Image formation by passive collection and processing of radio frequency signals illuminating and scattered by cultural features of terrestrial region

Abstract

An imaging system uses 'RF daylight' created by an RF illumination source, such as a television broadcast tower, to passively generate RF scattering coefficients for multiple points within a prescribed three-dimensional volume being illuminated by the RF transmitter. The scattering coefficients provide a complex interference pattern having amplitude and phase components that contain all information necessary to recreate a three-dimensional monochromatic image of the illuminated scene. Coherent complex correlation provides scene information content that is only a function of scene scattering and collector geometry. The scene information may be coupled to an image utility subsystem, such as a virtual reality simulator, for generation of a three-dimensional image of the illuminated scene.