Spaceborne Bistatic SAR Processing Using the EETF4 Algorithm

In this letter, the fourth-order extended exact transfer function (EETF4) is adapted for spaceborne bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processing. The problems with high squint and large bistatic Doppler centroid variations are analyzed, and it is shown that if both transmitter and receiver are highly squinted in the same direction, then it may be demanding to achieve perfect quality of the point targets. It is shown that if both transmitter and receiver have high squint in opposite directions with small Doppler centroid variations, then the SAR image can be processed very precisely.     

A Two-Dimensional Spectrum for General Bistatic SAR Processing

This letter derives a 2-D point target spectrum for general bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR). For the bistatic configuration, the contributions of the transmitter and the receiver to the overall instantaneous Doppler are unequal due to the different slant range histories. In this letter, an instantaneous Doppler contribution ratio is proposed to represent the difference between the instantaneous Doppler contributions of the transmitter and the receiver, which varies with instantaneous Doppler and range frequency. Then, the 2-D spectrum is obtained by using the stationary phase principle and Taylor series expansion for general bistatic SAR. The accuracy of the spectrum is verified with a point target simulation of different general bistatic configurations.      

Interpolation-free coregistration and phase-correction of airborne SAR interferograms

This letter discusses the detection and correction of residual motion errors that appear in airborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferograms due to the lack of precision in the navigation system. As it is shown, the effect of this lack of precision is twofold: azimuth registration errors and phase azimuth undulations. Up to now, the correction of the former was carried out by estimating the registration error and interpolating, while the latter was based on the estimation of the phase azimuth undulations to compensate the phase of the computed interferogram. In this letter, a new correction method is proposed, which avoids the interpolation step and corrects at the same time the azimuth phase undulations. Additionally, the spectral diversity technique, used to estimate registration errors, is critically analyzed. Airborne L-band repeat-pass interferometric data of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) experimental airborne SAR is used to validate the method.     

Doppler Keystone Transform: An Approach Suitable for Parallel Implementation of SAR Moving Target Imaging

In this letter, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data reformatting approach named Doppler Keystone transform (DKT) is proposed to correct the range migration of a moving target. By using the DKT, the SAR imaging program, i.e., the 2-D matched filtering, can be transformed into separate 1-D operations along range or azimuth direction, and therefore, the DKT is suitable for the parallel implementation of SAR imaging of the moving target. Our simulations show that by combining the DKT and the Doppler phase compensation methods, the moving target can be well imaged in high signal–clutter-ratio case.      

Precise topography- and aperture-dependent motion compensation for airborne SAR

Efficient synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processing algorithms are unable to exactly implement the aperture- and topography-dependent motion compensation due to the superposition of the synthetic apertures of several targets having different motion errors and potentially different topographic heights. Thus, during motion compensation, a reference level is assumed, resulting in residual phase errors that impact the focusing, geometric fidelity, and phase accuracy of the processed SAR images. This letter proposes a new short fast Fourier transform-based postprocessing methodology capable of efficient and precise compensation of these topography- and aperture-dependent residual phase errors. In addition to wide beamwidth (very high resolution) SAR systems, airborne repeat-pass interferometry especially benefits from this approach, as motion compensation can be significantly improved, especially in areas with high topographic changes. Repeat-pass interferometric data of the E-SAR system of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) are used to demonstrate the performance of the proposed approach.     

A Chirp Transform Algorithm for Processing Squint Mode FMCW SAR Data

Frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a lightweight cost-effective high-resolution airborne imaging radar. In squint case, the frequency scaling algorithm, which is suitable for processing nonchirped raw data, cannot be used directly in FMCW SAR data processing because of low system sampling frequency. On the other hand, the continuous antenna motion of FMCW SAR can cause serious distortions in the reconstructed images. In this letter, an improved algorithm called the chirp transform algorithm is proposed. When the effects of the residual video phase are negligible, the algorithm uses a chirp transform to perform the time scaling operation to alleviate the sampling frequency problem. It requires only fast Fourier transforms and multiplications. The range cell migration introduced by the continuous motion is also compensated completely in range-Doppler domain. The algorithm performances are analyzed and are supported by point target simulation experiments.     

Topography-dependent motion compensation for repeat-pass interferometric SAR systems

This letter presents a new motion compensation algorithm to process airborne interferometric repeat-pass synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. It accommodates topography variations during SAR data processing, using an external digital elevation model. The proposed approach avoids phase artifacts, azimuth coregistration errors, and impulse response degradation, which usually appear due to the assumption of a constant reference height during motion compensation. It accurately modifies phase history of all targets before azimuth compression, resulting in an enhanced image quality. Airborne L-band repeat-pass interferometric data of the German Aerospace Center experimental airborne SAR (E-SAR) is used to validate the algorithm.     

Reduced-Dimensional Processing for Ground Moving Target Detection in Distributed Space-Based Radar

With multisatellite radar systems, several additional features are achieved: multistatic observation, interferometry, ground moving target indication (GMTI). In this letter, a new reduced-dimensional method based on joint pixels sum-difference (Sigma-Delta) data for clutter rejection and GMTI is proposed. The reduced-dimensional joint pixels Sigma-Delta data are obtained by the orthogonal projection of the joint pixels data of different synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images generated by a multisatellite radar system. In the sense of statistic expectation, the joint pixels Sigma-Delta data contain the common and different information among SAR images. Then, the objective of clutter cancellation and GMTI can be achieved by adaptive processing. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method even with clutter fluctuation and image coregistration errors     

A New Look at the Bistatic-to-Monostatic Conversion for Tandem SAR Image Formation

The bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data, which are converted into equivalent monostatic data by proper preprocessing, can be processed by standard monostatic focusing algorithms. The dip moveout (DMO) approach, which is derived from seismic data processing, converts the bistatic data into equivalent monostatic data by a short time-domain Rocca's smile operator. A 2-D exact point-target (PT) reference spectrum is derived in this letter for tandem bistatic configuration. The geometry-based bistatic formulation is shown to be actually equivalent to Rocca's smile operator, although they are derived from the pure SAR and geophysics points of view, respectively. Moreover, the new PT spectrum can be extended to deal with azimuth-invariant bistatic SAR data. Interpretations on the equivalent monostatic range wavenumber are presented in this letter, which help understand the conversion from the radar signal processing viewpoint.      

A Discrete Wavelet Transform Approach to Multiresolution Complex SAR Image Generation

We present a signal processing approach using discrete wavelet transform (DWT) for the generation of complex synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images at an arbitrary number of dyadic scales of resolution. The method is computationally efficient and is free from significant system-imposed limitations present in traditional subaperture-based multiresolution image formation. Problems due to aliasing associated with biorthogonal decomposition of the complex signals are addressed. The lifting scheme of DWT is adapted to handle complex signal approximations and employed to further enhance the computational efficiency. Multiresolution SAR images formed by the proposed method are presented.     

POS与DEM辅助机载SAR多普勒参数估计

由于机载SAR多普勒参数受载机不稳定飞行和复杂地形影响明显,目前仍缺少有效的矢量估计法。本文对POS和DEM数据及其误差对机载多普勒参数的影响进行了分析,以距离-共面方程构建的SAR几何关系为基础,在POS和DEM数据支持下,建立了一种多普勒参数矢量估计法,并通过仿真对提出的方法进行了验证和分析。理论和仿真表明,本文方法在高山地形、不稳飞行及大斜视角等复杂条件下,亦能够为机载SAR瞬时多普勒中心提供高精度估计。     

Unambiguous SAR signal reconstruction from nonuniform displaced phase center sampling

The displaced phase center (DPC) technique will enable a wide-swath synthetic aperture radar (SAR) with high azimuth resolution. In a classic DPC system, the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) has to be chosen such that the SAR carrier moves just one half of its antenna length between subsequent radar pulses. Any deviation from this PRF will result in a nonuniform sampling of the synthetic aperture. This letter derives an innovative reconstruction algorithm and shows that an unambiguous reconstruction of a SAR signal is possible for nonuniform sampling of the synthetic aperture. This algorithm will also have great potential for multistatic satellite constellations as well as the dual receive antenna mode in Radarsat 2 and TerraSAR-X.     

Quartic-Phase Algorithm for Highly Squinted SAR Data Processing

In this letter, an algorithm based on a quartic-phase model is discussed for processing highly squinted synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from a large range swath. In the algorithm, a precise quartic-phase model is adopted to describe a range-dependent property of the SAR signal; a constant factor and a secondary scaling process are introduced to make the algorithm easy to be utilized compared with traditional nonlinear chirp scaling algorithms. The novel algorithm can process SAR data under a squint angle above 50deg and achieve a focus depth over 60 km     

Implementation of SDR Digital Beamformer for Microsatellite SAR

The hardware reconfiguration feature of a software-defined radio (SDR) architecture can support multiple modes of a digital beamformer (DBF) striving for compactness and efficient processing power, which are important issues for microsatellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems. In this letter, based on the SDR architecture, a DBF system, consisting of multiple beam, direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation, and null-steering operation modes, is realized using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) processor. Since the hardware reconfiguration has to be processed with minimal delay, the FPGA hardware must be of modularized design. Different modes can share the common module during mode switching. Experimental results verify the performance of DOA, null steering, and mode switching. The processing time of each DBF mode is less than the cross-range pulse repetition interval of the microsatellite SAR system.     

Modified range-Doppler processing for FM-CW synthetic aperture radar

The combination of compact frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FM-CW) technology and high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processing techniques should pave the way for the development of a lightweight, cost-effective, high-resolution, airborne imaging radar. Regarding FM-CW SAR signal processing, the motion during the transmission of a sweep and the reception of the corresponding echo were expected to be one of the major problems. In FM-CW SAR, the so-called stop-and-go approximation is no longer valid due to the relatively long sweeps that FM-CW radars transmit. The main effect of the continuous motion is a Doppler frequency shift throughout the SAR observation time. This Doppler frequency shift can be compensated for by modifying the range migration compensation.     

A SAR conjugate mirror

A radar transponder was constructed, which modifies the received signal such that its complex conjugate is returned to the radar, qualities of the conjugate mirror used in optics and acoustics. For a monostatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR), a perfect conjugate mirror will reflect a signal back to the radar with no phase shift due to the propagation path. The signal received by the transponder is also decorrelated from other targets, enhancing the transponder signal in the SAR image. This letter describes a transponder operated as a SAR conjugate mirror and an experiment with the European Remote Sensing 1 satellite, demonstrating the feasibility and characteristics. The significance for transponder design is addressed and possible applications discussed.     

机载双基地SAR实测数据成像

建立双基地SAR的单基地等效模型,分析了系统时间同步误差的机理;提出了双基地SAR回波中的直达波数据进行时间同步误差校正的算法;在双基地SAR单站等效模型的基础上,利用时变阶梯变换算法进行成像处理。经过理论分析,实测数据处理验证,这一算法是有效的,能够校正双基地SAR时间同步误差,较好地进行实测数据的成像处理。     

Using Multibaseline InSAR to Recover Layovered Terrain Considering Wideband Array Problem

This letter deals with the problems of retrieving height and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) reflectivity of layovered terrain using multibaseline SAR interferometry (InSAR). In particular, we focus on the wideband array problem caused by practically large InSAR arrays and high-resolution SAR images, i.e., the problem of signal envelope misalignment, which is neglected in the work by Gini We propose two methods to eliminate or mitigate the effect of envelope misalignment, one called the aligning method and the other called the joint range cell processing method. In the aligning method, we align each signal envelope for each searched height of the layovered components (i.e., ground resolution cells with different altitudes) during searching procedure. The joint range cell processing method jointly processes the neighboring cells in range to estimate the parameters of layovered components so that the effect of the envelope misalignment can be mitigated. Theoretical analysis and computer simulation results show that both methods have the ability to provide accurate estimation of the heights and radar reflectivities of multiple layovered resolution cells in the presence of large envelope misalignments.      

BEMD-based two-dimensional SAR autofocus algorithm

The two-dimensional (2D) autofocus algorithm simultaneously compensates both the residual range migration and propagation-induced phase errors. However, the unsuitable selection of prominent points would reduce the performance of autofocus. Bi-dimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) can decompose a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image into some different sub-images corresponding to different frequency components. Using proposed 2D autofocus algorithm along with BEMD would help us in selecting the suitable prominent points and give a considerable improvement in the performance of SAR autofocus. In further support of that conclusion, some simulations using real SAR data are demonstrated.     

一种匹配滤波结合ChirpScalingSAR数字成像处理方法

合成孔径雷达（ＳＡＲ）是一种重要的微波遥感工具。其关键技术是成像处理,即把接收到的雷达信号转换成雷达图像。事实上,合成孔径就是通过成像处理来实现的。该文在总结目前星载ＳＡＲ各种成像处理算法的基础上,提出一种匹配滤波与ＣｈｉｒｐＳｃａｌｉｎｇ相结合的处理方法。处理过程无需插值便可进行距离迁移校正,还可获得好的聚焦与相位保持性能。所得图像质量超过现有的其它ＳＡＲ成像处理方法所得图像质量。