Sidelobe blanking with integration and target fluctuation

In radar systems, sidelobe blanking (SLB) is used to mitigate impulsive interference that enters the radar through sidelobes of the main antenna. SLB employs an auxiliary antenna channel with the output being compared with that of the main antenna channel and a decision is then made as to whether or not to blank the main channel output. SLB performance determination involves the evaluation of several probability functions. Based on the classical Maisel SLB architecture, this work extends previous performance results, in which detection was limited to the case of a single radar pulse with either Marcum or Swerling I target fluctuation. Probability expressions have been generalized to include both an arbitrary number of integrated pulses and target fluctuation models based on the gamma distribution. The Swerling fluctuation models are all special cases of the gamma distribution. Results are derived in terms of two generalized probability functions, one for detection and the other for blanking. With these generalized probability functions, the SLB design and performance results can be determined. Examples are presented and discussed.     

Energetics of reconnection: A reply

In this article we address several criticisms of Petschek-type reconnection models which have recently been raised by Heikkila. We discuss features of the time-dependent Petschek-type models in the context of the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction, and point out that such models can incorporate and reproduce observed features at the magnetopause, such as plasma jets and erosion of the current sheet. We argue that some of Heikkila's criticisms can be attributed to weaknesses in the analysis due to incomplete experimental information, rather than to flaws in the concept of reconnection per se; in this category we include the question of which instability leads to the localised breakup of the magnetopause current sheet. Other criticisms are based on an adherence to steady-state models, and cannot be sustained within the extended time-dependent theory. We discuss, for example, how the time-dependent model can provide a consistent picture of how energy from the incoming solar wind is transferred and converted as it enters the magnetosphere.     

A relative navigation system for formation flight

A relative navigation system based on both the Inertial Navigation System (INS) and the Global Positioning System (GPS) is developed to support situational awareness during formation flight. The architecture of the system requires an INS/GPS integration across two aircraft via a data link. A fault-tolerant federated filter is used to estimate the relative INS errors based on relative GPS measurements and a range measurement obtained from the data link. The filter is constructed based on a reduced-order model of the relative INS error process. A method for analyzing the filter performance is presented. A case involving two helicopters in formation flight is studied under three different night trajectories to account for the effect of vehicle motion on the INS state transition matrix. The results of the covariance analysis are compared with actual night results over an instrumented test range.     

Optimum FFT-based frequency acquisition with application toCOSPAS-SARSAT

In the case of a single sinusoid or multiple well-separated sinusoids, a coarse estimator consisting of a windowed Fourier transform followed by a fine estimator which is an interpolator is a good approximation to an optimal frequency acquisition and measurement algorithm. The design tradeoffs are described. It is shown that for the fine-frequency estimator a good method is to fit a Gaussian function to the fast-Fourier-transform (FFT) peak and its two neighbors. This method achieves a frequency standard deviation and a bias in the order of only a few percent of a bin. In the case of short-time stationarity, for a moderate number of averages and for an adaptive threshold detector, only between 0.5 and 1 dB is lost when averaging is traded off for FFT length, in contrast to the asymptotic result of 1.5 dB. The COSPAS-SARSAT satellite system for emergency detection and localization is used to illustrate the concepts. The algorithm is analyzed theoretically, and good agreement is found with test results     

Comments on `Tracking a maneuvering target using input estimation''

P.L. Boglar (see ibid., vol.AES-23, no.3, p.298-310, May 1987) developed a recursive formulation of the Chan, Hu, and Plant (CHP) algorithm, and the results of the simulation verified the performance improvements. The commenter claims that Bogler obtained an incorrect recursive formulation of input estimation because he incorrectly used the formulation of the Kalman filter. The commenter presents calculations that aim to demonstrate this claim     

On Optimal Control of Linear Systems in the Presence of Multiplicative Noise

This correspondence considers the problem of optimal regulator design for discrete time linear systems subjected to white state-dependent and control-dependent noise in addition to additive white noise in the input and the observations. A pseudo-deterministic problem is first defined in which multiplicative and additive input disturbances are present, but noise-free measurements of the complete state vector are available. This problem is solved via discrete dynamic programing. Next is formulated the problem in which the number of measurements is less than that of the state variables and the measurements are contaminated with state-dependent noise. The inseparability of control and estimation is brought into focus, and an "enforced separation" solution is obtained via heuristic reasoning in which the control gains are shown to be the same as those in the pseudo-deterministic problem. An optimal linear state estimator is given in order to implement the controller.     

Pure proportional navigation against time-varying target manoeuvres

Capturability of the pure proportional navigation (PPN) guidance law against a target executing bounded piecewise continuous time-varying manoeuvres is investigated. A qualitative analysis is carried out to obtain a set of sufficient conditions for capture defined on the engagement parameters and initial conditions. These conditions are significantly less restrictive than the ones obtained previously by others using the Lyapunov method. It is shown that the actual capture region for time-varying target manoeuvres, obtained by using the conditions derived, is much larger than that obtained from the Lyapunov technique. We also show that though a bounded tine varying target manoeuvre does change the constant target manoeuvre capture region to some extent, it does not reduce it drastically. Further, we show that the worst case capture region is obtained when the target executes a constant manoeuvre equal to the bound on the manoeuvre level. Some bounds on the missile lateral acceleration are also obtained for certain regions in the engagement plane. These results are generalizations and extensions of existing results on the capturability of the PPN guidance law against targets executing constant or time-varying target manoeuvres     

Asymptotically Stable Motions of a Gyro in a Spinning Vehicle

An analysis of the motion of a single-axis rate gyroscope mounted in a space vehicle which is spinning with uncertain constant angular velocity xz about the spin axis of the gyro is presented. The nonlinearity in the equation of motion of the gimbal is retained. Using the Lyapunov approach, regions are obtained in the k-xz plane where k is the torsional spring constant, for asymptotic stability and for global asymptotic stability, and an estimate of the region of stability in state space is presented. Analytical relations for the selection of the gyro parameters are derived.     

Mismatched Filtering of Sonar Signals

A replica correlator (matched filter) is an optimum processor for a receiver employing a pulse of continuous wave (CW) signal in a white Gaussian noise background. In an active sonar, however, when the target of interest has low Doppler shift and is embedded in a high reverberation background, this is not so. High sidelobes of the correlator frequency response pass a significant portion of the signal contained in the mainlobe of the reverberation spectrum. In order to reduce the sidelobes of the correlator output spectrum and at the same time keep the increase in its 3 dB bandwidth to a small amount, we propose lengthening of the replica of the transmitted signal and weighting it by a Kaiser window. It is demonstrated that by extending the weighted replica by 50 percent compared with the transmitted signal, it is possible to reduce the sidelobe levels to at least 40 dB below the mainlobe peak, with the concomitant increase of the 3 dB band-width by less than 5 percent. The degradation in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance for such a ?mismatched? filter receiver with respect to the matched filter is less than 1.5 dB.