A New Illuminator of Opportunity Bistatic Radar Research Project at DSTO.
Scientific Publication
- Report Number:
- DSTO-TR-2269
- Authors:
- Palmer, J.; Palumbo, S.; Cao, T-T.V.; Howard, S.
- Issue Date:
- 2009-03
- AR Number:
- AR-014-429
- Classification:
- Unclassified
- Report Type:
- Technical Report
- Division:
- Electronic Warfare & Radar Division (EWRD)
- Release Authority:
- Chief, Electronic Warfare & Radar Division
- Task Number:
- LRR 07/247
- File Number:
- 2008/1116464
- Pages:
- 80
- References:
- 36
- Terms:
- Waveform analysis; Target tracking; Target detection; Research projects
- URI:
- http://hdl.handle.net/1947/9989
Abstract
In this report a new Illuminator of Opportunity / Passive Coherent Location research project being conducted in the Microwave Radar Branch of EWRD at DSTO is discussed. Details are provided about such aspects as transmitter selection and characteristics, experimental configurations and power budget studies. Furthermore, a preliminary analysis of two different transmitters’ waveform ambiguity functions is presented. Early results from field experiments demonstrating detections of cars, trucks, trains, helicopters and aircraft using a terrestrial digital TV and geosynchronous satellite signals are also presented. The ability to detect and track targets is then demonstrated through the use of several CFAR and Track Before Detect algorithms. The report concludes by discussing potential application areas for this technology as well as highlighting the likely directions of future research.
Executive Summary
In this report a new Illuminator of Opportunity / Passive Coherent Location research project being conducted in the Microwave Radar Branch of EWRD at DSTO is discussed. Details are provided about the transmitter selection and characteristics, the experimental configurations that have been, and are likely to be, used in this research and power budget studies that indicate theoretical detection ranges with the different transmitters are presented. Furthermore, a preliminary analysis of two different transmitters’ waveform ambiguity functions is presented that shows the suitability of these transmitters for radar applications (i.e. their ability to estimate a target’s range and Doppler). Early results from field experiments demonstrating detections of cars, trucks, trains, helicopters and several aircraft using a terrestrial digital TV broadcast signal are also included. Furthermore, separate detections of a truck and an aircraft using a geosynchronous satellite signal are also presented. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, these are the first real-world demonstrations of Passive Coherent Location detections with a geosynchronous satellite as the illuminator of opportunity. The ability to detect targets using both terrestrial TV data and satellite data is then demonstrated through the application of Cell Averaging, Order Statistic, and Switching CFAR algorithms. The ability to track targets in terrestrial TV data is demonstrated through the application of a Histogram Probabilistic Multi-hypothesis Track Before Detect algorithm as well as a Bayesian track before detect algorithm. The report concludes by discussing potential application areas for this technology as well as highlighting the likely directions of future research.