A smart repeater for radar test based on signal processing

The smart radar repeater is a hardware system controlled by computers whose function is to perform an accurate and end- to-end test for the radar system in its normal operational mode. It provides a thorough performance check of the radar by using a vertical antenna to simulate the ballistic trajectory of a shell in flight. The signal processing component is also used to acquire sampled transmit pulses data and represent the Doppler, range and amplitude charges during the flight. Electrically connected to a subject radar, the repeater is automatically triggered by the radar beam and simulates the radio frequency energy returned from accurately modelled projectiles following ballistic trajectories. To provide an exact radio frequency energy returned, blind deconvolution technique is employed by the signal processing component to recover the raw signal which is convolved with an unknown radar external world. All the design philosophy and composition of the repeater are explained and the feasibility of signal processing techniques is discussed too.