|
Preface to the First Edition
|
The goal of this book is to provide in-depth coverage of fundamental topics in radar signal processing from a digital signal processing perspective. The techniques of linear systems, filtering, sampling, and Fourier analysis techniques and interpretations are used throughout to provide a modern and unified tutorial approach. The coverage will include a full range of the basic signal processing techniques upon which all radar systems rely, including such topics as target and interference models, matched filtering, waveform design, Doppler processing, and threshold detection and CFAR. In addition, introductions are provided to the advanced topics of synthetic aperture imaging and space-time adaptive array processing.
This book is intended to fill a void in the technical literature on radar. The literature offers a number of excellent books on radar systems in general. Recent examples include the books by Edde, Peebles, and Skolnik. These books provide an excellent qualitative and descriptive introduction to radar systems as a whole and are recommended as first texts for anyone interested in the topic. However, the goal of this text is to delve more deeply than they are able into the signal processing aspects of radar in particular. A number of good quality texts on advanced topics in radar signal processing, principally synthetic aperture imaging and space-time adaptive processing, have appeared in recent years. Synthetic aperture imaging examples include the books by Jakowatz et al, Carrara et al, Soumekh, and Cumming and Wong; space-time adaptive processing examples include the books by Klemm and Guerci. The book by Sullivan spans both areas. However, there is a substantial gap between the qualitative systems books and the advanced signal processing books. Specifically, I believe the radar community lacks a good current text providing a concise, unified, and modern treatment of the basic radar signal processing techniques upon which these more advanced methods are founded: 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 years in support of two courses at Georgia Tech. It was primarily developed as a product of ECE 6272, Fundamentals of Radar Signal Processing, a semester-length first-year graduate course in which these notes first served as supplemental material and more recently as the text for the course. Elements of this book have also been used in abbreviated and simplified form in the one-week professional education course of the same name taught annually through Georgia Techs Distance Learning and Professional Education division.
A one-semester course in radar signal processing can cover virtually all of the text; such a course provides a solid foundation for more advanced work in detection theory, adaptive array processing, synthetic aperture imaging, and more advanced radar concepts such as passive and bistatic systems. A quarter-length course could cover Chapters 1 through 7 reasonably thoroughly, perhaps also skipping some of the later sections of Chapter 2 and 3 for additional time savings. In either case, a firm background in basic continuous and discrete signal processing and at least an introductory exposure to random processes is advisable.
I am indebted to many colleagues and students who have helped me to learn this material, to write it, and to (try to) debug it once written. Dr. Edward Reedy hired me into my first job after graduation, at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), converting me from a speech processor to a radar signal processor. Dr. Jim Echard had the unenviable task of actually overseeing that conversion as my first supervisor and thus my first teacher of the basics of radar. In later years, we jointly developed and taught the course that eventually became ECE 6272 and led to this book. GTRI colleagues too numerous to mention helped me along the way, but a few on whom I have relied particularly heavily merit special mention. Dr. Byron Keel shared his expertise in waveforms and CFAR. Dr. Christopher Barnes (now at Georgia Tech's Savannah campus) and Dr. Gregory Showman both led me to a greater understanding of SAR. Dr. William Melvin introduced me to STAP. I am grateful to each of them for their knowledge and their friendship. I am also indebted to numerous students who have soldiered through the development of the textbook chapters as part of ECE 6272. Their contributions to correcting errors and improving the presentation are greatly appreciated. Special mention here goes to Mr. Brian Mileshosky and Mr. Anders Roos, who provided especially thorough readings and numerous valuable corrections and clarifications. Any errors that remain are strictly my responsibility.
Mark Richards
February 2005
This book is intended to fill a void in the technical literature on radar. The literature offers a number of excellent books on radar systems in general. Recent examples include the books by Edde, Peebles, and Skolnik. These books provide an excellent qualitative and descriptive introduction to radar systems as a whole and are recommended as first texts for anyone interested in the topic. However, the goal of this text is to delve more deeply than they are able into the signal processing aspects of radar in particular. A number of good quality texts on advanced topics in radar signal processing, principally synthetic aperture imaging and space-time adaptive processing, have appeared in recent years. Synthetic aperture imaging examples include the books by Jakowatz et al, Carrara et al, Soumekh, and Cumming and Wong; space-time adaptive processing examples include the books by Klemm and Guerci. The book by Sullivan spans both areas. However, there is a substantial gap between the qualitative systems books and the advanced signal processing books. Specifically, I believe the radar community lacks a good current text providing a concise, unified, and modern treatment of the basic radar signal processing techniques upon which these more advanced methods are founded: 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 years in support of two courses at Georgia Tech. It was primarily developed as a product of ECE 6272, Fundamentals of Radar Signal Processing, a semester-length first-year graduate course in which these notes first served as supplemental material and more recently as the text for the course. Elements of this book have also been used in abbreviated and simplified form in the one-week professional education course of the same name taught annually through Georgia Techs Distance Learning and Professional Education division.
A one-semester course in radar signal processing can cover virtually all of the text; such a course provides a solid foundation for more advanced work in detection theory, adaptive array processing, synthetic aperture imaging, and more advanced radar concepts such as passive and bistatic systems. A quarter-length course could cover Chapters 1 through 7 reasonably thoroughly, perhaps also skipping some of the later sections of Chapter 2 and 3 for additional time savings. In either case, a firm background in basic continuous and discrete signal processing and at least an introductory exposure to random processes is advisable.
I am indebted to many colleagues and students who have helped me to learn this material, to write it, and to (try to) debug it once written. Dr. Edward Reedy hired me into my first job after graduation, at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), converting me from a speech processor to a radar signal processor. Dr. Jim Echard had the unenviable task of actually overseeing that conversion as my first supervisor and thus my first teacher of the basics of radar. In later years, we jointly developed and taught the course that eventually became ECE 6272 and led to this book. GTRI colleagues too numerous to mention helped me along the way, but a few on whom I have relied particularly heavily merit special mention. Dr. Byron Keel shared his expertise in waveforms and CFAR. Dr. Christopher Barnes (now at Georgia Tech's Savannah campus) and Dr. Gregory Showman both led me to a greater understanding of SAR. Dr. William Melvin introduced me to STAP. I am grateful to each of them for their knowledge and their friendship. I am also indebted to numerous students who have soldiered through the development of the textbook chapters as part of ECE 6272. Their contributions to correcting errors and improving the presentation are greatly appreciated. Special mention here goes to Mr. Brian Mileshosky and Mr. Anders Roos, who provided especially thorough readings and numerous valuable corrections and clarifications. Any errors that remain are strictly my responsibility.
Mark Richards
February 2005
