Modeling and a Correlation Algorithm for Spaceborne SAR Signals

A mathematical model of a spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) response is presented. The associated SAR system performance, in terms of the resolution capability, is also discussed. The analysis of spaceborne SAR target response indicates that the SAR correlation problem is a two-dimensional one with a linear shift-variant response function. A new digital processing algorithm is proposed here in order to realize an economical digital SAR correlation system. The proposed algorithm treats the two-dimensional correlation by a combination of frequency domain fast correlation in the azimuth dimension and a time-domain convolver type of operation in the range dimension. Finally, digitally correlated SEASAT satellite SAR imagery is used in an exemplary sense to validate the SAR response model and the new digital processing technique developed.     

星载SAR成象数字信号处理

 星载合成孔径雷达(SAR)飞行高度高,速度快、探测距离远、测绘带宽,运行轨道偏离理想圆形,因此获取SAR图象的数字信号处理技术十分复杂。本文从上述特点出发,讨论了星载SAR的目标回波信号数学模型,成象过程中方位处理的机理和方法,以及多视处理。     

一种孔径和频率二维稀疏的步进频SAR成像方法

 步进频率信号(SFWs)在不增加雷达系统瞬时带宽的情况下能够获得高的距离向分辨率的同时,也存在着抗干扰能力较差及其等效重复频率较低的问题,并且在方位向积累时间内由于雷达载机工作状态的变化,会导致方位向的数据录取不完整。针对上述问题,提出一种孔径和频率二维稀疏的步进频合成孔径雷达(SAR)成像方法。首先,分析了稀疏步进频率信号(SSFWs)的SAR成像模型,然后基于压缩感知理论完成距离向成像处理。其次,针对稀疏孔径的回波数据,通过构造成像算子和压缩感知重建模型的方法实现其距离徙动校正和方位压缩处理,进而获得二维成像结果。相比于传统的步进频率信号SAR成像,利用所提方法能够在少量的频率资源和雷达回波数据情况下实现准确的SAR成像。最后,通过对仿真和实测的步进频率雷达数据进行成像处理,验证了所提方法的有效性和可行性。     

A Discussion of Digital Processing in Synthetic Aperture Radar

This is a summary paper describing the processing of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data using digital correlation algorithms. Fundamental SAR theory as it applies to the various SAR modes, namely, strip mapping, spotlight mapping, and Doppler beam sharpened mapping, is described and a baseline design applicable to all SAR modes is presented. Digital processor design is developed, starting with a simple single filter mechanization and proceeding through more complex processing algorithms. Prefilter design is discussed, as is the more advanced processing algorithms, namely, multiple parallel prefilters, two-stage correlation, and FFT processing. The primary processor tradeoff is increased functional complexity versus reduced arithmetic and memory requirements. For high-resolution applications, the arithmetic requirements can be reduced by an order of magnitude or more by implementing the more advanced processing algorithms.     

Phase quantized SAR signal processing: theory and experiments

A complete theory of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processing from phase-only data is presented, for both analogue and coded raw signals and reference functions. Appropriate processing architectures are presented as well as quality indexes to judge performance of the selected coding. The analysis encompasses both images and interferometric fringes for interferometry SAR (IFSAR) application. Theoretical results are validated by a large number of experiments, comparing the performance of the suggested coding levels, and their combinations between raw and reference functions. Experiments are extended until the comparison of final digital elevation models     

基于Gibbs-Markov随机场与连通聚类的SAR图像恢复

在传统的马尔可夫随机场(MRF)的图像建模方法基础上利用合成孔径雷达(SAR)图像的固有特性对Gibbs-MRF模型进行改进复原SAR图像,并进一步提出用数字形态学中连通性理论进行图像分割。在SAR图像像素空间的邻域内,估计最大后验概率(MAP)时引用Gamma分布代替传统的瑞利分布恢复数据,同时利用像素强度值相关性的连通模型将目标较好地提取出来。充分利用了SAR图像的数字形态信息和像素强度之间的相关性,得到了更好的分割效果。仿真实验说明本文方法是有效的。     

聚束SAR扩展Chirp Scaling成像算法.

在合成孔径雷达（SAR Synthetic Aperture Radar)的成像算法中，Chrip Scaling成像算法具有计算效率高的优点，因此得到了较为广泛的应用。详细研究了子孔径扩展Chirp Scaling算法在高分辩率聚束模式SAR中的应用，包括子孔径划分和方位向处理问题，针对A.Moreira等1996年所提算法在处理聚束SAR数据时所产生的问题，给出了经过改进的适合于大斜视角处理的整个计算过程的完整表达式。在给出点目标仿真的同时，利用E-SAR实际数据对述方法进行了验证，结果对具体的兼容条带和聚束两种工作模式的SAR处理机设计具有一定的参考价值。     

OGSRN: Optical-guided super-resolution network for SAR image

Although Convolutional Neural Networks(CNNs) have significantly improved the development of image Super-Resolution(SR) technology in recent years, the existing SR methods for SAR image with large scale factors have rarely been studied due to technical difficulty. A more efficient method is to obtain comprehensive information to guide the SAR image reconstruction.Indeed, the co-registered High-Resolution(HR) optical image has been successfully applied to enhance the quality of SAR image due to it...     

Synthetic aperture radar image formation from compressed data usinga new computation technique

A convolution technique is proposed that allows direct reconstruction of the processed synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) image from the digitally-sampled, block-encoded raw data. This computational compression technique reduces the number of arithmetic operations from that required by fast Fourier transform (FFT) convolution for SAR processing. SAR phase histories are block encoded and directly processed into an image where only arithmetic additions are required for the processing. For SAR data previously block encoded, the processing time is reduced by a factor of 100 or more. A speed-up of three times over SAR processing by FET convolution has been demonstrated when both computation of the block encoding and subsequent direct processing are included in the time. SAR image quality measurements for a method of block encoding called vector quantization at compression ration ranging from 5:1 to 50:1 show image degradation proportional to the compression ratio. For a 5:1 compression radio, image quality measurements show minimal degradation     

Motion compensation errors: effects on the accuracy of airborne SAR images

This work addresses the study of the effect of residual uncompensated motion errors due to positioning measurement instrument and digital elevation model inaccuracies on the accuracy of airborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. It is shown that these not only introduce phase errors following pure geometric considerations, but they also cause additional aberrations related to their interaction with the SAR processing procedure. Extension to the repeat pass airborne interferometry is also included to show their impact on the resulting interferograms.     

Detection of moving targets in wideband SAR

A likelihood ratio is proposed for moving target detection in a wideband (WB) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system. WB is defined here as any systems having a large fractional bandwidth, i.e., an ultra wide frequency band combined with a wide antenna beam. The developed method combines time-domain fast backprojection SAR processing methods with moving target detection using space-time processing. The proposed method reduces computational load when sets of relative speeds can be tested using the same clutter-suppressed subaperture beams. The proposed method is tested on narrowband radar data.     

Digital Beamforming on Receive: Techniques and Optimization Strategies for High-Resolution Wide-Swath SAR Imaging

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is a well-proven imaging technique for remote sensing of the Earth. However, conventional SAR systems are not capable of fulfilling the increasing demands for improved spatial resolution and wider swath coverage. To overcome these inherent limitations, several innovative techniques have been suggested which employ multiple receive-apertures to gather additional information along the synthetic aperture. These digital beamforming (DBF) on receive techniques are reviewed with particular emphasis on the multi-aperture signal processing in azimuth and a multi-aperture reconstruction algorithm is presented that allows for the unambiguous recovery of the Doppler spectrum. The impact of Doppler aliasing is investigated and an analytic expression for the residual azimuth ambiguities is derived. Further, the influence of the processing on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is analyzed, resulting in a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) dependent factor describing the SNR scaling of the multi-aperture beamforming network. The focus is then turned to a complete high-resolution wide-swath SAR system design example which demonstrates the intricate connection between multi-aperture azimuth processing and the system architecture. In this regard, alternative processing approaches are compared with the multi-aperture reconstruction algorithm. In a next step, optimization strategies are discussed as pattern tapering, prebeamshaping-on-receive, and modified processing algorithms. In this context, the analytic expressions for both the residual ambiguities and the SNR scaling factor are generalized to cascaded beamforming networks. The suggested techniques can moreover be extended in many ways. Examples discussed are a combination with ScanSAR burst mode operation and the transfer to multistatic sparse array configurations.     

Moving target imaging algorithm for SAR data

A digital processing algorithm for fine-resolution imaging of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) moving targets is described. The targets may have any translational and rotational motion components relative to the data collection platform. The algorithm requires the presence of up to three prominent points in the image of the target; the signals from these points provide estimates of the unknown target motion parameters. Phase compensation and data formatting based on these estimates eliminate motion-induced phase errors. This algorithm has been implemented on a VAX computer and used to process both simulated and real SAR data of moving targets. Results obtained using the simulated data are presented     

Signal processing of wide bandwidth and wide beamwidth P-3 SAR data

This research is concerned with multidimensional signal processing and image formation with FOliage PENetrating (FOPEN) airborne radar data which were collected by a Navy P-3 ultra wideband (UWB) radar in 1995. The digital signal processors that were developed for the P-3 data commonly used a radar beamwidth angle that was limited to 35 deg. Provided that the P-3 radar beamwidth angle (after slow-time FIR filtering and 6:1 decimation) was 35 deg, the P-3 signal aperture radar (SAR) system would approximately yield alias-free data in the slow-time Doppler domain. We provide an analysis here of the slow-time Doppler properties of the P-3 SAR system. This study indicates that the P-3 database possesses a 50 deg beamwidth angle within the entire [215, 730] MHz band of the P-3 radar. We show that the 50-degree beamwidth limit is imposed by the radar (radial) range swath gate; a larger beamwidth measurements would be possible with a larger range swath gate. The 50-degree beamwidth of the P-3 system results in slow-time Doppler aliasing within the frequency band of [444, 730] MHz. We outline a slow-time processing of the P-3 data to minimize the Doppler aliasing. The images which are formed via this method are shown to be superior in quality to the images which are formed via the conventional P-3 processor. In the presentation, we also introduce a method for converting the P-3 deramped (range-compressed) data into its alias-free baseband echoed data; the utility of this conversion for suppressing radio frequency interference signals is shown     

DSP便携式陀螺仪智能寻北系统

介绍了基于CCD图像传感器与DSP技术的陀螺仪智能寻北系统的结构与工作原理,重点介绍了与DSP有关的电子硬件和软件部分,寻北方法在DSP特定环境下的应用,给出了系统的硬件原理图和软件流程图,最后总结了这套系统在陀螺仪寻北中的优点。     

Performance improvement for constellation SAR using signal processing techniques

A new concept of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) implementation has recently been proposed - the constellation of small spaceborne SAR systems. In this implementation, several formation-flying small satellites cooperate to perform multiple space missions. We investigate the possibility to produce high-resolution wide-area SAR images and fine ground moving-target indicator (GMTI) performance with constellation of small spaceborne SAR systems. In particular, we focus on the problems introduced by this particular SAR system, such as Doppler ambiguities, high sparseness of the satellite array, and array element errors. A space-time adaptive processing (STAP) approach combined with conventional SAR imaging algorithms is proposed which can solve these problems to some extent. The main idea of the approach is to use a STAP-based method to properly overcome the aliasing effect caused by the lower pulse-repetition frequency (PRF) and thereby retrieve the unambiguous azimuth wide (full) spectrum signals from the received echoes. Following this operation, conventional SAR data processing tools can be applied to focus the SAR images fully. The proposed approach can simultaneously achieve both high-resolution SAR mapping of wide ground scenes and GMTI with high efficiency. To obtain array element errors, an array auto-calibration technique is proposed to estimate them based on the angular and Doppler ambiguity analysis of the clutter echo. The optimizing of satellite formations is also analyzed, and a platform velocity/PRF criterion for array configurations is presented. An approach is given to make it possible that almost any given sparse array configuration can satisfy the criterion by slightly adjusting the PRF. Simulated results are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.     

基于时间反转和降阶Keystone的SAR-GMTI快速聚焦方法

对合成孔径雷达（SAR）地面运动目标聚焦技术进行了研究。针对现有运动目标聚焦方法存在的问题,提出了一种基于时间反转和降阶Keystone的SAR地面运动目标检测（SAR-GMTI）快速聚焦方法。首先,根据目标的机动特性建立了3阶距离模型;其次,针对目标多普勒中心模糊引起的多普勒谱分裂现象,结合所提时间反转处理（TRP）和降阶Keystone变换处理估计出运动目标2阶参数。此后,构造2阶相位补偿函数补偿运动目标的2阶距离徙动和多普勒徙动,从而完成运动目标的聚焦。同时,所提方法没有任何参数搜索过程,降低了计算复杂度。最后,仿真实验验证了所提算法的正确性和有效性。     

Depth of Field for SAR with Aircraft Acceleration

Processing synthetic array radar (SAR) data is difficult if the depth of field is small. Aircraft acceleration can severely reduce the depth of field and thereby increase the processing. The effects of aircraft acceleration on the depth of field for three types of SAR processing are analyzed: (1) conventional processing (range-Dopper processing), (2) variable pulse-repetition frequency (PRF) (PRF changes to compensate for aircraft acceleration), and (3) polar format. Polar format is a technique for processing high resolution SAR which has a much larger depth of field in the ground plane than conventional processing. On the other hand, aircraft acceleration will limit the vertical depth of field for polar format to about the same value as for conventional processing. In addition, for polar format, the only component of aircraft acceleration that limits the vertical depth of field is the component normal to the slant plane containing the velocity and range vectors. Vector notation is used to graphically show the effects of aircraft acceleration. In addition to better insight, the vector notation gives equations for SAR compensation that do not depend on a specific coordinate system.     

A Generalized Approach to Multiresolution Complex SAR Signal Processing

Multiresolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image formation has been proven to be beneficial in a variety of applications such as improved imaging and target detection as well as speckle reduction. SAR signal processing traditionally carried out in the Fourier domain has inherent limitations in the context of image formation at hierarchical scales. We present a generalized approach to the formation of multiresolution SAR images using biorthogonal shift-invariant discrete wavelet transform (SIDWT) in both range and azimuth directions. Particularly in azimuth, the inherent subband decomposition property of wavelet packet transform is introduced to produce multiscale complex matched filtering without involving any approximations. This generalized approach also includes the formulation of multilook processing within the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) paradigm. The efficiency of the algorithm in parallel form of execution to generate hierarchical scale SAR images is shown. Analytical results and sample imagery of diffuse backscatter are presented to validate the method.     

RFI suppression for ultra wideband radar

An estimate-and-subtract algorithm is presented for the real-time digital suppression of radio frequency interference (RFI) in ultrawideband (UWB) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems used for foliage- and ground-penetrating imaging. The algorithm separately processes fixed- and variable-frequency interferers. Excision of estimated targets greatly reduces bias in RFI estimates, thereby reducing target energy loss and sidelobe levels in SAR imagery. Performance is demonstrated on data collected with the Army Research Laboratory's UWB rail SAR.