An acceleration framework for synthetic aperture radar algorithms

Youngsoo Kim; Clay S. Gloster; Winser E. Alexander

doi:10.1117/12.2261397

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28 April 2017 An acceleration framework for synthetic aperture radar algorithms

Youngsoo Kim, Clay S. Gloster, Winser E. Alexander

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Proceedings Volume 10201, Algorithms for Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery XXIV; 102010F (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2261397
Event: SPIE Defense + Security, 2017, Anaheim, California, United States

Abstract

Algorithms for radar signal processing, such as Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) are computationally intensive and require considerable execution time on a general purpose processor. Reconfigurable logic can be used to oﬀ-load the primary computational kernel onto a custom computing machine in order to reduce execution time by an order of magnitude as compared to kernel execution on a general purpose processor. Specifically, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) can be used to accelerate these kernels using hardware-based custom logic implementations. In this paper, we demonstrate a framework for algorithm acceleration. We used SAR as a case study to illustrate the potential for algorithm acceleration oﬀered by FPGAs. Initially, we profiled the SAR algorithm and implemented a homomorphic filter using a hardware implementation of the natural logarithm. Experimental results show a linear speedup by adding reasonably small processing elements in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) as opposed to using a software implementation running on a typical general purpose processor.

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Youngsoo Kim, Clay S. Gloster, and Winser E. Alexander "An acceleration framework for synthetic aperture radar algorithms", Proc. SPIE 10201, Algorithms for Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery XXIV, 102010F (28 April 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2261397

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