SBIR-STTR Award

Innovative techniques are proposed for investigation in a Phase I effort to determine passive rf surveillance and targeting sensors and associated methodology for performing rapid and accurate measurements of range/location of oth threat rf emitters. The essential physical constraints to be observed are sensor compatibility with, and portability of the associated range determination/ processing equipment on, a submarine platform. The innovative techniques outlined in this proposal offer very promising alternative options for realizing passive rf ranging systems that satisfy these constraints. These techniques will be evaluated analytically in the proposed Phase I effort. Design analyses will be performed to define the tradeoffs in the practical implementations within the limiting environment of submarines, subject to variable attitude, position and associated rates and other significant considerations. Definitive sensor configurations, sensor processing schemes/techniques, computational algorithms and operatingmodalmes will be firmed up, and design and implementation latitudes will be established, complete with performance predictions, and a plan for proof-of-method experiments and a hardware development program for Phase II.

Innovative intraplatform induced Doppler frequency shift (IDFS) utilization techniques are proposed for implementation and experimentation in a Phase II Program to validate theroretical-analytical findings established under Phase I, and demonstrate a passive RF surveillance and targeting sensor for single-platform, real-time accurate measurements of range/location of OTH threat RF emitters. The techniques proposed herein have been determined in Phase I to enable the realization of single-platform passive RF ranging systems that satisfy essential physical constraints on sensor aperture dimensions and compatiblity with submarine and other Navy platforms. The proposed implementation is planned to allow experimentation analyses to demonstrate design and operational trade-offs, and the effects of such conditions as variable platform attitude, position and dynamics. Definitive sensor configurations, sensor processing schemes/techniques, computational algorithms and operating modalities will be tested and demonstrated, and design and implementation lattitudes will be established, complete with performance predictions for the development of operational prototypes for single-platform passive ranging systems designed for specific Navy surface and other platforms.

Keywords:
Emitter Location Multipath Separation Passive Radio Channel Analysis Inteference Rejection