Mathematical description of imaging processes in ultra-wideband active aperture synthesis systems using stochastic sounding signals

Mathematical models of the fields of stochastic ultra-wideband signals that are necessary for solving problems of aperture synthesis of images using active radar methods are presented. The expediency of using V-transformations in these problems has been substantiated, the effectiveness of which has already been proven for the mathematical description of ultra-wideband spatio-temporal fields in the methods of passive and active radar, as well as remote sensing, that are used to solve problems of radio astronomy, medicine, navigation. Using modern methods of mathematical analysis and the theory of ultra-wideband systems, the physical essence of radio images obtained with the help of algorithms for coherent and incoherent signal processing is investigated. According to these algorithms, it is proposed to divide images into coherent and incoherent. Coherent images include those in which its amplitude and phase are recorded separately. In the case of an incoherent image, only its amplitude (power or related characteristic) is recorded. To describe of the obtained radio image structure, new concepts of the spectral density of the complex spatial coherence function (SDCSCF) and the spectral density of the spatial autocorrelation function of the amplitude-phase distribution (SDFSAF APD) are introduced. Application-use of functions is expedient and fundamentally necessary for solving problems of aperture synthesis using stochastic ultra-wideband signals. A mathematical description of the structures obtained by aperture synthesis of radio images is given. Here, studies are conducted for the general case of using a continuous (idealized) aperture, and for using an antenna system with spatially separated receiving elements. Simulation of the heuristic synthesized algorithm for constructing incoherent radio images is conducted. The possibility of using antenna arrays and synthesized aperture synthesis algorithms for solving problems of image formation in a survey located directly under the aircraft (at sounding angles close to vertical) are substantiated.

Narrowband and wideband EMW path loss in underwater wireless sensor network

Purpose Utilization of electromagnetic wave (EMW) sensors in an underwater environment has the potential to increase the data rate compared to acoustic-based sensors because of the ability to use larger signal bandwidth. Nevertheless, EMW signals has the drawback of large signal attenuation in underwater, attributed to the high relative permittivity and conductivity of water compared to the atmosphere, hence employment of wide signal bandwidth is necessary to balance the data rate-attenuation trade-off. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the characteristics of both narrowband and wideband EMW signal propagation underwater and devise a path loss model for both cases. Design/methodology/approach Path loss measurement was conducted using a point-to-point configuration in a laboratory water tank while transmitting narrowband and wideband signals between a pair of wideband underwater antennas. The wideband underwater antennas use buffer-layer structures as the impedance matching layer to optimize the antenna performance when operating underwater. The path loss for narrowband signal was modeled using a multi-layer propagation equation in lossy medium considering losses at the medium boundaries. For the case of the wideband signal, a modified version of the model introducing power integration over bandwidth is adopted. These models were formulated through numerical simulations and verified by measurements. Findings The measured narrowband path loss marked an 80 dB attenuation using 800 MHz at 2 m distance. The proposed narrowband model agrees well with the measurements, with approximately 3 dB modeling error. Utilization of the proposed wideband path loss model resulted in a reduction of the gradient of the path loss curve compared to the case of the narrowband signal. The measured wideband path loss at 2 m distance underwater was approximately −65 dB, which has been shown to enable a working signal-to-noise ratio of 15 dB. This proves the potential of realizing high data rate transmission using the wideband signal. Originality/value The paper proposed a wideband propagation model for an underwater EMW sensor network, using power integration over bandwidth. The effectiveness of using wideband EMW signals in reducing path loss is highlighted, which is seldom discussed in the literature. This result will be of useful reference for using wideband signals in designing a high data rate transmission system in underwater wireless sensor networks, for example, in link budget, performance estimation and parameter design of suitable transmission scheme.

Investigation of principles of simulation of space-time processing of wideband signals

The paper states the principles of simulation of wideband signals applied in a surveillance radar. The resource of the radar model is analyzed with respect to sample rate of processed signals and required memory size as generated signals, noises, active and passive interferences demand a lot of memory. It is proposed to simulate only active intervals of operation of a pulse radar at zero frequency in the frequency domain.

Broadband Spectral Analysis Algorithm with High-Frequency Resolution for Elimination of Overlap Interference between Adjacent Channels

Spectral lines can be analysed to determine the physical properties of molecular clouds and the astrochemical processes in the formation area of massive stars. To improve the observation technology of radio astronomy, this paper proposes and compares two spectral analysis algorithms (improved weighted overlap-add (IWOLA) + FFT and IWOLA + weighted overlap-add (WOLA)). The proposed algorithms can obtain an ultra-high-frequency resolution for real-valued wideband signals, eliminate the signal overlapping interference between adjacent channels, substantially decrease the required hardware resources, especially multipliers, adders, and memory resources, and reduce the system design complexity. The IWOLA + FFT algorithm consists of an improved weighted overlap-add (IWOLA) filter bank, fast Fourier transform (FFT), a specific decimation for the output data from the IWOLA filter bank, and a selection for part of the output data from the FFT. The IWOLA + WOLA algorithm consists of the same modules as the IWOLA + FFT algorithm, with the second-stage FFT replaced by the modules of the weighted overlap-add (WOLA) filter bank and the accumulation for each sub-band. Based on an analysis of the underlying principles and characteristics of both algorithms, the IWOLA + FFT algorithm demonstrated a spectrum with a high frequency resolution and a comparable performance to an ultra-large-scale FFT, based on two smaller FFTs and a flexible architecture instead of a ultra-large-scale FFT. The IWOLA + WOLA algorithm contains the same function as the IWOLA + FFT algorithm and demonstrates a higher performance. The proposed algorithms eliminated the interference between the adjacent channels within the entire Nyquist frequency bandwidth. The simulation results verify the accuracy and spectral analysis performances of the proposed algorithms.

Algorithm of phase-frequency distortion adaptive compensation for broadband signals during propagation through transionospheric channels.

The models of distortions of digital broadband signals during their propagation through transionospheric channels which are equivalent to a linear filter with an impulse response determined by a number of parameters, in particular, the central frequency of the signals, are presented. Distortions of the phase-frequency characteristics of digital broadband signals due to the dispersion properties of the ionosphere causes time scattering and the appearance of interference noise which reduces the reliability of information systems and with certain characteristics of the radiochannel destroys their operation. This determines the relevance of developing computational procedures for processing digital signals that reduce the effectiveness of this type of interference, a characteristic property of which is the linear dependence of their power on the power of information signals. The description of the algorithm for adaptive compensation of these distortions based on the use of information signals and the formation of an inverse filter is given, which corresponds to the general concept of "blind" processing. The possibility of the considered distortion compensation for digital wideband signals with phase shift keying and achievement of probabilistic characteristics of erroneous reception providing an acceptable quality of a radiochannels for information systems has been shown by means of computer simulations.

Assessment of Damage in Metallic Plates by Ultra-Wideband Guided Electromagnetic Waves

Guided electromagnetic wave propagation using ultra-wideband signals is a barely new approach for damage detection. However, still many challenges are present, including the way to deal with the GHz domain signals and the physics behind the interaction phenomena enabled by any type of flaw. The present work proposes a feasibility analysis for a structural health monitoring system employing permanently integrated microwave sensors. This setup allows to interrogate the structure continuously using multiple transmitters and multiple receivers when the electromagnetic waveguide is established. To this end, a metallic plate is equipped with a dielectric waveguide patch attached to the structures’ surface. To validate the detectability of damage, a reversible defect is modeled through removable bolts accessible from the other surface of the plate. The experiments are carried out considering different bottom holes at different spatial locations of the plate. In addition, concurrent measurements are adopted to characterize the noise level within the signal. The characteristic changes of electromagnetic wave signals are caught using a damage index approach returning whether the defect can be detected sensitively or not. Different coupling conditions are used to let the guided electromagnetic waves propagate and interact with underlaying structure. The results show that this approach can be adopted for damage detection with a reasonable signal to noise ratio, especially when the waveguide is well coupled. In addition, both transmission and reflection loss can be monitored reliably.

Algorithms of distortion compensation for broadband signals propagated through satellite ionospheric channels.

Methods for describing of digital signal complex envelope distortions due to influence of satellite ionosphere radiolines based on linear filtering methods are presented. Distortions of the phase-frequency characteristics of the digital signal envelopes due to the dispersion properties of the ionosphere cause time scattering and the occurrence of intersymbol interference, which reduce the reliability of communication. This determines the relevance of the development of the computational procedure for processing digital signals that reduce the effectiveness of this type of interferences. The descriptions of the algorithms for compensation of these distortions based on the use of the broadband pilot-signals and the formation of an inverse linear filter are given. A useful property of the considered pilot-signals is the coincidence of their structure (frequency band, envelope type, manipulation law) with the structure of information digital signals. By means of computer simulations of this algorithms, the possibility of almost complete compensation of the considered distortions of wideband signals is shown.