System and method for underwater target detection from broadband target returns

摘要

The probability of detection of an underwater moving target is enhanced by the selective summing of a multiplicity of reverberation suppressed, moving target detections, each appearing in a different and non-overlapping, narrow frequency band of a unitary, broadband transmission. The motion-sensitive target echoes are the result of a multiple-pulse broadband (SONAR) transmission. These broadband received echoes are bandpass filtered to form a set of narrow (e.g., 50 Hz) frequency bands extending over the full bandwidth of the transmission. These narrow band returns are then matched-filtered against a set of moving target replicas. Selected ones of these band-limited, matched-filtered returns are then summed together. The summed result can contribute to an enhanced probability that a unitary, moving target has been detected.