Position-adaptive UAV radar for urban environments

A bistatic radar concept is presented where a low-altitude UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) "position-adaptively" converges to line-of-sight (LOS) locations for objects that are embedded between buildings. The concept is developed by deriving approximate electromagnetic signal models based on the uniform theory of diffraction (UTD). In addition, a new signature exploitation technique is formulated that allows for the estimation of target parameters in cases when neither the transmitting nor the receiving platform is in LOS with an embedded target or object. This technique is denoted as "exploitation of leakage signals via path trajectory diversity" (E-LS-PTD). Additional areas for further research are cited.