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.     

联合SAR相位和振幅信息校正电离层延迟相位

电离层延迟是合成孔径雷达差分干涉测量(DInSAR)的误差源之一,对长波段SAR数据影响尤为严重。文中提出联合SAR相位和振幅信息精确测量方位向偏移,并基于方位向偏移构建模型校正DInSAR电离层延迟相位。选取覆盖2008年汶川地震的ALOS PALSAR(轨道号471)同震干涉对为实验数据,进行电离层延迟校正实验和精度分析。结果表明,实验同震干涉对中电离层贡献相位达17rad,对应约32cm的视线向形变误差,经过校正后地震远场形变均方根减小59%。对比传统方法校正结果,所提方法可有效提高电离层延迟相位校正精度。     

机载双天线InSAR复图像自动配准研究

干涉雷达复图像之间的精确配准是提高雷达干涉测量精度的关键之一。对于机载双天线干涉雷达系统,精确的地形高程测量需要精确的干涉相位来保证,从而要求干涉复图像在亚像元级的精确配准。为了使两幅机载双天线InSAR复图像之间配准精度达到亚像元级以及提高运算效率,在分析前人算法的基础上,分别采用基于快速傅里叶变换(FFT)复相关精配准算法以及基于过采样图像的精配准方法对机载双天线InSAR复图像进行精配准试验和比较,生成了干涉条纹图,并进行了相干性分析。试验结果表明,机载双天线复图像相干性很高、偏移量较小;对于机载双天线复数据而言,这两种方法都可以有效地实现复图像数据的高精度配准,但是从配准精度以及算法运行时间来看,基于FFT的复相关精配准算法较优,运算效率更高,且更具实用性。     

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.     

Remarks on correcting ionospheric distortions in L-band radar interferometry

The L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry (InSAR) technique has a lower accuracy due to ionospheric phase distortions. Recently, a multiple-aperture interferometry (MAI)-based ionospheric correction method has been proposed. Using four types of ionosphere-distorted interferograms, the performance of the correction method was evaluated and then analyzed the feasibility of the correction method. The test interferograms contained severe azimuth streaking, low-frequency ionospheric phase distortion and drastic phase change due to the ionosphere. The results showed that (i) the existence and magnitude of ionospheric phase distortions can be recognized from MAI interferograms and (ii) the MAI-based ionospheric correction method efficiently reduced severe azimuth streaking and low-frequency distortion but did not mitigate the drastic phase change perfectly. It is allowed (i) to determine whether a given SAR interferogram has an ionospheric distortion and (ii) to predict whether the ionospheric distortion can be corrected by using the MAI-based ionospheric correction method.     

多基线层析SAR技术的研究现状分析

层析SAR技术是在干涉SAR （InSAR）基础上发展起来的一种信息反演技术。层析SAR技术弥补了传统InSAR技术在高程向上分辨能力缺失的不足,真正实现了距离向-方位向-高程向的三维成像。本文介绍了层析SAR成像的原理,讨论了成像过程中复图像配准、去斜、相位误差补偿及高程向成像等问题,总结了层析SAR成像的三类算法,分析了层析SAR技术在各领域的应用情况,最后指出了层析SAR成像技术目前存在的问题,并对未来层析SAR技术的发展趋势做出了展望。     

Total zero Doppler Steering-a new method for minimizing the Doppler centroid

This letter presents a new method, called total Zero Doppler steering, to perform yaw and pitch steering for spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems. The new method reduces the Doppler centroid to theoretically 0 Hz, independent of the range position of interest. Residual errors are only due to pointing inaccuracy or due to approximations in the implementation of the total zero Doppler steering law. This letter compares the new method with currently applied methods. The attitude angles and the residual Doppler centroid frequencies are calculated and depicted exemplarily for the parameters of TerraSAR-X, for which the new method will be implemented and used. The new method provides a number of advantages. The low residual Doppler centroid and the reduced variation of the Doppler centroid over range allow a more accurate Doppler centroid estimation. Due to the low residual Doppler centroid, the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processing can be alleviated, since the range cell migration is reduced and the Doppler frequencies are low. This facilitates the use of very efficient processing algorithms, which are based on approximations whose quality is better for low Doppler frequencies. The new method will furthermore optimize the overlap of the azimuth spectra of SAR image pairs for cross-track interferometry. Low Doppler centroids will also reduce the impact of coregistration errors on the interferometric phase. Furthermore, scalloping corrections in the ScanSAR processing are alleviated due to the low variation of the Doppler centroid over range.     

基于最小二乘平差的全极化SAR配准偏移量估计方法

全极化合成孔径雷达影像(PolSAR)相对单极化SAR影像有更加丰富的地表信息。为了提高SAR影像偏移量跟踪技术估算偏移量的精度,提出一种基于最小二乘平差法的全极化SAR数据偏移量估计方法。首先利用全极化SAR不同极化通道数据估算偏移量得到多个观测值,然后通过最小二乘平差法对多余观测值循环剔除粗差得到最优偏移量。文中选取美国科罗拉多州湖城(Lake city)区域的两景JPL无人机UAVSAR全极化SAR影像进行实验,结果表明,文中新方法具有良好的粗差探测和去除功能,相对于已有研究结果,在方位向和距离向的偏移量估算精度都有明显提高,达到15%~25%。新方法提高了偏移量跟踪估算偏移量的精度,这对利用偏移量跟踪技术监测滑坡、地震及冰川等有重要的意义。     

Unambiguous Reconstruction and High-Resolution Imaging for Multiple-Channel SAR and Airborne Experiment Results

Azimuth ambiguity occurs in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems due to the well-known constraint of minimum antenna area, particularly at high resolutions and wide swaths. A space time domain method can be utilized to remove this ambiguity if the multiple-channel data are available. In this letter, a modified approach is presented to determine the filter weight vectors. This approach was successfully applied to the real data, which were collected by an experimental airborne multiple-channel SAR system. The channel imbalance and the error in antenna phase center position are analyzed in detail.     

几何失真对SAR图像匹配的影响及校正方法分析

合成孔径雷达SAR用于图像匹配导航系统,可大大提高导航精度。然而地形起伏和大气干扰等因素使得SAR实时图存在几何失真,降低了匹配性能。通过对SAR实时图几何失真成因分析,提出了一种二维可分离的几何校正方法,并得出方位向几何失真可跟随成像处理预先校正,图像后处理只需校正距离向。利用数字高程模型DEM和正射图模拟得到了3幅具有不同地形特征的SAR实时图,并分别利用3种几何校正方法对其进行统计实验,得到了不同地形SAR实时图几何校正方法选取的准则。     

DEM Generation Combining SAR Polarimetry and Shape-From-Shading Techniques

Estimation of the polarization orientation angle shifts induced by terrain azimuth slope variations is a recently developed application in radar polarimetry. In general, without any prior knowledge on the terrain, two polarimetric SAR (POLSAR) flight passes are required to derive terrain slopes in perpendicular directions for digital elevation model (DEM) generation. Moreover, we note that SAR intensity is a strong indicator of the range component of the terrain slopes. In this letter, we developed a method for DEM generation requiring only one POLSAR flight pass, by combining orientation angle estimation and a shape-from-shading technique. In particular, when limited POLSAR data are available, this POLSAR technique provides an alternative way for DEM generation. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA/JPL) AIRSAR L-band POLSAR data over Camp Roberts, California, is used to demonstrate the results of the method proposed in this letter, and a DEM derived from simultaneously measured C-band interferometric SAR from NASA/JPL topographic SAR instrument is selected as the comparative ground truth to validate the effectiveness of this single POLSAR method. Analyses and discussions are also included in this letter.     

一种针对机载重轨干涉SAR数据的配准方法

配准作为干涉处理过程中的重要一步,其精度直接影响后续的处理。机载重复轨道干涉数据,由于飞行的姿态不一致,导致影像间产生较大的相对变形,常规的方法无法对整幅影像进行配准。本文结合SIFT匹配算法的稳健性和解析搜索配准算法高精度的优点,利用飞行轨道间的关系和统计分析剔除错误的匹配,提出了一种针对机载重复轨道干涉数据的配准方法,有效解决了机载重复轨道干涉数据的配准问题。首先利用SIFT匹配算法提取一定数量的匹配点,然后利用飞行轨道之间的关系和对匹配点偏移量的统计分析,剔除误匹配的点,完成粗配准,最后使用解析搜索算法完成精配准。本文利用国产CASMSAR系统获取的机载P波段重复轨道干涉数据进行实验,取得了良好的效果。     

Generation of wide-swath and high-resolution SAR images from multichannel small spaceborne SAR systems

Future spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems will be required to produce high-resolution imagery over a wide area of surveillance. However, the minimum antenna area constraint makes it a contradiction to simultaneously obtain both unambiguous wide-area and high azimuth resolution. To overcome this limitation, a technique has been suggested that combines a broad illumination source with multiple receiving channels. Then, the coherent combination of the recorded multichannel signals will allow for the unambiguous SAR mapping of a wide ground area with fine azimuth resolution. This letter first gives an overview of current research work carried out about the generation of wide-swath and high-resolution SAR images from multichannel small spaceborne SAR systems, and then a space-time adaptive processing (STAP) approach combined with conventional SAR imaging algorithms is presented, which could be of help to overcome the existing difficulties in data processing. The main idea of the approach is to use a STAP-based method to properly overcome the aliasing affect caused by the lower pulse repetition frequency and thereby retrieve the unambiguous azimuth wide (full) spectrum signal from the received signal. Following this operation, conventional SAR data processing tools can be applied to fully focus the SAR images. The performance of the approach is also discussed in this letter. The approach has the advantages of simplicity, robustness, and high efficiency.     

基于空间约束和结构特征的光学与SAR影像配准

针对光学和合成孔径雷达(synthetic aperture radar,SAR)影像间的几何形变和辐射差异造成的配准困难问题,提出一种基于空间几何约束和结构特征的光学影像与SAR影像自动配准方法.首先,利用分块的Harris算子在输入影像上提取分布均匀的特征点,根据有理函数模型对输入影像进行局部几何纠正,实现输入影像...     

机载SAR影像主动定位的数学模型研究

本文基于差分GPS(Differential Global Positioning System,DGPS)和惯性导航系统(Inertial Navigation System,INS)数据,在无控制点的情况下,导出了一种进行机载SAR影像主动定位的数学模型。此模型包括DGPS/INS数据进行坐标系转换、天线动态偏心改正、雷达天线相位中心插值和距离-多普勒(Range-Doppler,R-D)模型及解算。根据距离-多普勒(Range-Doppler,R-D)模型和数字高程模型(Digital Elevation Model,DEM)数据,获得机载SAR影像上每点所对应的地理坐标,重采样生成正射影像图。本文通过成都测区1m分辨率的机载SAR影像主动定位试验,验证了此数学模型的正确性,分析了主要系统误差源及系统误差的改正方法。     

Modeling and sensitivity analysis of navigation parameter errors for airborne synthetic aperture radar stereo geolocation

For the high-resolution airborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) stereo geolocation application, the final geolocation accuracy is influenced by various error parameter sources. In this paper, an airborne SAR stereo geolocation parameter error model, involving the parameter errors derived from the navigation system on the flight platform, has been put forward. Moreover, a kind of near-direct method for modeling and sensitivity analysis of navigation parameter errors is also given. This method directly uses the ground reference to calculate the covariance matrix relationship between the parameter errors and the eventual geolocation errors for ground target points. In addition, utilizing true flight track parameters’ errors, this paper gave a verification of the method and a corresponding sensitivity analysis for airborne SAR stereo geolocation model and proved its efficiency.     

Modeling and sensitivity analysis of navigation parameter errors for airborne synthetic aperture radar stereo geolocation

For the high-resolution airborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) stereo geolocation application, the final geolocation accuracy is influenced by various error parameter sources. In this paper, an airborne SAR stereo geolocation parameter error model, involving the parameter errors derived from the navigation system on the flight platform, has been put forward. Moreover, a kind of near-direct method for modeling and sensitivity analysis of navigation parameter errors is also given. This method directly uses the ground reference to calculate the covariance matrix relationship between the parameter errors and the eventual geolocation errors for ground target points. In addition, utilizing true flight track parameters’ errors, this paper gave a verification of the method and a corresponding sensitivity analysis for airborne SAR stereo geolocation model and proved its efficiency.     

Improving the image quality of spaceborne multiple-aperture SAR under minimization of sidelobe clutter and noise

As we know, a multiple-aperture radar carried by a group of formation-flying satellites can be used to improve the coverage and azimuth resolution of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) simultaneously. However, in the case of the reconstruction of azimuth signal from a periodic nonuniform sampling sequence, the sidelobe clutter and noise may be amplified by tens of decibels in some cases, which makes the final SAR image blurry. In this letter, we present the analytical result of the amplification factor of sidelobe clutter and noise for the evaluation of the reconstruction performance. According to the result, we propose a method to reduce the sidelobe clutter and noise, which considerably improves the quality of SAR image. Computer simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the method.     

机载InSAR系统精度分析

结合SAR成像原理,在提出了基于DGPS/IMU数据的机载InSAR系统DEM三维坐标求解的基础上,推导出了基线长度、基线倾角、相位差、雷达天线到地面目标点的距离、雷达天线位置、中心多普勒频率及飞机飞行速度等因素误差对DEM精度的影响公式,分析讨论了机载InSAR系统影响精度的主要因素及系统可实现的性能情况,提出了机载InSAR系统部分设计建议,并使用实际的机载InSAR数据进行了试验。结果表明,本方法结果与实际试验统计的精度基本一致,影响精度的分析结论正确。     

一种模拟纠正影像的SAR立体影像匹配方法

针对常规SAR影像匹配方法在地形起伏较大区域无法获取理想的SAR立体影像匹配结果的问题,该文提出了一种基于模拟纠正影像的SAR立体影像匹配方法。利用观测区域粗分辨率DEM进行SAR影像模拟,进而获取几何纠正SAR影像,在几何纠正SAR影像上实现影像匹配,等效于常规基于灰度影像匹配中进行的影像粗配准工作,并且相比于常规粗配准,该等效粗配准过程能够均衡地顾及到整幅影像的像元,最终实现了地形起伏较大区域的高精度SAR立体影像匹配。采用COSMO-Skyped影像数据进行了实验,实验结果表明,匹配精度达到了3个像素左右,比常规的基于灰度影像匹配方法有较大提高,能够有效解决地形起伏较大区域SAR立体影像匹配问题。