Miljko Erić

Results of experimental validation of method for direct localization of acoustic impulse sources in outdoor environment, proposed previously by the authors are presented. Based on the ambiguity function formulated for the collocated and distributed antenna arrays, the ambiguity function of the microphone array was formulated as a tool for characterization of the non-uniform geometry of the microphone array in terms of ambiguous grating lobes and side lobe levels.

The monitoring of the sea surface, whether it is the state of the sea or the position of targets (ships), is an up-to-date research topic. In order to determine localization parameters of ships, we propose a high-resolution algorithm for primary signal processing in high-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) which operates at two frequencies. The proposed algorithm is based on a high-resolution estimate of the range–Doppler (RD-HR) map formed at every antenna in the receive antenna array, which is an essential task, because the performance of the entire radar system depends on its estimation. We also propose a new focusing method allowing us to have only one RD-HR map in the detection process, which collects the information from both these carrier frequencies. The goal of the bi-frequency mode of operation is to improve the detectability of targets, because their signals are affected by different Bragg-line interference patterns at different frequencies, as seen on the RD-HR maps during the primary signal processing. Also, the effect of the sea (sea clutter) manifests itself in different ways at different frequencies. Some targets are masked (undetectable) at one frequency, but they become visible at another frequency. By exploiting this, we increase the probability of detection. The bi-frequency architecture (system model) for the localization of sea targets and the novel signal model are presented in this paper. The advantage of bi-frequency mode served as a motivation for testing the detectability of small boats, which is otherwise a very challenging task, primarily because such targets have a small radar reflective surface, they move quickly, and often change their direction. Based on experimentally obtained results, it can be observed that the probability of detection of small boats can also be significantly improved by using a bi-frequency architecture.

Accurate azimuth detection of targets in High Frequency Surface Wave Radars in an essential task of the primary signal processing in order to determine target locations. In the presence of strong interference, it becomes more difficult and represents an important challenge because it can degrade the radar's performance. In this paper, we propose an improved method for high-resolution azimuth detection in such systems under strong external interference which manifests itself as a grouping of false targets by azimuth. The paper contains the detailed method description, the description of the proposed method for improved azimuth detection and the performance analysis based on the experimentally obtained radar data. The results show that it is possible to achieve significant improvements in the detectability of targets.

This paper addresses over-the-air synchronization of two distributed receivers connected to a fusion center via digital links. We distinguish between received signals’ synchronization and receiving channels’ synchronization. The applications are digital receive beamforming (BF) and radio source localization, respectively. We introduce the system and signal models and propose a synchronization procedure. The scheme for signal synchronization includes estimating and compensating for the instantaneous phase and time offsets between the received user signals. This is achieved by utilizing wideband and narrowband pilots sent by a beacon transmitter, along with a wideband preamble sent by the user transmitter. Optionally, the scheme allows for equalization of the user signal, employing a narrowband pilot signal sent by the user transmitter. For channel synchronization, the procedure involves estimating and compensating for the instantaneous phase and time offsets between the receiving channels using pilot signals sent by the beacon transmitter. We assume variable frequency and constant time offsets during the observation interval. Additionally, we propose a novel adaptive algorithm for instantaneous phase offset estimation. We demonstrate the performance of the synchronization procedure and the proposed algorithms through Monte Carlo simulations and experiments using USRPs (Universal Software Radio Peripheral). With a 20 dB signal-to-noise ratio and realistic frequency offset amplitude and dynamics, the 0.9-quantiles for time estimation error and instantaneous phase estimation error are one 20th of the sampling interval and 10 degrees, respectively. The total error is reduced almost to the noise-only error.

A method for the direct outdoor localization of multiple impulse acoustic sources by a distributed microphone array is proposed. This localization problem is of great interest for gunshot, firecracker and explosion detection localization in a civil environment, as well as for gun, mortar, small arms, artillery, sniper detection localization in military battlefield monitoring systems. Such a kind of localization is a complicated technical problem in many aspects. In such a scenario, the permutation of impulse arrivals on distributed microphones occurs, so the application of classical two-step localization methods, such as time-of-arrival (TOA), time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA), angle-of-arrival (AOA), fingerprint methods, etc., is faced with the so-called association problem, which is difficult to solve. The association problem does not exist in the proposed method for direct (one-step) localization, so the proposed method is more suitable for localization in a given acoustic scenario than the mentioned two-step localization methods. Furthermore, in the proposed method, direct localization is performed impulse by impulse. The observation interval used for the localization could not be arbitrarily chosen; it is limited by the duration of impulses. In the mathematical model formulated in the paper, atmospheric factors in acoustic signal propagation (temperature, pressure, etc.) are included. The results of simulations show that by using the proposed method, centimeter localization accuracy can be achieved.

In this paper, we present a new high-resolution algorithm for primary signal processing in High Frequency Surface Wave Radar (HFSWR). The algorithm has been developed to achieve and improve primary signal processing performance in existing HFSWR radars in terms of radar target detection. The proposed algorithm is based on a high-resolution estimate of the Range–Doppler (RD-HR) map using given number of frames in the selected integration period. RD-HR maps are formed at every antenna in receive antenna array. Target detection is based on an RD-HR map averaged across all the antennas. Azimuth estimation is performed by a high-resolution MUSIC-type algorithm that is executed for all detections we found in the RD-HR map. The existence of strong Bragg’s lines in the RD-HR map complicates the detection process but the contrast of the RD-HR map as well as the detectability of targets on the RD-HR map is significantly better compared to the RD-FFT map used by many existing radars, such as WERA.

We address the accuracy of wideband direct position estimation of a radio transmitter via a distributed antenna array in 5G cellular systems. Our derivations are based only on the presence of spatially coherent line-of-sight (LoS) signal components, which is a realistic assumption in small cells, especially in the mmWave range. The system model considers collocated time and phase synchronized receiving front-ends with antennas distributed in 3D space at known locations and connected to the front-ends via calibrated coaxial cables or analog radio-frequency-over-fiber links. Furthermore, the signal model assumes spherical wavefronts. We derive the Cramér-Rao bounds (CRBs) for two implementations of the system: with (a) known signals and (b) random Gaussian signals. The results show how the bounds depend on the carrier frequency, number of samples used for estimation, and signal-to-noise ratios. They also show that increasing the number of antennas (such as in massive MIMO systems) considerably improves the accuracy and lowers the signal-to-noise threshold for localization even for non-cooperative transmitters. Finally, our derivations show that the square roots of the bounds are two to three orders of magnitude below the carrier wavelength for realistic system parameters.

HF-OTHR site contains two equipment shelters, up to 1 km away from each other, that need to be connected for transmitting a FMCW signal. This connection, if realized using a coaxial cable, has shown itself to be vulnerable to external electromagnetic discharges, which can damage the sensitive radar equipment. This paper explores and tests the possibility of using Radio-Frequency-over-Fiber (RFoF) link as an alternative to a coaxial cable for transmission of signal, in order to ensure the immunity from external sources of electromagnetic interference (EMI).

We address wideband direct coherent localization of a radio transmitter by a distributed antenna array in a multipath scenario with spatially-coherent line-of-sight (LoS) signal components. Such a signal scenario is realistic in small cells, especially indoors in the mmWave range. The system model considers collocated time and phase synchronized receiving front-ends with antennas distributed in 3D space at known locations connected to the front-ends via calibrated coaxial cables or analog radio frequency over fiber links. The signal model assumes spherical wavefronts. We propose two ML-type algorithms (for known and unknown transmitter waveforms) and a subspace-based SCM-MUSIC algorithm for wideband direct coherent position estimation. We demonstrate the performance of the methods by Monte Carlo simulations. The results show that even in multipath environments, it is possible to achieve localization accuracy that is much better (by two to three orders of magnitude) than the carrier wavelength. They also suggest that the methods that do not exploit knowledge of the waveform have mean-squared errors approaching the Cramér–Rao bound.