Method for enhancing images acquired by a radar with synthetic aperture

摘要

#CMT# #/CMT# The method involves acquiring a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image of a scene to be imaged by a SAR (1) with resolution and a set of acquisition operational conditions such that background of the scene is indistinguishable from thermal noise of the image. Another SAR image is acquired by another SAR (2) with another resolution lower than the former resolution, and another set of acquisition operational conditions identical to the former conditions. The former image is combined (4) with an image acting as map background and aligned with the latter image, to obtain a hybrid image. #CMT# : #/CMT# The image acting as the map background is an external image e.g. optical image, topographic map, infrared image or optoelectronic image. #CMT#USE : #/CMT# Method for enhancing an image acquired by a SAR. #CMT#ADVANTAGE : #/CMT# The method allows the utilization of the image with the resolution lower than the resolution of the other image, thus reducing the duration of acquisition of the images, and image processing duration. The method enables enhancing the images acquired outside the radar range, and assures the acquisition of the images of the scene at a distance longer than the distance of the radar range. The method assures easy and efficient exploitation of the images in a manual or automatic manner, while reducing the vulnerability of a carrier equipped with the SARs and reducing energy consumption of the SARs. The method enables increasing the signal to noise ratio of the background of the images, and improving the visual quality of the images. The method enables increasing the radar range without increasing the power consumption of the SARs. #CMT#DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS : #/CMT# The drawing shows a flowchart illustrating a method for enhancing an image acquired by a SAR.'(Drawing includes non-English language text)' 1, 2 : Steps for acquiring SAR images of scene to be imaged 3 : Step for adjusting one SAR image with another SAR image 4 : Step for combining SAR image with image acting as map background 5 : Step for adjusting external image with hybrid image 6 : Step for combining hybrid image with external image.