A system model and inversion for synthetic aperture radar imaging

A system model and its corresponding inversion for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging are presented. The system model incorporates the spherical nature of a radar's radiation pattern at far field. The inverse method based on this model performs a spatial Fourier transform (Doppler processing) on the recorded signals with respect to the available coordinates of a translational radar (SAR) or target (inverse SAR). It is shown that the transformed data provide samples of the spatial Fourier transform of the target's reflectivity function. The inverse method can be modified to incorporate deviations of the radar's motion from its prescribed straight line path. The effects of finite aperture on resolution, reconstruction, and sampling constraints for the imaging problem are discussed.     

Bistatic synthetic aperture radar inversion with application indynamic object imaging

An inversion method is presented for bistatic synthetic aperture radar imaging. The method is based on a Fourier analysis (Doppler processing) of the bistatic synthesized array's data followed by a phase modulation analysis of the Doppler data. The approach incorporates the phase information of the wavefront curvature in the transmitted waves as well as the resultant echoed signals. The Doppler data are shown to provide samples of the reflectivity function's spatial Fourier transform within a band that depends upon the bistatic angles and ranges. Associated resolution, reconstruction, and sampling constraints for the imaging problem are discussed. The bistatic SAR inversion is also utilized to formulate an inversion for multistatic measurements made along a physical linear array due to a single transmission to image a dynamic object     

Interferometric synthetic aperture microwave radiometry for theremote sensing of the Earth

Interferometric aperture synthesis is presented as an alternative to real aperture measurements of the Earth's brightness temperature from low Earth orbit. The signal-to-noise performance of a single interferometric measurement is considered, and the noise characteristics of the brightness temperature image produced from the interferometer measurements are discussed. The sampling requirements of the measurements and the resulting effects of the noise in the measurements on the image are described. The specific case of the electronically steered thinned array radiometer (ESTAR) currently under construction is examined. The ESTAR prototype is described in detail sufficient to permit a performance evaluation of its spatial and temperature resolution. Critical aspects of an extension of the ESTAR sensor to a larger spaceborne system are considered. Of particular important are the number and placement of antenna elements in the imaging array     

Efficient ultrasonic synthetic aperture imaging

Synthetic aperture imaging employing a single active array channel in data acquisition, enables low cost systems to be realised, but produces poor image quality. An investigation is presented into a new synthetic aperture system which uses a single active transmit element and two active receive elements to carry out data acquisition. This approach improves the image quality by suppressing the grating and sidelobes, while preserving the simplicity of the front-end hardware     

Airborne synthetic aperture acoustic imaging

This paper presents a system model and inversion for airborne synthetic aperture acoustic (SAA) imaging. The system model accurately represents the intercation of the acoustic source and the target region at near range values. Moreover, the model incorporates the fact that the relative speed of the vehicle's (transmitter/receiver) with respect to the target region is comparable to the acoustic wave propagation speed. The inversion utilizes the principle of spectral decomposition of spherical phase functions to develop a wavefront reconstruction method from SAA data. Processing issues and selection of appropriate acoustic FM-CW sources are discussed. Results are provided that exhibit the superior accuracy of the proposed SAA system model and inversion over their synthetic aperture radar (SAR) counterpart in which the vehicle's speed is assumed to be much smaller than the wave propagation speed     

ASAR-antenna synthetic aperture radar imaging

The antenna synthetic aperture radar (ASAR) imaging concept is introduced. We present the ASAR imaging algorithm to pinpoint the locations of secondary scattering off a platform from antenna radiation data. It is shown that a three-dimensional (3-D) ASAR image of the platform can be formed by inverse Fourier transforming the multifrequency, multiaspect far-field radiation data from an antenna mounted on the platform. This concept is demonstrated using the computed radiation data from the code Apatch, which employs the shooting and bouncing ray (SBR) technique. Furthermore, we develop a fast ASAR algorithm specially tailored for the SBR approach. By taking advantage of the ray tracing information within the SBR engine, we demonstrate that the fast approach can result in the same quality of image as the frequency-aspect algorithm at only a fraction of the computation time     

合成孔径成像激光雷达旋转目标成像

合成孔径成像激光雷达是一种新的主动式有源成像系统,它的一个突出优势是可以获得比合成孔径雷达更高的分辨率,和更接近光学图片的效果.首先,概述了理想情况下旋转目标成像的基本原理,分析了合成孔径成像激光雷达的二维分辨率.然后,针对合成孔径成像激光雷达实验中遇到的实际问题,即不能实现理想转台,会引入平动使包络相位无法对齐,进而影响成像质量,甚至无法成像.给出包络对齐和初相校正的平动补偿方法.包络对齐利用脉冲之间的相关性进行对齐;初相校正以转台模型的理想转台中心的相位为基准实现相位的对齐.最后.给出实验系统框图、工作模式、实验参数设计和最终成像效果图,对比了包络对齐和初相校正的结果,验证了系统的有效性和平动补偿的必要性.     

Sun effects in 2-D aperture synthesis radiometry imaging and their cancelation

The Microwave Imaging Radiometer by Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS) is the single payload of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) Earth Explorer Opportunity mission. MIRAS will be the first two-dimensional aperture synthesis radiometer for Earth observation. Two-dimensional aperture synthesis radiometers can generate brightness temperature images by a Fourier synthesis process without mechanical antenna steering. To do so and have the necessary wide swath for Earth observation, the array is formed by small and low directive antennas, which do not attenuate enough bright noise sources that may interfere with the measurements. This study analyzes the impact of the radio-frequency emission from the Sun in the SMOS mission, reviews the basic image reconstruction algorithms, and proposes a technique to minimize Sun effects.     

多视角聚束合成孔径雷达成像

在介绍聚束合成孔径雷达高分辨率成像机理、其获得更高分辨率的难点所在、以及空间分辨率与观测空间频谱关系原理的基础上,提出利用多视角观测增加对目标的观测角,从而增加目标观测的空间频率范围,进而提高空间分辨率的思想.通过对每一视角观测采用波数域成像算法获得每次观测的频谱,利用空间频谱与空间域的对应关系进行频谱融合,对融合后的频谱进行逆傅立叶变换获得方位向分辨率提高的图像.计算机模拟验证了多视角聚束合成孔径雷达成像提高成像分辨率的有效性.     

Experimenttation system of synthetic aperture imaging lidar

Synthetic aperture imaging lidar is an active new imaging system, which can offer a finer azimuth resolution than the SAR system. An indoor system of synthetic aperture imaging lidar is given, which is a demonstration about synthetic aperture to image rotating objects. Firstly, the basic principle is introduced. Then, the basic method and key techniques are analyzed. After that an improved system is given with the transmitting and the receiving lens apart from each other which can eliminate the interference...     

Wideband synthetic aperture beamforming for through-the-wall imaging

Through-the-wall radar imaging (TWRI) and sensing is emerging as an important area of research and development. A TWRI system provides enhanced situational awareness in operational environments for a variety of civilian and military applications. In particular, a TWRI system facilitates realtime information gathering and intelligent decision-making about the contents of the indoor scene. Compared to other radar applications, TWRI faces unique challenges due to signal propagation through walls. The composition and thickness of the wall, its dielectric constant, and the angle of incidence affect the strength and characteristics of the propagating signal. The change in propagation speed and wave refraction must be taken into account for effective and accurate imaging. In this article, we present a synthetic aperture beamforming approach that uses ray perturbation theory to account for the effects of transmission through a single uniform wall.     

Estimation of velocity vectors in synthetic aperture ultrasound imaging

A method for determining both velocity magnitude and angle in a synthetic aperture ultrasound system is described. The approach uses directional beamforming along the flow direction and cross correlation to determine velocity magnitude. The angle of the flow is determined from the maximum normalized correlation calculated as a function of angle. This assumes the flow direction is within the imaging plane. Simulations of the angle estimation method show both biases and standard deviations of the flow angle estimates below 3 degrees for flow angles from 20 degrees to 90 degrees (transverse flow). The method is also investigated using data measured by an experimental ultrasound scanner from a flow rig. A commercial 128 element 7-MHz linear array transducer is used, and data are measured for flow angles of 60 degrees and 90 degrees . Data are acquired using the RASMUS experimental ultrasound scanner, which samples 64 channels simultaneously. A 20-micros chirp was used during emission and eight virtual transmit sources were created behind the transducer using 11 transmitting elements. Data from the eight transmissions are beamformed and coherently summed to create high-resolution lines at different angles for a set of points within the region of flow. The velocity magnitude is determined with a precision of 0.36% (60 degrees) and 1.2% (90 degrees), respectively. The 60 degrees angle is estimated with a bias of 0.54 degrees and a standard deviation of 2.1 degrees. For 90 degrees the bias is 0.0003 degrees and standard deviation 1.32 degrees. A parameter study with regard to correlation length and number of emissions is performed to reveal the accuracy of the method. Real time data covering 2.2 s of the carotid artery of a healthy 30-year-old male volunteer is acquired and then processed offline using a computer cluster. The direction of flow is estimated using the above mentioned method. It is compared to the flow angle of 106 degrees with respect to the axial direction, determined visually from the B-mode image. For a point in the center of the common carotid artery, 76% of the flow angle estimates over the 2.2 s were within 10 degrees of the visually determined flow angle. The standard deviation of these estimates was below 2.7 degrees. Full color flow maps from different parts of the cardiac cycle are presented, including vector arrows indicating both estimated flow direction and velocity magnitude.     

一种改善SAR对舰船目标成像质量的新方法研究

常规合成孔径雷达(SAR)成像技术适用于静止场景目标成像,在对海上舰船等运动目标成像时,由于目标存在自身转动分量,使得积累时间内回波多普勒频率不为常数,导致常规成像处理后,目标出现散焦、分辨力下降的现象.通过分析存在平动、转动分量目标回波的多普勒频率特征,可以把SAR对舰船目标成像问题转化为稀疏信号表示问题,利用信号重构回波散射系数实现二维成像.将基于贝叶斯学习的稀疏信号表示用在SAR对舰船目标成像上,采用该方法处理实测数据可获得较清晰的目标像,通过与传统方法的比较验证了该方法的有效性.     

月面成像合成孔径激光雷达性能分析

合成孔径激光雷达（SAL）是一种高分辨率的主动式成像雷达,具有全天时、作用距离远的特点。以嫦娥一号绕月卫星平台为例,分析了基于月面成像的合成孔径雷达的若干问题。首先,详细推导了光外差探测信号的复数表达形式。然后,在光子受限状态下,运用统计光学原理,分析了探测信号的统计特性和信噪比。最后,基于绕月卫星平台,推导了SAL 系统的相关参数和探测器获得的单个像元光子数,论证了该系统在理论上的可行性。     

天基合成孔径激光雷达成像参数分析

由于空间中没有大气，不存在大气湍流和大气衰减等问题，因此，相对于地基和机载合成孔径激光雷达（SAL），天基SAL有更好的应用前景。为验证中高低轨卫星间SAL成像的可行性，本文中建立了天基SAL成像模型，推导了星对星成像的相干积累时间和脉冲重复频率等参数。利用二体运动轨道外推法，建立了卫星轨道模型。并根据雷达天线波束宽度的限制，计算了激光雷达的收发天线方向图，提出利用目标增益曲线的3 dB波束宽度，获得最大合成孔径时间的方法。最后，通过仿真建立了六种天基SAL应用方式，并分析了不同应用方式下的成像参数，验证了天基SAL成像的可行性。本文的研究为天基SAL成像算法的研究奠定了基础。     

距离向多孔径接收宽测绘带SAR三种成像算法比较

文章扼要阐述了距离向多孔径接收宽测绘带合成孔径雷达(multi-aperture wide-swath Synthetic Aperture Radar, MAWS-SAR)的基本原理,比较了三种距离向多孔径接收宽测绘带SAR的成像算法A、B、C.算法A是先从混叠信号中分离出每个子测绘带各自的回波信号,再作距离向压缩;算法B是先作距离向压缩,再分离出每个子测绘带各自的回波信号;算法C与算法A基本相似,只是分离信号时用了特别定义的权矩阵.文章对这三种成像算法进行了具体研究,并进而得到了一些结论.     

逆合成孔径成像激光雷达微多普勒特征分析

逆合成孔径成像激光雷达是一种结合将激光信号和逆合成孔径原理相结合的新体制雷达,能实现对运动目标的超高分辨成像,为提取目标的精细微动特征提供了新的途径。研究了基于逆合成孔径成像激光雷达的目标振动微多普勒特征,分析了目标运动时激光信号的高载频和大带宽对目标微多普勒特征的影响,并通过仿真实验对基于逆合成孔径成像激光雷达的目标微多普勒特征和基于微波波段逆合成孔径雷达的目标微多普勒特征进行了比较,证明了逆合成孔径成像激光雷达能够提供足够的分辨率来分析微小目标微动部件带来的多普勒效应。     

逆合成孔径成像激光雷达微多普勒特征分析

逆合成孔径成像激光雷达是一种结合将激光信号和逆合成孔径原理相结合的新体制雷达,能实现对运动目标的超高分辨成像,为提取目标的精细微动特征提供了新的途径。研究了基于逆合成孔径成像激光雷达的目标振动微多普勒特征,分析了目标运动时激光信号的高载频和大带宽对目标微多普勒特征的影响,并通过仿真实验对基于逆合成孔径成像激光雷达的目标微多普勒特征和基于微波波段逆合成孔径雷达的目标微多普勒特征进行了比较,证明了逆合成孔径成像激光雷达能够提供足够的分辨率来分析微小目标微动部件带来的多普勒效应。     

Real-time synthetic aperture sonar imaging using a parallelarchitecture

This paper describes a parallel architecture that has been developed to perform real-time synthetic aperture sonar imaging as part of the Acoustical Imaging Development (ACID) project. The project has successfully developed a synthetic aperture sonar system for producing high resolution images of the sea floor and that has been tested during a series of sea trials in May 1993 off the south coast of France. This paper describes the synthetic aperture processing system developed by the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and its use of transputer modules and associated devices in order to obtain real-time imaging performance, the software structure of the processing system and the load balancing techniques that have been developed in order to provide efficient processing. The use of a parallel distributed architecture has also allowed a processing system that can readily be extended to deliver greater computational power in the future. Images produced by the synthetic aperture processor from data collected from around the Toulon coastal region are presented. These images highlight the improvement in azimuth resolution that can be obtained from synthetic aperture processing over conventional sidescan sonars.     

Multielement synthetic transmit aperture imaging using temporal encoding

A new method to increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of synthetic transmit aperture imaging is investigated. The approach utilizes multiple elements to emulate a spherical wave, and the conventional short excitation pulse is replaced by a linear frequency-modulated (FM) signal. The approach is evaluated in terms of image quality parameters in comparison to linear array imaging. Field II simulations using an 8.5-MHz linear array transducer with 128 elements show an improvement in lateral resolution of up to 30% and up to 10.75% improvement in contrast resolution for the new approach. Measurements are performed using our experimental multichannel ultrasound scanning system, RASMUS. The designed linear FM signal obtains temporal sidelobes below -55 dB, and SNR investigations show improvements of 4-12 dB. A 30 mm (approximately 45%) increase in penetration depth is obtained on a multitarget phantom with 0.5 dB/[cm MHz] attenuation. Furthermore, in vivo images of the abdomen are presented, which demonstrate the clinical application of the new approach.