Accurate Phase Calibration of Multistatic Imaging System for Medical and Industrial Applications

Multistatic imaging systems are commonly used in radar systems and microwave imaging. In these systems, many antennas are arranged three-dimensionally and connected to RF switches. The length of each transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) channel differs slightly, causing artifacts in high-resolution image reconstruction. This study presents a novel method for the phase calibration of multistatic systems. This method does not require system reconstruction and can automatically perform phase calibration in a short time. This method is expected to facilitate an accurate phase measurement in multistatic systems. The approach involves phase calibration by analyzing the reflection coefficients of antenna elements in the time domain. Imaging experiments were performed on a multistatic imaging system using this calibration method, and the position and shape of a metal rod with a diameter one-fourth of a wavelength were reconstructed by simple back-projection with an accuracy beyond the diffraction limit.