Introduction to Radar Systems

Clutter Rejection
MTI and Pulse Doppler Processing

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 MTI and Doppler Processing

Propagation Waveform
Transmitter
Medium Generator

Signal Processor
Target
Cross
Section Pulse Doppler
Antenna Receiver A/D
Compression Processing

Main Computer
Console /
Tracking & Display
Detection Parameter
Estimation
Recording

Radar Course_3.ppt
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 How to Handle Noise and Clutter

Radar Course_4.ppt
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 How to Handle Noise and Clutter

If he doesnt
take his arm off
my shoulder
Im going to hide
his stash of
Hershey Bars !! Why does Steve
always talk me into doing
ridiculous
stunts like this ?

Radar Course_5.ppt
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 Naval Air Defense Scenario
Moving Target Indicator (MTI) and Pulse-Doppler (PD)
processing use Doppler to reject clutter and enhance
detection of moving targets
Smaller targets require more clutter suppression

Chaff
Rain Clutter

Birds
Ground Clutter

Sea Clutter

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MTI_RadSys2001-6
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
JW 7/31/2008
 Outline

Introduction
Moving Target Indicator (MTI) Techniques
Pulse Doppler Processing Techniques
Summary

Radar Course_7.ppt
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ODonnell (2) 6-19-02
 Terminology

Moving Target Indicator (MTI) Pulsed Doppler (PD)

Techniques Techniques

Just separate moving targets Separate targets into different

from clutter velocity regimes in addition
to canceling clutter
Use short waveforms (two
or three pulses) Provide good estimates of
target velocity
Do not provide target velocity
Use long waveforms -- (many
estimation pulses, tens to thousands of
pulses)

Radar Course_8.ppt
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ODonnell (2) 6-19-02
 Doppler Frequency
10000
Doppler Frequency (Hz)

At S-Band (2800 MHz)

G Hz
35 z fd ~ 1 kHz / 40 m/s
1000 GH z
10 GH
3

Hz
M
0
45 Hz
Doppler
100 M Frequency
0
15
2V
fd =

10
1 10 100 1000
Radial Velocity (m/s)
Radar Course_9.ppt
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 Example Clutter Spectra

Clutter comes from same range/angle cell

70 as a target

60 Clutter RCS can be much larger than targets

Land Clutter of interest (>50 dB)
50
Relative Power (dB)

Sea Clutter Characteristics vary with terrain (land/sea),

40 weather, etc.
Rain Clutter
30 PPI Display of Heavy Rain
Chaff Clutter
20
Birds
10
0
-10 Aircraft

-20
0 50 100 150 200
Radial Velocity (m/s)

Radar Course_10.ppt
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 MTI and Pulse Doppler Waveforms

Tc = MTr
Tr

Time
TT == Pulse
Pulse length
length
BB == 1/T
1/T Bandwidth
Bandwidth

TTrr == Pulse
Pulse repetition
repetition interval
interval (PRI)
(PRI)
ffrr == 1/T
1/Trr Pulse
Pulse repetition
repetition frequency
frequency (PRF)
(PRF)
== TT /T
/Trr Duty
Duty Factor
Factor

TTcc == MT
MTrr Coherent
Coherent processing
processing interval
interval (CPI)
(CPI)
MM == Number
Number ofof pulses
pulses in
in the
the CPI
CPI
M
M == 2,
2, 3,
3, or
or sometimes
sometimes 44 for
for MTI
MTI
M
M usually
usually much
much greater
greater for
for Pulse
Pulse Doppler
Doppler

Radar Course_11.ppt
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 Data Collection for Doppler Processing

Time
Range
Samples at same range gate
Pulse 1 Pulse 2 Pulse 3
Sample 12 Sample 12 Sample 12
e.g. 8.3 km e.g. 8.3 km e.g. 8.3 km
M

Pulse Number
Complex

(Slow time)
In-phase and I / Q samples
A/D Quadrature
Sampling (the complex
envelope of
received
waveform)

1
1 L
Sample No.
Range - >
Radar Course_12.ppt
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 Outline

Introduction
Moving Target Indicator (MTI) Techniques
Pulse Doppler Processing Techniques
Summary

Radar Course_13.ppt
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 Moving Target Indicator (MTI) Processing

Notch out Doppler spectrum occupied by clutter

Provide broad Doppler passband everywhere else
Blind speeds occur at multiples of the pulse repetition
frequency
When sample frequency (PRF) equals a multiple of the
Doppler frequency
Clutter Notch Blind Speeds

MTI Filter

Clutter
Spectrum

0 fr = 1/T 2fr

Radar Course_14.ppt
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 Two Pulse MTI Canceller
Fixed Clutter echoes
If one pulse is subtracted from the previous pulse, fixed clutter
echoes will cancel and will not be detected
Moving targets
Moving targets change in amplitude from one pulse to the next
because of their Doppler frequency shift.
If one pulse is subtracted from the other, the result will be an
uncancelled residue

Block Diagram

Delay
Subtract
Tr=1/PRF
Input
Output

Voutput = Vi+1 - Vi
Figure by MIT OCW.

Radar Course_15.ppt
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 MTI Improvement Factor

Sin and Cin - Input target and clutter power per pulse
Sout(fd) and Cout(fd) Output target and clutter power from
processor at Doppler frequency, fd
(Signal / Clutter)out
MTI Improvement Factor = I(fd) =
(Signal / Clutter)in f
d
60
Land Clutter MTI Improvement Factor
Relative Power (dB)

40 Rain Clutter

Cin Sout
20 I(fd) = x
Cout Sin
fd
0

Aircraft
-20
Clutter Signal
0 50 100 150 200 Attenuation Gain
Radial Velocity (m/s)
Radar Course_16.ppt
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 MTI Improvement Factor Examples

Spread Clutter (v=1 m/s, c=10 Hz )

60 22 Pulse
Pulse MTI
MTI
2-Pulse MTI 33 Pulse
Pulse MTI
MTI
50

Improvement Factor (dB)

Voutput = Vi - Vi-1
40

3-Pulse MTI 30

Voutput = Vi - 2Vi-1 + Vi-2 20

10 Frequency = 2800 MHz

CNR = 50 dB per pulse
fd = 1000 Hz
0
0 200 400 600 800 1000
Doppler Frequency (Hz)

Three-pulse canceller provides wider clutter notch and

greater clutter attenuation

Radar Course_17.ppt
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 Staggered PRFs to Increase Blind Speed

MTI Frequency Response

Fixed 2 kHz PRI at S-Band

0 Staggering or changing the

time between pulses will
SNR Relative to Single Pulse (dB)

-10 raise the blind speed

-20
Although the staggered
PRFs remove the blind
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
speeds that would have been
Radial Velocity (m/s)
obtained with a constant
Staggered 2 kHz, 1.754 kHz PRI
PRF, there will be a new
0 much higher blind speed

-10

-20

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

Radial Velocity (m/s)
Radar Course_18.ppt
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321-00423
HGT 03/04/98
 Outline

Introduction
Moving Target Indicator (MTI) Techniques
Pulse Doppler Processing Techniques
Pulse Doppler Filtering Concept
Basic Concepts
Example - Moving Target Detector (MTD)
Range Doppler Ambiguities
Airborne Radar
Summary

Radar Course_19.ppt
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 Data Collection for Doppler Processing

Time
Range
Samples at same range gate
Pulse 1 Pulse 2 Pulse 3
Sample 12 Sample 12 Sample 12
e.g. 8.3 km e.g. 8.3 km e.g. 8.3 km
M

Pulse Number
Complex

(Slow time)
In-phase and I / Q samples
A/D Quadrature
Sampling (the complex
envelope of
received
waveform)

1
1 L
Sample No.
Range - >
Radar Course_20.ppt
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 Pulse Doppler Processing
Doppler Filter Bank
Filter 1
(f1, v1)

Filter 2
(f2, v2)
M pulses in
Filter 3
(f3,v3)

M Doppler velocity
bins out

Filter M
(fM,vM)

Coherent integration of all pulses of a CPI Doppler Frequency

Doppler Velocity
Clutter rejection
Resolving targets into different velocity segments and allowing for fine-
grain target radial velocity estimation
Radar Course_21.ppt
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 Moving Target Detector (MTD)

8 or Greater
Pulse Doppler
Digitized Radar Filter Bank Adaptive Post
Echoes From Thresholding Processing
Each Range Cell Thresholding
Zero
Clutter Map
Velocity Output
Filter
Filter Detections

Pulse Doppler filtering on groups of 8 or greater pulses with a fine

grained clutter map.
Aircraft are detected in ground clutter and / or rain with the Doppler
filter bank & use of 2 PRFs.
Birds and ground traffic are rejected in post processing, using
Doppler velocity and a 2nd fine grained clutter map

Radar Course_22.ppt
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 ASR-9 8-Pulse Filter Bank

Courtesy of Northrop Grumman

Used with permission.

ASR-9 Filter Bank ASR-9 One Doppler Filter

10 10
0 0
Magnitude (dB)

Magnitude (dB)
-10 -10
-20 -20 Rain
-30 -30 Echo
-40 -40
-50 -50 Aircraft
-60 -60
-70 -70
0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100
Radial Velocity (kts) Radial Velocity (kts)
Radar Course_23.ppt
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 MTD Performance in Rain
Unprocessed Radar Returns Time History of Radar Tracker Output
August 1975, FAA Test Center

Doppler Spectrum of Rain

Received Power (dB)

80

60

40

20

0
60 Kt 0 + 60 Kt
Doppler Velocity
Radar Course_24.ppt
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 Doppler Ambiguities
Sample Times

Pulse Doppler waveform

samples target with
sampling rate = PRF
Sampling causes aliasing at Stationary V=0
multiples of PRF
Moving V=Vu
Two targets with Doppler
frequencies separated by
an integer multiple of the
PRF are indistinguishable
Moving V=3Vu
Unambiguous velocity

fr
Vu =
2
0 1 2 3
Time / PRI
Radar Course_25.ppt
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 Range Ambiguities
Target 1

Target 2
True
R1 R 2 = R1 + R u Range

Radar
Range

Unambiguous range

Range ambiguities occur when echoes

from one pulse are not all received before cTr
the next pulse Ru =
Strong close targets (clutter) can mask far
2
weak targets

Radar Course_26.ppt
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 Unambiguous Range and Doppler Velocity

Unambiguous Range (km)

1500 500 150 50 15 5 1.5

1000
fr
Hz Vu =
Unambiguous Velocity (m/s)

M
15
0
Hz
2
M
0
45
z
GH
100
3 Hz
G
10 Hz cTr c
35
G Ru = =
2 2 fr

10

100 1000 10000 100000

PRF (Hz)
Radar Course_27.ppt
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 Sensitivity Time Control (STC)
Deliberately reduce radar sensitivity at short ranges
Why?
Both Targets Give Returns with Same Signal-to-Noise ratio

0 dBsm Aircraft at 200 km

-64 dBsm Mosquito at 5 km

Attenuation of radar return by R-4 will result in constant SNR as

a function of range for a constant cross section target
STC cannot be used if the radars waveform is ambiguous in
range
Targets which are beyond the ambiguous range of the radar will
be attenuated, because they folded over to close ranges

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321-00418
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 Classes of MTI and Pulse Doppler Radars

Low PRF Medium PRF High PRF

Range Unambiguous Ambiguous Very

Measurement Ambiguous

Velocity Very Ambiguous Unambiguous

Ambiguous
Measurement

Low PRF Medium PRF High PRF

Wind blown clutter Wind blown clutter may Range eclipsing losses
may be a problem be a problem Far out targets compete
Can use STC Range eclipsing losses with near in clutter
Far out targets compete Cant use STC
with near in clutter
Cant use STC
Ambiguities hardest to
remove

Radar Course_29.ppt
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 Velocity Ambiguity Resolution
Unfold detections out to some maximum velocity Blind
CPI #1 Zones
PRF = f1

f1 2f1 3f1 4f1 5f1 Doppler

CPI #2 (Velocity)
PRF = f2

Individual CPI f2 2f2 3f2 4f2 Doppler

unambiguous velocity (Velocity)
regions

Split dwell into multiple CPIs at different PRFs

Scan to scan, even pulse-to-pulse changes also possible

Moves blind velocities to ensure detection of all non-zero velocity targets

True target velocity is where best correlation across CPIs occurs
Choose PRFs so that least common multiple occurs above desired
maximum unambiguous velocity
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 Examples of Airborne Radar
E-2C F-16
APS-125 APG-66 , 68

JOINT STARS E-8A

APY-3

AWACS
E-3A
APY-1
F-18
APG-65

F-15
APG-63 , 70

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Radar Course_32.ppt
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Laboratory
by MIT OCW.
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 Airborne Radar Clutter Spectrum
Illustrative example without Pulse Doppler ambiguities

Figure by MIT OCW.

Radar Course_33.ppt
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 Airborne Radar Clutter Spectrum
Illustrative example without Pulse Doppler ambiguities

Figure by MIT OCW.

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 Displaced Phase Center Antenna (DPCA)
Concept

T1

T2

If the aircraft motion is exactly compensated by the movement of the

phase center of the antenna beam, then there will be no clutter
spread due to aircraft motion, and the clutter can be cancelled with a
two pulse canceller
344334_2.ppt
RMO 9-01-00

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 Summary

Moving Target Indicator (MTI) techniques

Doppler filtering techniques that reject stationary clutter
No velocity measurement
Blind speeds are regions of Doppler space where targets with that
Doppler velocity cannot be detected
Changing the PRF between sets of pulses can alleviate the blind
speed problem
MTI techniques have a limited capability to suppress rain clutter
Pulse Doppler techniques
Used to optimally reject various forms of radar clutter
Measurement of target radial velocity
Moving Target Detector techniques are an example of optimum Doppler
processing and associated adaptive thresholding
Ambiguities in range and Doppler velocity can be resolved by
transmitting multiple bursts of pulses with different PRFs
Airborne radars use multiple PRF waveforms to suppress clutter
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 References

Skolnik, M., Introduction to Radar Systems, New York,

McGraw-Hill, 3rd Edition, 2001

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