Miniature K-Band Radar for Agricultural Remote Sensing

Abstract

Remote sensing for agricultural applications employs multi-spectral data collection. While optical-wavelength normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is the most common, smart agriculture can benefit from the addition of longer wavelengths to the sensing techniques. A radar operating in the 12.5 cm band (23 to 25 GHz spectrum) is described. The design leverages low-cost commercial ICs and coherent calibration cancellation techniques to sense at standoff distances as short as 10 cm, while providing a small size, weight, and power (SWaP) solution suitable for a variety of platforms. Field trials are overviewed on crops ranging from soybean to grain sorghum validating the ability to measure crop height and structure with high spatial resolution.