DETECTION OF RADAR SIGNALS IN NOISE

we gel, on applying the Schwartz inequality to the numerator of Eq. (10.10),

R, <■ (10.12)
No N o "Z
I-™ 2 \n(f)\2df
J-.
I-rom 1'arseval's theorem,

f" | S ( / ) | 2 <! /= f" -« 2 (r) ill = signal energy = £ (10.13)

Therefore we have

(10.14)

The frequency-response function which maximizes the peak-signal-to-mean-noise ratio R{

may be obtained by noting that the equality sign in Eq. (10.11) applies when PJ- kQ, or
H(/) = G a S«(/) expf-jlrt/i,) (10.15)
where the constant k has been set equal to l/G..
The interesting property of the matched filter is that no matter what the shape of the
input-signal waveform, the maximum ratio of the peak signal power to the mean noise power
is simply twice the energy £ contained in the signal divided by the noise power per hertz of
bandwidth Na. The noise power per hertz of bandwidth, No, is equal to kT0 F where k is the
Boltzmann constant, To is the standard temperature (290 K.), and F is the noise figure.

llie matched filter and the correlation function. The output of the matched filter is not a replica of
the input signal. However, from the point of view of detecting signals in noise, preserving the
shape of the signal is of no importance. If it is necessary to preserve the shape of the input
pulse rather than maximize the output signal-to-noise ratio, some other criterion must be
employed.10
The output of the matched filter may be shown to be proportional to the input signal
cross-correlated with a replica of the transmitted signal, except for the time delay r,. The
cross-correlation function R(t) of two signals y(X) and s(X), each of finite duration, is defined as

t)« (10.16)

The output >',,(') of a filter with impulse response h(t) when the input is yin(f) = s(() + n(() is

y o ( t ) = r yi,V)h{t-l)<H (10.17)
- to

If the filter is a matched filter, then h[X) = s(i t - X) and Eq. (10.17) becomes

*>(«) = [" >'!„ (*> (< i -t + X)dX = R(t- r , ) (10.18)

J — to

Thus the matched filter forms the cross correlation between the received signal corrupted by
noise and a replica of the transmitted signal. The replica of the transmitted signal is " built in " to
the matched filter via the frequency-response function. If the input signal yln(t) were the
 INTRODUCTION TO RADAR SYSTEMS

We wish to show thai the frequency-response function of the linear, lime-invariant filter
which maximizes the output peak-signal-to-mean-noise ratio is

when the input noisijs stationary and white (uniform special density). The ratio we wish to
maximize is

~N (10.7)

where W0L«. = maximum value of output signal voltage and N - mean noise power at
receiver output. The ratio Rf is not quite the same as the signal-to-noise ratio which has been
considered previously in the radar equation. [Note that the peak power as used nere is actually
the peak instantaneous power, whereas the peak power referred to in the discussion of the
radar equation in Chap. 2 was the average value of the power over the duration of a pulse of
sine wave. The ratio Rf is twice the average signal-to-noise power ratio when the input signal
s(t) is a rectangular sine-wave pulse.] The output voltage of a filter with frequency-response
function H(f) is

WO I S(f)H(f) exp {j2nft) df (10.8)

where S(f) is the Fourier transform of the input (received) signal. The mean output noise
power is

(10.9)

where No is the input noise power per unit bandwidth. The factor { appears before the integral
because the limits extend from — oo to + oo, whereas No is defined as the noise power per cycle
of bandwidth over positive values only. Substituting Eqs. (10.8) and (10.9) into (10.7) and
assuming that the maximum value of \so(t)\2 occurs at time ( = r,, the ratio Rf becomes

(10.10)

Schwartz's inequality states that if P and Q are two complex functions, then

J P*P dx j Q*Q dx 2. | P*Q dx (10.11)

The equality sign applies when P = kQ, where A: is a constant. Letting

F' = S(/) exp (Pir/r,) and Q = //(/)

and recalling that

j P*P dx = j \P\ 2 dx