A target imaging simulation method for ground-based system based on signal-to-noise ratio

Space target imaging simulation technology is an important tool for studying space target detection and identification, offering significant advantages such as high flexibility and low cost. However, existing space target imaging simulation technologies are mostly based on target magnitude for simulation, making it difficult to meet the image simulation requirements for different signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) needs. Therefore, designing a simulation method that can generate target image sequences with different SNRs based on optical detection system parameters is of significant importance for advancing the research on detecting faint space targets. Addressing the issue of SNR calculation in optical observation systems, this paper proposes a ground-based detection image SNR calculation method based on optical system parameters. This method precisely calculates the SNR of the observed image using the parameters in the modulation transfer function (MTF) of the optical system. Then, a SNR-based target sequence image simulation method for ground-based detection scene is proposed. This method calculates the imaging SNR using optical system parameters and establishes a conversion model between target apparent magnitude and image grayscale values, thereby enabling the generation of target sequence simulation images with corresponding SNRs under different system parameters. The experimental results show that the SNR obtained using the proposed SNR calculation method has an average calculation error of less than 1 dB compared to the theoretical SNR of the actual optical system. Additionally, the simulation images generated by the proposed imaging simulation method show high consistency with real images, which better meets the needs of research on faint space target detection algorithms, providing reliable data support for the further development of related technologies.