Mutual coupling and platform effects in the synthesis of Passive Coherent Location radar array

An increasing interest in passive surveillance systems can be observed in last period. The key idea, which is also common to other non-radar applications, is to conveniently exploit opportunity signals, as analogue FM transmitters or Digital Video Broadcasters to detect and/or tracking targets. Attractive features of a passive radar system are the very reduced costs with respect to active radar and the minimum environmental impact. In such systems, one of the problem is to reduce the opportunity signal intensity coming from the transmitter, which, obviously, is more intense than the one coming from the targets (which of course is a reflected signal). This kind of problem can be solved by exploiting different polarizations conditions between transmitter and receiver or, for example, by properly deleting the reference signal via appropriate signal processing procedures. An interesting solution is to exploit ad hoc designed power pattern synthesis procedures able to reduce as much as possible the power received from the transmitter direction. In particular, starting from, an interesting power pattern synthesis method can be introduced and applied in many cases of practical interest.