Bistatic System Research Articles

Implementation of a Phase Synchronization Scheme Based on Pulsed Signal at Carrier Frequency for Bistatic SAR.

Phase synchronization is one of the key technical challenges and prerequisites for the bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, which can form a single-pass interferometry system to perform topographic mapping. In this paper, an advanced phase synchronization scheme based on a pulsed signal at carrier frequency is proposed for a bistatic SAR system and it is verified by a ground validation system. In the proposed phase synchronization scheme, the pulsed signal at carrier frequency is used for phase synchronization link, and it is exchanged by virtue of a time slot between radar signals. The feasibility of the scheme is proven by theoretical analysis of various factors affecting the performance of phase synchronization, and the reliability of the scheme is verified by the test results of the ground validation system.

Reflection-Based Source Inversion for Sparse Imaging of Low-Loss Composite Panels

This article presents a bistatic reflection-based imaging technique for electromagnetic testing of conductor-backed composite panels, which is based on an inverse formulation of the numerical problem at hand, and technically extends a previously demonstrated transmission-based system. The technique exploits the a priori assumption of pixel-based sparsity and retrieves the final image using data from only a single measurement, thereby removing the necessity of a reference measurement to be conducted. To demonstrate the capability of the technique, retrieved images are presented for a synthetic proof-of-concept device under test and an industrially manufactured composite panel. The presented technique can be considered as the initial model in the development of more complex bistatic imaging systems and has been developed for the purpose of extending the opportunities to conduct reflection-based electromagnetic nondestructive testing on aircraft structural components.

Vessel Tracking Using Bistatic Compact HFSWR

Bistatic and multi-static high-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) is becoming a prospective development trend for sea surface surveillance due to its potential in extending the coverage area, improving the detection accuracy, etc. In this paper, the vessel detection and tracking performance of a newly developed bistatic compact HFSWR system whose transmitting and receiving antennas are not co-located was investigated. Firstly, the representation of the target range and Doppler velocity concerning a bistatic HFSWR was derived and compared with that of a monostatic system. Next, taking the characteristics of target kinematic parameters into account, a target tracking method applicable to a bistatic HFSWR is proposed. The simultaneous target tracking results from both monostatic and bistatic HFSWR field data are presented and compared. The experimental results demonstrate the good performance in target tracking of the bistatic HFSWR and also show that an HFSWR system combining monostatic and bistatic modes has the potential to enhance the target track continuity and improve the detection accuracy.

Modeling the Optimal Baseline for a Spaceborne Bistatic SAR System to Generate DEMs

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) is one of the best methods for obtaining digital elevation models (DEMs). However, the problem of the uncertainty of DEM accuracy affected by the perpendicular baseline still persists, which should be as long as possible to ensure the sensitivity of the phase to the height measurement, and as small as possible to ensure a high spatial coherence. Moreover, the baseline configuration design of bistatic SAR system lacks a more detailed model for reference to generate high-precision DEM. Therefore, in this paper, the optimal baseline is modeled to maximize the accuracy of height measurement. First, we analyze the influence of system parameters on the height measurement accuracy, and a propagation model from the parameter estimation error to the elevation error is derived. Then, the phase unwrapping error (PUE) that considers the spatial baseline coherence, terrain slope and phase unwrapping effectiveness is modeled and analyzed after interferometric phase simulation and adaptive unscented Kalman filter phase unwrapping. Combining the relationship between the height error and the PUE, the optimal baseline model is obtained by statistical analysis. Finally, weighted averages are used to calculate the average slope of the complex terrain and the validity and reliability of the proposed optimal baseline model are verified by two examples of complex terrains with uniformly and nonuniformly distributed positive and negative slope angles. Moreover, the optimal baseline ranges of different terrain types are also derived for reference.

A Processing Framework for Tree-Root Reconstruction Using Ground-Penetrating Radar Under Heterogeneous Soil Conditions

Since tree roots are important to ecosystems, particularly in the context of global climate change, better understanding of their organization is necessary. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) appears a useful tool to that effect. In this contribution, a novel processing procedure to reconstruct 3-D root architectures from GPR data in heterogeneous environments is proposed, involving three main steps: 1) noise-related information is removed using singular value decomposition (SVD); 2) a modified version of randomized Hough transform (RHT) yields the soil dielectric constant; and 3) a matched-filter technique combined with Hilbert transform then operates as wave migration. Viability is first studied from comprehensive numerical simulations carried out with the gprMax software on a realistic root model in a 3-D heterogeneous environment. The heterogeneous soil effect is studied carefully through a number of simulations involving six different soil types. Then, controlled laboratory measurements are conducted on a root prototype using a bistatic GPR system involving folded complementary bowtie antennas in the frequency range of 300 MHz to 3.3 GHz. The 3-D results from both simulations and experiments show the good performance and potential of the proposed processing.

Image reconstruction algorithm based on frequency-wavenumber decoupling for three-dimensional MIMO-SAR imaging.

In this paper, a frequency-wavenumber decoupling algorithm with high-efficiency and high-precise for three-dimensional (3-D) multiple-input-multiple-output synthetic aperture radar (MIMO-SAR) imaging is proposed. Based on one-dimensional (1-D) MIMO array combined with synthetic aperture scan along another dimension, MIMO-SAR imaging scheme allows the number of array elements to be greatly reduced compared with the two-dimensional (2-D) MIMO arrays. By multi-dimensional Fourier transforming and Method of Stationary Phase (MSP), analytical expression of the object function in the frequency-wavenumber domain was derived. By further expanding the range Fourier transform factor to its Taylor series form, the range compression can be realized by a simple fast Fourier transform (FFT) without multi-dimensional interpolation. After that, a decoupling factor was multiplied to compensate for the cross-range and range coupling in frequency domain. Finally, 2-D IFFT is carried out after rearrangement in the MIMO spatial frequency to get a fully focused 3-D image. Simulation and experimental results demonstrated that the algorithm can obtain the same high-precision images as back projection (BP) algorithm, and has the same high efficiency as range migration algorithm (RMA) while avoiding cumbersome multi-dimensional interpolation. A bistatic prototype imaging system in 0.1 THz band was designed for the proof-of-principle experiments. The 3-D reconstruction results of different targets were presented to verify the theoretical results and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm for MIMO-SAR imaging.

An Off-Grid STAP Algorithm Based On Local Mesh Splitting With Bistatic Radar System

The purpose of this letter is to solve the space-time off-grid problem caused by the extremely inhomogeneous clutter spectrum under the space/airborne bistatic system. For the estimation of inhomogeneous clutter spectrum, the method of sparse recovery (SR) is usually adopted. However, performance of sparse recovery may degrade since the real clutter point often does not fall in the center of the space-time grid. To deal with this issue, a local mesh splitting algorithm is proposed in this letter. First, select the space-time vector atoms which are most relevant to the residuals by subspace projection. Then, iterative local mesh splitting is performed around the selected atoms to match the real clutter points. Finally, the clutter subspace is reconstructed from all matched atoms selected by global and local iterations. The simulation results show that the method can obtain better accuracy with lower computational effort.

Sparse Reconstruction-Based Inverse Scattering Imaging in a Shallow Water Environment

Bistatic sonar or multistatic sonar system can collect more scattering information of targets than a monostatic sonar system. In this paper, sparse learning via iterative minimization method (SLIM) is introduced to distinguish wave components for time-domain (TD) back-propagation (BP) inverse scattering imaging improvement. Unlike the prevailing high central frequency (>100 kHz) and wideband imaging sonar systems, a relatively low-frequency band (1–10 kHz) is considered here. Due to the low sidelobe output of SLIM, the investigated object’s surface in TD-BP image is much clearer in an ideal two-dimensional free field case. Furthermore, when the environmental information is known, this sparse reconstruction-based channel deconvolution method can be implemented to recognize, categorize the main propagating paths and then rectify their time of arrivals. Compared with the phase conjugation-based channel deconvolution method, the proposed approach’s results have fewer sidelobes and higher signal-to-background ratio in the simulation.

Bi-static LIDAR systems operating in the presence of oceanic turbulence

Optical turbulence occurring in the oceanic waters may be detrimental for light beams used in the short-link communication and sensing systems, and, in particular, in underwater LIDARs. We develop a theory capable of predicting the passage of light beams through the bi-static LIDAR systems, for a wide variety of optical waves, including partially coherent and partially polarized, and for a wide family of targets. Our theoretical framework is based on the Huygens–Fresnel integral adopted to random media and optical systems described by the 4 × 4 ABCD matrices. The treatment of oceanic turbulence relies on the recently introduced power spectrum model of the fluctuating refractive-index (Yao et al., 2019) capable of accounting for different average temperatures of water. We first analyze the evolution of the second-order beam statistics such as the spectral density and the degree of coherence of the beam on its single pass propagation and then incorporate this knowledge into the analysis of the bi-static LIDAR returns.

Bistatic Underwater Optical-Electronic Communication: Field Experiments of 2017-2018

The article describes the results of experiments with underwater bistatic optoelectronic communication systems with scattered laser radiation as the source of information and the valid signal. The information reception distance of up to 40 m was gained in field conditions of lake water.

Space‐time adaptive detection for bistatic MIMO system under covariance matrix persymmetry and symmetric spectrum

Space-time adaptive detection (STAD) is an important research aspect of the bistatic multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar system. The signal and clutter space-time models of the bistatic MIMO radar are described in this study. The knowledge-aided (KA) transform, which utilises the structural properties of the target-free data and the sample covariance matrix, is applied to increase the independent secondary data fourfold in the STAD frame. The performance assessment of the KA–STAD detectors with generalised likelihood ratio test (GLRT), adaptive matched filter (AMF), and Rao rules is presented. The simulation experiments show that the detection and constant false alarm rate performances of the presented KA–GLRT, KA–AMF, and KA–Rao detectors outperform the GLRT, AMF, and Rao detectors for the bistatic MIMO radar system STAD frame in clutter background with limited secondary data.

Design of an application which computes the Bistatic coverage zone for The Republic of Cabo Verde

The purpose of this paper is to design an application which can compute the bistatic system coverage zone for the archipelago of Cabo Verde, where a specific study of bistatic geometry was made. From its triangular configuration, known as bistatic triangle (transmitter, target, receiver), we obtained the parameters, and subsequently, the equations necessary to obtain the Oval of Cassini that delimits the coverage zone that it guarantees. The direct synchronization method was chosen, and the line of sight between transmitting and receiving antennas was required, permitting us to measure the distances from the transmitter to the target and from the target to the receiver. After obtaining all the theoretical validities, a tool was created, for the user to choose the positions of the antennas. Then, the software will paint the coverage zone with the qualities index required in accordance with the chosen data and technical parameters.

METHOD OF PROTECTING SPECIALLY IMPORTANT OBJECTS BASED ON THE APPLICATION OF THE BISTATIC RADIOLOCATION TECHNIQUE

The solution of the tasks assigned to the National Guard of the state implies the presence of certain forces and means with the appropriate technical equipment. A well-known place among such tasks is security of important state facilities. Various physical effects and methods, including radar, are used to create security systems. The development of radar technology and technology made it possible to increase both the quantity and quality of the received information, as well as the use of radar stations for observing living objects. The industry today produces bioradioradars for detecting people and controlling their movements. All samples are made in a single-position version and have a relatively high cost, the fact of their work is easily detected, which facilitates their suppression, including force. In order to increase the secrecy of work, it is proposed to use the methods of separated, more precisely, bistatic location to control the area in front of particularly important objects. The defining detection index is the effective reflective surface (ERS), which is about 1 m2 for a person. Equipment, weapons and protective equipment contributes to the increase in the ERS. Given the small reflective surface of biological objects, it is proposed to limit the area of responsibility to the sector form in which, at a certain bistatic angle, the effect of a significant increase in the signal/(interference+noise) ratio is manifested. For a specific definition of the gain, it is necessary to choose the operating frequency of the bistatic system and its geometry. For greater secrecy, it is advisable to use the transmitters of radio and television broadcasting, mobile communications, etc. The estimates found, for example, when using digital television transmitters (T2), indicate that the creation of a secretive bistatic system is quite possible – at least in a geometric interpretation.

An Air-Operated Bistatic System for Breast Microwave Radar Imaging: Pre-Clinical Validation.

This study presents a breast microwave radar imaging system designed for bistatic operation in air. The system operates in the range of 1-8 GHz and employs a double-ridged horn antenna array with four degrees of freedom. A hemispherical breast phantom with a tumor inclusion of 1.5 cm diameter was used for validation. Reconstructed datasets resulted in artifact-free images where the tumor presence was detected. Signal to clutter ratios greater than 30 dB and tumor to fibroglandular ratios of 3 dB were measured. The encouraging images obtained with the system validate its potential as a clinical tool for breast cancer detection.

All-Directions Through-the-Wall Imaging Using a Small Number of Moving Omnidirectional Bi-Static FMCW Transceivers

Through-the-wall radar imaging is a powerful tool for mapping buildings’ interiors and hidden objects behind the walls. Through-the-wall imaging systems require large linear arrays of directive antennas to form a large aperture for obtaining images with a high cross-range resolution. However, the low mobility and limited field of view of the conventional systems limit their imaging capability. The concept of all-directions through-the-wall imaging has recently been proposed to enhance the mobility, cross-range resolution, and field of view of the through-the-wall imaging systems. In this technique, the large linear array of directive antennas is replaced by a dense 2-D synthetic array formed by small moving transceivers utilizing omnidirectional antennas. The 2-D synthetic array provides 360° high cross-range resolution images. This paper focuses on the implementation of a system realizing all-directions through-the-wall imaging and measurement results. A bi-static frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar system utilizing a simple wireless synchronization scheme and wideband omnidirectional antennas is fabricated and an image formation technique compatible with bi-static FMCW imaging system is presented. Measurement results show that the imaging system can provide 360° high-resolution image of objects and walls in a short time.

신호처리를 고려한 양상태 소나 시스템의 표적 위치 추정 오차 분석

능동 소나 시스템(Active Sonar System)은 수중의 은밀한 표적을 탐지, 추적, 식별하기 위해 사용되는 시스템으로 최근 송신과 수신 플랫폼이 이격되어 있는 양상태 소나(Bi-Static Sonar System)에 대한 연구가 활발히 이루어지고 있다. S. Coraluppi는 양상태 소나의 기하학적 구조와 다양한 오차를 고려했을 때 나타나는 표적의 위치 추정 오차를 해석적으로 분석하였다. 그러나 이 연구는 오차의 값을 임의로 설정하여 분석하였기 때문에 실제 해상환경이나 신호처리 알고리즘의 영향을 반영하지 못하였다. 본 논문에서는 신호처리 알고리즘의 오차를 분석하고 이를 반영하여 나타나는 표적 위치 오차를 분석하였다. 시뮬레이션 결과 신호처리 알고리즘의 특성이나 배열센서의 특성 등이 표적 위치 추정에 반영되는 보다 실제적인 결과를 얻을 수 있었다.

A Fourier-Based Image Formation Algorithm for Geo-Stationary GNSS-Based Bistatic Forward-Looking Synthetic Aperture Radar.

A Geo-Stationary GNSS-based Bistatic Forward-Looking Synthetic Aperture Radar (GeoSta-GNSS-BFLSAR) system is a particular kind of passive bistatic SAR system. In this system, a geo-stationary GNSS is used as the transmitter, while the receiver is deployed on a moving aircraft, which travels towards a target in a straight line. It is expected that such a radar system has potential for self-landing, self-navigation and battlefield information acquisition applications, etc. Up to now, little information from a research perspective can be found about GeoSta-GNSS-BFLSAR systems. To address this information gap, this paper proposes a preliminary image formation algorithm for GeoSta-GNSS-BFLSAR. The full details of the mathematical derivation are given. It is highlighted that, to overcome the long dwell time and spatial variance of GeoSta-GNSS-BFLSAR, a modified migration correction factor must be designed. In addition, the system performances and technical limitations of GeoSta-GNSS-BFLSAR such as focusing depth and spatial resolution are analytically discussed. In the end, a set of simulations including the image formation algorithm, focusing depth and spatial resolution were conducted for verification. It is demonstrated that the focusing performances of the proposed algorithm have a high level of similarity with the theoretical counterparts. This article thus proves the feasibility of GeoSta-GNSS-BFLSAR systems from a simulation level and establishes a foundation for the real applications of such a radar scheme in the future.

Algorithm for Nonlinear Filtering of the Coordinates of a Fluctuating Object in a Bistatic Radio System

An algorithm for filtering the coordinates of a fluctuating object in a security bistatic radio system with the use of a maximum a posteriori probability criterion is presented. Simulation of the algorithm and estimation of its efficiency are described. Plots of the rms error deviation are given.

Оптическая связь на рассеянном или отражённом лазерном излучении

Results of theoretical and experimental research of NLOS (NonLine of Sight) communication systems in the atmosphere, under water, and in mixed media based on publications of authors from China, Canada, Greece, the USA, Great Britain, Russia, and other countries are discussed in the present work. The theory of radiation transfer and the linear systems theory provide the basis for theoretical research. The radiation transfer equation is solved by the Monte–Carlo method in the singlescattering approximation. It is demonstrated that approximate methods are applicable when the average scattering multiplicity in open communication channels does not exceed 1. The Monte Carlo method is used to study the influence of opticalgeometric parameters of schemes of communication channels on the probabilities of communication errors, signal/noise ratios, limiting base lengths, attenuation of informationcarrying signals, and their superposition leading to communication errors. Examples of communications in the atmosphere in the UV range at distances up to 1300 m, in the visible range up to70 km, and under water up to 20 m are given. Search for optimal methods of signal modulation, development of software and hardware complexes for numerical simulation of the transfer properties of communication channels, refinement of analytical models of impulse transfer characteristics of noncoplanar schemes of bistatic optoelectronic communication systems (OECS), and research of the effect of winddriven sea waves and processes of radiation scattering in water are planned to study the efficiency of operation of the communication systems and to expand ranges of variations of the input NLOS and OECS parameters in the experiments carried out in natural water reservoirs.

Validation of three-component wind lidar sensor for traceable highly resolved wind vector measurements

Abstract. Conventional monostatic wind lidar (light detection and ranging) systems are well-established wind speed remote sensing devices in the field of wind energy that provide reliable measurement results for flat terrain and homogeneous wind fields. These conventional wind lidar systems use a common transmitting and receiving unit and become unacceptably inaccurate as the wind fields become increasingly inhomogeneous due to their spatial and temporal averaging procedure (large measurement volume) that is inherent to the monostatic measurement principle. The new three-component fiber laser-based wind lidar sensor developed by the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) uses one transmitting unit (fiber laser) and three receiving units to measure the velocity vector of single aerosols in a spatially highly resolved measurement volume (with diameter d and length l) in heights from 5 m (d=300 µm, l=2 mm) to 250 m (d=14 mm, l=4 m) with a resolution of about 0.1 m s−1. Detailed comparison measurements with a 135 m high wind met mast and a conventional lidar system have proven that the high spatial and temporal resolution of the new, so-called bistatic lidar leads to a reduced measurement uncertainty compared to conventional lidar systems. Furthermore, the comparison demonstrates that the deviation between the bistatic lidar and the wind met mast lies well within the measurement uncertainty of the cup anemometers of the wind met mast for both homogeneous and inhomogeneous wind fields. At PTB, the aim is to use the bistatic wind lidar as a traceable reference standard to calibrate other remote sensing devices, necessitating an in-depth validation of the bistatic lidar system and its measurement uncertainty. To this end, a new, specially designed wind tunnel with a laser Doppler anemometer (LDA) as flow velocity reference has been erected on a platform at a height of 8 m; this allows the new wind lidar to be positioned below the wind tunnel test section to be validated for wind vector measurements that are traceable to the SI units. A first validation measurement within the wind tunnel test section is presented, showing a deviation between the bistatic lidar system and the LDA clearly below 0.1 %.