TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITY: Frequency Diversity Pulse Pair Algorithm for Mitigation of Radar Range-Doppler Ambiguity (GSC-TOPS-90)

NASA’s Technology Transfer Program solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses. THE TECHNOLOGY: Doppler radar is the go-to tool for moving target range and velocity detection but its limiting capabilities has caused some challenges onboard fast moving platforms. NASA Goddard has developed technology that mitigates some of these concerns in aggressive applications. This technology mitigates the Doppler ambiguity by creating an innovative frequency. This frequency diversity technique takes advantage of the recent development in digital waveform generation and digital receiver technologies by transmitting a pair of pulses (or more pulses) with slightly shifted center frequencies in each pulse repetition period. Radar return signals from these pulses can be separated by the digital filters implemented in the digital receiver. In Doppler radar operation, the maximum unambiguous range is determined by the radar transmission pulse repetition time. This unique frequency diversity technique is implemented by alternating the order of the pulse pair with center frequencies as f1, f2, and f2, f1, then integrate the phase estimates of f1/f2 pulse pair and f2/f1 pulse pair in equal numbers. This approach will cancel the phase shift as a function of range between the pulses to enable the retrieval of Doppler phase. Although this method is more advanced, it also has its inherent limits, such as increased phase error and increased complexity in radar hardware to transmit and receive dual polarized signals. Despite its faults, it is a step forward in the evolution of the Doppler radar and its growing applications. To express interest in this opportunity, please submit a license application through NASA’s Automated Technology Licensing Application System (ATLAS) by visiting https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/GSC-TOPS-90 If you have any questions, please contact NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Technology Transfer Office at [email protected] with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this FBO notice and your preferred contact information. For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at https://technology.nasa.gov/ These responses are provided to members of NASA’s Technology Transfer Program for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.