Synchronous Impulse Reconstruction (SIRE) Radar Sensor for Autonomous Navigation
Abstract
The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has designed and fabricated an impulse-based, ultra-wideband (UWB) imaging radar to examine the utility of using a foliagepenetrating radar with other sensors to support autonomous navigation in robotic vehicles. This radar would also have application in mine detection and through-the-wall sensing. This proof-of-concept radar system employs a physical array of 16 receive antennas to provide the necessary aperture for sufficient crossrange resolution in the forward-looking geometry used in a robotic mission. Each antenna feeds a base-band receiver/digitizer that integrates the data from a number of radar pulses before passing it on to the personal computer (PC) based operator's console and display. The innovative ARL receiver design uses commercially available integrated circuits to provide a low-cost, lightweight digitizing scheme with an effective sampling rate of approximately 8 GHz. The design is extensible to allow for growth in the number of channels used and improvements in integrated circuit performance to eventually meet the expected unmanned ground vehicle combat pace. Using modules based on commercial off the shelf (COTS) components allows for continued expansion of capabilities of the system based on increasing capabilities of these components.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA481640
Entities
People
- Francois J. Koening
- Gregory Smith
- Lam H. Nguyen
- Marc A. Ressler
Organizations
- United States Army Research Laboratory