Space-time-frequency processing of synthetic aperture radar signals

The subject of this work is the detection and high resolution microwave imaging of objects moving on the ground and observed by an airborne radar. The proposed approach is based on a combined space-time and time-frequency processing. The space-time processing makes use of a linear array antenna and exploits the radar motion for filtering the received echoes in order to improve as much as possible the signal-to-disturbance ratio. The signal is then mapped onto the time-frequency domain, by computing its Wigner-Ville distribution, for a further filtering and for estimating its instantaneous frequency, necessary for the formation of a high resolution image of the moving object     

Development of airborne moving target radar for long range surveillance

The following topics are discussed in the context of the development of an airborne moving target radar for long range surveillance: US Navy long range shipborne radar; Cadillac I airborne early warning (AEW) radar; Cadillac II airborne early warning (AEW) radar; airborne moving target indicating (AMTI) radar; related post-war radar activities; and the invention of the displaced center antenna. Among the topics studied is the use of a monopulse antenna in an MTI radar to remove the degradation of the MTI caused by rapid scanning of the antenna. A method of using a monopulse antenna for motion compensation in airborne MTI is discussed.<>     

基于概率模型运动检测技术的视频对象分割技术研究

MPEG-4最重要的特点是用音频-视频对象来描述内容和进行编码。这就需要按照视频对象进行视频图像分割,而视频对象具有时域和空域这两大特点,而时域分割又占主要的地位。研究了一种时域分割算法,即研究了一种运动检测技术方案,采用Til Aach,Andre Kaup提出的基于概率模型的运动检测技术,用Gauss模型描述噪声引起的像素值变化,将运动目标和有噪声的背景区别开来。最后,采用二值开闭重建滤波器来去除前景和背景中的“小洞”,从而获取了最终的运动检测掩码。     

复杂条件下的运动目标检测方法研究综述

运动目标检测是当前研究热点之一,被广泛地应用于计算机视觉、视频处理等领域。将运动目标检测的三种常用方法进行对比,总结其各自的适用性及局限性。针对光照变化、背景存在干扰运动、前景色与背景色接近等复杂条件,综述了相应的多种解决方案,并指出了方案算法的局限性,对复杂条件下运动目标检测方法的发展方向进行展望,从而为相关工作的进一步研究指出了方向。     

Moving target detection via airborne HRR phased array radar

We study moving target detection in the presence of temporally and spatially correlated ground clutter for airborne high range resolution (HRR) phased array radar. We divide the HRR range profiles into large range segments to avoid the range migration problems that occur in the HRR radar data. Since each range segment contains a sequence of HRR range bins, no information is lost due to the division and hence no loss of resolution occurs. We show how to use a vector autoregressive (VAR) filtering technique to suppress the ground clutter. Then a moving target detector based on a generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) detection strategy is derived. The detection threshold is determined according to the desired false alarm rate, which is made possible via an asymptotic statistical analysis. After the target Doppler frequency and spatial signature vectors are estimated from the VAR-filtered data as if a target were present, a simple detection variable is computed and compared with the detection threshold to render a decision on the presence of a target. Numerical results are provided to demonstrate the performance of the proposed moving target detection algorithm     

机载MIMO雷达空时自适应杂波对消器

针对机载多输入多输出(MIMO)雷达杂波分布呈现空时耦合特性,提出一种空时自适应杂波对消器.利用机载MIMO雷达的脉冲回波数据,构造杂波对消器的系数矩阵.通过空时自适应杂波对消器的预处理,可以有效地抑制杂波,并通过与常规空时处理算法的级联,最终可以有效提高动目标的检测性能.实现了由传统地基雷达杂波对消器向机载运动平台的推广.仿真结果表明,这种自适应杂波对消器不仅适用于正侧视雷达,对于非正侧视雷达也同样适用.     

Spatio-temporal pattern recognition using hidden Markov models

A spatio-temporal method for identifying objects contained in an image sequence is presented. The Hidden Markov Model (HMM) technique is used as the classification algorithm, making classification decisions based on a spatio-temporal sequence of observed object features. A five class problem is considered. Classification accuracies of 100% and 99.7%, are obtained for sequences of images generated over two separate regions of viewing positions. HMMs trained on image sequences of the objects moving in opposite directions showed a 98.1% successful classification rate by class and direction of movement. The HMM technique proved robust to image corruption with additive correlated noise and had a higher accuracy than a single-look nearest neighbor method. A real image sequence of one of the objects used was successfully recognized with the HMMs trained on synthetic data. This study shows the temporal changes that observed feature vectors undergo due to object motion hold information that can yield superior classification accuracy when compared with single-frame techniques     

一种基于背景自适应的运动目标检测与跟踪算法

背景图像差分法是运动目标实时检测中常用的方法,但缺乏背景图像随监视场景光照变化而及时更新的合理方法,限制了该方法的适应性。对此,文章首先提出了一种自适应背景更新方法;然后利用最大类间方差法实现运动目标的自适应阈值分割,并利用基于形态学方法的连通区检测算法检测运动目标;最后以Kalman滤波为运动模型实现对运动目标的连续跟踪。实验结果表明:所提方法可随着光照条件的变化,实时、准确地检测出运动目标并实现稳定跟踪。     

On Increasing Usable MTI Filter Bandwidth by Removing Linear-Phase Constraint

It has been shown in the literature that the linear-phase constraint of finite-duration impulse-response (FIR) digital filters can, under certain circumstances, be effectively traded either for a better filter amplitude response or a reduction in the number of filter coeficients. It is shown that such a tradeoff can be exploited for moving target indicator (MTI) radar signal processors to increase the usable bandwidth for target detection. Although it is demonstrated that the increase is significant for narrowband (ground) clutter, it is negligible for wideband (weather) clutter.     

Detecting small moving objects using temporal hypothesis testing

This paper addresses the problem of detecting small, moving, low amplitude objects in image sequences that also contain moving nuisance objects and background noise. We formulate this problem in the context of a hypothesis testing procedure on individual pixel temporal profiles, leading to a computationally efficient statistical test. The technique assumes we have reasonable deterministic and statistical models for the temporal behavior of the background noise, target, and clutter, on a single pixel basis. Based on these models we develop a generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) and perfect measurement performance analysis, and present the resulting decision rule. We also propose a parameter estimation technique and compare its performance to the Cramer Rao bound (CRB). We demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique by applying the resulting algorithm to real world infrared (IR) image sequences containing targets of opportunity. The approach could also be applicable to other image sequence processing scenarios, using acquisition systems besides IR imaging, such as detection of small moving objects or structures in a biomedical or biological imaging scenario, or the detection of satellites, meteors or other celestial bodies in night sky imagery acquired using a telescope     

Moving Targets Processing in SAR Spatial Domain

This paper presents a novel technique to estimate the initial coordinates and velocity vector of moving targets, including those with velocities above the Nyquist limit, using a single synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensor without increasing the pulse repetition frequency (PRF). The basic reasoning is that, although the returned echoes may be undersampled in the azimuth direction, their phase and amplitude are informative with respect to the moving target trajectory parameters. Therefore, the so-called blind angle ambiguity, inherent to systems using a single SAR sensor, is overcome. The proposed method samples the data in the spatial domain, along the signature curve which depends on the moving target trajectory parameters. The resulting algorithm is a highly efficient (from the computational point of view) ID matched filter. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is illustrated using simulated SAR data and real data from the MSTAR public release data set, corresponding to a static SAR scene and a static BTR-60 with simulated motion.     

Multiple model nonlinear filtering for low signal ground target applications

The design and implementation of a multiple model nonlinear filter (MMNLF) for ground target tracking using ground moving target indicator (GMTI) radar measurements is described. Like the well-known interacting multiple model Kalman filter (IMMKF), the MMNLF is based on the theory of hybrid stochastic systems. However, since it models the probability distribution for the target in a region, rather than just the distribution's first and second moments, a nonlinear filter is able to capture more fine-grained detail of the target motion and requires fewer models than typical IMMKF implementations. This is illustrated here with a two-model MMNLF in which one motion model incorporates terrain constraints while the second is a nearly constant velocity (CV) model. Another feature of the MMNLF is that it enables incorporation of prethresholded measurements. To implement the filter, the target state conditional probability density is discretized on a set of moving grids and recursively updated with sensor measurements via Bayes' formula. The conditional density is time updated between sensor measurements using alternating direction implicit (ADI) finite difference methods, generalized for this hybrid application. In simulation testing against low signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) targets, the MMNLF is able to maintain track in situations where single model filters based on either of the component models or filters that use thresholded data fail. Potential applications of this work include detection and tracking of foliage-obscured moving targets.     

基于运动特征和中心环绕模型的空对地车辆检测方法

平台的移动基于空基车辆检测以其视野广、速度快、适应性强等优点,近些年成为了智能交通和航空应急救援等领域内的一个热点课题。然而,在城市背景的交通环境下,由于复杂背景造成的干扰、车辆运动的不规律性以及光照等条件变化带来的噪声,有效地获取运动对象特征是空对地视觉监视方法面临的一个难题。为有效解决这一问题,提出了结合运动特征的中心环绕模型进行空对地车辆检测的算法。现有的空对地车辆检测算法,大多是针对固定的摄像头的情况下,基于运动特征进行检测,例如光流法、背景差法等。这些方法在对高速公路等背景相对较为简单的环境下获得了良好的检测结果,但当面对城市复杂背景条件或摄像头自身运动的状况时,难以有效地检测出运动目标。而在对颜色、强度等静态特征进行显著度分析的基础上,加入了对运动特征的分析,可以解决在复杂环境下准确提取车辆目标有效特征的问题。试验表明,相较于基于图像相减的检测算法和单一显著度算法,该算法可以获得更高的检测率与更低的误报率。     

CTD MTI Radar Filter with Charge-Transfer Inefficiency Compensation

The design and implementation of a second-order nonrecursive moving target indication (MTI) radar filter using commercially available charge-transfer devices as delay lines are described. A simple technique is included to compensate for the device charge-transfer in-efficiency and its sensitivity is analyzed. Experimental laboratory tests and results in an operating radar system are reported showing the good performance of the realized MTI radar filter.     

New assignment-based data association for tracking move-stop-move targets

We present a new assignment-based algorithm for data association in tracking ground targets employing evasive move-stop-move maneuvers using ground moving target indicator (GMTI) reports obtained from an airborne sensor. To avoid detection by the GMTI sensor, the targets deliberately stop for some time before moving again. The sensor does not detect a target when the latter's radial velocity (along the line-of-sight from the sensor) falls below a certain minimum detectable velocity (MDV). Even in the absence of move-stop-move maneuvers, the detection has a less-than-unity probability (P/sub D/<1) due to obscuration and thresholding. Then, it is of interest, when a target is not detected, to develop a systematic technique that can distinguish between lack of detection due to P/sub D/<1 and lack of detection due to a stop (or a near stop). Previously, this problem was solved using a variable structure interacting multiple model (VS-IMM) estimator with a stopped target model (VS-IMM-ST) without explicitly addressing data association. We develop a novel "two-dummy" assignment approach for move-stop-move targets that considers both the problem of data association as well as filtering. Typically, in assignment-based data association a "dummy" measurement is used to denote the nondetection event. The use of the standard single-dummy assignment, which does not handle move-stop-move motion explicitly, can result in broken tracks. The new algorithm proposed here handles the evasive move-stop-move motion by introducing a second dummy measurement to represent nondetection due to the MDV. We also present a likelihood-ratio-based track deletion scheme for move-stop-move targets. Using this two-dummy data association algorithm, the track corresponding to a move-stop-move target is kept "alive' during missed detections both due to MDV and due to P/sub D/<1. In addition, one can obtain reductions in both rms estimation errors as well as the total number of track breakages.     

A localized adaptive MTD processor

The problem of achieving the optimum moving target indicator (MTI) detection performance in strong clutter of unknown spectrum when the set of data available to the estimation of clutter statistics is small due to a severely nonhomogeneous environment is studied. A new adaptive implementation, called the Doppler domain localized generalized likelihood ratio processor (DDL-GLR), is proposed, and its detection performance is studied in detail. It is shown that the DDL-GLR is a data-efficient implementation of the high-order optimum detector and has several advantages of practical importance over the adaptive processors     

Identification and velocity computation of multiple moving objectsin images

Analysis for identifying and computing the velocity of multiple moving objects in sequences of images is presented. While previously published analyses addressed sequences with one or two moving objects, this analysis is extended to sequences with multiple moving objects. simulation is performed to demonstrate the applicability of this technique. Multiple moving objects appear in the spectral domain as groups of individual peaks which identify the objects and are used to compute their velocities. Algorithms which evaluate the spectral peaks and calculate their velocity are also presented     

Ground target tracking with variable structure IMM estimator

In this paper we present the design of a Variable Structure Interacting Multiple Model (VS-IMM) estimator for tracking groups of ground targets on constrained paths using Moving Target Indicator (MTI) reports obtained from an airborne sensor. The targets are moving along a highway, with varying obscuration due to changing terrain conditions. In addition, the roads can branch, merge or cross-the scenario represents target convoys along a realistic road network with junctions, changing terrains, etc. Some of the targets may also move in an open field. This constrained motion estimation problem is handled using an IMM estimator with varying mode sets depending on the topography, The number of models in the IMM estimator, their types and their parameters are modified adaptively, in real-time, based on the estimated position of the target and the corresponding road/visibility conditions. This topography-based variable structure mechanism eliminates the need for carrying all the possible models throughout the entire tracking period as in the standard IMM estimator, significantly improving performance and reducing computational load. Data association is handled using an assignment algorithm. The estimator is designed to handle a very large number of ground targets simultaneously. A simulated scenario consisting of over one hundred targets is used to illustrate the selection of design parameters and the operation of the tracker. Performance measures are presented to contrast the benefits of the VS-IMM estimator over the Kalman filter and the standard IMM estimator, The VS-IMM estimator is then combined with multidimensional assignment to gain “time-depth.” The additional benefit of using higher dimensional assignment algorithms for data association is also evaluated     

泊位引导系统中运动物体的检测与分类

重点研究了基于视觉检测方式的机场泊位自动引导系统的图像预处理算法。提出改进的基于混合高斯模型的运动检测算法,有效抑制了分割运动缓慢且成像面积比较大的物体时易出现的“拖尾”现象。提出了基于颜色色度信息的阴影检测算法,成功地检测出运动物体的阴影。在此基础上设计了分类器,区分泊位飞机与泊位场景中其他运动物体。在实际机场泊位自动引导系统中的应用证明了所提出算法的有效性和实用性。