Detection of rayleigh targets using adjacent matched filter samples

The matched filter maximizes signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at its output. To determine the presence of a target, traditional radar detection compares the observed SNR at samples of the matched filter output to a specified threshold. However, sample rates often used in practice result in two or more adjacent samples with target energy. Therefore, traditional radar detection ignores a key piece of information - the correlation between samples. Using an explicit model of adjacent matched filter samples and the functional form of the matched filter response, the average log likelihood ratio test (ALLRT) is derived assuming a Rayleigh target with pulse-to-pulse fluctuations. Furthermore, key features relevant to the design of a detector are investigated. In particular, the ALLRT detector provides robustness against the negative effects of range bin straddling, and in some cases outperforms traditional detectors that use oversampled matched filter outputs.