Extraction of target signature features in the combined time-frequency domain by means of impulse radar

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Abstract
We study the scattering interaction of electromagnetic pulses of short duration with targets of either simple or complex geometrical shape using an impulse radar system. The targets of complex shape are plastic scale models of two aircraft with metallized surface. For comparison we also use a target of simple shape, in this case a metal sphere, for which we display the various signature representations, both theoretically predicted and evaluated from measured data. The form-function in the backscattering direction is determined from measured data when the targets are illuminated at a few different aspects. We extend the signature representations of targets to the combined time-frequency domain by computing and displaying pseudo-Wigner distributions of the recorded transient responses. We demonstrate that the time-frequency signature as given by the pseudo-Wigner distribution can extract and exhibit informative features in the frequency band of the incident pulse in agreement with the general time-development of resonance features. It follows that a time-frequency signature will improve the target-recognition capability ordinarily furnished by the standard form-function or radar cross-section of the considered targets.

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