Acoustic node calibration using a moving source

Acoustic nodes, each containing an array of microphones, can track targets in x-y space from their received acoustic signals, if the node positions and orientations are known exactly. However, it is not always possible to deploy the nodes precisely, so a calibration phase is needed to estimate the position and the orientation of each node before doing any tracking or localization. An acoustic node can be calibrated from sources of opportunity such as beacons or a moving source. We derive and compare several calibration methods for the case where the node can hear a moving source whose position can be reported back to the node. Since calibration from a moving source is, in effect, the dual of a tracking problem; methods derived for acoustic target trackers are used to obtain robust and high resolution acoustic calibration processes. For example, two direction-of-arrival-based calibration methods can be formulated based on combining angle estimates, geometry, and the motion dynamics of the moving source. In addition, a maximum likelihood (ML) solution is presented using a narrowband acoustic observation model, along with a Newton-based search algorithm that speeds up the calculation the likelihood surface. The Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) on the node position estimates is also derived to show that the effect of position errors for the moving source on the estimated node position is much less severe than the variance in angle estimates from the microphone array. The performance of the calibration algorithms is demonstrated on synthetic and field data.     

On the false alarm probability for an overlapped FFT processor

A standard processor for detecting narrowband signals in noise applies the fast Fourier transform (FFT) to overlapped data blocks, and then sums the squared magnitudes of the bins from successive FFTs. The overlap of the data blocks causes these bins to be correlated, even when the noise is white. A simple expression is derived for the probability of false alarm when the covariance matrix of the FFT bins is tridiagonal     

Detection of long-duration narrowband processes

Detecting long, weak signals that are narrowband but of unknown frequency structure is an important signal processing challenge, with many applications in remote sensing and process monitoring. An ad hoc scheme is developed. Its stages include the discrete Fourier transform (DFT), a multiresolution decomposition in the frequency domain, and a generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT). The computational load is light, and the performance is remarkably good. This is so not just in the original narrowband situation, but also, due to an inherent adaptivity to the data, in the detection of signals that are relatively broadband in nature. Generalizations are given to constant false alarm rate (CFAR) operation in both prewhitened and unwhitened cases, and to the detection of multiband signals. As regards the last, it is discovered that there is little loss from overestimating the number of bands     

基于滑动DFT和插值DFT算法的GPS信号载波跟踪方法

 在分析GPS接收机跟踪环路信号特征的基础上,将滑动离散傅里叶变换（DFT）算法和插值DFT频率估计算法相结合,提出一种在频域进行的载波跟踪方法。该方法首先根据捕获时得到的粗略载波频率估计值确定计算DFT值点的范围,然后利用滑动DFT算法计算这部分点的DFT值,最后利用插值DFT频率估计算法估计载波频率,进行跟踪环路中载波频率的更新。该方法计算复杂度低,便于实际应用。仿真结果显示,该方法能够对载波频率正确跟踪,验证了算法的可行性。     

Multiple Gaussian Targets: The Track-on-Jam Problem

When a radar with amplitude comparison monopulse arithmetic encounters signals from multiple Gaussian sources it will "point" to the centroid of the incident radiation. The probability density function (pdf) of the monopulse ratio when N independent samples of difference and sum signals are processed in a maximum likelihood receiver is derived. For finite jam-to-noise ratio the estimate has a bias which is independent of N. The variance in the estimate does however depend upon N. Central moments of order less than or equal 2N - 2 exist and are given by a simple formula. Plots of the pdf and its bias and variance for various jam-to-noise ratios, locations of the centroid with respect to the boresight direction, and number of samples processed are presented in the accompanying figures.     

一种宽带阵列幅相与互耦误差联合校正算法

宽带数字阵列雷达接收通道中存在随频率变化的幅相误差和互耦误差,会严重影响雷达性能。针对这一问题,提出了一种宽带数字阵列幅相与互耦误差联合校正算法。首先选取通带内多个离散频点,对于每个频点,将幅相误差和互耦误差作为一个整体,采用基于子空间原理的窄带校正算法估计其阵列失真参数,并计算校正矩阵;然后将其组合起来,构成频域离散校正矩阵;最后基于最小二乘准则,设计了宽带有限长脉冲响应(FIR)校正滤波器矩阵。利用该矩阵,可实现通带范围内任意带宽入射信号的校正。计算机仿真实验验证了该算法的有效性。对实测数据的处理结果表明该算法在宽带数字阵列雷达系统中具有实用价值。     

基于声波传播时间估计的气流速度测量方法

 为实现对亚声速和超声速气流速度的统一测量,提出了一种基于声传感器的新型测量方法。首先,根据声波在亚声速和超声速气流中的传播特性,利用特定的测量装置建立了声波传播时间与气流速度之间的数学模型,从而将气流速度的测量问题转化为声波传播时间的测量问题。然后,在此基础上,利用计时法和最大似然估计(MLE)方法来估计声波传播时间;其中,计时法在实时性上优势明显,而MLE方法则在可靠性上优于前者。最后,分别从阵元位置扰动性、计时误差和克拉美-罗界(CRB)3个方面对所提算法的性能进行了分析与仿真验证。结果表明,该算法能够实现对亚声速和超声速气流速度的精确测量。     

高精确度智能仪器大范围测量中的数据解算方法

以单片机为核心的智能化仪器难以实现高精确度、大范围测量，尤其是输出量与输入量在不同区间呈不同的函数关系时，在单片机上难以实现其运算，为此本文把输出量划分为若干个区间段，在不同区间段内采用多项式校正理论和最小二乘法拟合方法，给出了在不同区间段内多项式校正的数学模型，并在此基础上阐述了提高校正数据精度的有效措施。     

Time-varying autoregressive modeling of HRR radar signatures

A time-varying autoregressive (TVAR) model is used for the modeling and classification of high range resolution (HRR) radar signatures. In this approach, the TVAR coefficients are expanded by a low-order discrete Fourier transform (DFT). A least-squares (LS) estimator of the TVAR model parameters is presented, and the maximum likelihood (ML) approach for determining the model order is also presented. The validity of the TVAR modeling approach is demonstrated by comparing with other approaches in estimating time-varying spectra of synthetic signals. The estimated TVAR model parameters are also used as features in classifying HRR radar signatures with a neural network. In the experiment with two sets of noncooperating target identification (NCTI) data, about 93% of samples are correctly classified     

Directed Subspace Search ML-PDA with Application to Active Sonar Tracking

The maximum likelihood probabilistic data association (ML-PDA) tracking algorithm is effective in tracking Very Low Observable targets (i.e., very low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) targets in a high false alarm environment). However, the computational complexity associated with obtaining the track estimate in many cases has precluded its use in real-time scenarios. Previous ML-PDA implementations used a multi-pass grid (MPG) search to find the track estimate. Two alternate methods for finding the track estimate are presented-a genetic search and a newly developed directed subspace (DSS) search algorithm. Each algorithm is tested using active sonar scenarios in which an autonomous underwater vehicle searches for and tracks a target. Within each scenario, the problem parameters are varied to illustrate the relative performance of each search technique. Both the DSS search and the genetic algorithm are shown to be an order of magnitude more computationally efficient than the MPG search, making possible real-time implementation. In addition, the DSS search is shown to be the most effective technique at tracking a target at the lowest SNR levels-reliable tracking down to 5 dB (postprocessing SNR in a resolution cell) using a 5-frame sliding window is demonstrated, this being 6 dB better than the MPG search.     

Eigenstructure-based algorithms for direction finding withtime-varying arrays

This paper considers the problem of finding the directions of narrowband signals using a time-varying array whose elements move during the observation interval in an arbitrary but known way. We derive two eigenstructure-based algorithms for this problem, which are modifications of techniques developed originally for time-invariant arrays. The first uses array interpolation, and the second uses focusing matrices. Like other eigenstructure-based methods, these algorithms require a modest amount of computations in comparison with the maximum likelihood (ML) estimator. The performance of the algorithms is evaluated by Monte-Carlo simulations, and is compared with the Cramer Rao Bound (CRB). Although both techniques were successful for wideband array processing with time-invariant arrays, we found that only the interpolated array algorithm is useful for direction finding (DF) with time-varying arrays     

Hybrid discriminative/class-specific classifiers for narrowband signals

The class-specific (CS) method of signal classification operates by computing low-dimensional feature sets defined for each signal class of interest. By computing separate feature sets tailored to each class, i.e., CS features, the CS method avoids estimating probability distributions in a high-dimension feature space common to all classes. Building a CS classifier amounts to designing feature extraction modules for each class of interest. In this paper we present the design of three CS modules used to form a CS classifier for narrowband signals of finite duration. A general module for narrowband signals based on a narrowband tracker is described. The only assumptions this module makes regarding the time evolution of the signal spectrum are: (1) one or more narrowband lines are present, and (2) the lines wandered either not at all, e.g., CW signal, or with a purpose, e.g., swept FM signal. The other two modules are suited for specific classes of waveforms and assume some a priori knowledge of the signal is available from training data. For in situ training, the tracker-based module can be used to detect as yet unobserved waveforms and classify them into general categories, for example short CW, long CW, fast FM, slow FM, etc. Waveform-specific class-models can then be designed using these waveforms for training. Classification results are presented comparing the performance of a probabilistic conventional classifier with that of a CS classifier built from general modules and a CS classifier built from waveform-specific modules. Results are also presented for hybrid discriminative/generative versions of the classifiers to illustrate the performance gains attainable in using a hybrid over a generative classifier alone.     

Performance of pulse-pair method of Doppler estimation

Because of its simplicity, the pulse-pair method is usually used in the estimation of Doppler from backscattered acoustic signals. In the literature, various improvements to the basic pulse-pair estimate have been proposed. The statistics of these improved methods have also been derived using simplified assumptions for the signal and noise. By developing a multiplicative noise model for the backscatter signal, in this work, the variance of the Doppler estimate is derived under all signal scenarios. The dependency of the variance on the amplitude correlation length of the data is also discussed. It is demonstrated that the use of parabolic window in the estimate is the proper method of Doppler evaluation under all conditions     

Composite Bound on Arrival Time Estimation Errors

Time of arrival (TOA) estimation of narrowband signals is a problem of considerable practical interest in radar and sonar applications. A new technique is presented to analyze the mean square error (MSE) performance of TOA estimation schemes, based on recently developed lower bound. We obtain a complete characterization of the MSE as a function of the signal and noise parameters. The results are given in a simple closed-form analytical expression.     

基于最大似然估计的TDOA/FDOA无源定位偏差补偿算法

在到达时差/到达频差(TDOA/FDOA)无源定位系统中,定位问题的非线性使得定位的结果存在偏差,特别是在噪声较大或者接收站布站不合理的情况下,定位的偏差尤其显著。针对这一问题,提出了一种基于最大似然估计的偏差补偿算法。该方法分为3步:首先,利用最大似然估计器对目标的位置和速度进行求解;其次,通过利用目标定位的估计值和含噪的测量值,对目标的位置和速度偏差值进行理论分析和推导;最后,将最大似然估计解减去理论偏差值,得到经过偏差补偿的新的目标定位解。理论分析和实验仿真证明,在一定噪声的情况下,所推导的目标位置和速度的理论偏差值与实际偏差值相符,并且经过偏差补偿后的定位算法,在保持目标定位的均方根误差(RMSE)与原最大似然算法一致的情况下,目标的位置和速度偏差值远远小于原最大似然算法的偏差值,目标定位精度得到了有效的提高。     

A direct position determination method with combined TDOA and FDOA based on particle filter

The localization of a stationary transmitter using moving receivers is considered. The original Direct Position Determination (DPD) methods, with combined Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) and Frequency Difference of Arrival (FDOA), do not perform well under low Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), and worse still, the computation cost is difficult to accept when the computational capabilities are limited. To get better positioning performance, we present a new DPD algorithm that proves to be more computationally efficient and more precise for weak signals than the conventional approach. The algorithm partitions the signal received with the same receiver into multiple non-overlapping short-time signal segments, and then uses the TDOA, the FDOA and the coherency among the short-time signals to locate the target. The fast maximum likelihood estimation, one iterative method based on particle filter, is designed to solve the problem of high computation load. A secondary but important result is a derivation of closed-form expressions of the Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB). The simulation results show that the algorithm proposed in this paper outperforms the traditional DPD algorithms with more accurate results and higher computational efficiency, and especially at low SNR, it is more close to the CRLB.     

嵌套阵列最大似然估计测向算法

针对在辐射源个数未知的条件下嵌套阵列难以估计多个辐射源角度的问题,提出了基于最大似然估计(MLE)的嵌套阵列角度估计算法。算法在嵌套阵列模型的基础上,首先通过推导阵列截获多辐射源信号的最大似然函数及其梯度,利用最速下降法估计出空域中所有潜在辐射源的角度;然后,通过多元假设检验,利用最大似然比与门限进行比较,确定出空域中所有潜在辐射源中某一时刻发射信号的活跃辐射源角度,排除其余噪声形成的虚假辐射源角度,解决了在辐射源个数未知条件下嵌套阵列对多个辐射源角度估计问题。仿真结果表明:与传统多重信号分类(MUSIC)算法相比,该算法在辐射源数目未知、存在相干信号、低信噪比(SNR)、低快拍数条件下,均具有较好的角度估计精度,并且算法形成的虚拟阵列自由度是空间平滑MUSIC算法的2倍;多元假设检验法比传统信源数目估计算法在低信噪比条件下和处理相干信号方面具有明显优势。     

Track formation with bearing and frequency measurements in clutter

Target motion analysis from a narrowband passive sonar that yields bearing and frequency measurements in the presence of false detections (clutter) in a low-SNR (low signal-to-noise ratio) environment is discussed. The likelihood function used to compute the maximum likelihood estimation of the track parameters (localization and frequency) incorporates the false alarms via the probabilistic data association technique. The Cramer-Rao lower bound is calculated and results obtained from simulations are shown to be compatible with it. A test of track acceptance is also presented