Energy Efficient Antenna Arrays for Indoor Three-dimensional Microwave Imaging

The effect of antenna array size, transmit power, component noise and other parameters on the performance of microwave imaging algorithms is characterized, with the focus on indoor applications where objects are in the array nearfield. A large antenna array testbed was built to capture threedimensional images of objects in the 17-20GHz band, and the quality of these images evaluated. The standard range-migration algorithm, the modified single-transmitter range-migration algorithm and a novel Doppler imaging algorithm were all compared. A new figure of merit was also developed to compare how efficiently these algorithms can create an image of given quality and size. It was found that these algorithms are able to produce good quality images at extremely low transmit power levels and with noisy transceivers, leading to a methodology for designing energy and cost efficient microwave imaging systems.