Registering coherent change detection products associated with large image sets and long capture intervals

• US 8,692,704 B1
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions Of Sandia LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sandia Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Perkins, David Nikolaus, Gonzales, Antonio I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Windrich, Marcus
• Application Number:
  US13/242,569
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 342 25 R- 25 F, 342/191
• US Class Current: 342/25.A
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/9023 combined with interferometric techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/9027 Pattern recognition for feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2955 Means for determining the position of the radar coordinate system for evaluating the position data of the target in another coordinate system G01S7/24 takes precedence; sighting devices adapted for indirect laying of fire F41G3/16; inertial navigation G01C21/16

Abstract

A set of co-registered coherent change detection (CCD) products is produced from a set of temporally separated synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of a target scene. A plurality of transformations are determined, which transformations are respectively for transforming a plurality of the SAR images to a predetermined image coordinate system. The transformations are used to create, from a set of CCD products produced from the set of SAR images, a corresponding set of co-registered CCD products.

Claims

1. A method of producing a set of co-registered coherent change detection (CCD) products using an apparatus configured to perform the method, the method comprising:

providing a set of temporally separated synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of a target scene;

determining a plurality of transformations for respectively transforming a plurality of said SAR images to a predetermined image coordinate system using the apparatus; and

using said transformations to create, from a set of CCD products produced from said set of SAR images, a corresponding set of co-registered CCD products using the apparatus, wherein said using includes applying said plurality of transformations respectively to a plurality of said CCD products, wherein one of said transformations is for transforming the associated SAR image directly to said predetermined image coordinate system, and wherein another of said transformations is a compound transformation for transforming the associated SAR image to a further image coordinate system of a further said SAR image, and further for transforming said further SAR image to said predetermined image coordinate system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said compound transformation is for transforming the associated SAR image to a still further image coordinate system of a still further said SAR image, and further for transforming said still further SAR image to said further image coordinate system.

3. An apparatus for producing a set of co-registered CCD products, the apparatus comprising:

an input for receiving a set of temporally separated SAR images of a target scene;

a SAR image registration unit coupled to said input and configured to determine a plurality of transformations for respectively transforming a plurality of said SAR images to a predetermined image coordinate system; and

a transformation unit coupled to said SAR image registration unit and configured to use said transformations to create, from a set of CCD products produced from said set of SAR images, a corresponding set of co-registered CCD products, wherein said transformation unit is configured to apply said plurality of transformations respectively to a plurality of said CCD products, wherein one of said transformations is for transforming the associated SAR image directly to said predetermined image coordinate system, and wherein another of said transformations is a compound transformation for transforming the associated SAR image to a further image coordinate system of a further said SAR image, and further for transforming said further SAR image to said predetermined image coordinate system.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said compound transformation is for transforming the associated SAR image to a still further image coordinate system of a still further said SAR image, and further for transforming said still further SAR image to said further image coordinate system.

5. A method of producing a set of co-registered coherent change detection (CCD) products using an apparatus configured to perform the method, the method comprising:

providing a set of temporally separated synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of a target scene;

determining a plurality of transformations for respectively transforming a plurality of said SAR images to a predetermined image coordinate system using the apparatus, wherein said predetermined image coordinate system is an image coordinate system of a selected said SAR image, wherein said determining includes registering said plurality of SAR images to said selected SAR image, and wherein said selected SAR image is closest among said set of SAR images to a midpoint of a time interval in which said set of SAR images was captured; and

using said transformations to create, from a set of CCD products produced from said set of SAR images, a corresponding set of co-registered CCD products using the apparatus.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said time interval is six months, and said set of SAR images consists of 350 SAR images.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said using includes applying said plurality of transformations respectively to a plurality of said CCD products.

8. A method of producing a set of co-registered coherent change detection (CCD) products using an apparatus configured to perform the method, the method comprising:

providing a set of temporally separated synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of a target scene;

determining a plurality of transformations for respectively transforming a plurality of said SAR images to a predetermined image coordinate system using the apparatus, wherein said predetermined image coordinate system is an image coordinate system of a selected said SAR image, and wherein said determining includes registering said plurality of SAR images to said selected SAR image; and

using said transformations to create, from a set of CCD products produced from said set of SAR images, a corresponding set of co-registered CCD products using the apparatus, wherein said using includes applying said plurality of transformations respectively to a plurality of said CCD products, wherein one of said transformations is for transforming the associated SAR image directly to said image coordinate system of said selected SAR image, and wherein another of said transformations is a compound transformation for transforming the associated SAR image to a further image coordinate system of a further said SAR image, and further for transforming said further SAR image to said image coordinate system of said selected SAR image.

9. An apparatus for producing a set of co-registered CCD products, the apparatus comprising:

an input for receiving a set of temporally separated SAR images of a target scene;

a SAR image registration unit coupled to said input and configured to determine a plurality of transformations for respectively transforming a plurality of said SAR images to a predetermined image coordinate system, wherein said predetermined image coordinate system is an image coordinate system of a selected said SAR image, wherein said SAR image registration unit is configured to determine said transformations by registering said plurality of SAR images to said selected SAR image, and wherein said selected SAR image is closest among said set of SAR images to a midpoint of a time interval in which said set of SAR images was captured; and

a transformation unit coupled to said SAR image registration unit and configured to use said transformations to create, from a set of CCD products produced from said set of SAR images, a corresponding set of co-registered CCD products.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said time interval is six months, and said set of SAR images consists of 350 SAR images.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said transformation unit is configured to apply said plurality of transformations respectively to a plurality of said CCD products.

12. An apparatus for producing a set of co-registered CCD products, the apparatus comprising:

an input for receiving a set of temporally separated SAR images of a target scene;

a SAR image registration unit coupled to said input and configured to determine a plurality of transformations for respectively transforming a plurality of said SAR images to a predetermined image coordinate system, wherein said predetermined image coordinate system is an image coordinate system of a selected said SAR image, and wherein said SAR image registration unit is configured to determine said transformations by registering said plurality of SAR images to said selected SAR image; and

a transformation unit coupled to said SAR image registration unit and configured to use said transformations to create, from a set of CCD products produced from said set of SAR images, a corresponding set of co-registered CCD products, wherein said transformation unit is configured to apply said plurality of transformations respectively to a plurality of said CCD products, wherein one of said transformations is for transforming the associated SAR image directly to said image coordinate system of said selected SAR image, and wherein another of said transformations is a compound transformation for transforming the associated SAR image to a further image coordinate system of a further said SAR image, and further for transforming said further SAR image to said image coordinate system of said selected SAR image.