28 INTRODUCTION TO RADAR SYSTEMS

« 29

THE
RADAR
EQUAT1
OI
change in signal-to-noise ratio is much greater than this for a given change in detection
probability, as discussed in Sec. 2.8.) Also, the signal-to-noise ratio required for
detection is not a sensitive function of the false-alarm time. For example, a radar with a
1-MHz bandwidth requires a signal-to-noise ratio of 14.7 dB for a 0.90 probability of
detection and a 15-min false-alarm time. If I he false-alarm time were increased from 15
min to 24 h, the signal-to-noise ratio would be increased to 15.4 dB. If the false-alarm time
were as high as 1 year, the required signal-to-noise ratio would be 16.2 dB.
2.6 INTEGRATION OF RADAR PULSES
integration is not concerned with preserving RF phase. For this convenience,
postdetection integration is not as efficient as predetection integration.
If M pulses, all of the same signal-to-noise ratio, were integrated by an ideal predetection 0.9995
integrator, the resultant, or integrated, signal-to-noise (power) ratio would be exactly n 0.999
times that of a single pulse. If the same n pulses were integrated by an ideal postdetection 0.998
device, the resultant signal-to-noise ratio would be less than n times that of a single pulse.
This loss in integration efficiency is caused by the nonlinear action of the second detector, 0.995
which converts some of the signal energy to noise energy in the rectification process. 0.99
0.98

o
The relationship between the signal-to-noise ratio, the probability of detection, and the
probability of false alarm as given in Fig. 2.7 applies for a single_j3u)se only. However,
0.95 |
0.90
1
many pulses aie usually returned from any particular target on each radar scan and can be
used to improve detection. The number of pulsesm^jreturned from a point target as the
radar antenna scans I h i o 11 gh i t s be am wi dt IIis
jr 1
where On = antenna beamwidth, deg
o.8o

a
/
I'
i //
fp = pulse repetition frequency, Hz f), « antenna scanning rate, deg/s t,)m = antenna scan
rate, rpm 0.
/ II
I1
/
/
Typical parameters for a ground-based search radar might be pulse repetition 50 / / / i1
frequency 300 Hz, 1.5° beamwidth, and antenna scan rate 5 rpm (30°/s). These
parameters result in 15 hits from a point target on each scan. The process of summing 0. 10'
all the radar echo pulses for the purpose of improving detection is called integration.
40 /5
Many techniques might be employed for accomplishing integration, as discussed in Sees.
10.7. All practical integration techniques employ some sort of storage device. Perhaps
the most common radar integration method is the cathode-ray-tube display combined
0. \0' 5 1
with the integrating properties of the eye and brain of the radar operator. The discussion 18
30 * 10'
in this section is concerned primarily with integration performed by electronic devices in
which detection is made automatically on the basis of a threshold crossing. 1C '
20
0. 10
Integration may be accomplished in the radar receiver either before the second detector
(in the IF) or after the second detector (in the video). A definite distinction must be 20
made between these two cases. Integration before the detector is called predetection, or
coherent, integration, while integration after the detector is called postdetection, or
10
noncoherent, integration. Predetection integration requires that the phase of the echo
signal be preserved if full benefit is to be obtained from the summing process. On the 0.
other hand, phase information is destroyed by the second detector; hence postdetection 12
10
0.
 14 16 ,J

ti signal-to-noise ratio, dB
Figure 2.7 Probability of detection for a sine wave in noise as a function of the signal-to-noise
(power) ratio and the probability of false alarm.

Both the false-alarm time and the detection probability are specified by the system require-
ments. The radar designer computes the probability of the false alarm and from Fig. 2.7
determines the signal-to-noise ratio. This is the signal-to-noise ratio that is used in the
equation for minimum detectable signal [Eq. (2.6)]. The signal-to-noise ratios of Fig. 2.7
apply to a single radar pulse. For example, suppose that the desired false-alarm time was
15 min and the IF bandwidth was 1 MHz. This gives a false-alarm probability of 1.11 x
10"9. Figure 2 7 indicates that a signal-to-noise ratio of 13.1 dB is required to yield a
0.50 probability of detection, 14.7 dB for 0.90, and 16.5 dB for 0.999.

There are several interesting facts illustrated by Fig. 2.7. At first glance, it might seem thai
the signal-to-noise ratio required for detection is higher than that dictated by intuition,
even for a probability of detection of 0.50. One might be inclined to say that so long as the
signal is greater than noise, detection should be accomplished. Such reasoning may not be
correct when the false-alarm probability is properly taken into account. Another
interesting effect to be noted from Fig. 2.7 is that a change of only 3.4 dB can mean the
difference between reliable detection (0.999) and marginal detection (0.50). (When the
target cross section fluctuates, the