Motion Parameter Estimation of Doppler-Ambiguous Moving Targets in SAR-GMTI

Abstract

In an along-track interferometric SAR system, the discrete sampling of moving target signals can give rise to two types of ambiguity: Doppler ambiguity, and interferometric angle ambiguity. These ambiguities lead to ambiguities in target velocity estimation. Range cell migration of moving targets is unambiguous in target velocity. Hence, it can be used for resolving the ambiguities in target velocity estimation mentioned above. The wave number domain algorithm as well as the chirp scaling algorithm is adapted to moving target signals. In order to focus moving target signals with arbitrary velocities both approaches are extended to arbitrary Doppler frequency ands. Moving target signals distributed over two neighbouring PRF bands are especially difficult to detect and analyze because the sgnal splits into two parts. It is shown that the two parts appear at different positions in the SAR image and have different ATI phases. They show up as two weaker targets since the energy is split between them. It is demonstrated how the two targets can be identified as possibly the same target, and how they can be properly focussed by adaptation of the SAR focussing algorithms.