System and method for detecting and estimating the direction of near-stationary targets in monostatic clutter using phase information

Abstract

A system and method for detecting a target. The inventive method includes the steps of receiving a complex return signal of an electromagnetic pulse having a real and an imaginary component; extracting from the imaginary component information representative of the phase component of the return signal; and utilizing the phase component to detect the target. Specifically, the phase components are those found from the complex range-Doppler map. More specific embodiments further include the steps of determining a power spectral density of the phase component of the return signal; performing a cross-correlation of power spectral density of the phase component of the return signal between different antenna-subarray (quadrant channels); and averaging the cross-correlated power spectral density of the low frequency components. In an alternative embodiment, the cross-correlation is performed on the phase component of the range-Doppler map directly. This signal can then be averaged to potentially provide improved detection of targets. The cross-correlations of the power spectral densities derived from the complex valued range-Doppler map are then used to detect the target in the presence of monostatic clutter. An additional teaching relates to a utilization of the phase component to ascertain a direction of the target and thereby effect target tracking as well as target detection.