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 Warsaw University of Technology, Institute of Electronic Systems

Passive and Active Radar Applications

using NI Equipment

dr. hab. inż. Piotr Samczyński

Research Group on Radar Techniques

Institute of Electronic Systems
Warsaw University of Technology
Nowowiejska 15/19, 00-665 Warszawa
POLAND

e-mail: psamczyn@elka.pw.edu.pl

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Research Group on Radar Techniques

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Warsaw University of Technology (WUT)
• WUT is the largest of 18 Polish
technical universities
• Public state school
• 19 faculties
• Over 30 thousand students
• ~2500 academic staff

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Research Group on Radar Techniques
• Prof. Krzysztof Kulpa – Head of Research Group
• Dr. Mateusz Malanowski
• Dr. Jacek Misiurewicz
• Dr. Piotr Samczyński
• more than 15 PhD students
• MSc & BSc students – RDSP Research Group
• 3 administrative staff
• overall 34 people

• LabVIEW Academy programme – joined in 2014

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 Radar – How it works?
• RADAR – RAdio Detection And Ranging

Transmitter

Receiver R
t pulse
P

Pt

t
2R

c
PRI - Pulse Repetition Interval
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Fields of activity
• Simulations
• Ground-Based Radars
• Airborne Radars
• SAR/ISAR
• Noise Radars
• Passive Radars

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Raw Radar Signal Simulator
• Complex scenario: moving and fixed objects
• Point and polygonal objects
• Refraction, diffraction, shadowing and reflection
• Optical geometry approach ray-tracing

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Simulations examples (SAR)

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Ground-based radar

Cooperation with PIT Cooperation with RADWAR

Cooperation with PIT

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Real-time SAR/ISAR modes

ISAR

SAR
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SAR RADAR (SARAPE)

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SAR Results (SARAPE)

15x15 cm
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SAR Results (DANIEL-35)

15x15 cm
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Requirements:
Fast Prototyping

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Requirements:
Fast Prototyping

Solution:
COTS subsystems

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Hardware requirements
• Multichannel signal acquisition
• Multichannel signal generation
• Time, frequency and phase stability
• Synchronization with external clock (e.g. GPS)
• Rejection of mirror frequency
• High dynamic range
• Low jitter

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Signal generation

NI HDD-8264 NI PXIe-5673

F – up to 6.6 GHz
B – 50 MHz
3 channels
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Signal acquisition

NI PXIe-5663 NI HDD-8264

F – up to 6.6 GHz GPS sync. (GPS NI PXIe-6682, NI PXIe- 6674)

B – 50 MHz Data mux NI PXIe- 2595
3 channels
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MIMO Radar demonstrator

NI HDD-8264

NI PXIe-5673
NI PXIe-5663
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Noise polarimetric scatterometer
• Measurements of ground reflectivity in VV, HV VH and HH
– noise waveform
– COTS elements – log antennas, amplifiers
– high crosstalk between antennas elements

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Noise polarimetric scatterometer
• Cooperation between Warsaw University of Technology and Institute of
Geodesy and Cartography under FP7 project
• Comparing satellite SAR images with in-site biomass measurement
and ground reflectivity measurement.
• Environment monitoring and protection program

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Scatterometry basis

(4)3 Pr
0  θ
Pt   [f ()G / R ]dA
2 2 4

Range resolution requires for zone differentiation

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Range profile
P(R) Antenna crosstalk
~Pr(R)
Cable delay
Ground
echoe
ΔR
Noise floor

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Version “0 - SISO”
generator
H Tx
MXG N5182A
V

recorder Manual switching

ref
H Rx
VSA 89600
Measurement V
channel

• manual antenna switching

• long data transfer
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Version “1 - MISO”
generator H
NI
MXG N5182A PXI
2595 V

recorder
ref

NI PXIe 5663 H
ref + NI HDD 8264
clk V

amplifiers
• Automatic switching

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Version “1 - MISO”
generator H
NI
MXG N5182A PXI
2595 V

recorder
ref

NI PXIe 5663 H
ref + NI HDD 8264
clk V

amplifiers
• Automatic switching

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Version “2 - MISO”
generator
H
NI PXIe 5673 Tx
+ NI HDD 8264 V

recorder
ref

NI PXIe 5663 H
Rx
ref + NI HDD 8264
clk V

Amplifier
• No switching
• Orthogonal waveforms
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Version “2 - MISO”
generator
H
NI PXIe 5673 Tx
+ NI HDD 8264 V

recorder
ref

NI PXIe 5663 H
Rx
ref + NI HDD 8264
clk V

Amplifier
• No switching
• Orthogonal waveforms
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LabVIEW Software

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Bandwidth synthesis
• Range resolution depending on B (100 MHz ->1.5 m)
• 8 bands synthesis – 400 MHz
• Digital correction required

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Range profiles

grass

bushes
Noise floor

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SAR – Synthetic Aperture Radar
Radar mounted on the moving platform
(UAV, aircraft, missile, satellite, etc.)

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SAR - How does it work?
• Azimuth + Range compression = 2D SAR image

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SAR - How does it work?
• Azimuth + Range compression = 2D SAR image

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FMCW SAR radar - brief reminder

• Range resolution (dy) depends

on signal bandwidth B:
c
dy 
2B
• Cross-range resolution (dx) depends
only on antenna length d:

d
dx 
2

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FMCW SAR radar – How to build?
Needs:
• Signal Generation Unit (SGU)
• Analog Front End (AFE)
• Antennas (Tx & Rx)
• Signal Acquisition Unit (SAU)
• Processing Unit (PC)
Tx

SGU AFE

PC
Rx

SAU AFE

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USRP hardware
• Universal Software Radio Peripheral – Ettus Research
• model used in our SAR radar - N210
• one motherboard with general purpose hardware and exchangeable
daughterboards
• avaliable doughterboards for signal generation (DDS) and signal
acquisition for different bands
• free and open source software
(GNU Radio)
• NI LabVIEW

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USRP daughterboards
• Basic RX • RFX2400
• Basic TX • SBX
• LFRX • TVRX
• LFTX • TVRX2
• DBSRX • WBX
• DBSRX2 • XCVR2450
• RFX400
• RFX900
• RFX1200
• RFX1800
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USRP daughterboards
• Basic RX • RFX2400
• Basic TX • SBX
• LFRX • TVRX
Transceiver:
• LFTX • TVRX2  up to 100 mW of output power
 noise figure of 5 dB
• DBSRX • WBX  40 MHz of bandwidth
Receiver:  50 MHz to 2.2 GHz
• DBSRX2  DC – 30 MHz band • XCVR2450
 real and quadrature
• RFX400 signals
• RFX900
• RFX1200
• RFX1800
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FMCW SAR radar – WUT construction

• COTS microwave/RF components

‫‏‬

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FMCW SAR radar parameters
• Bandwidth: up to 1GHz
• Carrier frequency: ~ 5.5GHz
• PRF: 500-2000Hz
• intermediate frequency sampling rate 25 MHz
• ADC sample bits: 14
• Antenna size: 20 x 20cm

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WUT uSAR (2013)

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WUT uSAR (2013)

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Experiments – Sierpc city

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Experiments – Sierpc city

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Plans for the future
• SARenka

• Real time processing C/C++/CUDA

• Module for wireless data exchange
• Small and compact Analog-Front-End
• UAV applications
• Explore higher bands (X-band etc..)

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Plans for the future (almost done)

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Noise SAR
• Application of the demonstrator to Synthetic Aperture Radar
demonstrator

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 Target
What is PCL?
• Use of existing transmitters
• LPI properties
• Bistatic (multistatic) configuration
• Anti-stealth potential

xmeas t
xt
xref t Measurement
Transmitter Reference antenna
antenna

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Sources of illumination
• Analogue TV (long range, poor signal characteristics)
• FM radio (long range, relatively low resolution, content-dependent)
• DVB-T (medium range, good range resolution, signal conditioning)
• DAB (medium range, good range resolution, not widespread)
• GSM (small range, relatively low resolution)
• Others (WiFi, WiMAX, GNSS)

• Other radars (ATC, EW, SAR, …)

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Bistatic Geometry
• Bistatic range

• Bistatic velocity

• Range-Doppler correlation

 R *
yR,Vb    xref  t   xmeas t exp   j 2 Vb t dt
 c   
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Localization – Single Rx operation

Target Tx3

Tx1

Rx

• Ellipsoids intersection Tx2

• Multiple transmitters required
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Localization – Single Rx operation

Target

Tx1

Rx

Target?

• Ellipsoids intersection Tx2

• Multiple transmitters required
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Localization – Multi Rx operation

Target

Tx1 Rx2

Rx1

Tx2
• Ellipsoids intersection
• Multiple transmitters or receivers required
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Verifications via experiment Ref2

Ref1 Surv

• Measurement scenario

Ref2
Surv
Ref1

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Verifications via experiment

System setup

Antennas at one of the sites

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58 acquistion system
Multistatic Passive Radar
• DVB-T based passive radar measurements

RX1
RX2

TX1
TX2

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Range-Doppler tracking
• DVB-T based passive radar measurements

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Results – 3D targets localizations

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Results – 3D targets localizations

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Passive SAR imaging
Passive radars:
• ground based PCL system for air surveillance
• technology entering to the maturity stage
•

New trends in passive radars:

• airborne passive radar applications
• SAR/ISAR mapping – both for ground based and moving systems

Research goal:
Verify the possibility of using passive SAR for Earth imaging
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 Source of illumination (satellite)

Passive SAR imaging

NI PXIe-5663 NI HDD-8264

F – up to 6.6 GHz
B – 50 MHz The TerraSAR-X Tx of opportunity
WUT X-band Rx, Biebrza, POLAND

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Passive SAR imaging

Dual channel backward geometry

The TerraSAR-X Tx of opportunity

WUT X-band Rx, Biebrza, POLAND

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Passive SAR imaging

Optical Image SAR Image Passive SAR Image

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Airborne Passive SAR

Source of illumination (Digital TV)

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Airborne Passive SAR
TX
Flight direction
Reference

Survillence

Processed area

40 seconds of
integration time 68
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Airborne Passive SAR
TX
Flight direction
Reference

Survillence

Processed area

40 seconds of
integration time 69
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Airborne Passive SAR
TX
Flight direction
Reference

Survillence

Processed area

40 seconds of
integration time 70
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Conclusions
• It is possible to build an advanced radar demonstrators
using NI equipment
• Such a system (e.g. using NI USRP) can be built privately by
hobbyists, engineers or students during educational academic projects
• It is possible to build from COTS components a high resolution imaging
SAR radar, passive radars, noise radars…

• Great deal in developing a proof of concept of a new technologies

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Dreams
• higher carrier frequency
• higher bandwidth
• more channels
• higher dynamic range
• more freedom in triggering
• smaller devices
• temperature and vibration robustness

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Thank you for your attention!!!

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SPSympo-2015

1st NI Radar School,

9th of June 2015, Dębe, Poland

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International Radar Symposium – IRS 2016

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International Radar Symposium – IRS 2016

2nd NI Radar School,

May 2016, Krakow, Poland

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