Radar Image Processing with Clusters of Computers

Some radar image processing algorithms such as shape-from-shading are particularly compute-intensive and time-consuming. If, in addition, a data set to be processed is large, then it may make sense to perform the processing of images on multiple workstations or parallel processing systems. We have implemented shape-from-shading, stereo matching, resampling, gridding, and visualization of terrain models in such a manner that they execute either on parallel machines or on clusters of workstations. We were motivated by the large image data set from NASA's Magellan mission to planet Venus, but received additional inspiration from the European Union's Center for Earth Observation program (CEO) and Austria's MISSION initiative for distributed processing of remote sensing images on remote workstations, using publicly-accessible algorithms. We developed a multi-processor approach that we denote as CDIP for Concurrent and Distributed Image Processing. The speedup for image processing tasks increases nearly linearly with the number of processors, be they on a parallel machine or arranged in a cluster of distributed workstations. Our approach adds benefits for users of complex image processing algorithms: the efforts for code porting and code maintenance are reduced and the necessity for specialized parallel processing hardware is eliminated.     

DSP及PC机间的数据通信技术研究

合成孔径雷达(SAR)是全天候全天时的主动微波成像雷达,因此在军事和民用方面得到了广泛的应用。合成孔径雷达成像的显著特点是数据吞吐量大,实时性强,然而单片的高性能DSP无法满足SAR成像的需求,故采用多片DSP技术。在多片DSP并行处理技术中,它们之间如何进行通信是一个关键技术。本文以ADSP2106x为例,研究了DSP间的通信以及DSP与PC机间的通信。串行通信、DMA通信和VC++的MSComm控件通信都是很好的通信方式,但DMA更适合大量的数据通信。     

一种微波关联成像的新方法

将强度关联量子成像理论引入到雷达成像技术中,提出了一种全新的微波关联成像方法。向目标发射多个幅度、相位可控的单元信号,同时记录各个信号的状态并结合距离信息制作＂成像底版＂,通过对回波信号和＂成像底版＂的关联结果进行数理统计后可实现雷达高分辨成像。     

48GHz微带阵列天线设计

在5G高速发展的背景下,为实现机舱内部信息传输的无线化,设计了一款用于飞机设备舱内无线通信的毫米波微带阵列天线。结合串联馈电和并联馈电优点,采用串并联结合的方式对馈电网络进行设计。通过泰勒综合法实现阵元的同相位不等幅馈电,在保证高增益的情况下,有效地进行副瓣抑制。综合以上方法,设计出了一款中心频率为 48 GHz;在 47.3 ~48.7 GHz之间回波损耗小于-10 dB,工作带宽1.4 GHz;H 面上的半功率波束宽度小于 11°,副瓣抑制为-28 dB:E面上的半功率波束宽度小于 17°,副瓣抑制优于-21 dB 的4x8 微带天线阵,该阵列天线很好地实现了高增益/地旁瓣的特性。     

Target motion compensation in synthetic aperture radar

In a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) targets on the ground that are moving become smeared as a result of velocity components parallel to the motion of the radar and are moved to radically different angular positions if they have velocity components perpendicular to the motion of the radar. Methods for restoring moving targets to their correct size and position are described. The samples collected for SAR processing are frequency-modulated RF pulses. Mathematically this leads to spectra that are described by Fresnel integrals. For stationary targets, the spectrum is symmetrical around the origin. If there is a moving target in a range cell, its Doppler spectrum will be displaced from the origin and may undergo other changes as a result of its nonzero velocity. Proper compensation to locate the target at the correct position requires that the spectrum be translated to a position dependent on the along-track velocity rather than to the origin. From the central frequency, the along-range velocity component can be estimated and the length of the translation can then be found. After translation, the spectrum is converted back to the time domain and the customary SAR processing is performed     

A Coarse Search Correlation Tracker for Image Registration

A high-speed compact digital correlation tracker which determines the frame-to-frame translational motion between two images is presented. By combining a similarity detection approach with the correlation coefficient in a parallel pipelined architecture, effective tracking rates comparable to conventional fast Fourier transform (FFT) techniques can be achieved. Examples of the tracker's performance using simulated data and image data acquired by an active infrared radar are given.     

Application of a Highly Parallel Processor to Radar Data Processing

The application of a highly parallel computer known as PEPE (Parallel Element Processing Ensemble) to radar data processing is described. The PEPE computer consists of a large number of identical processing elements which operate in parallel and are controlled by a common control unit. Each of the processing elements is assigned to a particular radar target such that many targets can be tracked in parallel. PEPE is designed to augment a conventional computer rather than to stand alone. The total data processing load associated with a radar tracking system is distributed between PEPE and the sequential machine in a manner than maximizes the overall system efficiency and desensitizes the system performance to fluctuations in traffic levels. The use of PEPE provides very high data processing throughput potential to a radar data processing system.     

Radar Properties of Non-Rayleigh Sea Clutter

Measurements of sea clutter at low grazing angles using high- resolution radar show that the probability density p(x) of envelope detected sea clutter is not Rayleigh. Using the composite surface scattering model, a special varying clutter density p(x|?0) is proposed and is used to explain the non-Rayleigh nature of clutter. Since the clutter distribution has an enormous effect on the performance of a radar, the variation of the clutter densities, p(x) and p(x|?0), with various radar parameters such as frequency, pulsewidth, and polarization is found. Finally, a simulation of the composite surface scattering model is performed, and it verifies the effect of the various parameters on p(x).     

Performance of Doppler Radar in the Presence of Random Fading

This paper deals with the performance of pulse Doppler radar in the presence of random fading. The behavior of this radar is studied as a statistical problem to bring out the limiting bounds of the ambiguity diagram and the nature of variance with respect to the Doppler frequency. The performance of the radar insofar as the first sidelobe is concerned, is shown to be better in the presence of fading than in the normal case. In a particular case where 75 pulses out of an aggregate of 250 pulses are missing, the first sidelobe level is 20.0 dB down from the main lobe with a probability of 23 percent.     

表面不连续特征双站散射特性的试验研究

 采用一种新颖的不连续特征双站雷达散射截面（RCS）测试方法,通过系列化测试,研究了单直缝隙板、单直台阶板的双站散射特性,提出了不连续特征双站散射具有相似性、对称性和平移性的特点,分析了不同不连续特征具有的异同点。试验结果表明：对不连续特征,不同双站下的RCS散射曲线均具有和对应入射频率下的单站散射曲线分布形式相似的特点,同时不同的不连续特征对幅值的影响不同;如果测试方式和试验件对称,则双站和单站散射曲线均具有关于峰值所在方位角对称的特点,单直缝隙板由于试验件本身的对称性表现为较好的曲线对称性,而单直台阶板则表现为稍弱的对称性;散射曲线随双站角的增大,具有明显的平移特性,平移的幅度为双站角的1/2,平移方向为从发射天线指向接收天线,平移后的曲线峰值处于发射天线和接收天线夹角平分线上。     

平行区域导航航路安全性分析

空域容量不足是导致对空域结构进行修改的决定因素之一。修改空域结构又需要一系列技术分析和论证工作,而对修改后的空域进行安全性评估是其中最重要的工作之一。在总结Reich模型和相关文献基础上,完善了在雷达间隔条件下的碰撞风险模型,提出了有雷达管制间隔分别无非侵入区和有非侵入区条件下出现飞行冲突需要管制员干预的计算模型。在上述模型基础上,对现有京沪单航路结构增加了一条平行航路,从而构成平行区域导航航路并对其航路间隔大小进行了分析论证,评估其安全性,同时分析了管制员的干预情况,也为进一步的空域扇区结构调整提供了依据。     

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     

An approach to radiated testing of installed airborne Doppler radarwith weather/windshear detection capability

Numerous documents were reviewed to verify radar parameters needed to analyze and present the tester concept described herein. The weather and windshear models defined use the identical criteria established for the Doppler radar in terms of F-factor. The basic concept of the tester is to transmit coherent simulated radar returns in response to the airborne radar's transmission while mounted on a tripod in the far field of the radar when parked on the ramp. The varying amplitude of the received radar pulses are analyzed and put into memory as the tester antenna is illuminated by the scanning main beam and side lobes of the radar's antenna patterns. The tester controls the power of its outputted simulated radar returns in inverse relation to the power of the received radar pulses. These simulated radar returns, outputted into the main beam and/or side lobes of the scanning radar antenna, are interpreted by the radar system as received in the main lobe. The tester transmissions, incorporating microburst, storm and gust front models, previously defined, can thereby test the aircraft radar system performance in various hazard environments. The tester is designed to: verify operational performance of the radar; demonstrate installed radar performance; verify crew reports and minimize radar or LRU's removal for maintenance; test before and after a repair; and verify radome effects on radar performance     

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.     

Performance analysis of radar antenna systems

If modern airborne radar systems are to function properly, the radar antenna radiation patterns must meet certain specifications. Until recently, most radar antennas were designed and tested in a clean antenna environment, i.e., there is no near field scattering from host structures or radome effects. However, these higher order effects are the matter of increasing concern with added performance demands in the ever-increasing jammer and clutter interference environments. We investigated the capabilities and limitations of currently available analysis techniques and computer codes for installed performance of airborne radar antenna systems. Then we developed an extended ray-optical technique that could predict total installed performance of airborne radar antenna systems, i.e., the near field scattering from aircraft structures and radome effects. The new analysis technique utilized a ray-tracing method in both airframe and radome simulation. Thus, it can efficiently predict the total installed performance of large radar antenna systems on an aircraft structure     

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     

Spectral Properties of Homogeneous and Nonhomogeneous Radar Images

On the basis of a two-dimensional, nonstationary white noisemodel for the complex radar backscatter, the spectral properties ofa one-look synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) system is derived. It isshown that the power spectrum of the complex SAR image is sceneindependent. It is also shown that the spectrum of the intensityimage is in general related to the radar scene spectrum by a linearintegral equation, a Fredholm's integral equation of the third kind.Under simplifying assumptions, a closed-form equation giving theradar scene spectrum as a function of the SAR image spectrum canbe derived.     

Prescreening during image formation for ultrawideband radar

Standard radar image formation techniques waste computational resources by full resolving all areas of the scene, even regions of benign clutter. We introduce a multiscale prescreener algorithm that runs as part of the image formation processing step for ultrawideband (UWB) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems. The prescreener processes intermediate radar data generated by a quadtree backprojection image former. As the quadtree algorithm iterates, it is resolving increasingly finer subpatches of the scene. After each quadtree stage, the prescreener makes an estimate of the signal-to-background ratio of each subpatch and applies a constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detector to decide which ones might contain a target of interest. Whenever the prescreener determines that a subpatch is not near a detection, it cues the image former to terminate further processing of that subpatch. Using a small database of UWB radar field data, we demonstrate that the prescreener is able to decrease the overall computational load of the image formation process. We also show that the new multiscale prescreener method produces fewer false alarms than the conventional two-parameter CFAR prescreener applied to the completely formed image     

Coherent spatial filtering for SAR detection of stationary targets

Analysis of UHF synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images has revealed a spatially correlated phase structure over a resolved target such as a long wire or a large truck. This phase variation, approximated by a simple, range-dependent factor 4πr/λ, results in a line-shaped image spatial spectrum. Such image phase and spectral features can be exploited by coherent spatial filtering to improve target-to-clutter ratios of large targets and stationary target detectability in a strong clutter environment     

机载SAR成像对瞄准线运动补偿的要求

飞机偏离匀速直线运动的运动误差是机载合成孔径雷达成像的基本困难之一。通过详细的理论推导,给出了当飞机沿瞄准线方向同时存在恒定速度误差,恒定加速度误差和正确弦摆动速度误差时,以回波信号压缩波形的主瓣偏移,二次相位误差,三次相位误差以及积分旁瓣比等ＳＡＲ系统图像质量指标的最大允许值表示的机载正侧视ＳＡＲ运动补偿定量要求的解析式。并结合一例子进行了计算分析,所得结论可供有关人员参考。