The Impact Simulation of Attitude Error to the Imaging of the Push-Broom Scanners with Linear Image Sensors

Scanners that are used by high-resolution imaging satellites are usually push-broom scanners with linear image sensors. The linear sensors are particularly sensitive to the changing of attitude, which will cause considerable image distortions. As a result, the influence of the attitude error must be taken into consideration in the simulation of the whole image chain of remote sensing in space. Traditionally, analyzing of attitude error´s influence to imaging is mainly about removing image distortions caused by attitude error. This paper, from a different point of view, simulates geometrical distortion of the image with attitude error. Firstly, the impact of attitude error to the image is firstly analyzed. Then, based on the push-broom imaging theory, a mathematical model for the linear push-broom camera with attitude error is established. Finally, the image distortion with different attitude variable is simulated in MATLAB. The simulation was prerequisite to prepare for the simulation of the whole imaging chain of remote sensing in space.