Dynamic programming based adaptive step integration method for maneuvering fluctuating target detection

An adaptive long time integration method based on dynamic programming (DP) is proposed for the detection of high speed maneuvering fluctuating targets. The proposed method is aimed at detecting a target with an unpredictable range migration and fluctuating echoes by jointly applying three main ideas: the improved DP procedure that could search the maneuver position and velocity at each frame; the multi-pulse integration that could suppress the influence of fluctuation; and the adaptive step with fading factor that could allow the integration time to be suitable for each searching velocity. Compared with the existing methods, the target energy could be integrated along its trajectory using the proposed method without estimating the specific motion parameters, which makes the proposed method applicable to a target with arbitrary motion. Simulation results and performance comparisons show the superiority of the proposed method.