Ground Moving Target 2-D Velocity Estimation and Refocusing for Multichannel Maneuvering SAR with Fixed Acceleration

Area of Science:

• Remote Sensing
• Signal Processing
• Radar Imaging

Background:

• Multichannel maneuvering synthetic aperture radar (SAR) faces challenges in ground moving target 2D velocity estimation and refocusing.
• Accurate estimation and refocusing are crucial for analyzing dynamic scenes with SAR.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel method for 2D velocity estimation and refocusing of ground moving targets using multichannel maneuvering SAR.
• To address the limitations of existing methods in handling complex target motion and clutter.

Main Methods:

• A hybrid approach combining back projection (BP) and velocity SAR (VSAR) processing.
• Static scene reconstruction using BP, followed by VSAR for range velocity estimation and clutter suppression.
• A velocity-aided BP (VA-BP) and VSAR method for azimuth velocity estimation and refocusing through subimage analysis and minimum entropy criteria.

Main Results:

• The proposed method successfully reconstructs static scenes and suppresses clutter.
• Accurate estimation of range velocity is achieved via VSAR processing.
• High-accuracy 2D velocity estimation and refocusing for moving targets demonstrated, with an absolute error below 0.1 m/s.

Conclusions:

• The novel BP and VSAR-based method effectively overcomes the challenges in multichannel maneuvering SAR for moving target analysis.
• The technique provides accurate 2D velocity estimation and refocusing, enhancing SAR capabilities for dynamic environments.