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Conference 13048
Radar Sensor Technology XXVIII
22 - 24 April 2024 | Chesapeake 8
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Information
A Radar Sensor Technology Early Career Research Award will be given to the first author/presenter of the top three best early-career research paper and presentation combination in this conference. See the Awards page for full details.
Welcome and 2023 Awards Ceremony
22 April 2024 • 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Session Chairs:
Abigail S. Hedden, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (United States), Gregory J. Mazzaro, The Citadel-The Military College of South Carolina (United States)
Join the chairs for the 2024 opening welcome and recognition of the 2023 early career research award recipients.
Session 1:
Applications and Exploitation Techniques I
22 April 2024 • 9:15 AM - 10:15 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Session Chairs:
Abigail S. Hedden, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (United States), Gregory J. Mazzaro, The Citadel-The Military College of South Carolina (United States)
13048-3
22 April 2024 • 9:15 AM - 9:35 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
N/A
13048-4
22 April 2024 • 9:35 AM - 9:55 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
This work reports the potential of first-order, non-autonomous chaotic circuits for bistatic radar applications. Unlike most chaotic systems, 1st order chaotic systems offer closed-form analytic solutions that aid in designing simple matched filters. In this work, a signal generated by a 1st chaotic oscillator is transmitted toward both the receiver and the target, enabling the use of this waveform for two purposes. First, the waveform serves to synchronize the bistatic radar receiver. Second, the waveform assists in acquiring an estimating the target’s range. For the first time, we show that two 1st order chaotic circuits can be synchronized using a simple resistive coupling. The cross-correlation between the two synchronized circuits is of high quality, exhibiting a narrow main lobe width and low sidelobe levels. Consequently, these 1st order systems can generate high-range resolution profiles in bistatic configurations. Lastly, analytical expressions show that the cross-ambiguity function between the echo received from the target and synchronized waveforms yields a near thumb-tack shape, emphasizing the value of a noise-like waveform for radar-ranging applications.
13048-47
22 April 2024 • 9:55 AM - 10:15 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
In this paper, we review the state of the art in resonant device technology for IR applications. Thus, we present design, fabrication, and characterization of optical elements operating in the near-IR, mid-IR, and long-wave IR spectral regions. For each region, we discuss preferred materials and fabrication processes. Examples of fabricated and tested devices include biological and environmental sensors, high-contrast-ratio polarizers, narrow-band notch filters, and wideband high reflectors.
Break
Coffee Break 10:15 AM - 10:45 AM
Session 2:
Algorithms and Processing Techniques I
22 April 2024 • 10:45 AM - 12:05 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Session Chairs:
Ryan A. Elwell, DEVCOM C5ISR (United States), Rita Jakelyn Abad Lima, Texas Tech Univ. (United States)
13048-5
22 April 2024 • 10:45 AM - 11:05 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
The traditional approach to Doppler processing and beamforming in radar systems involving antenna arrays is based on discrete Fourier transforms (for Doppler processing) and phase shifters (for beamforming). These simple processing schemes rely on certain approximations in estimating the range between target and each antenna element, whose validity depends on certain assumptions, primarily that the target is placed in the array’s far-field region. However, for wide arrays that violate the far-field condition, these approximations may become untenable. In this paper, we demonstrate the design of an exact matched filter for joint Doppler-azimuth processing that works for arbitrary array geometries. Furthermore, we perform an error analysis of various approximate processing schemes and discuss fast implementation algorithms that keep the errors within acceptable limits. We also consider this type of processing in the context of large, distributed and sparse antenna arrays, where mitigation of sidelobes and grating lobes is one of the biggest challenges.
13048-6
22 April 2024 • 11:05 AM - 11:25 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
N/A
13048-7
22 April 2024 • 11:25 AM - 11:45 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
Monitoring vital signs, especially heart rate, with Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar has gained a lot of interest in recent years. While existing works often focus on processing the average heart rate, we focus here on achieving a more accurate detection of each heartbeat individually. Previous work (Grisot et al, 2023) has shown how to extract the heart movements from the signal of the radar and why it is critical to achieve a fine resolution in the extracted signal to precisely monitor the different parts of the cardiac cycle. The method proposed in their paper requires a lot of resources (both in CPU time and in memory) to achieve this objective. In this paper, we introduce a new method to extract the heart signal, which is more efficient in terms of both memory consumption and CPU usage, and achieves a better resolution in the extracted signal. Furthermore, this method can be extended to the extraction of the displacement and speed signal for other purposes than heart monitoring.
13048-8
22 April 2024 • 11:45 AM - 12:05 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
This paper outlines opportunities and challenges for building missile seekers with the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™ (SOSA) Technical Standard, Edition 2.0, Version 2 (Snapshot 2). In Section 1, two missile seeker instance architectures using the SOSA Technical Architecture are described, one for Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) and one for Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR). Opportunities within the logical signal processing chain, including module functions, inter-module interactions, and messaging sets are discussed in Sections 2, 3, 4, and 5. Section 6 addresses the potential challenges in the physical layer due Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constraints on missile systems. In Section 7, some opportunities to support swappable seekers within the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) ecosystem are outlined. The findings of this effort are summarized in the conclusion section.
Break
Lunch Break 12:05 PM - 2:00 PM
Session 3:
Phenomenology I
22 April 2024 • 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Session Chairs:
Jonathan Cain, Raytheon (United States), Chandra S. Pappu, Union College (United States)
13048-9
22 April 2024 • 2:00 PM - 2:20 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
Remote sensing from and communications through vegetation and forests requires accurate modeling and understanding of electromagnetic wave propagation through those environments. Specifically, the coherent summation of the electromagnetic waves due to both the single scatter and multi-scatter effects must be evaluated. To accurately perform this evaluation, the Body of Revolution (BOR) Method of Moments must be extended to accept non-plane wave incidence fields on the Body of Revolution. This report performs an analytical derivation for non-plane wave incident fields, examines a Hertzian dipole field incident on a Body of Revolution, and validates the scattered field results with a commercial 3-D Method of Moments code.
13048-10
22 April 2024 • 2:20 PM - 2:40 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
The recursive sidelobe minimization (RSM) algorithm is an iterative method that relies on the incoherent nature of sidelobes to iteratively attenuate them in radar imagery. Grating lobes are points of coherence that arise when a periodic aperture does not satisfy the Nyquist sampling rate. Grating lobes are coherent, so the RSM algorithm cannot iteratively attenuate them in the same manner as sidelobes. Random sampling reduces coherency in resolution cells where targets are not present, and greatly increases the sidelobe energy throughout the imagery. In this paper, random sampling is combined with the RSM algorithm to generate 3-dimensional (3-D) imagery with sparse 2 D apertures. The random aperture sampling avoids the creation of grating lobes, but greatly increases the sidelobe levels throughout the image. Then the RSM algorithm is applied to reduce the sidelobes. This technique is first applied to a simulated point target. Then, it is applied to modeled and experimental data to demonstrate its efficacy with extended targets.
13048-11
22 April 2024 • 2:40 PM - 3:00 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
This work investigates the detection of targets in an unknown complex scene by means of an ad hoc network of widely distributed sensors that are spread over the region of surveillance. A general coherent change detection methodology is developed that is based on the classical optical theorem of wave scattering theory. It relies on spatial-temporal-spectral projections of the scattered field data with the incident or background medium response data. This involves only data gathered in situ by the sensing array. Thus the proposed approach is purely data-driven, an important feature for application in unknown media. Another important feature is that the derived approach admits alternative hardware and software implementations, which facilitates application to sensing in the presence of interference and eavesdropping attempts. The statistical detection performance of the proposed method is discussed, and it is shown that the developed technique outperforms existing methods for change detection such as the classical energy detector under certain coherence conditions or views of the imaging system. The derived results are validated with computer simulations and real experimental data.
Break
Coffee Break 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Session 4:
Phenomenology II
22 April 2024 • 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Session Chairs:
Fauzia Ahmad, Temple Univ. (United States), Colin D. Kelly, The Pennsylvania State Univ. (United States)
13048-12
22 April 2024 • 3:30 PM - 3:50 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
This study extends the previous research investigating the effectiveness of applying machine learning (ML) models in mitigating 5G-NR interferences from radar signals. The focus is using realistic 5G base-station signals collected using a software-defined radio (SDR), and an improved radar simulation model based on MATLAB. The SDR-collected 5G signals are verified using the 5G signal models and standards and transferred to time-frequency spectrums and these spectrums, which are used for training and testing various ML models. The radar altimeter model is improved based on the information presented in the recent government reports. The results show that ML-based interference mitigation is highly effective, and careful selection of the ML model configuration and training procedure is essential.
13048-13
22 April 2024 • 3:50 PM - 4:10 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
In synthetic aperture radar theory, periodic spatial sampling that satisfies Nyquist theorem can be used to generate imagery with minimal ambiguities. A two-dimensional (2-D) grid of uniformly spaced aperture samples can be used to generate three-dimensional (3-D) radar imagery. However, 2-D apertures typically result in an untenable number of samples for practical implementation. The spacing between aperture samples can be increased to reduce the number of samples at the potential cost of introducing ambiguities. Since the sampling is uniform, this can introduce grating lobes within the image area. Grating lobes are erroneous points of coherence that result from sub sampling (i.e., not satisfying Nyquist theorem) a periodic array. The recursive sidelobe minimization (RSM) algorithm removes sidelobes by exploiting the varying null positions in images formed with random subapertures. However, grating lobe spacing is generally unaffected by subaperture selection in periodic arrays. This paper presents a modification to the RSM algorithm which removes grating lobes by randomizing the operating center frequency for each iteration of the algorithm.
13048-14
22 April 2024 • 4:10 PM - 4:30 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
Nonlinear radar technology has been employed in various applications for a few decades, primarily focusing on
second-order harmonic radar systems. This study delves into the potential benefits and drawbacks of utilizing
higher-order harmonic radar systems. We present a comparative analysis between second and third-order
harmonic systems using Cadence AWR Visual System Simulator (VSS) followed by experimental validation.
In the experiments, target emulation is achieved through nonlinear tags, while cluttered environments near the
targets are simulated using corner reflectors, with the tag and the corner reflector moving at different frequencies,
facilitated by Zaber linear actuators. Our findings reveal both the advantages and limitations associated with
higher-order systems, offering valuable insights into an underexplored area of research within the domain of
harmonic radar technology. This contribution addresses the existing gap in literature pertaining to higher-order
harmonic radars by providing comparative analyses using both measurement and simulation data.
Symposium Plenary
22 April 2024 • 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM EDT | Potomac A
Session Chairs:
Tien Pham, The MITRE Corp. (United States), Douglas R. Droege, L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (United States)
View Full Details: spie.org/dcs/symposium-plenary
Chair welcome and introduction
22 April 2024 • 5:00 PM - 5:05 PM EDT
DoD's microelectronics for the defense and commercial sensing ecosystem (Plenary Presentation)
Presenter(s): Dev Shenoy, Principal Director for Microelectronics, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (United States)
22 April 2024 • 5:05 PM - 5:45 PM EDT
NATO DIANA: a case study for reimagining defence innovation (Plenary Presentation)
Presenter(s): Deeph Chana, Managing Director, NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) (United Kingdom)
22 April 2024 • 5:50 PM - 6:30 PM EDT
Symposium Panel on Microelectronics Commercial Crossover
23 April 2024 • 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM EDT | Potomac A
View Full Details: spie.org/dcs/symposium-panel
The CHIPS Act Microelectronics Commons network is accelerating the pace of microelectronics technology development in the U.S. This panel discussion will explore opportunities for crossover from commercial technology into DoD systems and applications, discussing what emerging commercial microelectronics technologies could be most impactful on photonics and sensors and how the DoD might best leverage commercial innovations in microelectronics.
Moderator:
John Pellegrino, Electro-Optical Systems Lab., Georgia Tech Research Institute (retired) (United States)
Panelists:
Shamik Das, The MITRE Corporation (United States)
Erin Gawron-Hyla, OUSD (R&E) (United States)
Carl McCants, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (United States)
Kyle Squires, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State Univ. (United States)
Anil Rao, Intel Corporation (United States)
Break
Coffee Break 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Session 5:
Applications and Exploitation Techniques II
23 April 2024 • 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Session Chair:
Sevgi Zubeyde Gurbuz, The Univ. of Alabama (United States)
13048-15
23 April 2024 • 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
Estimating with high accuracy the position of a target or a node in a wireless network is becoming an essential requirement in many wireless applications. While multiple waveforms promise high accuracy, they can have highly ambiguous responses. This conference paper will be discussing the potential of high-accuracy wireless ranging in cluttered indoor spaces using orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signals. OFDM signals can be an excellent choice for joint communication and sensing.
13048-16
23 April 2024 • 10:50 AM - 11:10 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
This is an initial study focusing on “hardening” the existing small Unmanned Aerial Systems (S-UASs) for mitigating or countermeasures of high-intensity electromagnetic environments (HIRF) as a threat to their survivability in a complex electromagnetic operation environment. We used an approach that combines analytical modeling, lab measurements, and field tests to establish these mitigation measures and the verifications. The results show that using a multiple-level solution, which contains different shielding, filtering, and management while minimizing the impact of flight performance, is highly effective based on the sUAS systems tested.
13048-17
23 April 2024 • 11:10 AM - 11:30 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
For a safety assessment on tunnel working site, there is emerging needs for non-contact measurement technology.
The authors’ applied the high-speed imaging Radar system, based on DBF technology. The possible advantages of the Radar over the conventional non-contact sensing systems, such as laser distance meter, depth camera.
Authors have confirmed the proposed monitoring by conducting vibration measurement on actual tunnel working faces.
A minute displacement change of the tunnel face during construction and large velocity change was observed before the small-scale rockfall.
Results have not been obtained through previous measurement and may be a factor in preventing accidents during construction.
Break
Lunch/Exhibition Break 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Session 6:
Algorithms and Processing Techniques II
23 April 2024 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Session Chairs:
Stavros Vakalis, Univ. of South Florida (United States), Georg Schnattinger, Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
13048-18
23 April 2024 • 1:00 PM - 1:20 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
Common target tracking algorithms, such as the Kalman Filter, assume Gaussian estimates of process and measurement noises. This Gaussian assumption does not fully support practical maneuvering target tracking. Rather, when target motion is highly dynamic, sudden maneuvers are better described by non-Gaussian noise distributions. A Kalman-Levy filter has been proposed as an improvement to the maneuvering target tracking problem. This filter models process and measurement noises using Levy distributions. While an improvement in maneuver estimation is demonstrated with the Kalman-Levy filter, it requires significant computation time and occasionally provides poor estimates of simple, linear maneuvers that the Kalman filter can otherwise provide. This paper seeks to improve maneuvering target tracking without sacrificing computation time by proposing the use of a moving-average filter in the tracking process.
13048-19
23 April 2024 • 1:20 PM - 1:40 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
Cognitive radar systems are radar systems that can self-adjust themselves to respond to changes in the environment. Developing cognitive radar systems relies on their ability to detect these changes in operational conditions and use this knowledge to change the operating characteristics of the system, to optimally solve a selected task. Engineers must have an expert level knowledge of radar systems in order to solve these problems as they arise. The goals of the system can be easily stated to engineers in the form of natural language, but are very difficult for computers to analyze. Previous work has shown that Natural Language Processing (NLP) models can be developed to extract radar parameters, values, and units from text. Language Based Cost Functions (LBCFs) can then utilize this extracted information to develop constraints on specific radar parameters. In this work, we propose to combine these language models with LBCFs to define a objective function for optimization tasks using natural language.
13048-21
23 April 2024 • 1:40 PM - 2:00 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
Cutting-edge personnel security screening relies on microwave imaging, where addressing future security demands entails integrating digital twins into development and testing processes. To create a realistic digital twin for microwave imaging systems, accurate replication of microwave images obtained from scanning real individuals is crucial, achieved through electromagnetic simulation. Employing fast simulation methods reduces the computational load to a viable level, yet it introduces some computational inaccuracies due to underlying approximations. To thoroughly assess these inaccuracies, the results obtained with physical optics (PO) and geometrical optics (GO) are compared with an integral equation (IE) solution using two scenarios of a walk-through personnel security screening in the frequency band below 10.6 GHz. Remarkably, while radar images are highly similar, raw signals exhibit significant deviations. Thus, for radar image simulation, PO and GO appear sufficiently accurate, offering attractive runtimes below two minutes per simulation. Conversely, the IE method proves impractical in many situations, as a single image necessitates over three weeks of computations.
Break
Coffee Break 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Session 7:
Quantum Remote Sensing
23 April 2024 • 3:00 PM - 4:20 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Session Chair:
Matthew J. Brandsema, Applied Research Lab. (United States)
13048-25
23 April 2024 • 3:00 PM - 3:20 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
Two current hurdles of quantum RADAR/LiDAR technology are i.) The use of joint measurement techniques, whereby the idler remains in a delay line or a quantum memory to be measured later with the returning signal, and ii.) The difficulty in creating high photon flux signals for long range sensing. Our measurement and detection protocol using immediate-idler-detection (IID) helps to alleviate both of these issues. We present our recent experimental data from characterizing our proof-of-concept IID quantum LiDAR system and show that similar to delay line approaches, we achieve strong correlation even in extremely noisy channels where the noise level exceeds the signal strength by as much as one hundred times. We have found that even in very lossy channels, the integration time remains extremely short and roughly the same value even as the noise is increased. We also show preliminary results through foggy free space channels and found positive correlation SNR even when the visibility was as low as 15\%. Our measurement and detection protocol was designed to align closely with classical RADAR and LiDAR signal processing to better align the quantum and classical sensor regimes and allows for the potential to scale upwards and produce higher photon-flux signals from multiple photon pair sources.
13048-26
23 April 2024 • 3:20 PM - 3:40 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
Quantum radars are garnering increasing attention, but one class of quantum radars has not received very much attention: quantum interferometric radars. Such radars use a type of entangled quantum signal called N00N states to enhance phase sensitivity. In this paper, we propose that quantum interferometric radars could be used for biomedical applications such as vital signs monitoring and organ imaging. Due to such radars being able to operate well at low transmit powers and the radiation itself being non-ionizing, they can mitigate any safety risk to patients.
Show Abstract +
The application of entanglement in microwave radar systems has been shown to provide quantum advantages in target detection. Although in the simple target detection scenario the practical relevance of such quantum advantage is limited, a thorough understanding of the quantum advantage and its measurement strategies in ranging and complex target detection is still needed to fully evaluate the technology.
Recent progress in measurement design shows that heterodyne detection, mode selection, and coherent state detection can enable optimal quantum advantage [arXiv:2207.06609 (2022)] via the correlation-to-displacement conversion (CtoD). In this work, we propose a quantum illumination network where multiple targets are being detected by a single receiver antenna. Due to multiple targets, the total probing power can be large. Despite the interference of different returning signals due to a single antenna, the CtoD measurement strategy can achieve significant quantum advantages over arbitrary classical strategies, in both multiple-phase estimation and pattern classification scenarios.
13048-28
23 April 2024 • 4:00 PM - 4:20 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
Vescent has developed a prototype ultra-stable microwave photonic oscillator capable of advancing the dual DoD and non-DoD needs for alternative positioning, navigation and timing (aPNT), multi-static synthetic aperture radar (SAR), 5G-and-beyond wireless communication, satellite synchronization, and geodetic sensing. Performance, size, weight, power, and robustness against environmental conditions will be discussed.
Poster Session
23 April 2024 • 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM EDT | Potomac C
Conference attendees are invited to attend the symposium-wide poster session on Tuesday evening. Come view the SPIE DCS posters, enjoy light refreshments, ask questions, and network with colleagues in your field. Authors of poster papers will be present to answer questions concerning their papers. Attendees are required to wear their conference registration badges to the poster session.
Poster Setup: Tuesday 12:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Poster authors, view poster presentation guidelines and set-up instructions at http://spie.org/DCSPosterGuidelines.
Poster Setup: Tuesday 12:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Poster authors, view poster presentation guidelines and set-up instructions at http://spie.org/DCSPosterGuidelines.
13048-42
On demand | Presented live 23 April 2024
Show Abstract +
It is in SAR data providers best interest to ensure that their sensors are imaging at intended locations. However, there is often a residual geolocation error between where SAR sensors estimated their scene reference point to be located and where they were actually pointing. Geolocation accuracy assessment traditionally requires collecting against specialized calibration sites with carefully surveyed fiducials. We present an alternative SAR-sensor independent method that enables assessment of image geolocation accuracy at nearly any terrestrial scene location. To achieve this, we co-register a collected image against a global reference image set, such as the high-fidelity X-band RCS layer of the TanDEM-X High Resolution Elevation Data Exchange Program (TREx) data set, which has well-characterized horizontal and vertical errors. The co-registration process exhausts SICD metadata from a collected image to attain approximate geolocation within the reference image, followed by fine scale registration via an established computer vision algorithm. Our method could help automate the assessment and quality control of existing and emerging constellations of commercial satellite systems.
13048-43
On demand | Presented live 23 April 2024
Show Abstract +
A single Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image is a 2-Dimensional projection of a 3-Dimensional scene, with very limited ability to estimate surface topography. However, with multiple SAR images collected from suitably different geometries, they may be compared with multilateration calculations to estimate characteristics of the missing dimension. The ability to employ effective multilateration algorithms is highly dependent on the geometry of the data collections, and can be cast as a least-squares exercise. A measure of Dilution of Precision (DoP) can be used to compare the relative merits of various collection geometries.
Show Abstract +
Free-form antenna for sub-millimeter imaging system is analyzed with horizontal scanning for vertically oriented linear detector arrays configured in three columns to triple the vertical detector density for higher spatial resolution. Another option borrowed from optics for application in submillimeters is based on gradient materials implemented by 3D printing technologies resulting in a distribution of dielectric properties that compensates for the wavefront aberrations. Metamaterials manufactured by nanotechnologies are the right candidates. Using the ray tracing technique, we modeled the minimization of aberrations within the whole scanning span by designing the free-form surfaces of antennas up to 7th order of Zernike polynomials. We modeled the wavefront correction by phase variations driven by the electrically controlled phase plates added to the free-form surfaces to balance the spot diagrams while scanning.
13048-45
23 April 2024 • 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM EDT | Potomac C
Show Abstract +
Enhancing target localization in tracking significantly depends on the correct choice of criterion for sensor geometry optimization. Our study conducts an empirical comparative analysis of four widely-used Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) variants in target localization tasks: standard CRLB, Joint Unconditional CRLB, Marginal Unconditional CRLB, Joint Conditional CRLB, and Marginal Conditional CRLB. This research provides valuable insights into the nuanced differences among these variants, shaping effect target tracking methodologies.
Symposium Plenary on AI/ML + Sustainability
24 April 2024 • 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM EDT | Potomac A
Session Chairs:
Latasha Solomon, DEVCOM Army Research Lab. (United States), Ann Marie Raynal, Sandia National Labs. (United States)
View Full Details: spie.org/dcs/plenary-ai-ml-sustainability
Welcome and opening remarks
24 April 2024 • 8:30 AM - 8:40 AM EDT
Army intelligence data and AI in modern warfare (Plenary Presentation)
Presenter(s): David Pierce, U.S. Army Intelligence (United States)
24 April 2024 • 8:40 AM - 9:20 AM EDT
FUTUR-IC: A three-dimensional optimization path towards building a sustainable microchip industry (Plenary Presentation)
Presenter(s): Anu Agarwal, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Microphotonics Ctr. and Materials Research Lab. (United States)
24 April 2024 • 9:20 AM - 10:00 AM EDT
Break
Coffee Break 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Session 8:
Radar micro-Doppler
24 April 2024 • 10:30 AM - 11:50 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Session Chair:
Thomas J. Pizzillo, U.S. Naval Research Lab. (United States)
13048-29
24 April 2024 • 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
N/A
13048-30
24 April 2024 • 10:50 AM - 11:10 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
Human activity recognition (HAR) with radar-based technologies has become a popular research area in the past
decade. However, the objective of these studies are often to classify human activity for anyone; thus, models are
trained using data spanning as broad a swath of people and mobility profiles as possible. In contrast, applications
of HAR and gait analysis to remote health monitoring require characterization of the person-specific qualities of
a person’s activities and gait, which greatly depends on age, health and agility. In fact, the speed or agility with
which a person moves can be an important health indicator. In this study, we propose a multi-input multi-task
deep learning framework to simultaneously learn a person’s activity and agility. In this initial study, we consider
three different agility states: slow, nominal, and fast. It is shown that joint learning of agility and activity
improves the classification accuracy for both activity and agility recognition tasks. To the best of our knowledge,
this study is the first work considering both agility characterization and personalized activity recognition using
RF sensing.
13048-31
24 April 2024 • 11:10 AM - 11:30 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
Micro-Doppler radar is a cutting-edge technology that has revolutionized the field of radar sensing to enable the detection and characterization of complex targets by leveraging their micro-motion dynamics. This paper discusses the design and construction of a 10-GHz continuous wave (CW) micro-Doppler radar, an explanation of how the system operates and extracts data, as well as a discussion of the device’s possible applications for characterizing external vibrations of vehicles under different scenarios. The objective is to highlight the potential of micro-Doppler radar for remotely recognizing vehicle transmission shifts and occupancy.
13048-32
24 April 2024 • 11:30 AM - 11:50 AM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
In recent years, the recognition and analysis of human gaits have garnered significant interest in diverse applications such as biometrics, healthcare, and security. This paper presents a simulation study and analysis of limps of different severities and comparison with normal walking gait. Various limp gaits were simulated by adjusting some of the parameters in a well-known gait model developed for normal gait. Analysis was performed by extracting various metrics using the micro-Doppler features as well as the Hilbert-Huang model, which show differences for limping stages. It is conjectured that by combining micro-Doppler features with specific metrics derived from HHT analysis, it may be possible to detect the onset of limp gait and to assess its severity.
Break
Lunch/Exhibition Break 11:50 AM - 1:30 PM
Session 9:
Millimeter-Wave Sensing and Imaging I
24 April 2024 • 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Session Chairs:
David A. Wikner, DEVCOM Army Research Lab. (United States), Duncan A. Robertson, Univ. of St. Andrews (United Kingdom)
13048-33
24 April 2024 • 1:30 PM - 1:50 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
Presently, there are no published national or international consensus standards for measuring the image quality of active millimeter wave (MMW) systems, despite the wide adoption of these systems for security screening of passengers in aviation security. To help fill this standards gap, a working group of MMW stakeholders was formed to develop an open, consensus standard for measuring the image quality of active systems employing the 3 GHz to 150 GHz frequency range. The soon-to-be-published standard, IEEE N42.59, describes test objects, test methods, and objective analysis algorithms for measuring several aspects of image quality. This paper describes the lateral spatial resolution test. A method is described for estimating the modulation transfer function by Fourier analysis of images of bar patterns and example images, analysis methods, and results are given.
13048-35
24 April 2024 • 1:50 PM - 2:10 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
Structural materials that are virtually invisible to millimeter-wave imaging are needed for applications in system testing, for example in fixturing IEEE N42.59 test objects for measuring the imaging performance of active millimeter wave (MMW) radio frequency systems for security screening. The material properties characterizing reflectivity are the complex permittivity or the associated refractive index. At frequencies used for millimeter-wave imaging, measurement of very low reflectivity materials by standard methods is challenging. A method is described which is based on temporal features in wave packet propagation in the medium. Measurements of different foam materials are demonstrated.
13048-36
24 April 2024 • 2:10 PM - 2:30 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
Millimeter-wave imaging can provide see-through capabilities for applications such as airport security screening, non-destructive testing, search-and-rescue, and non-ionizing inspection of goods in fast-moving production belt lines. One very big challenge with current millimeter-wave imaging systems is the very high system cost. In this work we employ a low cost radar architecture that scans a commercial V Band multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar in a very small number of locations in order to synthesize a larger radar aperture and overcome the high overall system cost associated with traditional multi-element apertures. We show image reconstruction of different targets at various ranges.
Break
Coffee Break 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Session 10:
Millimeter-Wave Sensing and Imaging II
24 April 2024 • 3:00 PM - 4:20 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Session Chairs:
Jeffrey Barber, U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security (United States), David M. Sheen, Pacific Northwest National Lab. (United States)
13048-37
24 April 2024 • 3:00 PM - 3:20 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
Show Abstract +
An active 3D microwave/millimeter-wave shoe scanner was previously developed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) using two linear arrays scanned over a rectilinear aperture. The radar system chirps a frequency sweep from 10-40 GHz. These frequencies allow imaging through optically opaque material such as leather, rubber, plastics, and other dielectrics. To shrink the footprint of the system a new iteration of the design was developed that scans the two linear arrays over a circular aperture. Commonly, the fast Fourier transform (FFT) is used to efficiently compute the range response from the data collected by the system as a preprocessing step to the backprojection algorithm. It was found that converting to range using the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) directly has some advantages over the FFT.
13048-38
24 April 2024 • 3:20 PM - 3:40 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
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The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has recently developed a next-generation cylindrical millimeter-wave imaging system. Data from this system can be focused using 3D FFT-based reconstruction algorithms in near real time or by versatile backprojection methods that require lengthy post-processing. Cylindrical Fast Backprojection (CFBP) is a novel image reconstruction algorithm that radically increases the efficiency of backprojection and is ideally suited to microwave and millimeter-wave imaging systems based on scanned linear arrays such as body scanners in common use for aviation security screening. This paper describes the CFBP algorithm and validates its performance using simulated and measured data.
13048-39
24 April 2024 • 3:40 PM - 4:00 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
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Millimetre-wave radar is expected to enable imaging radar by improving spatial resolution. However, this is difficult to realize in commercial ICs due to the small number of antennas. Expanding the aperture size by cascading commercial ICs complicates the module design. In addition, the accuracy of DoA estimation for short-range targets is degraded. We therefore propose a method to simultaneously improve spatial resolution and mitigate DoA estimation degradation by simply arranging multiple modules with a single IC, and present experimental results.
13048-40
24 April 2024 • 4:00 PM - 4:20 PM EDT | Chesapeake 8
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Millimeter-wave (mm-wave) imaging systems are proving to be critical in high-resolution imaging to enable automatic security screening applications. In this article, we introduce a novel K-band computational imaging system that integrates custom-designed metasurfaces with shape-morphing origami platforms to enable scene adaptive imaging \cite{origami_science}. The system comprises of metasurface-based active transceivers operating at frequencies ranging from 17 to 27 GHz mounted on a shape morphing origami platforms to demonstrate diffraction-limited reconstruction of 2D and 3D targets. This approach is scalable, modular, conformable, and cost-effective. Furthermore, we exploit information-theoretic techniques based on the Shannon-Hartley theorem to analyze measurements and reconstruct scenes, which in turn provides a mathematical basis to the formal design of such imaging apertures.
Conference Chair
U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (United States)
Conference Chair
The Citadel-The Military College of South Carolina (United States)
Program Committee
Applied Research Lab., The Pennsylvania State Univ. (United States)