A real-time unfocused SAR processor based on a portable CUDA GPU

Abstract

UAV-based SAR systems require not only powerful, but also small and energy-efficient computing platforms. The implementation of a real-time unfocused SAR processor implemented on a portable GPU based computer is proposed in this paper. The algorithms and computation methods used are presented and a comparison an older processing system is shown. The developed unfocused SAR processor was thoroughly tested with real data acquired from an airborne FMCW radar and example SAR images are presented. The use of a more powerful portable GPU based computer is proposed, together with advanced aircraft movement compensation and focused SAR implementation.