Application of a short-pulse ultra-wideband probing signal for estimating reflective characteristics

The paper presents a method developed for processing coherent short-pulse ultra-wideband signals reflected from a certain control zone, which makes it possible to evaluate the distribution of reflective characteristics over this zone. To implement the method, we used a plurality of integral type receiving sensors and one source of probing coherent short-pulse ultra-wideband signals that irradiates the area of responsibility. The solution to estimating the distribution of reflective characteristics over the control zone is based on the principles of multichannel tomography. This approach implies formulating the mapping equation and its further solution. An essential factor influencing the solution to this problem is the nonstationarity of the probing signal. Taking this factor into account, we developed a method derive an extended mapping equation, which allows one to estimate the distribution of reflection characteristics when using nonstationary probing signals. The work investigated three methods for estimating the distribution of reflective characteristics by the extended mapping equation, namely: Wiener estimation, pseudo-inversion method, and matrix-iterative method. The dependences of estimation errors on measurement errors were obtained in computer experiments for various degrees of filling the control zone with reflective elements. The Wiener estimation and the matrix-iterative method yielded the best results. The developed mathematical model of the propagation of the probing signal shows the effect of changing the shape of the probing pulses when they are reflected from the control zone. The obtained results make it possible to study the distribution of reflective characteristics in space using non-stationary ultra-wideband probing signals.