Estimation of Pulse Parameters by Convolution

The time-of-arrival (TOA) estimation of pulse signals is widely used in radar, sonar and other sensor systems for geo-locating targets. This paper presents a new estimator for the TOA and width (W) of a pulse. Three auto-convolutions of a full and partial pulse determine the location of three convolution peaks. These peak locations are given by linear equations that contain as unknowns TOA and W. Solving these equations yields estimates of the pulse parameters. Simulation results show the performance of the estimator in noise and are compared with results obtained using an existing estimator.