Research On Automatic Target Recognition Evaluation Method

Automatic target recognition (ATR) is one of crucial technologies of intelligence weapon system. ATR gives the opportunity for target detection, surveillance, reconnaissance and precision attacking in the information warfare, so ATR has a broad military application. This dissertation defines ATR evaluation as the behaviors of assessing an ATR. As an important step in ATR development, ATR evaluation provides the decision foundation for its perfection, which is significantly valuable to accelerate the technology development. The dissertation focuses on some practical problems of ATR development, including the probability measure estimation and comparison, the multiple measures comprehensive evaluation, and the technical efficiency and factor influence calculation in extended operation condition (EOC). The main contributions of the dissertation are demonstrated as follows:In Chapter 2, two fundamental problems of ATR evaluation which based on a single probability measure are investigated. The estimation method and comparison method are discussed separately according to different evaluation purposes. To the question of lacking prior sample size analysis in the existing estimation methods, the elements of probability measure interval estimation based on Bayesian approach are analyzed. The interval estimation method and the corresponding criteria for sample size calculation are established and then be used to draw the relationship between the estimation precision and the sample size. Using the interval estimation method, the requirements of the minimum sample size for some typical estimation precision are given out with figure or table form, and as its application, the phenomenon of sample size descending in the real testing are also discussed. To the question of lacking confidence analysis in the existing comparison method, a new probability measure comparison method based on uncertainty inference is proposed. Using this new comparison method, the relationship between the confidence of comparison result and the requirement of test sample size is analyzed quantitatively, and as its application, the maximum likelihood principle within the experiential approach is revealed.In Chapter 3, the more general multiple measures comprehensive evaluation problems are investigated, and some new evaluation method are proposed in the perspective of decision making. To solve the interval multiple attribute decision making (MADM) problem in ATR evaluation, the interval weighted summation method and the interval TOPSIS method are proposed based on score model. The final interval comprehensive score conduces to a flexible decision for ATR evaluation. To solve the hybrid MADM problem in ATR evaluation, the preference matrix method and the order relation method are proposed based on relational model, which can rank and assess the evaluation objects with real, interval and random measures at the same time. As the illustration of these evaluation methods above, some application examples are also given.In Chapter 4, the multiple measures evaluation problems in EOC are investigated. The ATR evaluation concepts in variable operation conditions are surveyed in the perspective of efficiency measurement. Considering the practical difficulties of the extensibility and the scalability evaluation methods, a technical efficiency analytical method based on the data employment analysis (DEA) is proposed firstly. The details of its evaluation procedure are particularly discussed, and an application example is also given to illustrate how to calculate the technical efficiency of an ATR. Then for the sake of overcoming the shortages of performance modeling pattern in factor influence analyzing, a non parametric factor influence measurement method based on Malmquist index is proposed. The calculation and decomposition details of this evaluation index are discussed according to ATR evaluation background, and the application example is also given to demonstrate how to calculate the influence of a factor in EOC. Although the work of the dissertation is associated with some advanced scientific research programs which based on radar ATR technology, these evaluation methods can also be applied to other technical backgrounds, such as the infrared ATR, laser ATR, multi-sensor ATR and so on.