MODELS FOR SIMULATING RADAR ECHO SIGNALS IN A VIRTUAL TRAINING SYSTEM
https://doi.org/10.33815/2313-4763.2025.1.30.092-101
Abstract
In the current context of educational process transformation, ensuring the effective acquisition of practical skills by cadets in maritime academies has become increasingly important. Restrictions related to physical attendance in classrooms, along with the high cost of commercial cloud-based simulators, significantly limit the possibilities for interactive training of navigators. Simulator systems based on hardware-software integration are often difficult to scale in line with modern educational demands. Against this background, the development of mathematical models enabling real-time radar echo simulation without dependence on physical hardware is a promising direction of research. This article presents mathematical models designed to graphically simulate radar echo reflections from moving and stationary surface objects. A method of dynamic angular shadow intervals is proposed. The construction of sinusoidal radar echoes along “visible” segments (2D facets) of a polyline (Land Danger contour) enables realistic visualization of radar signals while considering the geometry of surface targets. These sinusoidal profiles are then combined into a unified radar response within the polar radius. The article introduces a model of a unique visibility metric for 2D facets in a polar sector, calculated analytically rather than constructed via bit masking. The logic of dynamic “shadow accumulation”—expanding angular shadow intervals over time—represents a novel implementation of the “dynamic occlusion” concept in a polar observation space relative to a moving vessel. The provided echo signal simulation model corresponds to the real one without taking into account the physical shadow zones of the ship's radar, which are formed due to the arrangement of high deck structures on the vessel that obstruct the circular propagation of the radar signal.
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