This article develops and examines techniques to enable coherent change detection (CCD) for short-range, high-resolution drone-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems operating at high frequencies. The potential of using high frequencies at short ranges for fine-resolution imagery and sensitivity to temporal change detection is highlighted, as are the challenges in terms of sensitivity to SAR motion errors. SAR system characteristics for CCD are derived, and the impact of motion errors, which leads to spatial decorrelation and co-registration errors on CCD maps, is discussed. Subsequently, a CCD algorithm able to generate change maps with a >0.75 average coherence value is presented. The validity of the approach is tested through various experimental scenarios. As a result, car tyre marks and human footprints are possible to discern with a drone-borne SAR demonstrator operating at 24 GHz.

In this paper, the extrapolation of a 2D multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) array is proposed using the Burg algorithm to achieve higher angular resolution beyond that of the corresponding 2D MIMO virtual array. The main advantage of such an approach is that it allows us to dramatically decrease both the physical size and the number of antenna elements of the MIMO array. The performance and limitations of the Burg algorithm are examined through both simulation and experimentation at 77 GHz. The experimental methodology used to acquire 3D data of range, azimuth and elevation information with the 1D MIMO off-the-shelf radar is described. Using this method, the performance of the proposed array can be tested experimentally, especially at frequencies where it is desired to assess the antenna response prior to fabricating the antenna.

Autonomous systems require sensors that provide high-resolution imagery in adverse lighting and weather conditions for advanced situational awareness. In this regard, radars are a mandatory component of autonomous systems. Although Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) radars provide high angular resolution beyond that of their actual physical dimension, much higher cross-range resolutions are required, especially in traffic congested areas, to differentiate and recognize closely positioned targets. The motion of the MIMO radar platform can be exploited to obtain higher cross-range resolution in the off-boresight direction, using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Doppler Beam Sharpening (DBS) techniques, but improvements in the boresight direction, the most crucial direction for path planning, require the use of super-resolution techniques. This paper proposes a technique that combines the Burg algorithm with MIMO-SAR and MIMO-DBS radar data to enhance the cross-range resolution in the boresight direction and to achieve further enhanced cross-range resolution in off-boresight directions. The proposed technique is applied to both frequency domain and time domain data in back-projection (BP) and DBS image formation processing. A comprehensive comparison is made, with evaluation of corresponding performance and operational complexity. The performance of the technique is validated through simulation, lab-based and real-world experiments at a frequency of 77 GHz.