44 research outputs found
Classification Schemes for the Radar Reference Window: Design and Comparisons
In this paper, we address the problem of classifying data within the radar
reference window in terms of statistical properties. Specifically, we partition
these data into statistically homogeneous subsets by identifying possible
clutter power variations with respect to the cells under test (accounting for
possible range-spread targets) and/or clutter edges. To this end, we consider
different situations of practical interest and formulate the classification
problem as multiple hypothesis tests comprising several models for the
operating scenario. Then, we solve the hypothesis testing problems by resorting
to suitable approximations of the model order selection rules due to the
intractable mathematics associated with the maximum likelihood estimation of
some parameters. Remarkably, the classification results provided by the
proposed architectures represent an advanced clutter map since, besides the
estimation of the clutter parameters, they contain a clustering of the range
bins in terms of homogeneous subsets. In fact, such information can drive the
conventional detectors towards more reliable estimates of the clutter
covariance matrix according to the position of the cells under test. The
performance analysis confirms that the conceived architectures represent a
viable means to recognize the scenario wherein the radar is operating at least
for the considered simulation parameters.Comment: Accepted by IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic System
Target Detection Architecture for Resource Constrained Wireless Sensor Networks within Internet of Things
Wireless sensor networks (WSN) within Internet of Things (IoT) have the potential
to address the growing detection and classi�cation requirements among many
surveillance applications. RF sensing techniques are the next generation technologies
which o�er distinct advantages over traditional passive means of sensing
such as acoustic and seismic which are used for surveillance and target detection
applications of WSN. RF sensing based WSN within IoT detect the presence of
designated targets by transmitting RF signals into the sensing environment and
observing the re
ected echoes. In this thesis, an RF sensing based target detection
architecture for surveillance applications of WSN has been proposed to detect the
presence of stationary targets within the sensing environment.
With multiple sensing nodes operating simultaneously within the sensing region,
diversity among the sensing nodes in the choice of transmit waveforms is required.
Existing multiple access techniques to accommodate multiple sensing nodes within
the sensing environment are not suitable for RF sensing based WSN. In this thesis,
a diversity in the choice of the transmit waveforms has been proposed and transmit
waveforms which are suitable for RF sensing based WSN have been discussed. A
criterion have been de�ned to quantify the ease of detecting the signal and energy
e�ciency of the signal based on which ease of detection index and energy e�ciency
index respectively have been generated. The waveform selection criterion proposed
in this thesis takes the WSN sensing conditions into account and identi�es the
optimum transmit waveform within the available choices of transmit waveforms
based on their respective ease of detection and energy e�ciency indexes.
A target detector analyses the received RF signals to make a decision regarding
the existence or absence of targets within the sensing region. Existing target detectors
which are discussed in the context of WSN do not take the factors such
as interference and nature of the sensing environment into account. Depending
on the nature of the sensing environment, in this thesis the sensing environments are classi�ed as homogeneous and heterogeneous sensing environments. Within
homogeneous sensing environments the presence of interference from the neighbouring
sensing nodes is assumed. A target detector has been proposed for WSN
within homogeneous sensing environments which can reliably detect the presence
of targets. Within heterogeneous sensing environments the presence of clutter and
interfering waveforms is assumed. A target detector has been proposed for WSN
within heterogeneous sensing environments to detect targets in the presence of
clutter and interfering waveforms. A clutter estimation technique has been proposed
to assist the proposed target detector to achieve increased target detection
reliability in the presence of clutter. A combination of compressive and two-step
target detection architectures has been proposed to reduce the transmission costs.
Finally, a 2-stage target detection architecture has been proposed to reduce the
computational complexity of the proposed target detection architecture
Unit Circle Roots Based Sensor Array Signal Processing
As technology continues to rapidly evolve, the presence of sensor arrays and the algorithms processing the data they generate take an ever-increasing role in modern human life. From remote sensing to wireless communications, the importance of sensor signal processing cannot be understated. Capon\u27s pioneering work on minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) beamforming forms the basis of many modern sensor array signal processing (SASP) algorithms. In 2004, Steinhardt and Guerci proved that the roots of the polynomial corresponding to the optimal MVDR beamformer must lie on the unit circle, but this result was limited to only the MVDR. This dissertation contains a new proof of the unit circle roots property which generalizes to other SASP algorithms. Motivated by this result, a unit circle roots constrained (UCRC) framework for SASP is established and includes MVDR as well as single-input single-output (SISO) and distributed multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar moving target detection. Through extensive simulation examples, it will be shown that the UCRC-based SASP algorithms achieve higher output gains and detection probabilities than their non-UCRC counterparts. Additional robustness to signal contamination and limited secondary data will be shown for the UCRC-based beamforming and target detection applications, respectively
On Detection and Ranking Methods for a Distributed Radio-Frequency Sensor Network: Theory and Algorithmic Implementation
A theoretical foundation for pre-detection fusion of sensors is needed if the United States Air Force is to ever field a system of distributed and layered sensors that can detect and perform parameter estimation of complex, extended targets in difficult interference environments, without human intervention, in near real-time. This research is relevant to the United States Air Force within its layered sensing and cognitive radar/sensor initiatives. The asymmetric threat of the twenty-first century introduces stressing sensing conditions that may exceed the ability of traditional monostatic sensing systems to perform their required intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. In particular, there is growing interest within the United States Air Force to move beyond single sensor sensing systems, and instead begin fielding and leveraging distributed sensing systems to overcome the inherent challenges imposed by the modern threat space. This thesis seeks to analyze the impact of integrating target echoes in the angular domain, to determine if better detection and ranking performance is achieved through the use of a distributed sensor network. Bespoke algorithms are introduced for detection and ranking ISR missions leveraging a distributed network of radio-frequency sensors: the first set of bespoke algorithms area based upon a depth-based nonparametric detection algorithm, which is to shown to enhance the recovery of targets under lower signal-to-noise ratios than an equivalent monostatic radar system; the second set of bespoke algorithms are based upon random matrix theoretic and concentration of measure mathematics, and demonstrated to outperform the depth-based nonparametric approach. This latter approach shall be shown to be effective across a broad range of signal-to-noise ratios, both positive and negative
Two-dimensional multivariate parametric models for radar applications-Part I: Maximum-entropy extensions for Toeplitz-block matrices
Copyright © 2008 IEEEIn a series of two papers, a new class of parametric models for two-dimensional multivariate (matrix-valued, space-time) adaptive processing is introduced. This class is based on the maximum-entropy extension and/or completion of partially specified matrix-valued Hermitian covariance matrices in both the space and time dimensions. This first paper considers the more restricted class of Toeplitz Hermitian covariance matrices that model stationary clutter. If the clutter is stationary only in time then we deal with a Toeplitz-block matrix, whereas clutter that is stationary in time and space is described by a Toeplitz-block-Toeplitz matrix. We first derive exact expressions for this new class of 2-D models that act as approximations for the unknown true covariance matrix. Second, we propose suboptimal (but computationally simpler) relaxed 2-D time-varying autoregressive models (ldquorelaxationsrdquo) that directly use the non-Toeplitz Hermitian sample covariance matrix. The high efficiency of these parametric models is illustrated by simulation results using true ground-clutter covariance matrices provided by the DARPA KASSPER Dataset 1, which is a trusted phenomenological airborne radar model, and a complementary AFRL dataset.Yuri I. Abramovich, Ben A. Johnson, and Nicholas K. Spence