Hyper-precision SAR interferometry using a dual-antenna multi-pass SAR system
US5463397A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 25, 1993 |
| Grant date | Oct 31, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 25, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S7/4034
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present invention is an interferometric SAR system and processing method that combines multi-pass SAR interferometry with dual-antenna SAR interferometry to obtain elevation maps with accuracy unobtainable by either method alone. A single pass of the dual-antenna system provides coarse elevation maps. High accuracy maps are obtained through additional passes, with accuracy determined by the number of passes. The processing method combines the acquired data to provide a calibrated, high precision, low ambiguity elevation map, using approximate least-squares and maximum-likelihood processing methods. The present dual-antenna SAR interferometer collects two complex SAR images from slightly different elevation angles on a single pass using two antennas on the same platform. The present invention provides calibrated maps that have coarse precision but are nearly unambiguous because of the small interferometer baseline. The multi-pass method collects two or more complex images using multiple passes of a radar platform with each antenna. Alone, the multipass method provides much more precise, but ambiguous and uncalibrated, elevation maps. However, the present invention combines the d…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.