Cell Averaging: Radar False Alarm Detection at a Steady Rate

An adaptive method called constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detection is used in radar systems to pick out target echoes from the general noise. It is the job of the constant false alarm rate circuit to establish the level of confidence with which each reflected signal or echo is assumed to have come from the intended target. Most radar systems have a threshold that must be adjusted to meet a target false alarm rate (or likelihood of false alarm). In the CFAR detection method known as cell-averaging CFAR (CA - CFAR), the threshold is determined by scanning a block of cells around a cell-under-test (CUT) and determining the average power level. When the CUT's power level is higher than the average power level measured in a nearby block of cells, CA - CFAR indicates the presence of the target. The CA-CFAR detector concept, CFAR detection threshold factors, CFAR loss factors, and CFAR detection factors are all presented in this work. To simulate CFAR loss and target masking, MATLAB is used.