Three-dimensional Vector Velocity Measurement System Using Novel Overlapping Antenna Radar Technique

Traditionally, radar measurements of the three-dimensional velocity vector of a target required observations from three different aspect angles using widely separated radars. We describe a novel radar concept, termed 3DVS (Three-Dimensional VelocitySensor) that uses a modification of the spaced antenna technique to measure all three components of the velocity vector of a distributed target in each radar range gate without the used of widely spaced antennas. By overlapping three antennas in a singleaperture, the full three-dimensional velocity field can be measured in the same time required by conventional Doppler processing to extract the target's radial velocity. During Phase I we plan to explore the capabilities of the 3DVS using analyticalmethods and computer simulations. Based on these results we plan to design a prototype system designed to address the problem of rapidly measuring the particle size and concentration of biological or chemical weapons released over a battlefield. DuringPhase I we also plan to design two microstrip antennas, a simple dual aperture design that will allow measurement of a single component of the tangential velocity and a triple aperture design providing the capability to measure both components oftangential velocity.Commercial applications of the proposed 3DVS include wind shear detection for aircraft safety and ice/water discrimination for aircraft icing avoidance.