ABSTRACT
TUTELARY project will develop a coastal surveillance system based on a coherent multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) photonic radar in a port environment. Algorithms and coherent signal processing techniques will be developed for high-performance target detection, tracking, and imaging. Specific surveillance use cases and tests of the processing techniques against real-time coastal surveillance threats will be identified. A previously implemented distributed photonic radar will be improved to be fully operative on two radio frequency bands and three distributed radar transceivers. The overall system will undergo field-trial testing, including the newly developed algorithms and signal processing.
This project proposal is in response to the call 2022/CFP/RIU/01 “Novel Technologies for border management (open theme)” of the Frontex Research Grants Programme.
OBJECTIVES
1) Developing a fully operational field trial system, turning the demonstrator of photonics-based radar developed by CNIT into a fully operational field trial system based on three radar peripherals.
2) Developing and implementing algorithms and signal processing techniques for multistatic and multiband coherent MIMO photonics-based radar.
3) Improving reliability and robustness in detecting, tracking, imaging, and size estimation of multiple targets with respect to the state of the art of radars.
Application scenario
CONCEPT
The proposed project aims to implement a coherent two-band multistatic photonic-based radar system based on three radar peripherals widely distributed.
Photonics-based coherent MIMO radar network concept
Photonics-based coherent MIMO radar network schematic
A central unit (CU), which builds the radar network core, generates and collects the radar signals to/from three remote stations, or radar peripherals (RPs), each one with a radar head, which are widely distributed (hundreds of meters of relative linear separation). Each RP can transmit and receive 2 RF signals at carrier frequencies in S and X band, namely at 2900 and 9800 MHz respectively. The central unit and the peripherals are connected with optical fibre links. Two fibres are necessary, one to carry the transmitting signal, another one to carry the received signal.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
- Identification of various use cases pertaining to border-related threats in the coastal scenario and of the system requirements.
- Implementation of the demonstrator:
- Actions taken for the identification of a suitable location for the installation of the third radar peripheral and for collecting all the necessary permissions
- Tests of the system at CNIT laboratories
- Installation of the third radar peripheral
- System calibration
- Field trial
- Processing of acquired data
Overall system data flow
IMPLEMENTATION
Work package structure
The activity of the technical work packages is organized as follows:
WP 2 provides the identification of coastal border securing threats, the relevant stakeholders involved in border security, the use cases analysis, the state of the art and gap analysis of multistatic radar systems, the market analysis, the concept of operations and the system requirements.
WP 3 is focused on the photonic radar system setting up and testing . The system is prepared to work with three radar peripherals and over two RF bands. A series of tests on each subsystem and on the whole photonic radar system will be conducted. This will include verifying the system’s hardware and software components and evaluating the effectiveness of the system in detecting and tracking maritime targets.
System deployment at the port of Livorno
WP 4 performs a state-of-the-art analysis of the algorithms and signal processing techniques for the coherent MIMO and multistatic photonics-based radar. Numerical analyses are carried out to compare coherent and non-coherent MIMO processing in the target detection and to compare different tracking algorithms.
WP 5 tests the functionality and performance of the coherent MIMO, multistatic and multiband photonics-based radar system in field trial coastal surveillance scenario. The accuracy and reliability of the proposed signal processing techniques is validated for the field deployed radar system.