A Practical Fundamental Frequency Extraction Algorithm for Motion Parameters Estimation of Moving Targets

In this paper, a practical method is proposed for a moving target´s fundamental frequency (MTFF) extraction from its acoustic signal. This method is developed for the application of motion parameters estimation. Starting from the analysis of the target frequency model and the acoustic Doppler model, the characteristics of moving target´s signal are discussed. Based on the signatures of target´s acoustic signal, a new approximate greatest common divisor (AGCD) method is developed to obtain an initial fundamental frequency (IFF). Then, the corresponding harmonic number associated with the IFF is determined by maximizing an objective function formulated as an impulse-train-weighted symmetric average magnitude sum function (SAMSF) of the observed signal. The frequency of the SAMSF is determined by target´s acoustic signal, the period of the impulse train is controlled by the estimated IFF harmonic, and the maximization of the objective function is carried out through a time-domain matching of periodicity of the impulse train with that of the SAMSF. Finally, a precise fundamental frequency is achieved based on the obtained IFF and its harmonic number. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, experiments are conducted on wheeled vehicles, tracked vehicles, and propeller-driven aircrafts. Evaluation of the algorithm performance in comparison with other traditional methods indicates that the proposed MTFF is practical for the fundamental frequency extraction of moving targets.