A matched filter network for estimating pulse arrival times

Pulse arrival times are often close to the arrival times of pulses at nearby positions. A method that estimates arrival times from a series of closely related receptions has been developed. It combines the matched filter with the minimum path algorithm of network programming. In an environment where noise is present, the arrival time estimates using traditional matched filter processing degrade, owing to arrival time jumps equal to a period of the carrier. Results obtained from experimental and simulated pulses demonstrate that the method removes the jumps while retaining smaller-scale arrival time fluctuations that are of interest