Two dimensional array imaging with beam steered data

This paper discusses different approaches used for millimeter wave imaging of 2D objects. Imaging of a 2D object requires reflected wave data to be collected across two distinct dimensions. In this paper, we propose a reconstruction method that uses narrowband waveforms along with 2D beam steering. The beam is steered in azimuthal and elevation direction, which forms the two distinct dimensions required for the reconstruction. The reconstruction technique uses inverse Fourier transform along with amplitude and phase correction factors. In addition, this reconstruction technique does not require interpolation of the data in either wavenumber or spatial domain. Use of the 2D beam steering offers better performance in the presence of noise compared with the existing methods, such as switched array imaging system. Effects of radio-frequency impairments such as quantization of the phase of beam steering weights and timing jitter, which add to phase noise, are analyzed.