Impact of Noncoherent Pulse Integration on RCS-Assisted Tracking

Single-frame measurement-to-track association algorithms that make unique decisions often have difficulty with closely-spaced (but resolved) targets. Such algorithms typically operate on a kinematic measurement-to-track cost matrix. When targets under track are closely spaced in kinematic measurement space, the corresponding elements of this matrix are similar. Given little information upon which to base decisions, it is not surprising that mistakes are made. One approach proposed in the literature for mitigating this problem is to augment the kinematic measurement-to-track costs with signal amplitude information. However, prior work demonstrates that this can actually be detrimental to the measurement-to-track association process for radar tracking. The potential benefits of noncoherent pulse integration on amplitude-assisted tracking is investigated here. It demonstrates that when targets are closely spaced, integrating pulses essentially separate the amplitude distributions, making amplitude-assisted tracking more effective. Guidance for determining when to apply amplitude-assisted tracking is also provided.