Frequency-Agility Processing to Reduce Radar Glint Pointing Error

A technique to reduce radar pointing errors due to glint using frequency agility and amplitude weighting is presented. The reduction in rms tracking error is developed into an equation dependent upon the original glint tracking error, ?g, and the number of returns weighted, N. The rms tracking error is thereby reduced approximately by a factor of N. Finally, the equation formulated allows one to evaluate the reduction in glint error versus the number of frequencies chosen for frequency agility.     

High Range-Resolution Monopulse Tracking Radar

High range-resolution monopulse (HRRM) tracking radar which maintains wide instantaneous bandwidth through both range and angle error sensing channels provides range, azimuth, elevation, and amplitude for each resolved part of the target. The three-dimensional target detail can be used to improve and extend radar performance in several ways: for improved precision of target location, for target classification and recognition, to counter repeater-type ECM, to improve low-angle multipath tracking, to resolve multiple targets, as a miss-distance measurement capability, and for improved tracking in chaff and clutter. These have been demonstrated qualitatively except for the ECCM to repeater ECM and low-altitude tracking improvement. Initial results from an experimental HRRM radar with 3-ns pulse length show resolution of aircraft into its major parts and precise location of each resolved part accurately in range and angle. Realtime closed-loop tracking is performed on aircraft in flight using high-speed sampled, digitized, and processed HRRM range and angle video data. Clutter rejection capability is also demonstrated.     

Target racking with glint noise

In tracking targets, there can be an uncertainty associated with the measurements in addition to their inaccuracy, which is usually modeled by aDditive Gaussian noise. However, the Gaussian modeling of the noise may not be true. Noise can be non-Gaussian. The non-Gaussian noise arising in a radar system is known as glint noise. The distribution of glint noise is long tailed and will seriously affect the tracking performance. An algorithm is developed which can significantly improve the tracking performance when glint noise is present     

Monopulse Radar Angle Tracking Accuracy with Sum Channel Limiting

The variance of angle tracking error is found for an amplitude-comparison form of monopulse radar when the sum channel contains a limiter prior to the angle error detector. The error expression is valid for any shape of transmitted pulse and any duration of range tracking gate but does assume matched filters in signal processing channels. The procedures used are rigorous and an example of results is worked out for the special case of a rectangular transmitted pulse envelope. It is shown, for rectangular pulses, that achievable angle tracking error variance with sum channel limiting is not more than 2.22 dB larger than the theoretical minimum for any processor and not more than 1.29 dB larger than a similar signal processor that uses a "linear" angle error detector. Results apply for large single-pulse signal-to-noise ratio.     

比相单脉冲雷达测角与角闪烁研究

比相单脉冲雷达采用和差通道接收信号比相的方法测角。一般认为,雷达事实上并不是在测量目标的方向,而是在测量目标的角闪烁方向。从特殊的两点目标出发,分析了单点目标和复杂目标下比相单脉冲雷达和差通道方式测角的原理与内在异同,探讨了比相单脉冲雷达测角与角闪烁的关系,提出有关雷达测角的新的观点。     

Diversity methods in phase monopulse tracking-a new approach

A novel approach relating target glint (difference between the phase-front gradient of the scattered field and the true target direction vector) to the analytic properties of the overall field is used to suggest a method by which the error in conventional (single frequency) phase monopulse trackers can be reduced. The approximate relationship between glint and amplitude is briefly developed, and an improved glint reduction scheme appropriate for single frequency data is described. The effectiveness in reducing direction angle error is demonstrated with simulated data. It is shown how techniques devised for multiple frequency data sets can be applied to multiple aspect data sets.<>     

Angular Glint and the Moving, Rotating, Complex Radar Target

Angular glint produces errors in radar-indicated target direction and in the Doppler frequency. Glint arises from phase perturbations of the radar signal echoed from a complex target, as compared to those from a point target. The phase gradient V? represents these glint effects very well. The direction of this vector is that of radar angle sensing. The Doppler shift is obtined from the dot product of the gradient and the target velocity. A procedure that isolates and measures glint phase variations alone, for the inaccessible target, is described.     

基于位置信息的高分辨雷达角闪烁抑制方法

角闪烁误差是导引头寻的制导的主要误差来源,基于高分辨力雷达的单脉冲测角算法可有效改善角闪烁现象。现有的研究大多基于幅度加权的思想,利用距离单元的幅度信息进行加权平滑处理。本文在现有高分辨测角算法的基础上,结合高分辨一维距离像的位置信息,提出了一种新的角度信息处理方法。该算法充分利用了距离像有效单元的目标信息,提高了角度测量精度。仿真实验表明该算法对角闪烁有较好的抑制作用。     

A nonlinear IMM algorithm for maneuvering target tracking

In target tracking, the measurement noise is usually assumed to be Gaussian. However, the Gaussian modeling of the noise may not be true. Noise can be non-Gaussian. The non-Gaussian noise arising in a radar system is known as glint noise. The distribution of glint noise is long tailed and will seriously affect the tracking performance. We develop a new algorithm that can effectively track a maneuvering target in the glint environment The algorithm incorporates the nonlinear Masreliez filter into the interactive multiple model (IMM) method. Simulations demonstrate the superiority of the new algorithm     

脉冲雷达高仰角测量数据分析及处理对策

本文针对靶场主动段外弹道测量数据处理的弹道参数出现的异常趋势，分析了脉冲雷达高仰角跟踪目标过捷径点前后的测量数据分布规律，提出了用包络线对测角动态滞后量进行修正的方法，并经实战任务数据检验该方法是实用、有效的。     

On analytical evaluation of glint error reduction for frequency-hopping radars

Analytical techniques are presented for evaluating the glint error reduction of frequency-agile tracking radars employing discrete frequency-hopping (FH). The techniques can be used to compare the tracking accuracies obtained with different procedures for frequency selection. The cases of random, cyclic, and hybrid FH are worked out in detail. An illustration using a simple alpha-beta tracking filter indicates that the preferred type of frequency selection usually depends on the filter gains used in a specific application.<>     

Maximum likelihood identification of glint noise

If the non-Gaussian distribution function of radar glint noise is known, the Masreliez filter can be applied to improve target tracking performance. We investigate the glint identification problem using the maximum likelihood (ML) method. Two models for the glint distribution are used, a mixture of two Gaussian distributions and a mixture of a Gaussian and a Laplacian distribution. An efficient initial estimate method based on the QQ-plot is also proposed. Simulations show that the ML estimates converge to truths     

相控阵主动雷达导引头波形策略

针对高脉冲重复频率脉冲多普勒(HPRF-PD)体制的相控阵主动雷达导引头中存在的距离遮挡问题,设计了一种新的波形选择策略。首先,利用提出的脉冲重复频率(PRF)波形选择策略,离线计算得到距离对应PRF的波形查找表。然后,通过叉积自动频率控制环路滤波(CPAFCLF)算法预估下个相参处理间隔(CPI)导引头与目标间的径向相对速度,并联合提出的基于Sage-Husa带有速度预测的自适应"当前"统计模型(SH-ACSMVP)算法得到的距离跟踪值,获得下个CPI的距离预测值。在跟踪机动目标场景中,相比于"当前"统计(CS)模型跟踪算法及基于"当前"统计模型的自适应无迹卡尔曼滤波(CAUKF)算法,本文算法得到的距离预测误差更小,误差收敛速度更快。根据此距离预测值从波形查找表中选择波形发射,作为下个CPI的发射波形,实现后续跟踪阶段的抗距离遮挡,提高目标跟踪性能。仿真结果表明了本文所设计波形选择策略的正确性及有效性。     

Multipath Fluctuation Effects in Track-While-Scan Radar

A theoretical model of diffuse multipath reflections from rough surfaces is applied to the prediction of multipath power distribu tions in radar coordinates: elevation angle, time delay, and Dop pler frequency. These distributions are used to predict radar tracking errors in elevation angle, for both monopulse and scan ning antenna systems, and typical results are presented. These show a small increase in tracking error for scanning systems, on radially approaching targets, caused by sensitivity of these trackers to amplitude scintillation of the composite direct-plus multipath signal. Effects of knife-edge diffraction and of vegetation ion are briefly considered.     

Performance of Doppler Radar in the Presence of Random Fading

This paper deals with the performance of pulse Doppler radar in the presence of random fading. The behavior of this radar is studied as a statistical problem to bring out the limiting bounds of the ambiguity diagram and the nature of variance with respect to the Doppler frequency. The performance of the radar insofar as the first sidelobe is concerned, is shown to be better in the presence of fading than in the normal case. In a particular case where 75 pulses out of an aggregate of 250 pulses are missing, the first sidelobe level is 20.0 dB down from the main lobe with a probability of 23 percent.     

Radar Target Pointing Error Reduction Using Extended Kalman Filtering

A new method of reducing target glint errors in radar systems is presented. The target is modeled as n reflectors whose magnitudes and phases are known. The reflector positions are described by a dynamical model driven by white Gaussian noise. The resulting vibrations of the target reflectors produce glintlike pointing errors in the radar system. An extended Kalman filter is developed to estimate the positions of the target reflectors; this information is used to substantially reduce the pointing error due to glint. Data illustrating this glint reduction is given. The model is extended by the inclusion of clutter effects modeled in the same fashion as the glint phenomenon. The results presented indicate the limits of usefulness of this technique as a function of both receiver noise and relative clutter amplitude.     

A Real-Time Statistical Radar Target Model

Radar glint arises from the spatial phase perturbations of the radar signal echoed from a complex target. The glint phenomenon is closely related to the target radar cross section (RCS). This relationship plays a significant part in modern missile seeker signal processing. We present a statistical glint/RCS target model for realtime simulation of target signatures. Particular emphasis is placed upon the modeling and simulation of the appropriate glint/RCS statistical dependency. The fundamental approximation of locating uniformly distributed scatterers around the instantaneous radar centroid employed in the Delano-Gubonin [1, 2, 3] model is removed. A key result which follows from this representation is that the mean glint estimator is unbiased. This enables the estimation of model parameters from the first-order glint and RCS statistics which can easily be computed from measured data. A method of estimating model parameters is presented, and the results are applied to data from a typical combat aircraft target. It is shown that the Delano-Gubonin results are a special case of the results presented here. The 14.6 percent probability of glint falling beyond the target extent as derived by Delano [1] is not true in general. It is further shown that glint and RCS are uncorrelated but are statistically dependent. A Monte-Carlo simulation is performed to verify the assumptions made and to demonstrate the feasibility of the working models.     

一种中频雷达模拟器的设计

设计出了一种中频雷达模拟器的硬件,阐述了该模拟器总体组成和工作过程,以及各部分的组成和工作原理。该模拟器可以产生单脉冲体制下的一组固定目标的和、差模拟中频回波信号和动目标和、差模拟中频回波信号;可以在联机或独立2种工作状态下,产生常规脉冲、线性调频脉冲等多种雷达中频回波。该模拟器适用于相控阵雷达等多种新体制跟踪雷达的调试和训练。     

Radar measurement extraction in the presence of sea-surface multipath

In the presence of sea-surface multipath monopulse radar signals from a low elevation target have three alternative paths in addition to the direct (radar-to-target) path due to reflections from the sea surface. The specular reflection causes significant signal fading. The diffuse reflection causes an approximately constant bias to the in-phase component of the monopulse ratio, which is the standard extractor of the direction of arrival (DOA) in the monopulse processing. The diffuse reflection also causes higher standard deviation to the in-phase component of the monopulse ratio. We propose a maximum likelihood (ML) angle extraction technique for low elevation targets of known average signal strength having a Rayleigh fluctuation. The results show that this method reduces the error of the estimated angle compared with the conventional monopulse ratio estimator. Subsequently, the ML angle extractor is modified for the unknown average signal strength case. This modified angle extractor has only a small performance degradation compared with the known average signal strength case, but it performs much better than the monopulse ratio based estimator. An algorithm to calculate the accuracy of the estimated angle (or height) is also presented. This angle extractor reduces the root-mean-square error (RMSE) by more than 50% in the signal processing stage when used in a low flying target tracking scenario. The same algorithm can be used to track sea skimmers.     

Monopulse Radar Air-ti-Ground Ranging

The use of a two-lobe monopulse radar for measuring slant range to the surface of the earth in the absence of discrete targets is analyzed. It is shown that tracking dispersion can be considered as the resultant of two components. One component is independent of range and results from the finite pulse length and gate length and the random nature of the return signals. The other component is due to receiver noise and increases as the signal-to-noise ratio decreases. The dispersion component independent of range is shown to be proportional to the pulse length and tracking gate length. The variable dispersion is shown to be proportional to the five halves power of the range and the three halves power of the cotangent of the depression angle of the antenna boresight axis. Performance calculations for a specific radar are carried out and compared with experimental data.