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Prototype Sensors

The Airborne C-Band Wind Scatterometer

The airborne C-Band Scatterometer (CSCAT) developed by ProSensing is used to measure ocean surface wind vector from hurricane reconnaissance aircraft. In rainfall, the system also incorporates a Doppler radar mode, providing profiles of the horizontal wind field at multiple altitude bins. CSCAT has been successfully deployed for several missions aboard NOAA AOC's hurricane hunter P-3 aircraft. CSCAT was developed for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under a Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract.

CSCAT features:

  • Large number of independent samples provided with mechanically and electronically steered antenna.
  • Real-time wind vector estimates in rain.
  • Calibrated measurement of radar cross section used to derive ocean surface wind vector.

 

 

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Coastal Delta K System

The Coastal Delta K System (CDKS) developed by ProSensing provides high resolution current mapping from a remote location. This compact instrument can be mounted on a tower, bridge or building overlooking a harbor or estuary and reports surface currents via wired or wireless Ethernet. Interleaved transmission of 16 frequency pairs allows CDKS to adapt to changing temporal wave spectra for increased accuracy in detecting ocean currents.

A single CDKS provides current measurements along the radar's line of sight; two CDKSs - mounted at separate locations and viewing the same location - provide a complete current vector measurement. CDKS was developed for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under a Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract.

Delta K System features:

  • Frequency Band (8.85 - 9.0 GHz) allocated for scientific instruments.
  • 90 degree sector coverage with a 5 km maximum range.
  • Operation from a remote location (via Ethernet) controlled by a laptop computer. 75 m by 75 m resolution.
  • Current resolution can be set to 5 cm/s with data updates every 15 minutes or 1 cm/s with hourly updates.
  • Frequency agile synthesizer allows simultaneous interaction with ocean waves between 1 m and 200 m wavelength.

Marine Boundary Layer Radar Wind Profiler

The Marine Boundary Layer Profiler (MBL-Profiler) developed by ProSensing is a wind sensing radar intended for operation from a small boat or buoy. If used intermittently - 30 minute consensus wind estimate every 2 hours - the system draws less than 20 W average power, making it suitable for solar-powered operation. The MBL profiler was developed with SBIR funding from the National Science Foundation.

MBL-Profiler features:

  • Software motion compensation.
  • Four beam (1.6 m x 1.6 m) microstrip antenna, using traveling wave design, eliminates phasing network.
  • Effective operation at sea without clutter fence.
  • Very low power consumption (75 W total power consumption while transmitting).
  • Suitable for battery or solar-powered operation.

ESTAR37 Airborne Imaging Radiometer System

The ESTAR37 Airborne Imaging Radiometer System developed by ProSensing fine resolution images of the earth's surface day or night and through light fog or smoke. A receive-only instrument, the ESTAR37 is ideal for use on aircraft that must operate in a quiet mode. Its unique antenna design has only 20% of the elements found in a conventional phased array of the same aperture size with the same imaging resolution and scanning capabilities.

Applications for ESTAR37 include general aerial surveillance and mapping of land areas, coastal regions, oil spills, and ice extent in rivers, lakes, and oceans. The 37 GHz Airborne Imaging Radiometer was designed and built for the Air Force and Navy under an Air Force SBIR contract

ESTAR37 features:

  • Natural microwave emission measured via 50 high-resolution (1.2 degree beamwidth) antenna beams.
  • Constant temperature enclosure for receiver and antenna.
  • Sixteen 37 GHz low noise receivers, 90 correlators.
  • System control and data acquisition via an IBM-compatible computer.

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Dual-Polarized X-band Antenna Array

ProSensing recently developed a 6.7 m long dual polarized X-band antenna array for high resolution ocean surface imaging applications. The antenna incorporates 256 Linear Tapered Slot Antenna (LTSA) elements that are sequentially sampled on a pulse-to-pulse basis. Consisting of 16 modules of 16 elements each, the full array has an azimuthal resolution of 0.25 degrees when operated between 9 and 10 GHz.

The dual polarized X-band antenna is an upgraded antenna for the Focused Phased Array Radar (FOPAIR) system originally developed by ProSensing, and later by researchers at the University of Massachusetts.

FOPAIR System Generated High Resolution Ocean Surface Reflectivity and Velocity
Click here to view an mpeg movie of the FOPAIR system in use (3.3 MB)

Figure credit: Microwave Remote Sensing Labratory @ University of Massachusetts

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