A Singapore engineer has developed a chip that allows radar cameras used in space and aeronautical application to be made 100 times smaller than is currently possible.
Current radar camera systems are usually between half and two metres in length, weighing between 50 kg and 200 kg, cost more than US$1 million on the market and can consume over 1000 W per hour.
They are carried by large satellites and aircrafts to produce detailed images of the Earth’s surface. Objects longer than a metre, such as cars and boats, can be easily seen by the radar camera mounted on an aircraft flying at a height of 11 km. However, unlike optical cameras which cannot work well at night or in cloudy conditions, a radar camera uses microwaves for its imaging, so it can operate well in all weather conditions and can even penetrate through foliage. Its images can be used for environmental monitoring of disasters like forest fires, volcano eruptions and earthquakes as well as to monitor cities for traffic congestions and urban density.
Assistant Professor Zheng Yuanjin from the Nanyang Technological University School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in Singapore and his team have come up with a chip measuring 2mm x 3mm, which can be packaged into a module measuring only 3cm x 4cm x 5cm, and less than 100 g.
“We have significantly shrunk the conventional radar camera into a system that is extremely compact and affordable, yet provides better accuracy. This will enable high resolution imaging radar technology to be used in objects and applications never before possible, like small drones, driverless cars and small satellite systems,” said Asst Prof Zheng.
“Driverless cars will also be able to better scan the environment around them to avoid collisions and navigate more accurately in all weather conditions compared to current laser and optical technologies. With the space industry moving towards small satellite systems, smaller satellites can now also have the same advanced imaging capabilities previously seen only in the large satellites."
The technology has attracted the attention of multinational corporations, such as US aerospace company Space X; Netherlands semiconductor company NXP; Japanese electronics giant Panasonic, and French satellite maker Thales.
NTU's Assistant Professor Zheng Yuanjin with the new chip. Photo: NTU