In this chapter, we present the concept of the multistatic ambiguity function and how it can be used to develop sensor placement strategies in multistatic radar systems. The multistatic ambiguity function provides a complete description of a given multistatic system and serves as a perfect link between the system parameters and performance measures. It has been successfully used in the literature to assess and design receiver weighting and waveform selection rules. We put emphasis on adequate sensor placement as a way of improving multistatic radar system performances. We present several simulation results that illustrate the significance of proper sensor placement in system configurations with a single transmitter and multiple receivers. We analyse both the case when it is possible to reposition the transmitter (for fixed receivers) and the case when it is possible to move some receivers (for a fixed transmitter) in order to achieve the best system resolution. We also provide several examples that demonstrate potential benefits of combining waveform selection, receiver weighting and sensor placement strategies in multistatic radar systems.

Inspec keywords: radar receivers; sensor fusion; radar transmitters

Other keywords: multiple receivers; transmitter; multistatic radar system performances; receiver weighting assessment; receiver weighting; sensor placement strategies; waveform selection; receiver weighting design; multistatic ambiguity function; system parameters

Subjects: Radar equipment, systems and applications