Detection and estimation of multi-pulse LFMCW radar signals

The Wigner-Ville Hough transform (WVHT) has been applied to detect and estimate the parameters of linear frequency-modulated continuous-wave (LFMCW) low probability of intercept (LPI) radar waveforms. The WVHT, which is optimal for a single linear frequency modulated (LFM) signal, becomes sub-optimal when applied to LFMCW signals since the observed waveform is composed of concatenated LFM pulses. We formulate the detection and estimation problem to take into account the multiple pulses that are available in an observation interval at the intercept receiver. The new algorithm, called the periodic WVHT (PWVHT), is shown to significantly outperform the WVHT for LFMCW signals.