Microcomputer-based signal processor for short range FM radar

This paper describes the design and testing of a microcomputer-based data acquistion and range display instrument for use with FM radar systems. The system was particularly designed to measure targets at close range (two meters or less). The instrument has been applied to the problem of measuring the bed level within a fluidized-bed combustion chamber. Results of our experiments indicate that for monitoring static targets, an average error of 2–4 percent can be expected. For the more demanding case of dynamic targets the accuracy is reduced slightly with errors on the order of 4 percent; at the same time, subjectivity is significantly increased.