EFdiS – Use of airborne SAR with digital interface

In contrast to electro-optical and infrared sensors SAR images need to be generated from the raw SAR data on-board. Against the background of band-limited radio transmission channels compressed images can be processed much more efficiently than it would allow the direct transfer of the raw sensor data. The use of UAVs require custom hardware architectures in order to generate the sensor data images in real-time.

In recent years, FMCW-based (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) systems have proved to be particularly attractive compared to conventional pulse radars. Through the use of significantly longer pulses, significantly lower peak transmission powers can be achieved which affects the overall system size and complexity of the antenna front ends. Because of these characteristics, the use of FMCW technique is particularly appropriate for smaller UAVs.

The goal of this research project is the processing of FMCW sensor signals. The first step is intended to digitize the analog data on board through a suitable expansion card. In the second step, the digitized data is to be processed on board, and thus converted to an aerial image.