Target visibility enhancement system
OwnerRichard W. Penneyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus (10) for enhancing target visibility comprises producing pulse returns in response to a sequence of received pulses. The pulse returns are processed to produce primary returns which vary from pulse to pulse unlike unmodulated clutter returns. The pulse returns are also processed to produce one or more secondary returns which model clutter artifacts whose amplitude vary with range in a manner related to the amplitude variation of the estimated clutter, and whose phase varies in a manner related to the phase of the primary returns. This is followed by removal from primary returns of a contribution thereto varying with range in the same way as the secondary returns. The result is that contributions to radar returns associated with moving targets are enhanced relative to clutter.
Claims25
An electronic signal processing system for processing signals received from a scene, including:
- a) means for producing from the received signals a set of main returns representative of the scene and distributed between a plurality of range cells;
- b) means for estimating a clutter component of the main returns;
- and
- c) means for producing a set of primary returns comprising of residuals derived by removing the estimated clutter component from the main returns;
- characterised in that the system is arranged to produce a set of modified primary returns by further including:
- d) means for estimating a component representative of clutter artifacts manifesting as a similarity between the primary returns and either the clutter component or the main returns, and
- e) means for removing the clutter artifact component from the primary returns to produce the modified primary returns having reduced clutter artifacts.
A method of processing signals received from a scene, comprising the) steps of:
- a) producing from the received signals a set of main returns representative of the scene and distributed between a plurality of range cells;
- and
- b) estimating a clutter component of the main returns;
- and
- c) producing a set of primary returns comprising of residuals derived by reffiefing the estimated clutter component from the main returns;
- characterised in that a set of modified primary returns is produced by:
- c) estimating a component representative of clutter artifacts manifesting as a similarity between the primary returns and either the clutter component or the main returns, and
- d) removing the clutter artifact component from the primary returns to produce the modified primary returns having reduced clutter artifacts.
A computer program designed to run on a computer system and arranged thereon to implement a signal processing system, the system being arranged to:
- a) receive signals representative of a scene that comprise a set of main returns distributed between a plurality of range cells;
- and
- b) estimate a component of the main returns caused by clutter, and to produce a set of primary returns comprising of residuals derived by removing the estimated clutter component from the main returns;
- characterised in that the system includes:
- c) means for estimating a component representative of clutter artifacts manifesting as a similarity between the primary returns and either the clutter component or the main returns, and
- d) means for removing the clutter artifact component from the primary returns to produce the modified primary returns having reduced clutter artifacts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.