Reiterative median cascaded canceler for robust adaptive array processing

A new robust adaptive processor based on reiterative application of the median cascaded canceler (MCC) is presented and called the reiterative median cascaded canceler (RMCC). It is shown that the RMCC processor is a robust replacement for the sample matrix inversion (SMI) adaptive processor and for its equivalent implementations. The MCC, though a robust adaptive processor, has a convergence rate that is dependent on the rank of the input interference-plus-noise covariance matrix for a given number of adaptive degrees of freedom (DOF), N. In contrast, the RMCC, using identical training data as the MCC, exhibits the highly desirable combination of: 1) convergence-robustness to outliers/targets in adaptive weight training data, like the MCC, and 2) fast convergence performance that is independent of the input interference-plus-noise covariance matrix, unlike the MCC. For a number of representative examples, the RMCC is shown to converge using ~ 2.8N samples for any interference rank value as compared with ~ 2N samples for the SMI algorithm. However, the SMI algorithm requires considerably more samples to converge in the presence of outliers/targets, whereas the RMCC does not. Both simulated data as well as measured airborne radar data from the multichannel airborne radar measurements (MCARM) space-time adaptive processing (STAP) database are used to illustrate performance improvements over SMI methods.     

Rapid Convergence Rate in Adaptive Arrays

In many applications, the practical usefulness of adaptive arrays is limited by their convergence rate. The adaptively controlled weights in these systems must change at a rate equal to or greater than the rate of change of the external noise field (e.g., due to scanning in a radar if step scan is not used). This convergence rate problem is most severe in adaptive systems with a large number of degrees of adaptivity and in situations where the eigenvalues of the noise covariance matrix are widely different. A direct method of adaptive weight computation, based on a sample covariance matrix of the noise field, has been found to provide very rapid convergence in all cases, i.e., independent of the eigenvalue distribution. A theory has been developed, based on earlier work by Goodman, which predicts the achievable convergence rate with this technique, and has been verified by simulation.     

Stap using knowledge-aided covariance estimation and the fracta algorithm

In the airborne space-time adaptive processing (STAP) setting, a priori information via knowledge-aided covariance estimation (KACE) is employed in order to reduce the required sample support for application to heterogeneous clutter scenarios. The enhanced FRACTA (FRACTA.E) algorithm with KACE as well as Doppler-sensitive adaptive coherence estimation (DS-ACE) is applied to the KASSPER I & II data sets where it is shown via simulation that near-clairvoyant detection performance is maintained with as little as 1/3 of the normally required number of training data samples. The KASSPER I & II data sets are simulated high-fidelity heterogeneous clutter scenarios which possess several groups of dense targets. KACE provides a priori information about the clutter covariance matrix by exploiting approximately known operating parameters about the radar platform such as pulse repetition frequency (PRF), crab angle, and platform velocity. In addition, the DS-ACE detector is presented which provides greater robustness for low sample support by mitigating false alarms from undernulled clutter near the clutter ridge while maintaining sufficient sensitivity away from the clutter ridge to enable effective target detection performance     

Spectral-domain covariance estimation with a priori knowledge

A knowledge-aided spectral-domain approach to estimating the interference covariance matrix used in space-time adaptive processing (STAP) is proposed. Prior knowledge of the range-Doppler clutter scene is used to identify geographic regions with homogeneous scattering statistics. Then, minimum-variance spectral estimation is used to arrive at a spectral-domain clutter estimate. Finally, space-time steering vectors are used to transform the spectral-domain estimate into a data-domain estimate of the clutter covariance matrix. The proposed technique is compared with ideal performance and to the fast maximum likelihood technique using simulated results. An investigation of the performance degradation that can occur due to various inaccurate knowledge assumptions is also presented     

Reduced-rank STAP performance analysis

The space-time radar problem is well suited to the application of techniques that take advantage of the low-rank property of the space-time covariance matrix. It is shown that reduced-rank (RR) methods outperform full-rank space-time adaptive processing (STAP) when the space-time covariance matrix is estimated from a data set with limited support. The utility of RR methods is demonstrated by theoretical analysis, simulations and analysis of real data. It is shown that RR processing has two opposite effects on the performance: increased statistical stability which tends to improve performance, and introduction of a bias which lowers the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). A method for evaluating the theoretical conditioned SNR for fixed RR transforms is also presented. It Is shown that while best performance is obtained using data-dependent transforms, the loss incurred by the application of fixed transforms (such as the discrete cosine transform) may be relatively small. The main advantage of fixed transforms is the availability of efficient computational procedures for their implementation. These findings suggest that RR methods could facilitate the development of practical, real-time STAP technology     

CFAR detection and estimation for STAP radar

The algorithm presented here provides both a constant false-alarm rate (CFAR) detection and a maximum likelihood (ML) Doppler-bearing estimator of a target in a background of unknown Gaussian noise. A target is detected, and its parameters estimated within each range gate by evaluating a statistical test for each Doppler-angle cell and by selecting the cell with maximum output and finally comparing it with a threshold. Its CFAR performance is analyzed by the use of the sample matrix inversion (SMI) method and is evaluated in the cases of a fully adaptive space-time adaptive processing (STAP) and two partially adaptive STAPs. The performances of these criteria show that the probability of detection is a function only of the sample size K used to estimate the covariance matrix and a generalized signal-to-noise ratio. The choice of the number K is a tradeoff between performance and computational complexity. The performance curves demonstrate that the finer the resolution is, the poorer the detection capability. That means that one can trade off the accuracy of ML estimation with the performance of the CFAR detection criterion     

Fast converging adaptive processor or a structured covariance matrix

The use of adaptive linear techniques to solve signal processing problems is needed particularly when the interference environment external to the signal processor (such as for a radar or communication system) is not known a priori. Due to this lack of knowledge of an external environment, adaptive techniques require a certain amount of data to cancel the external interference. The number of statistically independent samples per input sensor required so that the performance of the adaptive processor is close (nominally within 3 dB) to the optimum is called the convergence measure of effectiveness (MOE) of the processor. The minimization of the convergence MOE is important since in many environments the external interference changes rapidly with time. Although there are heuristic techniques in the literature that provide fast convergence for particular problems, there is currently not a general solution for arbitrary interference that is derived via classical theory. A maximum likelihood (ML) solution (under the assumption that the input interference is Gaussian) is derived here for a structured covariance matrix that has the form of the identity matrix plus an unknown positive semi-definite Hermitian (PSDH) matrix. This covariance matrix form is often valid in realistic interference scenarios for radar and communication systems. Using this ML estimate, simulation results are given that show that the convergence is much faster than the often-used sample matrix inversion method. In addition, the ML solution for a structured covariance matrix that has the aforementioned form where the scale factor on the identity matrix is arbitrarily lower-bounded, is derived. Finally, an efficient implementation is presented.     

Theory of partially adaptive radar

This work extends the recently introduced cross-spectral metric for subspace selection and dimensionality reduction to partially adaptive space-time sensor array processing. A general methodology is developed for the analysis of reduced-dimension detection tests with known and unknown covariance. It is demonstrated that the cross-spectral metric results in a low-dimensional detector which provides nearly optimal performance when the noise covariance is known. It is also shown that this metric allows the dimensionality of the detector to be reduced below the dimension of the noise subspace eigenstructure without significant loss. This attribute provides robustness in the subspace selection process to achieve reduced-dimensional target detection. Finally, it is demonstrated that the cross-spectral subspace reduced-dimension detector can outperform the full-dimension detector when the noise covariance is unknown, closely approximating the performance of the matched filter.     

鲁棒EKF在脉冲星导航系统中的应用

针对脉冲星导航系统的滤波问题,传统的扩展卡尔曼滤波(EKF)算法存在不能克服系统模型存在不确定性参数以及乘性噪声等缺陷,提出一种鲁棒EKF算法。首先,分析了状态预测误差方程和估计误差方程,利用统计学原理,得到了状态预测方差矩阵和状态估计方差矩阵计算等式。由于系统模型存在不确定性参数,状态预测协方差矩阵和状态估计协方差矩阵无法计算;因此,利用4个重要矩阵不等式,分析并找到预测方差矩阵和状态估计方差矩阵的上界。最后,利用状态估计误差协方差矩阵上界设计状态增益矩阵,使得状态估计协方差矩阵的迹最小。将该算法对脉冲星导航系统进行仿真,仿真结果验证了所提算法的有效性。     

Improved clutter mitigation performance using knowledge-aided space-time adaptive processing

This paper presents a framework for incorporating knowledge sources directly in the space-time beamformer of airborne adaptive radars. The algorithm derivation follows the usual linearly-constrained minimum-variance (LCMV) space-time beamformer with additional constraints based on a model of the clutter covariance matrix that is computed using available knowledge about the operating environment. This technique has the desirable property of reducing sample support requirements by "blending" the information contained in the observed radar data and the a priori knowledge sources. Applications of the technique to both full degree of freedom (DoF) and reduced DoF beamformer algorithms are considered. The performance of the knowledge-aided beam forming techniques are demonstrated using high-fidelity simulated X-band radar data     

基于均匀圆阵的信号二维方向角高精度估计

基于均匀圆阵(UCA),提出一种信号二维方向角的高精度估计方法。首先,充分利用了信号的空、时域信息,构造时空旋转矩阵,从而达到多个信源分离的目的。其次,直接利用UCA的阵列流形,采用最小二乘法估计信号二维方向角。最后,给出解相位整周期性模糊的方法。计算机仿真表明了此方法具有估计精度高,对阵元的幅相误差鲁棒性强等特点。     

Framework and Taxonomy for Radar Space-Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) Methods

The goal of radar space-time adaptive processing (STAP) is to detect slow moving targets from a moving platform, typically airborne or spaceborne. STAP generally requires the estimation and the inversion of an interference-plus-noise (I+N) covariance matrix. To reduce both the number of samples involved in the estimation and the computational cost inherent to the matrix inversion, many suboptimum STAP methods have been proposed. We propose a new canonical framework that encompasses all suboptimum STAP methods we are aware of. The framework allows for both covariance-matrix (CM) estimation and range-dependence compensation (RDC); it also applies to monostatic and bistatic configurations. Finally, we discuss a taxonomy for classifying the methods described by the framework.     

Design Principles of MIMO Radar Detectors

This paper considers the problem of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radars employing space-time coding (STC) to achieve diversity. To this end, after briefly outlining the model of the received echo, a suitable detection structure is derived, and its performance is expressed in closed form as a function of the clutter statistical properties and of the space-time code matrix. Interestingly, this receiver requires prior knowledge of the clutter covariance, but the detection threshold is functionally independent thereof. At the transmitter design stage, we give two criteria for code construction: the first is based on the classical Chernoff bound, the second is an information-theoretic criterion. Interestingly, the two criteria lead to the same condition for code optimality, which in turn specializes, under the assumption of uncorrelated clutter and square code matrix, in some well-known full-rate space-time codes. A thorough performance assessment is also given, so as to establish the optimum achievable performance for MIMO radar systems.     

航空发动机气路故障诊断的平方根UKF方法研究

设计了适用于双轴涡扇发动机健康参数估计的平方根UKF滤波算法,解决了线性卡尔曼滤波器估计结果准确性依赖于线性模型精度;常规UKF算法中由于计算误差及噪声信号影响引起误差协方差矩阵负定而导致滤波结果发散等问题.提出了根据测量残差变化改进滤波收敛速度与稳定性的方法.发动机渐变与突变故障模式下仿真结果表明,平方根UKF估计算法收敛速度快,稳定性强,精度高,是一种有效的发动机气路部件健康参数估计与故障诊断方法.      

Reduced-rank STAP for high PRF radar

Due to the range ambiguity of high pulse-repetition frequency (HPRF) radars, echoes from far-range fold over near-range returns. This effect may cause low Doppler targets to compete with near-range strong clutter. Another consequence of the range ambiguity is that the sample support for estimating the array covariance matrix is reduced, leading to degraded performance. It is shown that space-time adaptive processing (STAP) techniques are required to reject the clutter in HPRF radar. Four STAP methods are studied in the context of the HPRF radar problem: low rank approximation sample matrix inversion (SMI), diagonally loaded SMI, eigencanceler, and element-space post-Doppler. These three methods are evaluated in typical HPRF radar scenarios and for various training conditions, including when the target is present in the training data     

Performance bounds for hot and cold clutter mitigation

A new method is presented for describing the theoretical interference space-time covariance matrix that will be observed in an adaptive airborne radar system under specific topographical conditions. Both hot clutter that is induced by interfering sources and cold clutter that results from the radar transmitter are considered. This method incorporates phenomenology observed under site specific conditions as well as system effects such as array geometry, receiver filtering, and system bandwidth. Use of this formulation rather than sample data analyses that are generally employed enables one to infer performance bounds for site-specific, and thus generally, heterogeneous terrain that are tighter and therefore more meaningful than the thermal noise floor limit     

Multiple Source Location-A Digital Approach

Algorithms for locating multiple signal sources simultaneously with the aid of linear arrays and digital signal processing are presented. The approach basically consists of determining the eigenvalues/eigenvectors of a complex covariance matrix and solving a polynomial formed from the elements of eigenvectors. Computer simulations are performed to investigate the behavior of the algorithms in terms of their accuracy, convergence, and angular resolution. The performance of the algorithms with actual test data is reported.     

基于功率特征分组的空时自适应脉冲干扰抑制方法CSCD

脉冲干扰是一种常见的导航干扰类型,具有高带宽、突发性等特点,针对脉冲干扰的抑制具有较大难度。常规空时自适应处理不对接收信号类型进行区分,而是统一进行协方差矩阵估计及权值计算,存在抗脉冲干扰性能下降或失效的可能。针对以上问题,提出了一种基于功率特征分组的空时自适应处理方法。首先对接收数据进行功率检测,将信号采样数据分为有干扰数据组和无干扰数据组,然后对分组后的数据分别进行权值计算和滤波处理,最后将滤波后的数据按照采样顺序进行合并。该方法通过数据分组,提高了干噪比的统计计算准确度,增加了干扰零陷深度,实现了抗干扰能力的提升。理论分析和仿真实验均证明了该方法的有效性。     

离散不确定系统的优化鲁棒滤波方法及在飞行试验中的应用

提出了一种离散系统的优化鲁棒滤波方法。为了得到滤波的逼近计算式，通过优化加权矩阵得到了上界不等式逼近和等效系统矩阵，得到了鲁棒滤波的时间更新算法；通过优化加权矩阵得到了下界不等式逼近和等效观测矩阵，得到了鲁棒滤波的测量更新算珐，并且给出了鲁棒滤波算法收敛的条件。飞行试验数据处理的结果表明，提出的方法是有效的。     

Airborne/spacebased radar STAP using a structured covariance matrix

It is shown that partial information about the airborne/spacebased (A/S) clutter covariance matrix (CCM) can be used effectively to significantly enhance the convergence performance of a block-processed space/time adaptive processor (STAP) in a clutter and jamming environment. The partial knowledge of the CCM is based upon the simplified general clutter model (GCM) which has been developed by the airborne radar community. A priori knowledge of parameters which should be readily measurable (but not necessarily accurate) by the radar platform associated with this model is assumed. The GCM generates an assumed CCM. The assumed CCM along with exact knowledge of the thermal noise covariance matrix is used to form a maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) of the unknown interference covariance matrix which is used by the STAP. The new algorithm that employs the a priori clutter and thermal noise covariance information is evaluated using two clutter models: 1) a mismatched GCM, and 2) the high-fidelity Research Laboratory STAP clutter model. For both clutter models, the new algorithm performed significantly better (i.e., converged faster) than the sample matrix inversion (SMI) and fast maximum likelihood (FML) STAP algorithms, the latter of which uses only information about the thermal noise covariance matrix.