Scattering centre extraction for target classification

Abstract:
Radar target recognition is a challenging problem that consists of deciding target identity from the information extracted from the radar echo. 2-D scattering zones consisting of amplitude and position have been often used to derive features for target classification since they are related to the physical characteristics of the target. Ground targets such as tanks or trucks are often made up of many discrete scattering centres such as corner reflectors, flat plates, curved surfaces and edges and therefore they are well suited to be characterized by these representations. In this paper high range resolution profiles as a function of aspect angle are analyzed for a ground target placed on a turntable. This is then compared with the theoretical response of flat plates and dihedral corner reflectors that are subsequently used to build a model of the target. In this model a scattering centre is described by its location and its complex return as a function of aspect angle.