Range-Doppler-Acceleration Estimation for Fast-Moving and Accelerating Targets

TL;DR

This paper introduces a generalized, waveform-independent method for Range-Doppler estimation in pulsed radar that effectively compensates for target acceleration and wideband effects, improving accuracy in complex scenarios.

Contribution

The paper proposes a novel Range-Doppler compression technique that handles quadratic target motion and wideband signals without relying on simplifying assumptions.

Findings

Method maintains minimal SNR loss

Performance analysis via a unified metric

Outperforms conventional approaches in complex scenarios

Abstract

A central aspect of every pulsed radar signal processor is the targets Range-Doppler estimation within a Coherent Processing Interval. Conventional methods typically rely on simplifying assumptions, such as linear target motion, narrowband operation, or constant velocity, to enable fast computation. However, these assumptions break down in scenarios involving quadratic range-time behavior, high radial velocities or accelerations, or wideband signals, leading to undesired effects such as intra-pulse Doppler shift/stretch and target migration across Range-Doppler cells. This paper presents a generalized waveform-independent Range-Doppler compression approach that compensates for these effects while maintaining minimal Signal-to-Noise-Ratio loss and practical computational efficiency. The performance limits of the proposed method are analyzed and expressed through a unified metric that depends on both scene and system parameters. Comparison with other approaches is presented, showing their estimation bias and performance degradation.