Enhancement in Range Resolution by using UWB Antenna for Bi-Static Radar System: An Overview

Pulse compression techniques have been used in the past for increasing range resolution and to improve Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) in a radar system. Various techniques have been used for this purpose. This paper gives brief overview about the importance of UWB antenna design and its characteristics to improve the range resolution of radar. The importance of range resolution is elaborated pictorially through an example. Further dispersive properties of various UWB antennas are discussed, that are useful for pulse compression in a radar system. The concept of Bi-static radar is described in detail that requires separate transmitting and receiving antennas. The choice of UWB antenna for transmitter and receiver of Bi-static radar is greatly dependent on its dispersive behavior. So in this paper comparative study of dispersion characteristics of various UWB antenna shapes is presented, that can be utilized to improve the pulse compression and hence to reduce the range resolution. Normally surface acoustic wave devices (SAW devices) are used for this purpose which is more costly as compared to the cost of UWB antenna used for Bi-static radar in this paper.