Constant False Alarm Rate Detectors
The process of detecting a target begins with comparing a radar measurement with a threshold. Measurements exceeding the threshold are associated with returns from a target, and measurements below the threshold are associated with thermal noise or other interference sources including intentional jamming and background returns from terrain and bodies of water. The detector threshold is selected to achieve the highest possible probability of detection for a given signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and probability of false alarm. A false alarm occurs when, in the absence of a target, a source of interference produces a measured value that exceeds the detection threshold. A radar system is designed to achieve and maintain a specified probability of false alarm. False alarms drain radar resources by appearing as valid target detections requiring subsequent radar actions and thus degrade system performance. If the statistics of the interference are known a priori, a threshold may be selected to achieve a specific probability of false alarm. In many cases, the form of the probability density function (PDF) associated with the interference is known, but the parameters of the distribution are either unknown or change temporally or spatially. Constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detectors are designed to track changes in the interference and to adjust the detection threshold to maintain a constant probability of false alarm.
Constant False Alarm Rate Detectors, Page 1 of 2
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