Patent ID: 8161089

Claim:
A method for detecting a broad class of signals in Gaussian noise using Higher Order Statistics in both time as well as frequency domains, comprising: receiving an input signal in a signal receiving module; dividing said input signal into a plurality of segments in a signal divider module; breaking up said plurality of segments into real and imaginary parts; setting an initial probability value to 0.5 fir a probability of a signal within said broad class of signals being present in one given segment of said plurality of segments; computing a first set of cumulants of an order greater than two from said plurality of segments in a data processing module, wherein; R is a total number of cumulants comprising cumulants of real parts (c r real ) and cumulants of imaginary parts (C r imaginary ) of order greater than two available for computation for said real and said imaginary parts of each segment of said plurality of segments of data respectively; transforming said plurality of segments into transformed segments by performing a Fourier transform on said plurality of segments in a Fourier Transform stage; computing a second set of cumulants of an order greater than two of said transformed segments in said data processing module; said order of said cumulantsis defined by r, where value of r goes from 2 to (R+2); comparing said first set of cumulants and said second set of cumulants with a first threshold value in said data processing module; said first threshold equals γ|m 2 real | r/2 for said cumulants of real parts and equals γ|m 2 imaginary | r/2 for said cumulants of imaginary parts; wherein m 2 real is a second order moment of said real part of segments and M 2 imaginary is a second order moment of said imaginary part of segments; wherein γ is a positive whole number; increasing a probability metric by a determined step amount if either of said cumulant and if both of said cumulants exceeds said first threshold; decreasing said probability metric by said determined step amount if either of said cumulants and if both of said cumulants does not exceed said first threshold; said determined step amount is defined as δ = 0.5 R ; concluding that a signal is present if a final probability metric is greater than or equal to the second threshold value; said second threshold value is 0.5; and wherein said final probability metric is computed by combining said real and said imaginary final probability metrics after adjustment steps of said increasing and said decreasing said probability metric for said real part and said imaginary parts.