Micro-motion effect in inverse synthetic aperture radar imaging of ballistic mid-course targets

For ballistic mid-course targets,in addition to constant orbital motion,the target or any structure on the target undergoes micro-motion dynamics,such as spin,precession and tumbling.The micro-motion characteristics of the ballistic mid-course targets were discussed.The target motion model and inverse synthetic aperture radar(ISAR) imaging model for this kind of targets were built.Then,the influence of micro-motion on ISAR imaging based on the established imaging model was presented.The computer simulation to get mid-course target echoes from static darkroom electromagnetic scattering data based on the established target motion model was realized.The imaging results of computer simulation show the validity of ISAR imaging analysis for micro-motion targets.

Inverse synthetic aperture radar range profile compensation of plasma-sheath-enveloped reentry object

The scattering points in a plasma sheath characterized with coupled velocities can cause pulse compression mismatching,which results in displacement and energy diffusion in the onedimension range profile.To solve this problem,we deduce the echo model of the plasma-sheathenveloped reentry object.By estimating the coupled velocities,we propose a compensation method to correct the defocus of an inverse synthetic aperture radar(ISAR)image in range dimension to improve the quality of the ISAR images.The simulation results suggest that the echoes from different regions of the surface of the reentry object have various coupling velocities,and the higher the coupled velocity,the more serious the displacement and energy diffusion in the range dimension.Our proposed method can correct the range dimension aberration.Two measurement metrics were used to evaluate the improvement of the compensation method.

Compressive Sensing Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging Based on Gini Index Regularization

In compressive sensing(CS) based inverse synthetic aperture radar(ISAR) imaging approaches, the quality of final image significantly depends on the number of measurements and the noise level. In this paper, we propose an improved version of CSbased method for inverse synthetic aperture radar(ISAR) imaging. Different from the traditional l1 norm based CS ISAR imaging method, our method explores the use of Gini index to measure the sparsity of ISAR images to improve the imaging quality. Instead of simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation(SPSA), we use weighted l1 norm as the surrogate functional and successfully develop an iteratively re-weighted algorithm to reconstruct ISAR images from compressed echo samples. Experimental results show that our approach significantly reduces the number of measurements needed for exact reconstruction and effectively suppresses the noise. Both the peak sidelobe ratio(PSLR) and the reconstruction relative error(RE) indicate that the proposed method outperforms the l1 norm based method.

Entropy function optimization for radar imaging

The convergence performance of the minimum entropy auto-focusing（MEA） algorithm for inverse synthetic aperture radar（ISAR） imaging is analyzed by simulation. The results show that a local optimal solution problem exists in the MEA algorithm. The cost function of the MEA algorithm is not a downward-convex function of multidimensional phases to be compensated. Only when the initial values of the compensated phases are chosen to be near the global minimal point of the entropy function, the MEA algorithm can converge to a global optimal solution. To study the optimal solution problem of the MEA algorithm, a new scheme of entropy function optimization for radar imaging is presented. First, the initial values of the compensated phases are estimated by using the modified Doppler centroid tracking （DCT）algorithm. Since these values are obtained according to the maximum likelihood （ML） principle, the initial phases can be located near the optimal solution values. Then, a fast MEA algorithm is used for the local searching process and the global optimal solution can be obtained. The simulation results show that this scheme can realize the global optimization of the MEA algorithm and can avoid the selection and adjustment of parameters such as iteration step lengths, threshold values, etc.

SAR IMAGE RECOGNITION BASED ON MULTI-ASPECT OF SHADOW INFORMATION

The traditional synthetic aperture radar（SAR） image recognition techniques focus on the electro magnetic （EM） scattering centers, ignoring the important role of the shadow information on the SAR image recognition. It is difficult to classify targets by the shadow information independently, because the shadow shape is dependent on the radar aspect angle, the depression angle and the resolution. Moreover, the shadow shapes of different targets are similar. When the multiple SAR images of one target from different aspects are available, the performance of the target recognition can be improved. Aimed at the problem, a multi-aspect SAR image recognition technique based on the shadow information is developed. It extracts shadow profiles from SAR images, and takes chain codes as the feature vectors of targets. Then, feature vectors on multiple aspects of the same target are combined with feature sequences, and the hidden Markov model （HMM） is applied to the feature sequences for the target recognition. The simulation result shows the effectiveness of the method.

A fast decoupled ISAR high-resolution imaging method using structural sparse information under low SNR

Inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) image can be represented and reconstructed by sparse recovery (SR) approaches. However, the existing SR algorithms, which are used for ISAR imaging, have suffered from high computational cost and poor imaging quality under a low signal to noise ratio (SNR) condition. This paper proposes a fast decoupled ISAR imaging method by exploiting the inherent structural sparse information of the targets. Firstly, the ISAR imaging problem is decoupled into two sub-problems. One is range direction imaging and the other is azimuth direction focusing. Secondly, an efficient two-stage SR method is proposed to obtain higher resolution range profiles by using jointly sparse information. Finally, the residual linear Bregman iteration via fast Fourier transforms (RLBI-FFT) is proposed to perform the azimuth focusing on low SNR efficiently. Theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed method has better performence to efficiently implement higher-resolution ISAR imaging under the low SNR condition.

ISAR imaging based on improved phase retrieval algorithm

Traditional inverse synthetic aperture radar(ISAR)imaging methods for maneuvering targets have low resolution and poor capability of noise suppression. An ISAR imaging method of maneuvering targets based on phase retrieval is proposed,which can provide a high-resolution and focused map of the spatial distribution of scatterers on the target. According to theoretical derivation, the modulus of raw data from the maneuvering target is not affected by radial motion components for ISAR imaging system, so the phase retrieval algorithm can be used for ISAR imaging problems. However, the traditional phase retrieval algorithm will be not applicable to ISAR imaging under the condition of random noise. To solve this problem, an algorithm is put forward based on the range Doppler(RD) algorithm and oversampling smoothness(OSS) phase retrieval algorithm. The algorithm captures the target information in order to reduce the influence of the random phase on ISAR echoes, and then applies OSS for focusing imaging based on prior information of the RD algorithm. The simulated results demonstrate the validity of this algorithm, which cannot only obtain high resolution imaging for high speed maneuvering targets under the condition of random noise, but also substantially improve the success rate of the phase retrieval algorithm.

Autofocus technique for ISAR imaging of uniformly rotating targets based on the ExCoV method

The inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging can be converted into a sparse reconstruction problem and solved by the l1norm minimization algorithm. The basis matrix in sparse ISAR imaging is usually characterized by the unknown rotation rate of a moving target, thus the rotation rate and the sparse signal should be jointly estimated. Especially due to the imperfect coarse motion compensation, we consider the phase error correction problem in the context of the sparse signal reconstruction. To address this issue, we propose an iterative reweighted method, which jointly estimates the rotation rate, corrects the phase error and reconstructs a high resolution ISAR image. The proposed method gives a gradual and interweaved iterative process to refine the unknown parameters to achieve the best sparse representation for the ISAR signals. Particularly, in ISAR image reconstruction, the l1norm minimization algorithm is sensitive to user parameters. Setting these user parameters are not trivial and the reconstruction performance depends significantly on their choices. Then, we consider an expansion-compression variance-component (ExCoV) based method, which is automatic and demands no prior knowledge about signal-sparsity or measurement-noise levels. Both numerical and electromagnetic data experiments are implemented to show the effectiveness of the proposed method. It is shown that the proposed method can estimate the rotation rate and correct the phase errors simultaneously, and its superior performance is proved in terms of high resolution ISAR image. © 2017 Beijing Institute of Aerospace Information.

Rotational parameters estimation of maneuvering target in ISAR imaging

The rotational parameters estimation of maneuvering target is the key of cross-range scaling of ISAR （inverse synthetic aperture radar）, which can be used in the target feature extraction. The cross-range signal model of rotating target with fixed acceleration is presented and the weighted linear least squares estimation of rotational parameters with fixed velocity or acceleration is proposed via the relationship of cross-range FM （frequency modulation） parameter, scatterers coordinates and rotational parameters. The FM parameter is calculated via RWT （Radon-Wigner transform）. The ISAR imaging and cross-range scaling based on scaled RWT imaging method are implemented after obtaining rotational parameters. The rotational parameters estimation and cross-range scaling are validated by the ISAR processing of experimental radar data, and the method presents good application foreground to the ISAR imaging and scaling of maneuvering target.

Fast ISAR imaging method based on scene segmentation

Although compressed sensing inverse synthetic aperture radar(ISAR) imaging methods are widely used in radar signal processing, its reconstructing time and memory storage space requirements are very high. The main reason is that large scene reconstruction needs a higher dimension of the sensing matrix. To reduce this limitation, a fast high resolution ISAR imaging method,which is based on scene segmentation for random chirp frequencystepped signals, is proposed. The idea of scene segmentation is used to solve the problems aforementioned. In the method,firstly, the observed scene is divided into multiple sub-scenes and then the sub-scenes are reconstructed respectively. Secondly, the whole image scene can be obtained through the stitching of the sub-scenes. Due to the reduction of the dimension of the sensing matrix, the requirement of the memory storage space is reduced substantially. In addition, due to the nonlinear superposition of the reconstructed time of the segmented sub-scenes, the reconstruction time is reduced, and the purpose of fast imaging is achieved.Meanwhile, the feasibility and the related factors which affect the performance of the proposed method are also analyzed, and the selection criterion of the scene segmentation is afforded. Finally,theoretical analysis and simulation results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Optimal ship imaging for shore-based ISAR using DCF estimation

The optimal imaging time selection of ship targets for shore-based inverse synthetic aperture radar （ISAR） in high sea conditions is investigated. The optimal imaging time includes opti- mal imaging instants and optimal imaging duration. A novel method for optimal imaging instants selection based on the estimation of the Doppler centroid frequencies （DCFs） of a series of images obtained over continuous short durations is proposed. Combined with the optimal imaging duration selection scheme using the image contrast maximization criteria, this method can provide the ship images with the highest focus. Simulated and real data pro- cessing results verify the effectiveness of the proposed imaging method.

Approach for ISAR imaging of near-field targets based on coordinate conversion and image interpolation

Inverse synthetic aperture radar(ISAR)imaging of near-field targets is potentially useful in some specific applications,which makes it very important to efficiently produce highquality image of the near-field target.In this paper,the simplified target model with uniform linear motion is applied to the near-field target imaging,which overcomes the complexity of the traditional near-field imaging algorithm.According to this signal model,the method based on coordinate conversion and image interpolation combined with the range-Doppler(R-D)algorithm is proposed to correct the near-field distortion problem.Compared with the back-projection(BP)algorithm,the proposed method produces better focused ISAR images of the near-field target,and decreases the computation complexity significantly.Experimental results of the simulated data have demonstrated the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method.

Evaluation of Trajectory Error Effects in BP Based Space Target ISAR Imaging

The space target imaging is important in the development of space technology.Due to the availability of trajectory information of the space targets and the arising of rapid parallel processing hardware,the back projection (BP) method has been applied to synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging and shows a number of advantages as compared with conventional Fourier-domain imaging algorithms.However,the practical processing shows that the insufficient accuracy of the trajectory information results in the degrading of the imaging results.On the other hand,the autofocusing algorithms for BP imaging are not well developed,which is a bottleneck for the application of BP imaging.Here,an analysis of the effect of trajectory errors on the space target imaging using microlocal technology is presented.Our analysis provides an explicit quantitative relationship between the trajectory errors of the space target and the positioning errors in the reconstructed images.The explicit form of the position errors for some typical trajectory errors is also presented.Numerical simulations demonstrate our theoretical findings.The measured position errors obtained from the reconstructed images are consistent with the analytic errors calculated by using the derived formulas.Our results will be used in the development of effective autofocusing methods for BP imaging.

Sparse Bayesian learning in ISAR tomography imaging

Inverse synthetic aperture radar(ISAR) imaging can be regarded as a narrow-band version of the computer aided tomography(CT). The traditional CT imaging algorithms for ISAR, including the polar format algorithm(PFA) and the convolution back projection algorithm(CBP), usually suffer from the problem of the high sidelobe and the low resolution. The ISAR tomography image reconstruction within a sparse Bayesian framework is concerned. Firstly, the sparse ISAR tomography imaging model is established in light of the CT imaging theory. Then, by using the compressed sensing(CS) principle, a high resolution ISAR image can be achieved with limited number of pulses. Since the performance of existing CS-based ISAR imaging algorithms is sensitive to the user parameter, this makes the existing algorithms inconvenient to be used in practice. It is well known that the Bayesian formalism of recover algorithm named sparse Bayesian learning(SBL) acts as an effective tool in regression and classification,which uses an efficient expectation maximization procedure to estimate the necessary parameters, and retains a preferable property of the l0-norm diversity measure. Motivated by that, a fully automated ISAR tomography imaging algorithm based on SBL is proposed.Experimental results based on simulated and electromagnetic(EM) data illustrate the effectiveness and the superiority of the proposed algorithm over the existing algorithms.

Three-dimensional bistatic interferometric ISA Rimaging

An approach based on interferometry technique is proposed for three-dimensional （3D） bistatic inverse synthetic aperture radar （ISAR） imaging. It is converted to a monostatic problem by using the theory that a bistatic radar equals a monostatic radar located on the bisector of bistatic an- gle. Then, interferometric phases extracted from a pair of cross shaped antennas are used to esti- mate the height and associated rotational velocity. Finally, numerical simulations are provided to e- valuate this method.

A modified OMP method for multi-orbit three dimensional ISAR imaging of the space target

The conventional two dimensional(2D)inverse synthetic aperture radar(ISAR)imaging fails to provide the targets'three dimensional(3D)information.In this paper,a 3D ISAR imaging method for the space target is proposed based on mutliorbit observation data and an improved orthogonal matching pursuit(OMP)algorithm.Firstly,the 3D scattered field data is converted into a set of 2D matrix by stacking slices of the 3D data along the elevation direction dimension.Then,an improved OMP algorithm is applied to recover the space target's amplitude information via the 2D matrix data.Finally,scattering centers can be reconstructed with specific three dimensional locations.Numerical simulations are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed 3D imaging method.

SISAR中运动目标全息信号的表示及仿真研究

在运用阴影逆合成孔径雷达(SISAR)对运动目标进行成像和识别研究中,需要得到相关目标的全息信号。该文在分析目标侧影轮廓与其全息信号关系的基础上,导出了一种更具普遍意义的全息信号的表达形式,式中的各组成具有明确的物理含义。为验证其在实际应用中的有效性,以外场试验获得两种目标的全息信号为比较对象,参照外场试验条件进行了仿真。比较结果说明了该仿真方法实际有效。

SISAR中改进的运动目标全息信号表达式及其有效性分析

在阴影逆合成孔径雷达(SISAR)研究中,利用运动目标全息信号的表达式建立了目标全息信号与系统几何参数、目标轮廓与其运动参数间的关系。它是分析SISAR特性及仿真全息信号的重要依据。从分析目标侧影轮廓与其全息信号关系入手,导出了一组更具普遍意义的全息信号的表达形式。与已提供的表达式相比,该表达式中的各组成部分具有明确的物理含义,并且考虑了运动目标相对雷达转角随时间变化的非线性因素的影响,这一点对分析目标的全息信号很重要。通过对一目标的外场实测获得的全息信号与依据关系式仿真得到的全息信号的比较,指出在全息信号表达式中考虑目标相对雷达转角的非线性变化十分必要;频域的分析与进一步比较验证了所给出的全息信号关系式的有效性。

基于天基发射源的SISAR全息信号表示及其成像方法

针对地基双基地前向散射栅栏雷达只能探测低空飞行器且侧影轮廓像不能直接表现目标侧影等问题,提出利用天基发射源组成天基阴影逆合成孔径雷达(shadow inverse synthetic aperture radar,SISAR),分析了天基SISAR在探测高度、探测效果及成像上的优势。在地基SISAR侧影成像原理的基础上,重新定义了坐标系统,推导了天基SISAR下目标全息信号的公式。分析其成像原理,提出在小衍射角条件下,目标顶部轮廓与目标全息信号之间实际上是经过幅度压缩后的傅里叶变换关系。仿真实验证明了目标顶部轮廓与目标全息信号关系的正确性。

双频体制SISAR的成像研究

提出了对SISAR采用双频体制成像的新方法,即发射源发射两种单频信号,一个频率高,一个频率低。在收端,通过对获得的一对复侧影像幅度的联合处理(融合),达到获得不失真的侧影像幅度的目的,且能够恢复目标的实际轮廓。通过成像分析与比较,得到了一些有益的结论。仿真验证了所提方法的可行性。