Adaptive Illumination Patterns for Radar Applications

<p>Adaptive transmit architectures are envisioned as dominating the radar research of the next century and are key components of the Fully Adaptive Radar (FAR) paradigm. The fundamental FAR goal involves full exploitation of the joint synergistic adaptivity of the radar's transmitter and receiver. While phased array receive processing techniques jointly adapt over spatial and temporal Degrees-of-Freedom (DOF) little work has been done to exploit the same DOF available during the radar's transmit illumination cycle. This research introduces Adaptive Illumination Patterns (AIP) as a means for exploiting the previously untapped transmit DOF made available by modern Active Electronically Steered Arrays (AESAs). A fundamental challenge to effective airborne radar surveillance lies in suppressing signal dependent interference i.e. clutter responses which are inherently created and shaped by the illumination pattern. This research investigates ways to mitigate clutter interference effects by adapting the illumination pattern on transmit. Two types of illumination pattern adaptivity were explored. Space time beamforming on transmit has been demonstrated by allowing the antenna illumination pattern (spatial filter) to vary on a pulse-by-pulse (temporal) basis a technique described as Space Time Illumination Patterns (STIP). Using clairvoyant knowledge STIP demonstrates the ability to remove sidelobe clutter at user specified Doppler frequencies resulting in optimum receiver performance using a non-adaptive receive processor.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>