Noise emissions sources direction-finding in the process of their background air threats detection in radars with phased antenna array

Abstract

We analyze two options of combined systems for spatial signal processing in radars with phased antenna array, where the detection of noiseless point targets with background noise emissions is accompanied by the direction finding of their sources. In the first option the direction finding of noise emissions is based on the shape analysis of the adaptive radiation pattern of the phased antenna array, formed during the adaptive target finding with background noise emissions. In the second option the bearing angles are determined on the basis of maxima of “spectral functions” of different evaluations of correlation matrix, formed on the basis of input readings. An example how to build such a combined system for spatial signal processing based on general adaptive grid filter is presented. It is shown that the effect of simultaneous target finding in external noise background and direction finding of their sources is achieved by single utilization of the most complex tuning operation of the adaptive grid filter. This operation is same for both of these tasks, and it is easier comparing to solving these two problems separately.