A Framework for the Detection of a Target of Unknown Velocity

Abstract : The detection of a target in correlated Gaussian clutter, thermal noise, and extraneous interference sis considered. The amplitude, phase, and Doppler frequency of the signal are not known a priori. The optimal detector, in the Neyman-Pearson sense is difficult to implement, and suboptimal methods are used. A general criterion that measures the performance of suboptimal detectors relative to an optimal test is presented. This criterion that measures the performance of suboptimal detectors relative to an optimal test is presented. This criterion is encompasses in a design procedure used to design Doppler filters. The procedure allows many design considerations to be taken into account, which results in a design that attempts to minimize the number of filters required. For low dimensionality the procedure is of single filter designs; for higher dimensionality multiple filters are designed. The performance of these is compared with the results obtained by Emerson, Andrews and the generalized likelihood ratio test. The clutter to thermal noise ratio and spectral width of the clutter are assumed known. When these parameters are not known exactly, the robustness of these and other filter systems is examined. A robustness theorem is presented, which relates the performance of a fixed filter to the clutter to thermal noise ratio as f function of the Doppler frequency. Future research is discussed. Keywords: Space based; Doppler radar.