法,对典型雷诺数下的RAE2822翼型的气动特性进行了研究并与试验数据进行了对比,验证了使用有限体积法k-ωSST(Shear Stress Transport)湍流模型求解雷诺平均Navier-Stokes方程在这一状态下的可靠性和适用性;同时对不同厚度的NACA 64A系列翼型的流场结构和流动机理进行了分析,在此基础上提出了一种满足平面相控阵雷达天线安装情况下翼型的优化设计思想。优化结果验证了这一设计思想的可行性。     

相控阵雷达多目标模拟器技术研究

提出了一种可动态检验相控阵雷达系统性能的多目标模拟器技术。介绍了多目标模拟器的工作原理、功能组成和系统模型，分析了模拟器应用于相控阵雷达性能和精度检查的可行性。     

Analysis of array errors and a short-time processor in airbornephased array radars

Array errors are inherent in a realistic phased array radar system. The influence of array errors on the clutter degrees of freedom and the clutter subspace in an airborne phased array radar is analyzed. Based on the presented theoretic results, a method of short-time processing followed by coherent integration is proposed for clutter suppression in airborne phased array radars. It can approximate the two-dimensional optimal processor well even in the presence of array errors, clutter fluctuations and aircraft drift, with a considerable saving in computations     

Target Detection and Parameter Estimation for MIMO Radar Systems

We investigate several target detection and parameter estimation techniques for a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar system. By transmitting independent waveforms via different antennas, the echoes due to targets at different locations are linearly independent of each other, which allows the direct application of many data-dependent beamforming techniques to achieve high resolution and excellent interference rejection capability. In the absence of array steering vector errors, we discuss the application of several existing data-dependent beamforming algorithms including Capon, APES (amplitude and phase estimation) and CAPES (combined Capon and APES), and then propose an alternative estimation procedure, referred to as the combined Capon and approximate maximum likelihood (CAML) method. Via several numerical examples, we show that the proposed CAML method can provide excellent estimation accuracy of both target locations and target amplitudes. In the presence of array steering vector errors, we apply the robust Capon beamformer (RCB) and doubly constrained robust Capon beamformer (DCRCB) approaches to the MIMO radar system to achieve accurate parameter estimation and superior interference and jamming suppression performance.     

与空时二维自适应滤波兼容的单脉冲测角新方法

针对机载相控阵雷达系统提出了一种空时二维自适应单脉冲测角方法 ,当存在阵元和通道幅相误差时它仍具有较高的测角精度。还给出了一种稳健的自适应和、差波束增益归一化方法 ,并讨论了所提方法的简化兼容实现方案。最后给出了基于高保真雷达杂波模拟数据的仿真实验结果     

机载相控阵雷达铁氧体移相器制造工艺

移相器是电扫描相控阵雷达的关键器件。本文介绍了双模互易式铁氧体移相器的材料制备、降低器件激励功率及保证器件性能一致性等工艺。     

Phased array of large reflectors for deep-space communication

In this paper the problem of uplink array calibration for deep-space communication is considered. A phased array of many modest-size reflectors antennas is used to drastically improve the uplink effective isotropic radiated power of a ground station. A radar calibration procedure for the array phase distribution is presented using a number of in-orbit targets. Design of optimal orbit and the number of calibration targets is investigated for providing frequent calibration opportunities needed for compensating array elements phase center movements as the array tracks a spacecraft. Array far-field focusing based on the near-filed in-orbit (low Earth orbit (LEO)) calibration targets is also presented and array gain degradation analysis based on the position error of the array elements and in-orbit targets has been carried out. It is shown that errors in the in-orbit targets positions significantly degrade the far-field array gain while the errors in array elements positions are not very important. Analysis of phase errors caused by thermal noise, system instability, and atmospheric effects show insignificant array gain degradation by these factors     

Continuous transverse stub technology

Military and civil radar and communication systems utilize phased array antennas that require hundreds or, in some cases, thousands of transmit/receive (T/R) modules. T/R modules, even when low cost, drive the total RF system cost to an undesirable level, resulting in fewer systems being purchased, This paper reviews the application of continuous transverse stub (CTS) antenna technology to reduce the number of T/R modules required and, thus, the overall RF system cost, and military and civil applications and their respective cost savings     

相控阵雷达搜索方式下波位编排与优化

分析不同波位编排方式对相控阵雷达能量需求与搜索性能的影响,给出了搜索方式下较为优化的波位编排方式。然后在分析相控阵雷达波束展宽效应的基础上,提出了非均匀划分扫描空域并对波束展宽效应进行补偿的方法,对波位编排方式进一步优化。最后利用该方法仿真分析了波束宽度与天线增益的变化,结果表明可有效补偿波束展宽效应带来的影响。     

On the Design of a Large Aperture Radar for Target Imaging

This paper describes the design, construction, and performance of an experimental radar, in which an electronically scanned X-band array is employed as the receiving antenna. Backscatter from targets uniformly illuminated from a separate transmitting antenna is intercepted by 128 horn antennas, unequally spaced over a nine-foot circular aperture. The received signals are processed electronically to provide a complete scan of a 30X30 degree field every ten milliseconds. Resulting target images were displayed on a cathode ray tube and recorded on 16-mm motion picture film, for varying conditions of target motion using monochromatic and frequency-modulated X-band illumination. Sequences of motion picture frames obtained from a rotating copper cone are presented, which demonstrate significant changes in the image and side-lobe interference patterns for small changes in target aspect angle. Side-lobe interference effects were reduced by integrating many antenna scans as the target rotated; a clear image of a foil letter R is presented that demonstrated this result. The main objective of this work was to test this radar technique as an approach to target recognition.     

对均匀直线阵列天线的方向性的估值

本文对均匀直线阵列天线在相控扫描过程中的主瓣宽度和方向性系数进行了估算。     

ALGORITHMS FOR TRACKING MANEUVERING TARGET WITH PHASED ARRAY RADAR

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机载预警雷达技术发展探析

分析了世界各国预警雷达发展概况,分别对一至四代预警雷达的功能等进行了研究;论述了新一代预警雷达的工作原理、雷达组成、功能、工作过程和技术特点;指出了机载预警雷达未来发展的关键技术,包括有源相控阵雷达技术、数字阵列雷达技术、共形相控阵技术,双/多频段雷达技术及先进的信号处理技术等。     

Buried small objects detected by UWB GPR

A ground penetrating radar (GPR) using short-pulse is developed to detect small and shallow metal objects buried underground. A bistatic mode in which the GPR system uses separate transmitting and receiving antennas is applied. A modified fat dipole antenna is developed for the transmitting and receiving antennas. The prototype of the system is tested in the real environment and 2D visualization of raw data is achieved. We show that the developed system has a good ability to detect underground metal objects, and even small targets of several centimeters.