A Multi-Objective Intelligent Optimization Method for Sensor Array Optimization in Distributed SAR-GMTI Radar Systems

The design and optimization of sensor array configurations is a significant challenge for distributed SAR-GMTI radar systems because the system performance of distributed array radar is a comprehensive result of several conflicting evaluation indicators. This paper developed a multi-objective intelligent optimization method to solve the global optimal problem of array configurations in terms of achieving optimal GMTI performance. Firstly, to formulate the relationship between array configuration and GMTI performance, we established three objective functions derived from evaluating indicators of SAR-GMTI performance. Specifically, in the objective functions, we proposed a novel clutter covariance matrix model that added several typical non-ideal factors of the real-world detection environment. This provides a way to build a bridge between the array configuration, environment clutter, and GMTI performance. Then, we proposed an improved multi-objective snake optimization algorithm (IMOSOA) that combined the Pareto optimization mechanism with snake optimization to solve the multi-objective optimization problem while reconciling the conflicts between different objective functions. Meanwhile, some significant improvements were made to speed up convergence. That is, tent chaotic mapping-based initialization, multi-group coevolution, and individual mutation strategies were applied to solve the non-convergence problem of global searching. Finally, in the case of an airborne SAR-GMTI system, numerical experiments demonstrated that the proposed IMOSOA has superior performance than other contrast methods, especially in terms of GMTI applications.