IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,613,333
Granted Patent B2
US 12,613,333 · App. 18/133,777 · Granted Apr 28, 2026

Imaging systems and imaging methods

Inventors: David M. Sheen (Richland, WA); Richard Trevor Clark (West Richland, WA)
Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
G01S13/9056G01S13/887H01Q21/065
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,613,333
App. No.
18/133,777
Granted
Apr 28, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Imaging systems and associated methods are described. According to one aspect, an imaging system includes processing circuitry configured to: access radar data for a plurality of sampling points at a plurality of different locations of an imaging aperture, and wherein the radar data results from the transmission and reception of electromagnetic energy via an antenna array with respect to a target imaging volume; access a plurality of different weightings that correspond to different ones of the sampling points of the imaging aperture; focus the radar data of the sampling points to generate an image of the target imaging volume; and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to use the different weightings of the sampling points to focus the radar data of respective ones of the sampling points.

Claims (38)

1 . An imaging system comprising:

an antenna array comprising a plurality of antennas configured to transmit electromagnetic energy towards a target imaging volume and receive electromagnetic energy from the target imaging volume, and wherein the antennas provide a plurality of sampling points that are associated with a plurality of different areas of an imaging aperture, and wherein the areas of the imaging aperture have a plurality of different sizes;

a data acquisition system coupled with the antenna array and configured to output radar data for the sampling points, and wherein the radar data results from the transmission and reception of the electromagnetic energy with respect to the target imaging volume; and

processing circuitry coupled with the data acquisition system, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to focus the radar data to generate an image of the target imaging volume, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to weight the radar data of the sampling points differently during the focusing and corresponding to the different sizes of the areas associated with the sampling points.

2 . The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the area of the imaging aperture associated with a first of the sampling points is greater than the area of the imaging aperture associated with a second of the sampling points, and the processing circuitry is configured to weight the radar data of the first sampling point an increased amount compared with the weighting of the radar data of the second sampling point.

3 . The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the different weighting is proportional to the different sizes of the areas of the imaging aperture.

4 . The imaging system of claim 1 wherein some of the areas of the imaging aperture have at least substantially the same size, and the processing circuitry is configured to weight the radar data of some of the sampling points that are associated with the some areas using at least substantially the same weighting.

5 . The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the antennas include a plurality of transmit antennas configured to transmit the electromagnetic energy and a plurality of receive antennas configured to receive the electromagnetic energy, and a plurality of pairs of the transmit and receive antennas correspond to respective ones of the sampling points.

6 . The imaging system of claim 5 wherein the antenna array and the imaging aperture have a rectangular boundary and the transmit and receive antennas are located at different positions of a perimeter of the rectangular boundary.

7 . The imaging system of claim 6 wherein the transmit antennas are located at first opposite sides of the rectangular boundary and the receive antennas are located at second opposite sides of the rectangular boundary.

8 . The imaging system of claim 1 wherein some of the sampling points are within a first region of the imaging aperture and are at least substantially uniformly spaced from adjacent ones of the sampling points within the first region and others of the sampling points are within a second region of the imaging aperture and are not uniformly spaced from adjacent ones of the sampling points within the second region.

9 . The imaging system of claim 8 wherein the antennas are located at positions that are offset with respect to one another that cause the others of the sampling points to not be uniformly spaced.

10 . The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to use a plurality of locations of the sampling points to determine the areas that are associated with the sampling points.

11 . An imaging system comprising:

an antenna array comprising a plurality of antennas configured to transmit electromagnetic energy towards a target imaging volume and receive electromagnetic energy from the target imaging volume, and wherein the antennas are configured to provide an imaging aperture having a first region comprising a plurality of sampling points that are at least substantially uniformly spaced from adjacent ones of the sampling points within the first region and a second region comprising a plurality of sampling points that are not uniformly spaced from adjacent ones of the sampling points within the second region;

a data acquisition system coupled with the antenna array and configured to output radar data for the sampling points, and wherein the radar data results from the transmission and reception of the electromagnetic energy with respect to the target imaging volume; and

processing circuitry coupled with the data acquisition system, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to focus the radar data to generate an image of the target imaging volume, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to weight the radar data of the sampling points within the first region at least substantially the same during the focusing and to weight the radar data of the sampling points within the second region differently during the focusing.

12 . The imaging system of claim 11 wherein the sampling points are associated with a plurality of different areas of the imaging aperture, the areas of the imaging aperture associated with the sampling points within the first region are at least substantially the same size, and the areas of the imaging aperture associated with the sampling points within the second region are different sizes.

13 . The imaging system of claim 12 wherein the area of the imaging aperture associated with a first of the sampling points within the second region is greater than the area of the imaging aperture associated with a second of the sampling points within the first region, and the processing circuitry is configured to weight the radar data of the first sampling point an increased amount compared with the weighting of the radar data of the second sampling point.

14 . The imaging system of claim 11 wherein the antennas include a plurality of transmit antennas configured to transmit the electromagnetic energy and a plurality of receive antennas configured to receive the electromagnetic energy, and a plurality of pairs of the transmit and receive antennas correspond to respective ones of the sampling points.

15 . The imaging system of claim 14 wherein the antenna array and the imaging aperture have a rectangular boundary and the transmit and receive antennas are located at different positions of a perimeter of the rectangular boundary.

16 . The imaging system of claim 15 wherein the transmit antennas are located at first opposite sides of the rectangular boundary and the receive antennas are located at second opposite sides of the rectangular boundary.

17 . The imaging system of claim 11 wherein the antennas are located at positions that are offset with respect to one another that cause the others of the sampling points to not be uniformly spaced.

18 . An imaging system comprising:

processing circuitry configured to:

access radar data for a plurality of sampling points at a plurality of different locations of an imaging aperture, and wherein the radar data results from the transmission and reception of electromagnetic energy via an antenna array with respect to a target imaging volume;

access a plurality of different weightings that correspond to different ones of the sampling points of the imaging aperture;

focus the radar data of the sampling points to generate an image of the target imaging volume; and

wherein the processing circuitry is configured to use the different weightings of the sampling points to focus the radar data of respective ones of the sampling points.

19 . The imaging system of claim 18 wherein the sampling points are associated with a plurality of different areas of the imaging aperture and the areas of the imaging aperture have a plurality of different sizes.

20 . The imaging system of claim 19 wherein the area of the imaging aperture associated with a first of the sampling points is greater than the area of the imaging aperture associated with a second of the sampling points, and the processing circuitry is configured to use the different weightings to weight the radar data of the first sampling point an increased amount compared with the weighting of the radar data of the second sampling point.

21 . The imaging system of claim 19 wherein the different weightings are proportional to the different sizes of the areas of the imaging aperture.

22 . The imaging system of claim 19 wherein some of the sampling points are associated with some of the areas of the imaging aperture having at least substantially the same size, and the processing circuitry is configured to focus the radar data of the some sampling points using at least substantially the same weighting.

23 . The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the antenna array and the antennas are stationary during the transmission and reception of the electromagnetic energy.

24 . The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to weight the radar data of a given one of the sampling points the same during the focusing of different radar data to generate different images of the target imaging volume at different moments in time.

25 . The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the locations of the antennas within the antenna array provide the sampling points associated with the different areas of the imaging aperture having the different sizes.

26 . The imaging system of claim 11 wherein the antenna array and the antennas are stationary during the transmission and reception of the electromagnetic energy.

27 . The imaging system of claim 18 further comprising the antenna array, and wherein the antenna array is stationary during the transmission and reception of the electromagnetic energy via the antenna array.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 12, 2023
From: SHEEN, DAVID M.; CLARK, RICHARD TREVOR
To: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE
Reel/Frame 063303/0007 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240345244A1 · Oct 17, 2024
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