System, method and computer program product for detecting and tracking a moving ground target having a single phase center antenna

• US 20050280571A1
• Filed: 06/17/2004
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Abatzoglou, Theagenis J., Alber, Irwin E., Romberg, Harland F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,212,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/25.00B
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/9029 specially adapted for moving target detection within a single SAR image or within multiple SAR images taken at the same time

Abstract

A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system having a single phase center antenna is provided, the SAR system including a measurement unit and a tracker unit. The measurement unit is capable of receiving a phase history of a target point scatterer. From the phase history, then, the measurement unit is capable of estimating a ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target to thereby detect the target. The tracker unit, in turn, is capable of updating the ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target to thereby track the target based upon the ground position, velocity and acceleration. In this regard, the tracker unit is capable of updating the ground position, velocity and acceleration using a Kalman filter.

Claims

1. A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system having a single phase center antenna, the system comprising:

a measurement unit capable of receiving a phase history of a target point scatterer, wherein the measurement unit is capable of estimating a ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target based upon the phase history, the measurement unit being capable of estimating the ground position, velocity and acceleration to thereby detect the target; and

a tracker unit capable of updating the range, radial velocity and acceleration of the target to thereby track the target based upon the estimated ground position, velocity and acceleration, the tracker unit being capable of updating the ground position, velocity and acceleration using a Kalman filter.

2. A SAR system according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit is capable of estimating the ground position, velocity and acceleration in accordance with a least squares estimation technique.

3. A SAR system according to claim 2, wherein the measurement unit is capable of receiving a total radar return comprising the phase history and ground clutter, and wherein the measurement unit is capable of estimating the ground position, velocity and acceleration in accordance with a maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) technique when the ground clutter is uniform.

4. A SAR system according to claim 3, wherein the measurement unit is capable of performing a coarse search, and thereafter performing a fine search, to estimate the ground position, velocity and acceleration.

5. A SAR system according to claim 4, wherein the measurement unit is capable of performing the coarse search in accordance with a Keystone technique, and performing the fine search in accordance with Newton'"'"'s method for finding the zero of a function of a plurality of variables.

6. A SAR system according to claim 1 further comprising:

a moving target imaging unit capable of obtaining data representative of a SAR image of the moving target based upon the updated ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target.

7. A SAR system according to claim 6, wherein the moving target imaging unit is capable of motion compensating to the phase history of the target point scatterer, polar formatting the motion compensated phase history, and thereafter two-dimensional Fourier transforming the polar-formatted motion compensated phase history to thereby obtain the data representative of the SAR image.

8. A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system having a single phase center antenna, the system comprising:

a processing element capable of receiving a phase history of a target point scatterer, and thereafter estimating a ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target based upon the phase history to thereby detect the target, wherein the processing element is also capable of updating the ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target to thereby track the target based upon the estimated ground position, velocity and acceleration, the processing element being capable of updating the ground position, velocity and acceleration using a Kalman filter.

9. A SAR system according to claim 8, wherein the processing element is capable of estimating the ground position, velocity and acceleration in accordance with a least squares estimation technique.

10. A SAR system according to claim 9, wherein the processing element is capable of receiving a total radar return comprising the phase history and ground clutter, and wherein the processing element is capable of estimating the ground position, velocity and acceleration in accordance with a maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) technique when the ground clutter is uniform.

11. A SAR system according to claim 10, wherein the processing element is capable of performing a coarse search, and thereafter performing a fine search, to estimate the ground position, velocity and acceleration.

12. A SAR system according to claim 11, wherein the processing element is capable of performing the coarse search in accordance with a Keystone technique, and performing the fine search in accordance with Newton'"'"'s method for finding the zero of a function of a plurality of variables.

13. A SAR system according to claim 8, wherein the processing element is further capable of obtaining data representative of a SAR image of the moving target based upon the updated ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target.

14. A SAR system according to claim 13, wherein the processing element is capable of obtaining data representative of the SAR image by motion compensating to the phase history of the target point scatterer, polar formatting the motion compensated phase history, and thereafter two-dimensional Fourier transforming the polar-formatted motion compensated phase history.

15. A method comprising:

receiving a phase history of a target point scatterer, the phase history received from a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system having a single phase center antenna;

estimating a ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target based upon the phase history, the ground position, velocity and acceleration being estimated to thereby detect the target; and

updating the ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target to thereby track the target based upon the estimated ground position, velocity and acceleration, the ground position, velocity and acceleration being updated using a Kalman filter.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein estimating a ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target comprises estimating a ground position, velocity and acceleration in accordance with a least squares estimation technique.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein receiving a phase history comprises receiving a total radar return comprising the phase history and ground clutter, and

wherein estimating a ground position, velocity and acceleration in accordance with a least squares estimation technique comprises estimating a ground position, velocity and acceleration in accordance with a maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) technique when the ground clutter is uniform.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein estimating a ground position, velocity and acceleration in accordance with a MLE technique comprises performing a coarse search, and thereafter performing a fine search, to estimate the ground position, velocity and acceleration.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein performing a coarse search comprises performing a coarse search in accordance with a Keystone technique, and

wherein performing a fine search comprises performing a fine search in accordance with Newton'"'"'s method for finding the zero of a function of a plurality of variables.

20. A method according to claim 15 further comprising:

obtaining data representative of a SAR image of the moving target based upon the updated ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein obtaining data representative of a SAR image comprises:

motion compensating to the phase history of the target point scatterer;

polar formatting the motion compensated phase history; and

two-dimensional Fourier transforming the polar-formatted motion compensated phase history to thereby obtain the data representative of the SAR image.

22. A computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program portions stored therein, the computer-readable program portions comprising:

a first executable portion for receiving a phase history of a target point scatterer, the first executable portion being adapted to receive the phase history from a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system having a single phase center antenna;

a second executable portion for estimating a ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target based upon the phase history, the second executable portion being adapted to estimate the ground position, velocity and acceleration to thereby detect the target; and

a third executable portion for updating the ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target to thereby track the target based upon the estimated ground position, velocity and acceleration, the third executable portion being adapted to update the ground position, velocity and acceleration using a Kalman filter.

23. A computer program product according to claim 22, wherein the second executable portion is adapted to estimate the ground position, velocity and acceleration in accordance with a least squares estimation technique.

24. A computer program product according to claim 23, wherein the first executable portion is adapted to receive a total radar return comprising the phase history and ground clutter, and

wherein the second executable portion is adapted to estimate the ground position, velocity and acceleration in accordance with a maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) technique when the ground clutter is uniform.

25. A computer program product according to claim 24, wherein the second executable portion is adapted to perform a coarse search, and thereafter performing a fine search, to estimate the ground position, velocity and acceleration.

26. A computer program product according to claim 25, wherein the second executable portion is adapted to perform the coarse search in accordance with a Keystone technique, and perform the fine search in accordance with Newton'"'"'s method for finding the zero of a function of a plurality of variables.

27. A computer program product according to claim 22 further comprising:

a fourth executable portion for obtaining data representative of a SAR image of the moving target based upon the updated ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target.

28. A computer program product according to claim 27, wherein the fourth executable portion is adapted to motion compensate to the phase history of the target point scatterer, polar format the motion compensated phase history, and thereafter two-dimensional Fourier transform the polar-formatted motion compensated phase history to thereby obtain the data representative of the SAR image.