Backprojection Imaging of Moving Objects

A backprojection-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processing approach for fast and accurate imaging of moving objects and stationary background is proposed. This divide-and-conquer backprojection approach allows for efficient detection of moving objects, estimation of their positions and velocities, and overlaying their focused images over the stationary background. Two algorithms are presented to exploit the tradeoff between the complexity and performance. The full 4-D phase space imaging algorithm provides the optimal performance under low signal-to-clutter conditions, while the adaptive detection and imaging leads to reduced complexity in more favorable scenarios. We show that in a single-channel SAR the conventional straight-line data collection path does not resolve the target's velocity, therefore a curved path is assumed in the formulation and numerical examples.

Automated summary

The proposed backprojection-based SAR processing approach allows for fast and accurate imaging of moving objects and stationary background. By utilizing two algorithms, the method is able to efficiently detect moving objects, estimate their positions and velocities, and overlay their focused images over the stationary background. The approach demonstrates a tradeoff between complexity and performance, with a full 4-D phase space imaging algorithm optimized for low signal-to-clutter conditions and an adaptive detection and imaging algorithm reducing complexity in more favorable scenarios.