Marco Lops

Asymptotically optimum radar detection in compound-Gaussian clutter

An asymptotically optimum receiver designed for detecting coherent pulse trains in compound-Gaussian clutter is introduced and assessed. The proposed receiver assumes knowledge of the structure of the clutter covariance matrix, but does not require that of its amplitude probability density function (apdf). Performance is analytically evaluated, showing that the loss, as measured with respect to the corresponding optimum structure, is kept within a few dBs even for a relatively small number of integrated pulses and that it largely outperforms the matched-filter detector under all instances of practical interest. Interestingly, the proposed detector achieves constant false alarm rate (CFAR), regardless of the clutter envelope distribution and, consequently, its power. >

Design Principles of MIMO Radar Detectors

This paper considers the problem of Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) radars employing space-time coding 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 former is based on the classical Chernoff bound, the latter is instead 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.

Multiuser detection for cooperative networks and performance analysis

We investigate strategies for user cooperation in the uplink of a synchronous direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS/CDMA) network employing nonorthogonal spreading codes and analyze their performance. We consider two repetition-based relay schemes: decode-and-forward (DAF) and amplify-and-forward (AAF). Focusing on the use of linear multiuser detectors, we first present cooperation strategies, i.e., signal processing at both the relay nodes and the base station (BS), under the assumption of perfectly known channel conditions of all links; then, we consider the more practical scenario where relays and BS have only partial information about the system parameters, which requires blind multiuser detection methods. We provide performance analysis of the proposed detection strategies in terms of the (asymptotic) signal-to-(interference plus noise) ratio and the bit error rate, and we show that AAF achieves a full second-order diversity when a minimum mean-square-error detector is employed at both the relay side and the BS. A simple, yet effective, partner selection algorithm is also presented. Finally, a thorough performance assessment is undertaken to study the impact of the multiple-access interference on the proposed cooperative strategies under different scenarios and system assumptions

Track-before-detect procedures for early detection of moving target from airborne radars

In this paper we present a family of track-before-detect (TBD) procedures for early detection of moving targets from airborne radars. Upon a sectorization of the coverage area, the received echoes are jointly processed in the azimuth-range-Doppler domain and in the time domain through a Viterbi-like algorithm that exploits the physically admissible target transitions between successive illuminations, in order to collect all of the energy back-scattered during the time on target (TOT). A reduced-complexity implementation is derived assuming, at the design stage, that the target does not change resolution cell during the TOT in each scan. The constant false alarm rate (CFAR) constraint is also englobed in the proposed procedures as well as the possibility of working with quantized data. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithms have good detection and tracking capabilities even for high target velocities and low quantization rates.

Adaptive matched filter detection in spherically invariant noise

The article addresses radar detection of coherent pulse trains embedded in spherically invariant noise with unknown statistics. Starting upon a newly proposed detector, which assumes knowledge of the structure of the clutter covariance matrix, we substitute the actual matrix by a proper estimate based on a set of secondary data vectors. Interestingly, the resulting detector achieves a constant false alarm rate with respect to the texture component of the clutter, and incurs an acceptable loss with respect to the case of a known covariance matrix.

Adaptive detection schemes in compound-Gaussian clutter

Radar detection of coherent pulse trains embedded in compound-Gaussian disturbance with partially known statistics is discussed. We first give a thorough derivation of two recently proposed adaptive detection structures. Next, we derive a different detection scheme exploiting the assumption that the clutter is wide-sense stationary. Resorting to the theory of circulant matrices, in fact, we demonstrate that the estimation of the structure of the clutter covariance matrix can be reduced to the estimation of its eigenvalues, which in turn can be (efficiently) done via fast Fourier transform codes. After a thorough performance assessment, mostly carried on via computer simulations, the results show that the newly proposed detector achieves better performance than the two previously introduced adaptive detectors. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis shows that, even though this detector does not strictly guarantee the constant false alarm rate property with respect to the clutter covariance matrix, it is robust, in the sense that its performance is only slightly affected by variations in the clutter temporal correlation.

Track-before-detect procedures in a multi-target environment

This paper addresses the problem of early detection of K ges 1 multiple moving targets in radar systems through the use of track-before-detect (TBD) techniques. At first, assuming prior knowledge of K, a binary generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) is derived, which shows that the multi-target TBD problem can be regarded as a K-path trellis search. Since optimal implementation of the GLRT has a nonlinear complexity either in the number of targets or in the number of integrated frames, suboptimum algorithms are investigated which allow to trade better estimation and tracking accuracy for a much lower implementation complexity. Next, the TBD problem with K unknown is discussed and a novel multi-hypothesis test strategy is derived as the solution to a constrained optimization problem, which subsumes the conventional binary GLRT as the special case of known K. Finally, numerical examples are provided to assess and compare the performances of the proposed TBD procedures.

A new family of MMSE multiuser receivers for interference suppression in DS/CDMA systems employing BPSK modulation

We deal with interference suppression in asynchronous direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems employing binary phase-shift keying modulation. Such an interference may arise from other users of the network, from external low-rate systems, as well as from a CDMA network coexisting with the primary network to form a dual-rate network. We derive, for all of these cases, a new family of minimum mean-square-error detectors, which differ from their conventional counterparts in that they minimize a modified cost function. Since the resulting structure is not implementable with acceptable complexity, we also propose some suboptimum systems. The statistical analysis reveals that both the optimum and the suboptimum receivers are near-far resistant, not only with respect to the other users, but also with respect to the external interference. We also present a blind and a recursive least squares-based, decision-directed implementation of the receivers wherein only the signature and the timing of the user to be decoded and the signaling time and the frequency offset of the external interferer are assumed known. Finally, computer simulations show that the proposed adaptive algorithm outperforms the classical decision-directed RLS algorithm.

Partially blind adaptive MMSE interference rejection in asynchronous DS/CDMA networks over frequency-selective fading channels

In this work, the problem of joint suppression of multiple-access and narrow-band interference (NBI) for an asynchronous direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (CDMA) system operating on a frequency-selective fading channel is addressed. The receiver structure we consider can be deemed as a two-stage one: the first stage consists of a bank of minimum mean-square-error (MMSE) filters, each keyed to a given replica of the useful signal, and aimed at suppressing the overall interference; the second stage, assuming knowledge of the fading channel coefficients realizations, combines the MMSE filters outputs according to a maximal-ratio combining rule. Due to the presence of the NBI, the resulting structure is in general time-varying, and becomes periodically time-varying if the NBI bit-rate has a rational ratio to that of the CDMA system. Moreover, enlarging the observation window beyond the signaling interval and oversampling the signal space may yield a noticeable performance improvement. For the relevant case that the said ratio is rational, a new cyclic blind recursive least squares (RLS)-based algorithm is introduced, capable of tracking the periodically time-varying receiver structure, and allowing adaptive interference cancellation with a moderate complexity increase. We also come up with a closed-form expression for the conditional bit-error rate (BER), which is useful both to evaluate semi-analytical methods to assess the unconditional BER and to derive bounds on the system near-far resistance. The results indicate that the receiver achieves very satisfactory performance in comparison to previously known structures. Computer simulations also demonstrate that the cyclic blind RLS algorithm exhibits quite fast convergence dynamics.

A Novel Dynamic Programming Algorithm for Track-Before-Detect in Radar Systems

In this paper we present a novel procedure for multi-frame detection in radar systems. The proposed architecture consists of a pre-processing stage, which extracts a set of candidate alarms (or plots) from the raw data measurements (e.g., this can be the Detector and Plot-Extractor of common radar systems), and a track-before-detect (TBD) processor, which jointly elaborates observations from multiple scans (or frames) and confirms reliable plots. A computationally efficient dynamic programming algorithm for the TBD processor is derived, which does not require a discretization of the state space and operates directly on the input plot-lists. Finally, a simple algorithm to solve possible data association problems arising at the track-formation step is given, and a thorough complexity and performance analysis is provided, showing that large detection gains with respect to the standard radar processing are achievable with negligible complexity increase.