The BYU Micro-SAR: Theory and Application of a Small LFM-CW Synthetic Aperture Radar

Salt Lake Community College

The BYU microSAR is a new, low-cost Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) system developed by students at Brigham Young University. The simple design is based on a linear frequency modulated continuous wave signal (LFM-CW) which reduces the size and power compared to a conventional pulsed SAR system. The BYU microSAR is small enough to y on a small UAV, further reducing the cost of operation and extending the use of SAR into new areas. Due to the LFM-CW design, modi ed SAR processing algorithms are needed which account for the movement of the platform during data collection. SAR processing assumes that the sensor is moving in a straight line at a constant speed, but in actuality a UAV or airplane will deviate, often signi cantly, from this ideal. This non-ideal motion can seriously degrate the SAR image quality. This paper presents the design of the BYU microSAR, the theory of operation, and the modi ed processing algorithms which account for the continuous motion.