Signal filtering using hard-limited digital processing. Part 1: General description and performance with white-noise background

The effect of hard clipping on the filtering of a sampled narrowband sinusoidal signal embedded in wideband noise is assessed by simulating the processing system on a digital computer, with particular reference to a radar pulse-Doppler signal-processing system. The noise is assumed to be uncorrelated from pulse to pulse, and the signal processing is either completely coherent or is partially coherent and partially incoherent. The narrowband signal has either a constant r.m.s. amplitude or can fade slowly relative to the duration of a processing period. Tables of processing loss relative to an ideal system are given for different combinations of the digital-system parameters.