An Accurate and Efficient Extended Scene Simulator for FMCW SAR With Static and Moving Targets

Abstract

Conventional frequency-domain frequency-modulation continuous-wave (FMCW) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) raw data simulators (RDSs) can only handle the case of static targets while the scene with moving targets cannot be accommodated. In FMCW SAR, the motion of the radar and moving targets during the pulse duration must be considered, thus posing a challenge for the FMCW SAR RDS. An accurate point target reference spectrum that considers this motion is first derived in the literature. Based on the spectrum, we design an accurate and efficient FMCW SAR RDS. Compared with its counterparts, it can precisely simulate the raw data of moving targets even in the case of high resolution and high squint. Both point target and extended scene simulations are performed to validate the simulator, and its efficiency is also analyzed. Results show its outstanding performance for generating the FMCW SAR raw data of extended scenes with static and moving targets.