3-Dimensional Imaging and Motion Estimation Method of Multiple Moving Targets for Multi-Static UWB Radar Using Target Point and Its Normal Vector

Ryo YAMAGUCHI  Shouhei KIDERA  Tetsuo KIRIMOTO  

Publication
IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Communications   Vol.E97-B   No.12   pp.2819-2829
Publication Date: 2014/12/01
Online ISSN: 1745-1345
DOI: 10.1587/transcom.E97.B.2819
Type of Manuscript: PAPER
Category: Sensing
Keyword: 
UWB radar,  multiple moving targets,  range points migration (RPM),  interference suppression,  multi-static UWB radar,  

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Summary: 
Radar systems using ultra-wideband (UWB) signals have definitive advantages in high range resolution. These are suitable for accurate 3-dimensional (3-D) sensing by rescue robots operating in disaster zone settings, where optical sensing is not applicable because of thick smog or high-density gas. For such applications, where no a priori information of target shape and position is given, an accurate method for 3-D imaging and motion estimation is strongly required for effective target recognition. In addressing this issue, we have already proposed a non-parametric 2-dimensional (2-D) imaging method for a target with arbitrary target shape and motion including rotation and translation being tracked using a multi-static radar system. This is based on matching target boundary points obtained using the range points migration (RPM) method extended to the multi-static radar system. Whereas this method accomplishes accurate imaging and motion estimation for single targets, accuracy is degraded severely for multiple targets, due to interference effects. For a solution of this difficulty, this paper proposes a method based on a novel matching scheme using not only target points but also normal vectors on the target boundary estimated by the Envelope method; interference effects are effectively suppressed when incorporating the RPM approach. Results from numerical simulations for both 2-D and 3-D models show that the proposed method simultaneously achieves accurate target imaging and motion tracking, even for multiple moving targets.