Geometry Reconstruction of Known Aerial Targets Based on Stationary Phase Method

Abstract

This article presents a direct approach based on the stationary phase method (SPM) to reconstruct aerial vehicles without conducting electromagnetic simulations for a given computer-aided design (CAD) model. The target is represented as Bezier patches, and extensive discretization is avoided. The scattering centers and their physical attributes, such as position, length, type, and orientation, are acquired by implementing the mathematical conditions given by SPM on Bezier patches. Each mathematical condition of SPM is related to a specific kind of Bezier patch, allowing one to distinguish the type of scattering centers. The frequency parameter of edge diffraction from the straight edge of a singly curved surface takes the value of 0.5 or 0, an important conclusion drawn in this study. To validate our method, fixed-wing drone and civilian aircraft are reconstructed with high accuracy. The complex amplitude of the extracted scattering center is obtained by solving the physical optics (PO) integral by SPM. The target features are obtained without the need for electromagnetic simulations, which provide an advantage in automatic target recognition and radar cross section design.