Adaptive radar detection with asymptotically regulated false-alarm rate
Abstract
An adaptive detection procedure is described by which the detection threshold is so adjusted as to provide an asymptotic false-alarm probability PFA that is approximately invariant with changes in radar-clutter return-amplitude probability density functions (pdf's) in a broad class. The class includes Rayleigh, chi, Weibull, and log-normal pdf's. The receiver noise is also taken into account. The clutter-plus-noise pdf is approximated by a truncated generalized Laguerre series, the coefficients of which are estimated from the radar returns using 'cell averaging' techniques. This estimation is assumed to be perfect. The results obtained indicate that the 'bias' error, defined as the normalized difference between the design PFA and the asymptotic PFA corresponding to the computed threshold, lies within a fraction of an order of magnitude for PFA of one thousandth to one millionth. For PFA of less than one millionth, the bias error is more than an order of magnitude. These results are for the case where a single independent radar return is processed at a time. The bias error decreases as the number of postdetection integrations of independent returns increases.
- Publication:
-
IEEE Transactions on Aerospace Electronic Systems
- Pub Date:
- July 1977
- DOI:
- 10.1109/TAES.1977.308473
- Bibcode:
- 1977ITAES..13..390T
- Keywords:
-
- Clutter;
- Probability Density Functions;
- Radar Tracking;
- Surveillance Radar;
- Bias;
- Rayleigh Distribution;
- Series Expansion;
- Signal To Noise Ratios;
- Warning Systems;
- Weibull Density Functions;
- Communications and Radar