Improving radar's spatial recognition: A radar scanning method based on microwave spatial spectral illumination

In this article, we present a radar scanning method based on microwave photonics. The target area is illuminated by a spectrum of microwave frequencies. An antenna array radiates on a far-field target, where the radiation spectral curve is divided so that different spatial subresolution segments are illuminated by different frequencies. Back-reflected radiation from target subsegments is detected in the single small-aperture antenna. Detection can separate the subsegments with high-spatial-resolving capability due to the frequency-spatial encoding obtained by the known frequency pattern on the target. We include experimental and simulation results for a onedimensional (1-D) and a two-dimensional (2-D) antenna array.