×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Terrain mapping

Terrain mapping

Terrain mapping

(OP)
I'm looking into design a low-latency, high resolution terrain mapping system. I am looking for opinions on the best frequency range to use. Requirements:

50 meter max. effective range
Recognition of soft (non-metal) objects, rocks, wooden forms, plastics, etc.
2-inch resolution at 50m

At the moment, this is purely research for a project, and without any experience in radar systems, I'm not sure where to begin research.
Replies continue below

Recommended for you

RE: Terrain mapping

Assuming a 35 GHz radar, you'd need an antenna aperture of over 10 m to resolve 2 in at 50 m.

TTFN

RE: Terrain mapping

(OP)
What resolution/What frequency range could I get with 2 meters? Is there an equation for the relationship? And is synthetic aperture a possible solution?

RE: Terrain mapping

Down Range Resolution Basic: Delta D = c*PW/2

PW=Pulse Width

Down Range Resolution With Pulse Compression:(linear FM, etc.)

Delta D= c*PW/(2*BW); Where BW/PW = pulse compression ratio

Cross Range Resolution Basic: Delta Dy = Lamda/Dia

Lamba= wavelength, Dia = Antenna Diameter

Cross Range Resolution Side looking Sar: Dia/2 minimum.

Cross Range Resolution of Spotlight SAR: Theoretically Limited by Pulse compression resolution, motion compensation, system noise etc., but basically regarded the highest resolution mapping method. Need a minimum of 30 degrees delta between your velocity vector and look angle to be practical.

Your requirements are basically not feasible. To distiguish different material types using RF would be millimeter-wave radiometry, limited in angle resolution to the basic, no down range resolution, and high integration times.

I have had my fill with the glassy eyed DARPA types that just expect to much from the realities of physics.


RE: Terrain mapping

BTW, Try looking into LADAR, This may be your best hope. Using RF at any frequency for this app. will be an expensive, painful, and probably failed endever.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members! Already a Member? Login



News


Close Box

Join Eng-Tips® Today!

Join your peers on the Internet's largest technical engineering professional community.
It's easy to join and it's free.

Here's Why Members Love Eng-Tips Forums:

Register now while it's still free!

Already a member? Close this window and log in.

Join Us             Close