Combatting inherent vulnerabilities of CFAR algorithms and a new robust CFAR design
By: Patrick J. Bowman
Publisher: Naval Postgraduate School; Available from National Technical Information Service
Published: 1993
Place of publication: Monterey, Calif; Springfield, Va
Language: eng
Number of pages: 143
Description: A current trend in radar technology is automatic detection and tracking systems. An integral part of these automatic systems is the CFAR (constant False Alarm Rate) detector. A CFAR detector is the signal process algorithm that controls the rate at which target detections are falsely declared. Given the current state of radar technology, CFAR algorithms are necessary elements of any automatic radar system. Unfortunately, CFAR systems are inherently vulnerable to degradation caused by large clutter edges multiple targets and jamming environments. This thesis presents eight popular and studied CFAR architectures. A comprehensive review of each system's structure, analysis and performance is detailed. Also the performance of each CFAR processor for two different inphase (1) and quadrature (Q) detectors: envelope approximation detector and the square law detector are compared numerically. In addition, each system is comprehensively compared to one another in the troublesome environments mention above. This thesis continues with the development of an original CFAR architecture, the excision greatest-of (EXGO). Although more complex, this processor is shown to be more robust than the other established techniques particularly in the presence of clutter edges, multiple targets, and electronic countermeasures (ECM) environments.
Notes: Thesis advisor(s): Phillip Pace ; Merrill I. Skolnik.

"September 1993."

Thesis (M.S. in Systems Engineering) Naval Postgraduate School, September 1993.

Includes bibliographical references.

Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.

Also available online.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

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US Navy (USN) author.