Optimal ISAR imaging time selection of ship targets using real data

The optimal imaging time selection of ship targets using Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) real data is investigated in this paper. The Doppler centroid frequencies (DCF) of a series of images obtained over continuous short durations are used to estimate the variations of the ship sway. The optimal imaging time including the optimal imaging instants and optimal imaging duration is determined by locating the maximum DCF and using the image contrast maximization criteria, respectively. Real data processing verifies the effectiveness of the proposed imaging method.