Gene W Zeoli

US Patent:

54482410, Sep 5, 1995

Filed:

May 26, 1994

Appl. No.:

8/249488

Inventors:

Gene W. Zeoli - Palos Verdes Estates CA
Ralph E. Hudson - Los Angeles CA
Robert H. Latter - Manhattan Beach CA
Robert T. Frankot - Van Nuys CA

Assignee:

Hughes Aircraft Company - Los Angeles CA

International Classification:

G01S 1390

US Classification:

342 25

Abstract:

A terrain height radar system and processing method comprising a high resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mounted on an air vehicle and a SAR signal processor containing a signal processing algorithm or method for computing terrain height and radar backscatter power. The system contains motion sensing and navigation functions that also provide data to the signal processor to provide motion compensation. Signal processing algorithms in the method compensate for planar motion of the air vehicle for variations of terrain height in the field of view. The algorithms also compensate for nonplanar motion of the radar, and for scatterers in or very near to a reference plane in the field of view. The algorithms exploit defocusing due to displacement from the reference plane to estimate the terrain height above the reference plane. The algorithm is computationally efficient because the bulk of the radar signal processing is common to both the SAR function and the terrain height estimation function.