Fast adaptive pulse compression based on matched filter outputs

Abstract

An adaptive pulse compression (APC) algorithm is developed, based on the concept of minimum mean square error (MMSE), that utilizes matched filter (MF) output as its input and is termed Matched-Filter-Reiterative-MMSE (MF-RMMSE). MF-RMMSE allows the use of a smaller processing window than traditional reiterative-MMSE (RMMSE) but achieves identical performance at side-lobe suppression, and thus the computational load is reduced. MF-RMMSE also facilitates the implementation of APC to current radar sensors, since the existing MF implementations can be untouched. The derivation of MF-RMMSE is provided in detail, and its performance is validated through both simulations and actual airborne radar measurements for "mixed-target" observations, which includes both hard targets and distributed weather targets.