Estimation of the velocity and acceleration for the laser Doppler signal

A new method based on the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) is proposed aiming at the Fourier spectrum broadening of the laser Doppler signal when acceleration occurs. First, the fast Fourier transform (FFT) method is performed on the Doppler signal to get an approximate velocity. Then a fine search of the likelihood function's maximum value is carried on in the area nearby the approximate velocity. For a high precision and quick calculation, the search area is zoomed down step by step. The simulations show that the new method based on the FFT and MLE ensures the velocity precision, and highly decrease the calculation time, which is good for the real-time system.