3-D Micro-Motion Features Estimation of Smooth Symmetric Nutating Cone Based on Monostatic Radar

Micro-motion features of targets, such as nutation and coning, play a crucial role in radar-based target recognition and classification. This paper addresses the challenge of extracting three-dimensional micro-motion parameters from smooth symmetric nutating cone targets using monostatic radar. Unlike conventional methods that rely on tail-fin structures, the proposed approach leverages the micro-Doppler characteristics of both fixed and sliding scattering points on the cone. The motion model of a nutating cone is established, and the expressions for micro-Doppler frequency shifts are derived. Based on the visibility of scattering points at the cone bottom, two categories of echoes are defined: those containing one or two scattering points. For each category, tailored signal processing methods are developed to estimate micro-motion parameters, including nutation angle, precession angle, coning frequency, wobble frequency, and geometric dimensions. Simulations under both noise-free and noisy conditions validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, demonstrating its robustness and accuracy in 3-D micro-motion feature extraction.