Two-stage CFAR detectors for multiple-range-bin radars

Two-stage detectors using generalized sign and four-level conditional statistics for signal detection in multiple-range-bin radars are described. The resulting detectors are of constant false-alarm rate (CFAR). Performances are evaluated and compared with single-stage versions. If the a priori probability of either the no-target case or the target-presence case is large (close to 1), a two-stage test can be designed to have the advantage of reducing the average number of samples required without sacrificing detection probability. With the proper choices of parameters, significant improvement in the efficiency can be achieved. Asymptotic relative efficiency of two-stage detectors with respect to single-stage detectors is derived and some numerical results are evaluated.