Ranging using amplitude comparison of closely spaced time samples

Abstract

This paper presents a new scheme for the range estimation of an unknown radar emitter. With the proposed algorithm, range of unknown radar emitter can be determined by amplitude comparison of closely spaced time samples. A mathematical model of this ranging method is discussed in detail and supported by computer simulations. For various scenarios, the standard deviation in range estimate has been estimated. For normal incidence, the simulation results indicate that standard deviation in range estimate is only 76m for a 20Km range considering 10dB SNR and observer position error of ±1m. The comparison of proposed method with traditional triangulation method has also been presented. The comparison indicates that for a single platform configuration, the proposed scheme provides more accurate range estimation in a short span of time. Therefore, making it a suitable choice for applications where fast update is required.