Cognitive radar for target tracking using a software defined radar system

Most radar systems employ a feed-forward processing chain in which they first perform some low-level processing of received sensor data to obtain target detections and then pass the processed data on to some higher-level processor such as a tracker. Cognitive radar systems use adaptation between the information extracted from the sensor/processor and the design and transmission of subsequent illuminating waveforms. In this paper, we develop a cognitive radar tracking system based on the Maximum a Posteriori Penalty Function (MAP-PF) tracking methodology, which allows us to cognitively control both the radar sensor and the processor. We demonstrate performance for a pulse-Doppler radar system in which the pulse repetition frequency is adjusted to optimize tracking performance, while keeping the target from being Doppler-aliased and away from the zero-Doppler clutter. Results are shown on experimentally collected data using a software defined radar system.