结合视线方向运动补偿的滑动聚束SAR子孔径成像算法

滑动聚束合成孔径雷达(SAR)是一种新兴的成像模式,既可以提高方位向分辨率又能够扩展成像范围。其数据处理时需要考虑两个关键问题:一是系统脉冲重复频率(PRF)不足,方位向信号发生混叠;二是合成孔径长度的增加使运动误差的影响更为突出,运动补偿(MOCO)精度要求提高。基于子孔径技术,提出了一种改进的高分辨率成像算法。划分子孔径克服了PRF不足的问题;子孔径数据处理采用结合视线(LOS)方向运动补偿的Omega-K算法,实现更高精度的运动补偿,提高了聚焦质量。最终的方位向分辨率达到0.1 m,具有实际工程应用价值。点目标仿真和实测数据处理验证了算法的有效性。     

Clutter Performance of Coherent Pulse Trains for Targets with Range Acceleration

The clutter performance of coherent pulse trains is examined when the duration of the pulse train is increased to values for which range acceleration effects must be taken into account. The problem of target detection against a clutter background with differential Doppler is studied in terms of the range acceleration effects on the conventional Doppler response. Specifically considered are the consequences on the sidelobe level and width of the main Doppler lobe. The analysis shows that the sidelobe level remains essentially unchanged when the range acceleration mismatch becomes significant. However, the main Doppler response broadens in proportion to the magnitude of the acceleration mismatch. Thus, an increase of the signal duration for better Doppler resolution is useful only until acceleration effects spread the Doppler spectrum of the clutter and eliminate the differential Doppler between targets and clutter.     

Direct position determination using single moving rotating linear array: Noncoherent and coherent processing

To improve the resolution and accuracy of Direct Position Determination (DPD), this paper investigates the problem of positioning multiple emitters directly with a single moving Rotating Linear Array (RLA). Firstly, the geometry of the RLA is formulated and analysed. According to its geometry, the intercepted noncoherent signals in multiple interception intervals are modeled. Correspondingly, the MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) based noncoherent DPD approach is proposed. Secondly, the synchronous coherent pulse signals are individually considered and formulated. And the coherent DPD approach which aims for localizing this special type of signal is presented by stacking all array responses at different interception intervals. Besides, we also derive the constrained Cramér-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) expression for both noncoherent and coherent DPD with RLA under the constraint that the altitudes of the emitters are known. At last, computer simulations are included to examine the performance of the proposed approach. The results demonstrate that the localization accuracy and resolution of DPD with single moving linear array can be significantly improved by the array rotation. In addition, coherent DPD with RLA further improves the resolution and increases the maximum emitter number that can be localized compared with the noncoherent DPD with RLA.     

Staggered Costas Signals

A radar signal, based on coherent processing of a train of staggered Costas bursts, is suggested and investigated. The selection of sequences of each burst is based on a minimum number of collocation of their individual ambiguity function sidelobe peaks. The resulting ambiguity function combines qualities of both "thumbtack" and "bed of nails" signals. Comparison with linear-FM, V-FM, and complementary phase coded (CPC) signals is given, as well as comparison with hybrid signals consisting of both phase and frequency coding.     

Nonlinear apodization for sidelobe control in SAR imagery

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery often requires sidelobe control, or apodization, via weighting of the frequency domain aperture. This is of particular importance when imaging scenes containing objects such as ships or buildings having very large radar cross sections. Sidelobe improvement using spectral weighting is invariably at the expense of mainlobe resolution presented here is a class of nonlinear operators which significantly reduce sidelobe levels without degrading mainlobe resolution implementation is via sequential nonlinear operations applied to complex-valued (undetected) SAR imagery. SAR imaging is used to motivate the concepts developed in this work. However, these nonlinear apodization techniques have potentially broad and far-ranging applications in antenna design, sonar, digital filtering etc., i.e., whenever data can be represented as the Fourier transform of a finite-aperture signal     

Robust SVA method for every sampling rate condition

Linear apodization, or data weighting, is the traditional procedure to improve sidelobe levels in a finite sampled signal at the expense of resolution. New apodization methods, such as spatially variant apodization (SVA), apply nonlinear filtering to the signal in order to completely remove sidelobes without any loss of resolution. However, the results are strongly influenced by signal sampling rate. Some variations which improve results have been previously published, but sidelobe cancellation gets worse since sampling frequency is not settled at Nyquist (or a multiple). This paper presents a new and efficient technique based on SVA that drastically reduces sidelobe levels for every sampling rate condition. The algorithm is, essentially, a parameter optimization of a variant filter for each pixel of the image. A one-dimensional case and a two-dimensional generalization are presented, as well as some applications to target detection capability in a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system.     

Second time around radar return suppression using PRI modulation

A technique for suppressing second-time-around radar returns using pulse-repetition interval (PRI) modulation is presented and analyzed. It is shown that a staggered PRI radar system can offer considerable improvement over a nonstaggered radar system in rejecting second-time-around returns which cause false alarms. This improvement is a function of detector implementation (noncoherent integrator or binary integrator), the number of staggered PRIs, the quiescent false alarm number, the Swerling number of the false return, the transmitted signal power, the second-time-around noise power, and the quiescent noise power of the radar. Small changes in transmitted signal power can be traded off with the quiescent false alarm number to suppress the bogus return significantly. In addition, for a noncoherent integrator, all other parameters being equal, if the second-time-around return is a Swerling case II or IV target, then there is an optimum number of staggered PRIs that can be chosen to minimize the likelihood of its detection. It is also shown that the binary integrator significantly reduces the number of second-time-around return detections when compared with the noncoherent integrator. However, there is an accompanying loss of detection     

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。     

一种改进的雷达低空目标仰角估计算法

由于地(海)面反射的多径镜像信号的存在,使雷达低空目标的仰角估计成了难题。而三子孔径算法是针对该难题而提出的一种有效算法。此算法基于极大似然算法将等距线阵均分为三个子孔径,从而简化了估计函数,也使计算量大大减少。本文在三子孔径算法的基础上,利用目标信号与镜像信号在入射角度上的正弦约束条件,给出了一种改进算法。计算机仿真结果显示改进算法在性能上要优于三子孔径算法。     

Advances in non-linear apodization

Selected new methods and applications of non-linear apodization for irregularly-shaped and parse coherent apertures and arrays are presented. The benefits include unproved impulse response performance, i.e., reduced peak sidelobes and integrated sidelobe power, along with improved mainlobe resolution, compared to classic windowing techniques. Nonlinear apodization (NLA) techniques can also serve as powerful engines for effective superresolution and bandwidth extrapolation of coherent data for filling sparse apertures. The sparse aperture filling property of superresolution algorithms for radar data forms the basis for a new concept which is introduced here: synthetic multiple aperture radar technology (SMART). Increased swath and/or reduced antenna size are some of the benefits postulated for SMART applied to synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems. The benefits of these new methods and applications for nonlinear apodization are then demonstrated for two specific applications: 1) sidelobe control for Y-type synthetic aperture radiometers, such as the European Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) system (Kerr et al.) and JPL's proposed GeoSTAR (Lambrigsten) concept; and, 2) filling of sparse synthetic aperture radar data by exploiting the bandwidth extrapolation properties of nonlinear apodization based superresolution techniques. The methods that have been developed and demonstrated herein have potential application to a wide range of passive and active microwave remote sensing and radar systems.     

Clutter Suppression by Complex Weighting of Coherent Pulse Trains

Uniform coherent pulse trains offer a practical solution to the problem of designing a radar signal possessing both high range and range-rate resolution. The Doppler sensitivity provides some rejection of off-Doppler (clutter) returns in the matched filter receiver. This paper considers the use of a processor in which members of the received pulse train are selectively weighted in amplitude and phase to improve clutter suppression. The techniques described are particularly suitable for rejecting interference entering the processor through ambiguous responses (range sidelobes) of the signal. The complex weights which are derived are optimum in the sense that they produce the maximum clutter suppression for a given detection efficiency. In determining these weights, it is assumed that the distribution of clutter in range and range rate relative to targets of interest is known. Thus, clutter suppression is achieved by reducing the sidelobe levels in specified regions of the receiver response. These techniques are directly applicable to array antennas; the analogous antenna problem would be to reduce sidelobe levels in a particular sector while preserving gain. Complex weighting is most successful when the clutter is limited in both range and velocity.     

Algorithmic, architectural, and beam pattern issues of sidelobecancellation

Various important issues concerning the sidelobe cancellation (SLC) approach for suppressing sidelobe interference signals in radar are investigated. The concepts are presented in a tutorial manner and include: formulating the calculation of the complex weights for the auxiliary channels as an exact least-squares (LS) problem; computing the LS weights using orthogonal transformation for improved numerical accuracy; and mapping orthogonalization-based algorithms onto systolic arrays. The problem of excessive degrees of freedom (EDOF) associated with utilizing too many auxiliary elements when a relatively small number of jammers are present, is also considered. A divisionless orthogonalization-based algorithm is presented for the computation of the auxiliary weights. Many of these issues have previously been either implicitly stated or only individually addressed in various sources by a number of researchers. Besides showing simulation results and the divisionless procedure for obtaining the final auxiliary weights, a major consideration was to present all of the aforementioned concepts in a coherent and unified framework     

Calculating the performance of linear and square-law detectors

A method is presented for calculating the performance of linear and square-law detectors in detection schemes that employ noncoherent integration. The method consists of transforming the coherent characteristic function, which is usually easy to obtain to a noncoherent moment generating function describing the test statistic of a linear or square-law detector. The method provides a single mathematical framework for many signal models (both classical and new) and can be implemented using standard numerical routines. Although the method is not always optimum in terms of computing speed for specific classical models, its common approach for all signal models makes it very efficient in term of learning and implementation times. Classical results as well as results for an extended set of target models consisting of an arbitrary number of constant amplitude random phase returns are presented to demonstrate the technique. It is shown for the signal parameters considered that the performance difference between the linear and square-law detectors is relatively insignificant     

基于Keystone变换和MDCFT的高机动弱目标检测与参数估计

 常规雷达对隐身、超声速和高机动目标存在回波信噪比不足、距离徙动和多普勒谱扩展问题。将Keystone变换和修正离散Chirp-Fourier变换(MDCFT)相结合,提出了一种新的雷达信号处理算法。该算法通过Keystone变换补偿距离徙动问题,利用MDCFT对多普勒谱严重扩展的目标回波进行相参积累,提高目标检测性能的同时完成了对目标参数的估计,且该算法在方位向欠采样时仍可适用。最后对算法运算量及性能进行了分析,通过仿真验证了该算法的有效性。     

Noncoherent approach to through-the-wall radar localization

A noncoherent through-the-wall radar system approach, based on stepped-frequency signal synthesis and trilateration technique, is presented. This approach involves multiple independent monostatic radar units and as such, provides flexibility in positioning the units with various standoff distances and inter-element spacing. The performance of the proposed noncoherent localization system was demonstrated using simulated and real data. The results show that the radar is able to detect and locate multiple targets behind walls     

A multiobjective optimization approach to determine the parameters of stepped frequency pulse train

Frequency stepping techniques are commonly used in modern radar system to get high range resolution with the disadvantage that its autocorrelation function (ACF) yield undesirable “grating lobes”. Wider mainlobe deteriorates the range resolution capability of the waveform and higher peak sidelobe either hides the small targets or causes the false target detection. Several techniques have been used to choose the parameters of linear frequency modulated (LFM) pulse train to suppress the grating lobes without paying much attention to the mainlobe width and peak sidelobe level. In this paper a multiobjective optimization (Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II)) approach is proposed to optimize the parameters of the LFM pulse train to achieve reduced grating lobes, low peak sidelobe level and narrow mainlobe width. The optimization problem has been studied in two different ways: first one is associated with the reduction of grating lobes and the minimization of peak sidelobe level of the ACF with constraints and second one is related to the minimization of the peak sidelobe level and mainlobe width of the ACF with constraints. Simulation studies have been carried out to justify the potentiality of the proposed approach.     

Multiple-Tone Signals and Detection Probabillities

An analysis technique is presented for multiple-tone signals insystems employing noncoherent integration of a square-law detectoroutput. It is shown how the characteristic function for the teststatistic can be found from the easily determined "coherent"characteristic function defined in the two-dimensional signal space.This result is applied to two detection problems, the detection of multiple-tone signals in Gaussian noise and the detection of a Gaussian signal in multiple-tone plus Gaussian noise interference.The detection curves are compared to an approximation that is often used in practice to estimate performance. It is found that detection performance in the presence of multiple-tone interferences can be significantly different from that in the presence of Gaussian noise alone.     

Bandpass Signal Sampling and Coherent Detection

Coherent detectors in radar and communications receivers are generally implemented in the form of two parallel baseband channels which form in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) components of a received RF/IF signal. Phase errors of several degrees due to imperfect matching of these separate channels limit the performance achievable from signal processors such as moving target indicators (MTI), coherent integrators, Doppler filters, antenna array processors, and coherent sidelobe cancellers. Thus methods in which a single analog to digital (A/D) converter samples and digitizes the IF signal directly, eliminating the need for IF to baseband conversion, have been of recent interest and are the subject of this paper. To obtain accurate coherent detection from IF samples taken near the Nyquist rate requires interpolation based upon a number of stored samples. An algorithm derived from sampling theory is defined and used to demonstrate accurate reconstruction of the original IF signal from digitized samples. In-phase and quadrature components of the signal are shown to be available from processed samples with demonstrated phase errors less than 0.2°.     

SAR ATR performance using a conditionally Gaussian model

A family of conditionally Gaussian signal models for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery is presented, extending a related class of models developed for high resolution radar range profiles. This signal model is robust with respect to the variations of the complex-valued radar signals due to the coherent combination of returns from scatterers as those scatterers move through relative distances on the order of a wavelength of the transmitted signal (target speckle). The target type and the relative orientations of the sensor, target, and ground plane parameterize the conditionally Gaussian model. Based upon this model, algorithms to jointly estimate both the target type and pose are developed. Performance results for both target pose estimation and target recognition are presented for publicly released data from the MSTAR program