Performance analysis of millimeter wave FMCW InSAR for UAS indoor operations

This paper discusses the performance of a novel millimeter wave radar sensor for UAS autonomous indoor operations. A sensor based on the interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) principle should be able to satisfy the stringent requirements set by indoor operations in terms of high-resolution three-dimensional mapping and autonomous navigation. A solution based on a Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) technology is proposed. The outlined nominal configuration serves as a basis to analyze the performance of the sensor in possible operational scenarios by means of a software simulator. Four different focusing algorithms are implemented and tested and capabilities of the novel sensor are finally discussed, demonstrating that high-resolution, high-quality observation of an assigned control volume can be achieved.