Patent ID: 7280068

Claim:
An illumination system within a microwave imaging system for illuminating an antenna array including antenna elements for directing microwave illumination to and from a target to capture a microwave image of said target, said antenna array including subarrays of said antenna elements arranged in a sparse geometry to form complementary subarray patterns of said antenna array, said illumination system comprising: a transmitter operable to transmit microwave illumination towards said antenna array; a receiver operable to receive from said antenna array reflected microwave illumination reflected from said target; and an illumination network operable in a first mode to transmit said microwave illumination from said transmitter to both of said complementary patterns of said antenna array and provide said reflected microwave illumination from both of said complementary subarray patterns of said antenna array to said receiver, wherein said illumination network is further operable in a second mode to transmit said microwave illumination from said transmitter to a first one of said complementary subarray patterns of said antenna array and provide said reflected microwave illumination from a second one of said complementary subarray patterns of said antenna array to said receiver.