A Fast Algorithm for 3-Dimensional Imaging with UWB Pulse Radar Systems

Ultra-wideband pulse radars are promising candidates for 3-dimensional environment measurements by autonomous robots. Estimating 3-dimensional target shapes by scanning with an omni-directional antenna is an ill-posed inverse problem. Conventional algorithms such as the synthetic aperture method or parametric algorithms have a problem in terms of their calculation times. We have clarified the existence of a reversible transform between received data and target shapes for 3-dimensional systems. Calculation times are remarkably reduced by applying this transform because it directly estimates target shapes without iterations. We propose a new algorithm based on the transform and present an application example using numerical simulations. We confirm that the proposed algorithm has sufficient accuracy and a short calculation time. key words: 3-D, imaging, ultra-wideband (UWB), pulse radar, fast algorithm