Imaging of point scatterers from step-frequency ISAR data

A high-resolution method for imaging of point scatterers from step-frequency inverse synthetic-aperture radar (ISAR) data is presented. An analysis of the noise sensitivity of the method is provided to show the high performance of the method. Simulation results are given to show the robustness of the method against model errors     

Emulating Dynamic Target in Compact Radar Ranges. Part I: Theory

Analytical expressions are developed that describe the artifacts encountered when translating, rotating, and vibrating point sources are imaged by compact radar ranges (CRRs) emulating airborne synthetic-aperture radar (SAR). The approach starts with coherent-aperture imaging basics and develops a general solution for imaging using the Born approximation. We show that moving-target artifacts on CRRs are similar to the artifacts encountered with SAR moving targets, suggesting that CRRs may be suitable for such emulations.     

Calibration of complex polarimetric SAR imagery using backscattercorrelations

A technique for calibration of multipolarization synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) imagery is described. If scatterer reciprocity and lack of correlation between co- and cross-polarized radar echoes (for azimuthally symmetric distributed targets) are assumed, the effects of signal leakage between the radar data channels can be removed without the use of known ground targets. If known targets are available, all data channels can be calibrated relative to one another and radiometrically as well. The method is verified with simulation and application to airborne SAR data     

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     

Dynamic Targets in CRRs Part II: Experiments and SAR Correspondence

Expressions describing the correspondence between moving-target artifacts for synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) and compact radar range (CRR) emulations are developed. Experimental results are then presented to verify the accuracy of these equations and to characterize the capacity of CRRs to emulate translating, vibrating, and rotating targets. We show that phase-compensation techniques can be applied to CRR data, providing a suitable test bed for SAR phase-compensation techniques.     

Sum-difference Reduced-dimensional Processing in SAR Image Domain and Statistical Analysis for Ground Moving Target Indication

In this article, a new reduced-dimensional adaptive processing algorithm based on joint pixels sum-difference data for clutter rejection is proposed. The sum-difference data are obtained by orthogonal projection of the joint pixels data of different synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images generated by a multi-satellite radar system. In the sense of statistical expectation, the sum-differ- ence data contain the common and different information of the SAR images. Therefore, the objective of clutter cancellation can be achieved by adaptive processing. Moreover, based on the residual image after clutter rejection, statistical analysis of constant false-alarm rate (CFAR) detection of moving targets is also presented. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed algorithm even with heterogeneous clutter and image co-registration error.     

基于复近似消息传递的前视雷达成像分辨率增强算法

当机载/弹载雷达工作在前视状态时,由于成像场景内不同角度处目标的多普勒差异很小,很难得到 高的角度分辨率。针对海面舰船目标的前视成像应用,利用成像区域具有明显稀疏性的特点,提出一种基于复 近似消息传递压缩感知处理的前视成像角度分辨率增强算法,建立前视成像的线性观测信号模型,给出复近似 消息传递的迭代计算过程,以及多通道雷达前视成像的处理流程。通过仿真数据和 X 波段雷达实测数据的处 理结果验证了该方法的有效性。     

Radar target classification of commercial aircraft

With the increased availability of coherent wideband radars there has been a renewed interest in radar target recognition. A large bandwidth gives high resolution in range which means target discrimination may be possible. Coherence makes cross-range resolution and radar images possible. Some of the problems of classifying high resolution range profiles (HRRPs) are examined and simple preprocessing techniques which may aid subsequent target classification are investigated. These techniques are applied to HRRP data acquired at a local airport using the Microwave Radar Division (MRD) mobile radar facility It is found that Boeing 727 and Boeing 737 aircraft can be reliably distinguished over a range of aspect angles. This augers well for future target classification studies using HRRPs     

A new look at nonseparable synthetic aperture radar processing

The author examines the nonseparable, template correlation approach to digital-strip-mode synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) phase history processing and concludes that it can now outperform the traditional separable approaches in the areas of speed, image quality, control simplicity, and flexibility. A working nonseparable frequency-domain SAR processor is described and evaluated. The image quality is seen to be superior to that resulting from the separable approaches. Based on the working intermediate hardware implementation, the author strongly suggests that future VHSIC and other advanced implementation will provide extremely fast (real time), high-quality, small, flexible SAR processors     

Modification of the SAR step transform algorithm

When the basic step transform algorithm is used to compress synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) signals in azimuth, the linear FM rate and sampling rate must satisfy certain tight constraints. In practice, these constraints cannot be satisfied and errors are introduced into the compressed SAR image. A modification is described of the basic step transform which incorporates interpolation and resampling into the algorithm. These changes allow the removal of the constraints and make the step transform more useful for the compression of real data. An autofocusing capability is also included, without introducing much additional complexity     

方位维逆合成孔径雷达(ISAR)运动补偿成象中的预加处理

在方位维逆合成孔径雷达（ISAR）运动补偿成象中,为了获得方位维的高分辨力,需要处理的数据量很大。预加处理首先对原始数据进行频移和滤波,然后由滤波后的数据进行抽取,从而大大压缩了所需处理的数据,减小了运动补偿和成象的计算量,提高了成象处理速度。电磁仿真数据和外场实测数据的处理结果验证了预加处理的有效性。     

An efficient 3-D near-field ISAR algorithm

This paper presents a new three-dimensional (3-D) near-field inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging technique. A 3-D ISAR image can be obtained by processing coherently the backscattered fields as a function of the frequency and two rotation angles about axes which are mutually orthogonal. Most of the existing ISAR algorithms are based on the Fourier transform and as such can tolerate only small amounts of wavefront curvature. Wavefront curvature must be taken into account when imaging an object in the near-field. Near-field ISAR imaging of large objects using a direct Fourier inversion may result in images which are increasingly unfocused at points which are more distant from the center of rotation. An algorithm based on an azimuth convolution between a near-field focusing function and the frequency domain backscattered fields is discussed. This convolution is efficiently implemented by using fast Fourier transform (FFT) techniques. Furthermore, in order to further alleviate the computational load of the algorithm, the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of the focusing function is evaluated by means of the stationary phase method. Experimental results show that this technique is precise and virtually impulse invariant     

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     

Linear Minimum Variance Estimation with Complex Phase Errors

The linear minimum variance estimator of a random signal, received multiplied by a complex Gaussian phase error and added to random noise, is investigated. The results apply to the propagation of images through the turbulent atmosphere, fading channels, and synthetic-aperture radar. Among others, a result is that the multiplicative error can be replaced by an additive error, usually white. The best signal modulation is found in two important special cases.     

Surface movement radar data processing methods for airportsurveillance

An airport surveillance function operating on surface movement radar (SMR) images is proposed and evaluated. The main contributions presented are the statistical error models of the target centroid and attributes extracted from radar images, developed and applied to the design of its main data processing blocks. Besides a multihypothesis image-to-tracks assignment method, a tracking filter using the extracted orientation and a classification scheme based on target attributes is detailed. The error models confidence and processing methods performance are demonstrated through simulation in representative scenarios     

单脉冲成像算法性能分析

单脉冲技术通过比较单个脉冲多路回波信号的信息实现对目标角度位置的精确测量,广泛运用于跟踪雷达中。在雷达成像中引入单脉冲技术可以显著提高前视这一合成孔径雷达(SAR)与多普勒波束锐化(DBS)成像盲区雷达图像的清晰度。本文着重对单脉冲成像算法的成像效果分析方法进行研究。从单脉冲和差比的概率密度函数出发,提出了目标图像位置失真、分辨率以及图像信噪比3个对图像质量进行衡量的指标。分析了决定这3个指标的系统及外部环境参数,并给出了相应的计算方法。最终通过数值积分以及Monte-Carlo仿真实验对理论分析结果进行了验证。     

Radar: The Cassini Titan Radar Mapper

The Cassini RADAR instrument is a multimode 13.8 GHz multiple-beam sensor that can operate as a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) imager, altimeter, scatterometer, and radiometer. The principal objective of the RADAR is to map the surface of Titan. This will be done in the imaging, scatterometer, and radiometer modes. The RADAR altimeter data will provide information on relative elevations in selected areas. Surfaces of the Saturn’s icy satellites will be explored utilizing the RADAR radiometer and scatterometer modes. Saturn’s atmosphere and rings will be probed in the radiometer mode only. The instrument is a joint development by JPL/NASA and ASI. The RADAR design features significant autonomy and data compression capabilities. It is expected that the instrument will detect surfaces with backscatter coefficient as low as −40 dB.RADAR Team LeaderThis revised version was published online in July 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

Inspection of Internal Structure of Walls by Subsurface Radar

This paper deals with the application of ultra-wide band time-domain subsurface radars, equipped with special signal processing techniques, to realize non-invasive image testing of the building walls' internal structure that are made with brick, stone, concrete, reinforced concrete, and other construction materials. There are two normally associated problems: qualitative and quantitative, considered. Limitations and shortcomings of radar imaging, due to inherent physical features as well as signal processing improving the quality of radar images, are discussed. Actual field data are used to illustrate applications of subsurface radar for non-destructive testing of walls' internal regions