Doppler beam sharpening for sub-THz marine radar imagery and small target detection

Kumar, Dillon (2025). Doppler beam sharpening for sub-THz marine radar imagery and small target detection. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis studies the use of Doppler Beam Sharpening (DBS) as a method of obtaining high resolution sub-THz radar imagery in the maritime environment for the purposes of detecting small, extended targets. The application of DBS in the maritime environment from a small vessel with radars at Sub-THz frequencies is a novel concept. The aim is to develop a radar system that enables radar measurements in the DBS modality, where the complete dataset enables automatic DBS processing for high resolution image production. This thesis presents the DBS technique from basic radar principles and discusses the limitations of using it in the context of maritime radar data. A simulation strategy was devised using Ansys’ HFSS software, which was used to simulate the scattering off target models, including models of the ocean.
The simulated data was then processed to understand DBS on a deeper level, where the limitations and optimisations of processing are discussed. A 150 GHz FMCW radar was upgraded by installing a new Direct Digital Synthesiser (DDS) and local oscillator to make it
suitable for DBS measurements. The radar was then integrated into a novel sensing system which provides all the required time-synchronised data for DBS processing, including kinematics and optical ground truth. Alongside this work, a review of potential anomaly detection techniques is discussed in the context of sub-THz radar, which will form the next stage of the research on this topic.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):