Cambridge Pixel is a specialist provider of radar processing and display components for naval command and control and navigation systems.
Our products are widely used by many of the world’s navies and system integrators, including the Royal Navy, the US Navy and Korean Navy, for the display of radar information from a wide range of sensor types, including navigation and active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars.
Cambridge Pixel’s solutions start with radar interfacing, which can be implemented through a hardware interface card or network data stream (including ASTERIX CAT-240).
After acquiring the radar video, a flexible range of software modules from the SPx product family provide the developer with a full range of radar processing options, including network streaming, scan conversion, display compositing, target tracking, simulation and recording.
Radar displays for advanced capability processing
The SPx development software can be incorporated into a Windows or Linux client or server application to provide advanced capabilities for radar processing.
The software library comes with comprehensive documentation and examples based on ten years of practical experience.
A key feature of Cambridge Pixel’s portfolio is the provision of expertise and practical experience for product support. A high level of support is provided from the initial software design stage through to deployment and optimisation.
A typical project for Cambridge Pixel is the supply of radar processing and tracking modules to Lockheed Martin to upgrade the UK Royal Navy’s navigation radar displays. The project is using Kelvin Hughes’ SharpEye™ radar to supply enhanced detection capabilities to the fleet with Cambridge Pixel’s software providing the processing, display and tracking sub-systems.
Radar signals for automatic target tracking and identification
Cambridge Pixel’s SPx Server provides a multi-model, multi-hypothesis target tracking capability that processes radar signals to automatically identify and track targets.
Multiple hypotheses permit the tracker to consider different interpretations of the data to give a high degree of resilience to clutter. Additional models allow it to search for specific target profiles, such as small targets approaching the radar.
Radar simulation for moving target and terrain display
Cambridge Pixel’s SPx Radar Simulator offers a solution that is capable of simulating primary and secondary radar, along with related data such as National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) navigation and automatic identification system (AIS).
The simulator can be configured to generate representative radar video from one or more sensors, for example, located at different positions on the ship, and realistically display moving targets and terrain-based returns.
Complex scenarios of moving ownership and targets can be created, and radar data output created as network signals.
Radar data recorder for data capturing and storage
Cambridge Pixel’s Radar Data Recorder (RDR) is a multi-format, multi-channel data recorder that captures and stores a wide range of data types, including primary radar video, tracks, NMEA, AIS, camera video and computer screens.
The recorder provides a valuable tool during sea trials, when the raw input sensor data, ship dynamics, ground truth and AIS data can be captured and time-synchronised. On replay, data is available in the same format as the original source, allowing replay into display or processing equipment to re-run the trial.
The RDR unit can be configured for fully automatic, 24-7 recording, including the ability to capture and record computer screens, so operators can access the original sensor data and computer display.
Radar coverage tool for online mapping and terrain data sources
Understanding the coverage of radars at a given location is an important consideration when choosing a location for a static sensor or considering the radar’s visibility when at sea.
The radar coverage tool uses online mapping and terrain data sources to calculate a visibility map for different target altitudes.