Heuristic Estimation/Detection of Repetitive Signals

A heuristic technique is presented for detecting the presence of an unknown signal in noise and estimating its waveshape. The heuristic utilizes the most recent estimate of the waveshape as a template against which new observations are matched. If the match is "good," the observation is used to update the estimate, and the procedure is repeated. If the match is "poor," the observation is discarded. It is the decisions of the detector which direct the evolution of the estimate while simultaneously the current estimate directs the detector's performance. The mutual interactions of the estimator/detector are conducted without external supervision and without the benefit of training samples, and thus the system falls into the category of a self-learning decision directed adaptive system.