Portable Handheld Imaging Radar System Technology

In Phase I, we demonstrated the feasibility of generating repeatable handheld SAR images. This exploited handheld antennas, measurement hardware that calculated the antenna position across the SAR aperture, and signal processing software that motion compensated the data with assistance from the position data. We invited our evaluation group to try our prototype and every person was able to generate good to excellent quality images after a very brief (less than ½ hour) training. The scope of a Phase I SBIR effort precluded anything beyond the establishment of the idea that repeatable handheld SAR could be done. In Phase II we propose to extend and mature this concept by incorporating the following: 1) Faster and more accurate position measurement. 2) Lighter and more agile radar head. 3) Faster sweeps so that the SAR scan is done at normal speeds. 4) Definition of a concept of operation and work flow. 5) User interface on the radar head that facilitates setup and control. 6) Quantitative comparison between handheld SAR and rail SAR.