High-Resolution and Real-Time Three-Dimensional Imaging Algorithm With Envelopes of Spheres for UWB Radars

Ultrawideband pulse radars have a great potential for high-range resolution in near field imaging and can be used for noncontact measuring in precision or specular products such as reflector antennas and aircraft fuselages. We have already proposed a high-speed 3-D imaging algorithm, SEABED, which is based on a reversible transform, which is the boundary scattering transform, between the received signals and the target shape. However, the estimated image with SEABED is unstable with random noise because it utilizes a derivative of the received data. In this paper, we propose a robust 3-D imaging algorithm with an envelope of spheres that completely resolves the instability due to derivative operations. Moreover, to enhance the resolution of estimated images, this method is combined with a direct waveform compensation method that does not sacrifice high-speed calculation. Numerical simulations and an experiment confirm that the proposed method can realize fast, robust, and high-resolution 3-D imaging for arbitrary targets.