Preface: Fundamentals of Radar Signal Processing

Preface: Fundamentals of Radar Signal Processing

Preface

 

The goal of this book is to provide in-depth coverage offundamental topics in radar signal processing from a digital signal processingperspective. The techniques of linear systems, filtering, sampling, and Fourieranalysis techniques and interpretations are used throughout to provide a modernand unified tutorial approach. The coverage will include a full range of thebasic signal processing techniques upon which all radar systems rely, includingsuch topics as target and interference models, matched filtering, waveformdesign, Doppler processing, and threshold detection and CFAR. In addition,introductions are provided to the advanced topics of synthetic aperture imagingand space-time adaptive array processing.

This book is intended to fill a void in the technicalliterature on radar. The literature offers a number of excellent books on radarsystems in general. Recent examples include the books by Edde, Peebles, andSkolnik. These books provide an excellent qualitative and descriptiveintroduction to radar systems as a whole and are recommended as first texts foranyone interested in the topic. However, the goal of this text is to delve moredeeply than they are able into the signal processing aspects of radar inparticular. A number of good quality texts on advanced topics in radar signalprocessing, principally synthetic aperture imaging and space-time adaptiveprocessing, have appeared in recent years. Synthetic aperture imaging examplesinclude the books by Jakowatz et al,Carrara et al, Soumekh, and Cummingand Wong; space-time adaptive processing examples include the books by Klemmand Guerci. The book by Sullivan spans both areas. However, there is asubstantial gap between the qualitative systems books and the advanced signalprocessing books. Specifically, I believe the radar community lacks a goodcurrent text providing a concise, unified, and modern treatment of the basicradar signal processing techniques upon which these more advanced methods arefounded: signal modeling, matched filtering and pulse compression, Doppler processing,and threshold detection. It is my hope that this book will fill that gap.

This book has been developed and used over several yearsin support of two courses at Georgia Tech. It was primarily developed as aproduct of ECE 6272, Fundamentals of Radar Signal Processing, asemester-length first-year graduate course in which these notes first served assupplemental material and more recently as the text for the course. Elements ofthis book have also been used in abbreviated and simplified form in theone-week professional education course of the same name taught annually throughGeorgia Techs Distance Learning and Professional Education division.

A one-semester course in radar signal processing cancover virtually all of the text; such a course provides a solid foundation formore advanced work in detection theory, adaptive array processing, syntheticaperture imaging, and more advanced radar concepts such as passive and bistaticsystems. A quarter-length course could cover Chapters 1 through 7 reasonablythoroughly, perhaps also skipping some of the later sections of Chapter 2 and 3for additional time savings. In either case, a firm background in basiccontinuous and discrete signal processing and at least an introductory exposureto random processes is advisable.

I am indebted to many colleagues and students who havehelped me to learn this material, to write it, and to (try to) debug it oncewritten. Dr. Edward Reedy hired me into my first job after graduation, at theGeorgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), converting me from a speech processorto a radar signal processor. Dr. Jim Echard had the unenviable task of actuallyoverseeing that conversion as my first supervisor and thus my first teacher ofthe basics of radar. In later years, we jointly developed and taught the coursethat eventually became ECE 6272 and led to this book. GTRI colleagues toonumerous to mention helped me along the way, but a few on whom I have reliedparticularly heavily merit special mention. Dr. Byron Keel shared his expertisein waveforms and CFAR. Dr. Christopher Barnes (now at Georgia Techs Savannah campus) and Dr.Gregory Showman both led me to a greater understanding of SAR. Dr. WilliamMelvin introduced me to STAP. I am grateful to each of them for their knowledgeand their friendship. I am also indebted to numerous students who havesoldiered through the development of the textbook chapters as part of ECE 6272.Their contributions to correcting errors and improving the presentation aregreatly appreciated. Special mention here goes to Mr. Brian Mileshosky and Mr.Anders Roos, who provided especially thorough readings and numerous valuablecorrections and clarifications. Any errors that remain are strictly myresponsibility.

 

Mark Richards

February 2005