Signal Integration Detection and Estimation for High-Speed Target With Range Ambiguity Using Multi-PRF Radar

This paper considers the signal integration detection and estimation issue for high-speed targets with range ambiguity (RA) using multiple pulse repetition frequencies (multi-PRF) radar system, where range walk (RW) occurs during the integration period. A coherent integration detection and estimation method, encompassing both intra-segment integration and inter-segment integration, is proposed. First, we divide the received signal of multi-PRF radar into multiple segments according to different PRFs (i.e., a segment is corresponding to a certain PRF). Second, the modulo Radon Fourier transform (MRFT) is proposed to achieve signal integration within each segment in the range-velocity domain. Third, we analyze the MRFT’s peak location and phase difference within different segments. After that, we design an inter-segment integration method to further obtain the signal accumulation among different segments, via joint searching of range, ambiguity number and velocity. Thereafter, target detection and estimation could be obtained. Finally, we demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method through numerical simulation, where the comparisons with some existing typical methods are also given.