DNLS: A Detection Method Based on Normalized Short-Time Fourier Transform-Radon Transform for Low Frequency Sonar Pulse Signal

Under low-frequency background noise environments, due to the characteristics of poor stability and many interference targets of noise, the detection of unknown low-frequency sonar signals faces huge challenge. And sonar pulse signal detection methods based on time domain or frequency domain have the limitation of insufficient detection Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR). In order to improve the detection capability of weak sonar pulse signal in low frequency background noise environments, a Detection method based on normalized short-time Fourier transform-Radon transform for Low frequency Sonar pulse signal (DNLS) is proposed, which is a constant false alarm detection method in normalized short-time Fourier transform-Radon transform domain. In DNLS method, after the normalized short-time Fourier transform-Radon transformation, low-frequency noise energy to be dispersed into the entire transformation domain, and the sonar pulse signal energy containing the Linear Frequency Modulation (LFM) component is concentrated at a specific target point in the normalized short-time Fourier transform-Radon transform transformation domain, which can obtain a higher local SNR than the time-domain SNR. Moreover, the specific target point is distinguishable from the background noise, and the impulse signal detection decision is completed by constructing hypothesis test statistics on the target point data. The DNLS method solves the detection problems of low-frequency background such as poor stability, large fluctuations, and more interference. And the method of obtaining the test statistics of the constant false alarm detection, estimating the background noise and calculating the detection threshold is given. Extensive simulation results and actual data processing show that, under the simulation condition, in the minimum detection SNR of LFM, Continuous Wave(CW)-LFM and pulse trains of frequency modulated pulse signals with the same pulse width, compared with the dual-threshold constant false alarm rate energy detection method, the DNLS method is improved by 15dB, 13dB and 4dB, respectively. Under actual data conditions, in the detection of CW-LFM pulse signals with the same pulse width, compared with the double-threshold constant false alarm rate energy detection method, the detection performance of the DNLS method in the case of no ship radiated noise interference and strong radiated noise interference improves by 5dB and 5.5dB, respectively. The data analysis results show that the DNLS method has very good detection performance for LFM, pulse trains of frequency modulated, CW-LFM and other sonar pulse signals at low SNR, and can effectively detect the sonar pulse signals under the background of strong ship radiated noise.