Four-channel monopulse angle estimation for phased array radar with elliptical plane

• Main Authors: Xuemin Cao, Zhenhai Xu, Xinghua Liu, Luoshengbin Wang, Wei Dong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2019-10-01
• Series: The Journal of Engineering
• Subjects: radar signal processing; radar tracking; array signal processing; phased array radar; search radar; four-channel monopulse angle estimation; elliptical plane; elliptical planar array; monopulse ratio curves; weighted fusion monopulse angle estimation; angle estimation performance; search and tracking radars; target deviation angle
• Online Access: https://digital-library.theiet.org/content/journals/10.1049/joe.2019.0660

The four-channel monopulse angle estimation is a common and important algorithm for search and tracking radars. However, its application in elliptical planar array remains to be validated. Here, the authors first analyse the properties of monopulse ratio curves for phased array radar with elliptical plane. Then, formulas about the weighted fusion monopulse angle estimation are derived according to the theory of four-channel monopulse. Finally, the relationship between the angle estimation performance and the target position is examined by simulation experiments, and the result is compared with that of the traditional monopulse method. The results show that the weighted fusion four-channel monopulse angle estimation method can effectively improve the accuracy of angle estimation, and this improvement would be more salient when the target deviation angle increases.