Three-dimensional ISAR imaging based on antenna array

Abstract

In this paper, a 3-D inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging method based on an antenna array configuration is proposed. The performance of conventional interferometric ISAR imaging system using three antennas is poor, as the positions of scatterers, which have the same range-Doppler value and projected onto the ISAR plane as a synthesis scatterer, cannot be correctly estimated. However, by using two antenna arrays perpendicular to each other, the system's ability to separate these scatterers can be improved. The criterion for the selection of a range unit that contains an isolated scatterer in the 2-D array domain for doing motion compensation is discussed. If there is no range unit which contains only an isolated scatterer, then radial and cross-range motion compensation has to be carried out by motion parameter estimation. Two cross-range motion parameters measurement algorithms, one based on array processing of the range profile and another based on correlation of ISAR images of different antennas, are proposed. The coordinates registration problem for the scatterers of a synthesis scatterer is also discussed. Simulation results have shown the effectiveness of the proposed methods. © 2008 IEEE.