Model of Signal Mark Detection in a Passive Sonar System

Modeling of broadband and narrowband signal mark detection is widely used for sonar and radar systems. In this work, the problem is considered in relation to hydroacoustics. The paper describes the formation of a stream of correctly detected and false signal marks and calculation of estimates of their parameters, taking into account the antenna characteristics as well as the processing parameters of the system being simulated. Also considered are the realistic distribution of false signal marks by heading angles and the influence of the Doppler effect on the estimation of the mark parameters. The resulting model can be used in simulation systems, in the formation of a stream of detected signal marks, and the development of tracking algorithms. The model can be also used for predictive calculations that determine the probability of detecting signal sources and their characteristics

Narrowband and wideband EMW path loss in underwater wireless sensor network

Purpose Utilization of electromagnetic wave (EMW) sensors in an underwater environment has the potential to increase the data rate compared to acoustic-based sensors because of the ability to use larger signal bandwidth. Nevertheless, EMW signals has the drawback of large signal attenuation in underwater, attributed to the high relative permittivity and conductivity of water compared to the atmosphere, hence employment of wide signal bandwidth is necessary to balance the data rate-attenuation trade-off. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the characteristics of both narrowband and wideband EMW signal propagation underwater and devise a path loss model for both cases. Design/methodology/approach Path loss measurement was conducted using a point-to-point configuration in a laboratory water tank while transmitting narrowband and wideband signals between a pair of wideband underwater antennas. The wideband underwater antennas use buffer-layer structures as the impedance matching layer to optimize the antenna performance when operating underwater. The path loss for narrowband signal was modeled using a multi-layer propagation equation in lossy medium considering losses at the medium boundaries. For the case of the wideband signal, a modified version of the model introducing power integration over bandwidth is adopted. These models were formulated through numerical simulations and verified by measurements. Findings The measured narrowband path loss marked an 80 dB attenuation using 800 MHz at 2 m distance. The proposed narrowband model agrees well with the measurements, with approximately 3 dB modeling error. Utilization of the proposed wideband path loss model resulted in a reduction of the gradient of the path loss curve compared to the case of the narrowband signal. The measured wideband path loss at 2 m distance underwater was approximately −65 dB, which has been shown to enable a working signal-to-noise ratio of 15 dB. This proves the potential of realizing high data rate transmission using the wideband signal. Originality/value The paper proposed a wideband propagation model for an underwater EMW sensor network, using power integration over bandwidth. The effectiveness of using wideband EMW signals in reducing path loss is highlighted, which is seldom discussed in the literature. This result will be of useful reference for using wideband signals in designing a high data rate transmission system in underwater wireless sensor networks, for example, in link budget, performance estimation and parameter design of suitable transmission scheme.

Digital demodulators for analog signals: comparative analysis and simulation

The paper examines digital demodulators for two commonly used techniques of modulating analog signals: amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM). The described demodulators can be used to perform the radio monitoring of narrowband signal ranges including FM broadcasting stations as well as license-free CB, LPD, PMR bands. The demodulators considered in this work are intended for programmable devices with limited memory and computing resources, for example, for STM32F407 microcontrollers and similar ones. The paper presents the analysis and simulation of demodulators for AM signals, FM signals with low modulation indices and for FM signals without restriction on the modulation indices. In addition, the authors demonstrate how to demodulate the phase-modulation signal using a quadrature demodulator. The number of operations that are available for demodulation is limited by IF multiplication and filtering. The simulation of the analyzed demodulation algorithms was carried out in the Scilab environment which is a free analogue of the Matlab environment. To explain the principle of operation of demodulators, block diagrams and graphs of signals in time and frequency domains are shown.

Low-Complexity Aggregation Techniques for DOA Estimation over Wide-RF Bandwidths

Accurate direction of arrival (DOA) estimation of wideband, low-power nonstationary signals is important in many radio frequency (RF) applications. This article analyses the performance of two incoherent aggregation techniques for the DOA estimation of high chirp-rate linear frequency modulated (LFM) signals used in modern radar and electronic warfare (EW) applications. The aim is to determine suitable aggregation techniques for blind DOA estimation for real-time implementation with a frequency channelised signal. The first technique calculates a single pseudospectrum by directly combining the spatial covariance matrices from each of the frequency bins. The second technique first calculates the spatial pseudospectra from the spatial covariance matrix (SCM) from each frequency bin and then combines the spatial pseudospectra into one single estimate. Firstly, for single and multiple signal emitters, we compare the DOA estimation performance of incoherent SCM-based aggregation with that of the incoherent spatial pseudospectra-based aggregation using the root mean-squared error (RMSE). Secondly, we determine the types of signals and conditions for which these incoherent aggregation techniques are more suited. We demonstrate that the low-complexity SCM-based aggregation technique can achieve relatively good estimation performance compared to the pseudospectra-based aggregation technique for multiple narrowband signal detection. However, pseudospectra aggregation is better suited for single wideband emitter detection. Both the incoherent aggregation techniques presented in this article offer a computational advantage over the coherent processing techniques and hence are better suited for real-time implementation.

Characterization of Frequency Domains of Bandlimited Frame Multiresolution Analysis

Framelets have been widely used in narrowband signal processing, data analysis, and sampling theory, due to their resilience to background noise, stability of sparse reconstruction, and ability to capture local time-frequency information. The well-known approach to construct framelets with useful properties is through frame multiresolution analysis (FMRA). In this article, we characterize the frequency domain of bandlimited FMRAs: there exists a bandlimited FMRA with the support of frequency domain G if and only if G satisfies G⊂2G, ⋃m2mG≅Rd, and G\G2⋂G2+2πν≅∅(ν∈Zd).

Millimeter-Wave Channel Measurement at 73GHz and 81GHz

The abundant spectrum available at mmWave band can provide high capacity, high throughput, and low latency. In this thesis, we present experimental measurements for 73 and 81 GHz mmWave bands. Wideband propagation measurements were performed at the Boise Airport concourse C area and tarmac for both line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of sight (NLOS) scenarios. Power delay profiles were recorded and analyzed with close-in free space reference path loss models and floating intercept path loss models. In addition, building material attenuation at 28, 73, and 91 GHz is presented. Measurements at 73 GHz for wideband and narrowband signal are performed with directional antennas. Moreover, wideband spatial fading measurements were performed at the Boise State University Micron Engineering Building and Boise Airport. The power delay profiles are recorded and analyzed with Rayleigh, Ricean, and log-normal models. Large scale path loss parameters at the airport, material attenuation and small scale fading parameters were computed. The results can help researchers and network designers in simulation and design of mmWave wireless networks.

A wavelet analysis-based matching pursuit algorithm for an accurate ultrasonic TOFD measurement

The time-of-flight diffraction (TOFD) technique is used as an important non-destructive testing method in weld integrity evaluation and failure analysis. However, an accurate measurement of the time-of-flight (TOF) has proven to be difficult due to the low time resolution of the measured signal. Conventional deconvolution techniques have been used to improve the time resolution of the signal but are not effective for ultrasonic TOFD signals because the frequency contents of the signals are non-static in space-frequency distribution. To overcome this problem, a method is proposed in this paper that estimates the TOF in two steps. In the first step, the measured signal is decomposed into a series of narrowband signals using a wavelet transform and an atom dictionary is adaptively established according to the characteristics of a selected narrowband signal. In the second step, matching pursuit (MP) is used to derive a sparse representation of the selected narrowband signal. A steel specimen with artificial defects is prepared, experiments are carried out and the results confirm the efficacy of the proposed algorithm.

Implementation of MOIDS Algorithm for Optimal Parameter Selection of SFPT for Modern Radars

Modern radars require signals of the large frequency range to attain relatively greater range resolution. Frequency stepping is the technique to convert the narrowband signal, i.e., a train of pulses into a wideband signal to achieve high accuracy in range resolution measurements. Due to the cause of constant step in frequency of successive pulses, grating lobes appeared when the period of pulse multiplied by step in frequency exceeds unity as is needed in modern radars. Hence to achieve the best resolution, grating lobes height, sidelobes level, and mainlobe width have to be minimum. In this paper an attempt has been made to diminish grating lobes, minimize sidelobes and reduce mainlobe width using MOIDSA to find the parameters of Stepped Frequency Pulse Train (SFPT) mechanism. The compromise between various lobes is obtained by using three dimensional Pareto fronts for different ranges of SFPT parameters.