Treffer: Frequency Diverse Array and Spotlight Synthetic Aperture Radar 2D Imaging Based on Multiple Repeated Subpulses

Frequency diverse array (FDA) beams show an “S” shape in space and cannot form a spot beam; thus, they cannot be directly combined with spotlight synthetic aperture radar (SSAR). In this paper, we propose a 2D imaging system emitting multiple repeated subpulses using an FDA and spotlight synthetic aperture radar (MRS-FDA-SSAR). This system carries the FDA on an airborne platform and uses the frequency difference between the array elements to synthesize broadband signals and obtain the distance-direction resolution, and then it uses a synthetic aperture technique to obtain the azimuth-direction resolution. Subsequently, 2D imaging results are obtained using the BP algorithm. A deconvolution algorithm is introduced to address the problem of high target sidelobes in the BP imaging results, which can result in the masking of weak targets. This allows 2D imaging results to be obtained with lower sidelobes. Finally, the MRS-FDA-SSAR model was simulated in experiments to verify its effectiveness.