Electromagnetic wave imaging system and antenna array signal correction method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10634780-B2
Application number	US-201615563187-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2016
Priority date	Jul 23, 2015
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

An electromagnetic wave imaging system and a method of correcting an antenna array signal are disclosed. In an example, the electromagnetic wave imaging system may include an antenna array, configured to receive electromagnetic wave from a target object and convert the electromagnetic wave into an electrical signal; a signal processing unit, configured to process the electrical signal to obtain an image of the target object; and a distance measuring device, configured to measure a distance of the target object from the antenna array, wherein the signal processing unit corrects the electrical signal based at least in part on the measured distance.

First claim

We claim:

1. An electromagnetic wave imaging system, comprising:
an antenna array, configured to receive electromagnetic wave from a target object and convert electromagnetic wave into an electrical signal;
a signal processing unit, configured to process the electrical signal to obtain an image of the target object; and
a distance measuring device, configured to measure a distance of the target object from the antenna array, wherein the signal processing unit corrects the electrical signal based at least in part on the measured distance;
the system further comprising:
a storage unit, configured to store a correction factor at a calibration point for a visibility value between every two antennas in the antenna array,

wherein the signal processing unit configured to obtain, for the every two antennas, a correction factor for correcting the electrical signal from the stored correction factors, based on a difference between the distances of the calibration point from the two antennas and a difference between the distances of the target object from the two antennas.

2. The electromagnetic wave imaging system according to claim 1 , wherein assuming that for any two antennas i and j in the antenna array, a difference between a distance of the calibration point A from the antenna i and a distance of the calibration point A from the antenna j is Δ A ij , a difference between a distance of the target object B from the antenna i and a distance of the target object B from the antenna j is Δ B ij , and the stored correction factor for the antennas i and j is V A ij , the resulting correction factor for the antennas i and j is:
V _ ij{circumflex over ( )}B=V _ ij{circumflex over ( )}A*e {circumflex over ( )}(2π J (Δ_ ij{circumflex over ( )}B −Δ_ ij{circumflex over ( )}A )/λ)* P _ ij

wherein J is a unit of imaginary number, i.e., J 2 =−1, λ is a wavelength of electromagnetic wave, and P ij is correction on a signal power.

3. The electromagnetic wave imaging system according to claim 2 , wherein P ij =1.

4. The electromagnetic wave imaging system according to claim 2 , wherein the signal processing unit corrects the visibility value V ij of the antennas i and j obtained based on the electric signal from the signal processing unit by a formula: V′ ij =V ij /V C ij , where V C ij is the determined correction factor for correcting the electrical signal, and the corrected visibility value V′ ij is used for imaging.

5. An electromagnetic wave imaging system, comprising:
an antenna array, configured to receive electromagnetic wave from a target object and convert electromagnetic wave into an electrical signal;
a signal processing unit, configured to process the electrical signal to obtain an image of the target object; and
a distance measuring device, configured to measure a distance of the target object from the antenna array, wherein the signal processing unit corrects the electrical signal based at least in part on the measured distance;
a storage unit, configured to store correction factors at a series of calibration points for a visibility value between every two antennas in the antenna array,
wherein the signal processing unit selects correction factors corresponding to one or more of the series of calibration points as the correction factor for correcting the electrical signal, based on the distance of the target object from the antenna array measured by the distance measuring device.

6. The electromagnetic wave imaging system according to claim 5 , wherein the correction factor corresponding to a calibration point whose distance from the target object is less than a certain threshold is selected as the correction factor for correcting the electrical signal.

7. The electromagnetic wave imaging system according to claim 6 , wherein a correction factor corresponding to a calibration point whose distance from the target object is minimum is selected as the correction factor for correcting the electrical signal.

8. The electromagnetic wave imaging system according to claim 5 , wherein when the correction factors corresponding to a plurality of calibration points are selected, an interpolation value of the correction factors is used as the correction factor for correcting the electrical signal.

9. The electromagnetic wave imaging system according to claim 5 , wherein the signal processing unit corrects the visibility value Vij of the antennas i and j obtained based on the electric signal from the signal processing unit by a formula: V′ij=Vij/VCij, where VCij is the determined correction factor for correcting the electrical signal, and the corrected visibility value V′ij is used for imaging.

10. A method of correcting an electrical signal from an antenna array, wherein the antenna array receives electromagnetic wave from a target object, and the received electromagnetic wave is converted into an electrical signal, the method comprising:
measuring a distance of the target object from the antenna array; and
correcting the electrical signal based at least in part on the measured distance
wherein the correcting the electrical signal comprises:
obtaining, for every two antennas in the antenna array, a correction factor for correcting the electrical signal from the correction factor for a visibility value between the two antennas which is obtained in advance by using a calibration point, based on a difference between the distances of the calibration point from the two antennas and a difference between the distances of the target object from the two antennas.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein assuming that for any two antennas i and j in the antenna array, a difference between a distance of the calibration point A from the antenna i and a distance of the calibration point A from the antenna j is Δ A ij , a difference between a distance of the target object B from the antenna i and a distance of the target object B from the antenna j is Δ B ij , and the stored correction factor for the antennas i and j is V A ij , the resulting correction factor for the antennas i and j is:
V _ ij{circumflex over ( )}B=V _ ij{circumflex over ( )}A*e {circumflex over ( )}(2π J (Δ_ ij{circumflex over ( )}B −Δ_ ij{circumflex over ( )}A )/λ)* P _ ij

wherein J is a unit of imaginary number, i.e., J 2 =−1, λ is a wavelength of electromagnetic wave, and P ij is correction on a signal power.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the correction factor corresponding to a calibration point whose distance from the target object is less than a certain threshold or is minimum is selected as the correction factor for correcting the electrical signal,
wherein when the correction factors corresponding to a plurality of calibration points are selected, an interpolation value of the correction factors is used as the correction factor for correcting the electrical signal.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the visibility value V ij of the antennas i and j obtained based on the electric signal is corrected by a formula: V′ ij =V ij /V C ij , where V C ij is the determined correction factor for correcting the electrical signal.

14. A method of correcting an electrical signal from an antenna array, wherein the antenna array receives electromagnetic wave from a target object, and the received electromagnetic wave is converted into an electrical signal, the method comprising:
obtaining correction factors for a visibility value between every two antennas in the antenna array in advance by using a series of calibration points; and
selecting correction factors corresponding to one or more of the series of calibration po

Assignees

• Nuctech Co Ltd
• Univ Tsinghua

Inventors

• Chen Zhiqiang
• Li Yuanjing
• Zhao Ziran
• Wu Wanlong
• Shen Zongjun
• Liu Yinong
• Yang Jieqing

Classifications

• G01S13/08

  Systems for measuring distance only (indirect measurement G01S13/46) · CPC title

• G01S15/08

  Systems for measuring distance only (indirect measurement G01S15/46) · CPC title

• G01S13/90 Primary

  using synthetic aperture techniques {, e.g. synthetic aperture radar [SAR] techniques} · CPC title

• G01S17/08 Primary

  for measuring distance only (indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48) · CPC title