Multi-frame non-coherent track-before-detect method for weak tones in passive sonar

Abstract In order to solve the problem of performance degradation of track-before-detect (TBD) methods using single frame information when received signals exhibit a large fluctuation. A TBD method utilizing multi-frame information is proposed. Specifically, the novel measurement model and likelihood ratio function based on the non-coherent accumulation of multi-frame data are established. Multi-frame integration greatly improves the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of measurements. Furthermore, the derived likelihood ratio function can more effectively describe the statistical characteristics of the spectrum measurements. Combining these two advantages can improve the detection performance of weak tones for passive sonar. The simulation and experimental data results both demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method.