Marks, Daniel LBrady, DavidZhu, Ruoyu2018-03-202018-08-292017https://hdl.handle.net/10161/16229<p>Traditional radar imaging systems are implemented using the focal plane</p><p>technique, steering beam antennas, or synthetic aperture imaging. These conventional</p><p>methods require either a large number of sensors to form a focal plane array similar to the</p><p>idea of an optical camera, or a single transceiver mechanically scanning the field of view.</p><p>The former results in expensive systems whereas the latter results in long acquisition time.</p><p>Computational imaging methods are widely used for the ability to acquire information</p><p>beyond the recorded pixels, thus are ideal options for reducing the number of radar</p><p>sensors in radar imaging systems. Novel antenna designs such as the frequency diverse</p><p>antennas are capable of optimizing antennas for computational imaging algorithms. This</p><p>thesis tries to find a solution for improving the efficiency of radar imaging using a method</p><p>that combines computational imaging and novel antenna designs. This thesis first</p><p>proposes two solutions to improve the two aspects of the tradeoff respectively, i.e. the</p><p>number of sensors and mechanical scanning. A method using time-of-flight imaging</p><p>algorithm with a sparse array of antennas is proposed as a solution to reduce the number</p><p>of sensors required to estimate a reflective surface. An adaptive algorithm based on the</p><p>Bayesian compressive sensing framework is proposed as a solution to minimize</p><p>mechanical scanning for synthetic aperture imaging systems. The thesis then explores the</p><p>feasibility to further improve radar imaging systems by combining computational </p><p>imaging and antenna design methods as a solution. A rapid prototyping method for</p><p>manufacturing custom-designed antennas is developed for implementing antenna</p><p>designs quickly in a laboratory environment. This method has facilitated the design of a</p><p>frequency diverse antenna based on a leaky waveguide design, which can be used under</p><p>computational imaging framework to perform 3D imaging. The proposed system is</p><p>capable of performing imaging and target localization using only one antenna and</p><p>without mechanical scanning, thus is a promising solution to ultimately improve the</p><p>efficiency for radar imaging.</p>Electrical engineeringRemote sensingPhysics3D printing antennasAdaptive imagingCompressed sensingComputational imagingfrequency diverse antennamillimeter wave imagingDissertation