TARGET DETECTION IN NOISE

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.1

 MODULE OBJECTIVE
• With this training manual describe and explain the target
echo detection process for information provision to the
operational display of a radar system in the presence of
noise and surrounding environmental clutters in
accordance with the relevant ICAO standard.

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.2

 RELEVANCE OF THE CONTENT
• Radiating electromagnetic signals into volumetric space
must compete with RF pollution. More so the minimal
energy returning waves must be filtered in the radar
receiving equipment and also greatly compete with the
inherent thermal noise that is always present in the system.
• Therefore, in all radars and before any other information
can be recovered, the detection decision must be made.
After detection the video and display of target is evidenced
in addition to all other associated and relevant information
of the target so desired.

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.3

 INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVES
• Describe the relevant receiver radar block diagram
• Explain target information extraction
• Explain target detection in the presence of noise
• State the detection problem
• Describe Match filter at intermediate frequency in receiver
• Enumerate detection examples with different SNR
• Explain probability of Detection vs. SNR
• Evaluate the results of a tabular detection expression
• Explain integration of pulses
• Explain coherent integration
• Explain noncoherent integration
• Different Types of Non-Coherent Integration
• Describe Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR)

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.4

 Radar block diagram

• Target Detection in receiver chain

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.5

 Radar block diagram cont’d

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 1. 6

 Target Information Extraction
• Some backscatter energy returns to radar, a fraction of it is
intercepted by antenna; determined by antenna’s effective
area termed the aperture
• In addition, interfering signals, such as clutter and
un/intentional interference compete with the target echo
• captured target echo/
interference are directed by
duplexer to receiver for
amplification and filtering

• Receiver also unavoidably

• Reciprocity apertures of half wavelength dipole antennas
generates random thermal
noise to compete with desired
target echoes
14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 1. 7
 Target Information Extraction cont’d
• Signal processing enhance target echoes with match filter circuit
while suppressing noise by maximizing signal-to-noise ratio (S/N)

• Noise suppression not perfect as interference residue appear

with target echoes at output of signal processor

• Processed signals and interference residue are compared to a

reference level, usually a voltage, called detection threshold

• If composite signal exceeds threshold, detection is declared. If

caused by desired target target’s presence is identified else
detection is a false alarm caused by noise indicating presence
of non-existent target.

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 1. 8

 Target Detection in Presence of Noise

• Radar return is sampled at regular intervals with A/D (Analog

to Digital) converters
• Sampled returns may include the target of interest and noise
• A threshold is used to reject noise
14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.9
 The Detection Problem

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 1. 10

 Matched Filter
• Maximizes output peak-signal-to-mean-noise ratio; maximizes
detectability of weak echo signals and attenuates unwanted
signals at IF before detecting targets using threshold detector
• Its performance gives maximum probability of detection for a
given signal level from the minimum detectable signal (MDS)
MF does not preserve waveshape of
received echoes as are known in
advance (same as transmitted pulse)

What is important is production of

largest possible peak o/p in
response to each echo signal, for a
given level of noise thus maximizing
chance of recognizing valid echoes
• Improving signal-to-noise ratio by matched filter
with a threshold detector.

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 1. 11

 The Detection Problem cont’d

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.12

 Detection Examples with Different SNR

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.13

 Probability of Detection vs. SNR

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.14

TABLULAR DETECTION PRINCIPLE
• It is deciding whether or not a target is present and
accomplished comparing signal-plus-noise, after all
processing has occurred, to a threshold
S/N
Target? Detection? Result

1
No No

2
Yes Yes

3
Yes No

4
No Yes

• If the signal-plus-noise, or noise alone, crosses the threshold,

a detection is declared if not, no detection occurs.
14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 1. 15
 TABLULAR DETECTION PRINCIPLE
• If target echoes signals after signal processing are sufficiently
greater in amplitude than noise signals, information about
targets can be extracted from them and target parameters
can then be measured.

• The following information can be derived from radar echoes,

recognizing that all radars do not measure all of the listed
parameters. They are Detection, Position Location, Ranging,
Angular Position (OAZ and OEL), Velocity measurement and
Discrimination

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 1. 16

 TABLULAR DETECTION PRINCIPLE
• Detection determines whether or not a target is present. It is
accomplished by comparing signal plus noise to a threshold

• After signal processing, the two have exactly the same pulse
shape, and the only way to discriminate is by amplitude.
• It is a problem in radar detection, since weak targets and
strong noise residue can easily be confused with one
another.
• For this reason, detection can only be described by
probabilities. The display of slide 17 shows Detection concept
of signal amplitude verses time is called an A-scope.

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 1. 17

 TABLULAR DETECTION PRINCIPLE

• The A scope display

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 1. 18
 Integration of pulses
• False alarm occurs when threshold detector assumes target
is present when only noise is present and appear on radar
display as random blips

• A miss occurs when the signal from an actual target fails to

exceed the threshold and be detected
• If S/N ratio is high, amplitudes of signal pulses will generally
be greater than those of noise pulses

• If S/N is very low, however, a single signal pulse is virtually

indistinguishable from a single noise pulse, and target
detection based on a single pulse is impossible

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.19

 Integration of pulses cont’d
• Each target echo signal received consists of train of pulses
that are added and decision made on basis of the sum
termed pulse Integration

• This considerably improves the

accuracy of the decision

• Noise been random phenomenon and

echo signal not; therefore, sum of pulse
numbers consisting of noise alone will
be considerably different from sum of
pulse numbers containing signal plus
noise

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.20

 Coherent Integration
• Real and Imaginary (In-phase and Quadrature) parts of the
complex radar return are added, and the magnitude of the
voltage is calculated
V= (I2 + Q2 )
• This quantity is then thresholded

• The coherent integration gain is equal to the number of

pulses coherently integrated
‒ 2 pulses 3 dB
‒ 10 pulses 10 dB
‒ 20 pulses 13 dB

• For this gain to be realized, the noise samples, from pulse

to pulse must be independent
– The background noise is white Gaussian noise
14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.21
 Noncoherent Integration

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 1. 22

Different Types of noncoherent Integration

• Non Coherent Integration – General (aka video integration)

‒ Generate magnitude for each of N pulses
‒ .Add magnitudes and then threshold

• Binary Integration
‒ Generate magnitude for each of N pulses and then
threshold
‒ Require at least M detections in N scans

• Cumulative Detection
‒ Generate magnitude for each of N pulses and then
threshold
‒ Require at least 1 detection in N scans
14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.23
 Constant False Alarm Rate Thresholding

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 1. 24

 CFAR Thresholding cont’d
• Adaptive threshold detector technique is used to obtain a
constant false-alarm rate (CFAR)

• Automatic detection system preset at a fixed level threshold

to decide whether or not a signal is present providing a
certain probability of detection and probability of false
alarm in a specific environment

• Probability of false alarm must be low to assure a low false-

alarm rate else display can become swamped with noise or
clutter, making the radar unusable

• Conversely, if false-alarm rate is much lower than

necessary, probability of detection is also lower than
optimal and some targets that could normally be detected
may be missed

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 1. 25

 Summary

• In order to have an effective radar signal management in

locating targets in volumetric space signal processing must
be performed for the purpose of detecting desired echo
signals and rejecting noise, interference and undesired
echoes from clutter through matched filtering,
Detection/integration, clutter reduction, CFAR, ECCM and
threshold detection

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.26

 MASTERY TEST

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.27

 REVIEW

14/09/2021 ATE NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 5.28