Self-Training Algorithms for Ultra-wideband Radar Target Detection

An ultra-wideband (UWB) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) simulation technique that employs physical and statistical models is developed and presented. This joint physics/statistics based technique generates images that have many of the “blob-like” and “spiky” clutter characteristics of UWB radar data in forested regions while avoiding the intensive computations required for the implementation of low-frequency numerical electromagnetic simulation techniques. Approaches towards developing “self-training” algorithms for UWB radar target detection are investigated using the results of this simulation process. These adaptive approaches employ some form of modified singular value decomposition (SVD) algorithm where small blocks of data in the neighborhood of a sliding test window are processing in real-time in an effort to estimate localized clutter characteristics. These real-time local clutter models are then used to cancel clutter in the sliding test window. Comparative results from three SVD-based approaches to adaptive and “self-trained” target detection algorithms are reported. These approaches are denoted as “Energy-Normalized SVD”, “Condition-Statistic SVD”, and “Terrain-Filtered SVD”. The results indicate that the “Terrain-Filtered SVD” approach, where a pre-filter is applied in an effort to eliminate severe clutter discretes that adversely effect performance, looks promising for purposes of developing “self-training” algorithms for applications that may require localized “on-the-fly” training due to a lack of accurate off-line training data.