Search Results (58)

High-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) with a small aperture suffers from limited azimuth resolution, which often leads to association errors and trajectory fragmentation in complex scenarios involving sea clutter and intersecting target tracks. To address this issue, we propose a multi-feature adaptive association method that integrates the target direction cosine features and motion parameters to construct an improved association gate suitable for targets in uniform linear motion. For multiple plots within the association gate, the method evaluates their similarity to the trajectory by combining multiple feature parameters such as great-circle distance and Mahalanobis distance. An adaptive weighting strategy is employed according to the trajectory state to select the most similar plot for association. For trajectories without associated plots, the method maintains them based on a motion model and Kalman predictor. Experimental results demonstrate that the trajectories generated by this method last longer than those produced by traditional association methods, confirming that the proposed approach effectively suppresses trajectory fragmentation and false tracking, thereby enhancing the continuity and reliability of HFSWR target tracking. Full article

The meteo-tsunami as an atmospheric phenomenon is still being researched, and its effects beyond physical ones (destruction if they hit the shore) are yet to be fully classified. One such effect is an increase in false alarm occurrence in high frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) systems used for vessel traffic surveillance and control. Unfortunately, this effect is characterized by high-dimensional and highly nonlinear functional dependencies that cannot be described by closed-form mathematical equations. Since an artificial neural network is a highly parallelized distributed architecture with a fast flow of signals from input to output designed not to execute a predefined set of commands, but to “learn” dependencies during the training process and to apply that knowledge to solve unknown, but similar problems, it is a natural solution to the presented problem. Hybrid empirical–neural model-based probabilistic neural networks (PNN) used in this research proved to be quite capable of recognizing when an increase in false alarms can be expected based on the monitoring of atmospheric conditions in the HFSWR network coverage area and to eliminate them from the system, thus increasing the safety and security of all the actors in maritime traffic. Full article

Compact high-frequency surface wave radars (HFSWRs) utilize miniaturized antennas, resulting in lower antenna gain and a reduced signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for target echoes. Due to noise interference, ship echoes in the noise region often fall below the detection threshold, leading to missed detections. To address this issue, this paper proposes a cascaded detection method in the time–frequency (TF) domain to improve ship detection performance under such conditions. First, TF features are extracted from TF representations of ship and noise signals. Supervised machine learning algorithms are then employed to distinguish targets from noise, reducing false alarms. Next, a non-constant false alarm rate (CFAR) threshold is computed based on the noise mean, standard deviation, and an adjustment factor to improve detection robustness. Experiments show that the classification accuracy between the ship and noise signals exceeds 99%, and the proposed method significantly outperforms the conventional CFAR and TF-domain CFAR in terms of detection performance. Full article

In high-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) systems, the retrieval of the directional wave spectrum has remained challenging, especially in the case of echoes from long ranges with a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Therefore, a quadratic programming algorithm based on the regularization technique is proposed with an empirical criterion for estimating the optimal regularization parameter, which minimizes the effect of noise to obtain more accurate inversion results. The reliability of the inversion method is preliminarily verified using simulated Doppler spectra under different wind speeds, wind directions, and SNRs. The directional wave spectra inverted from a radar network with two multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems are basically consistent with those from the ERA5 data, while there is a limitation for the very concentrated directional distribution due to the truncated second order in the Fourier series. Further, in the field experiment during a storm that lasted three days, the wave parameters are calculated from the inverted directional spectra and compared with the ERA5 data. The results are shown to be in reasonable agreement at four typical locations in the core detection area. In addition, reasonable performance is also obtained under the condition of low SNRs, which further verifies the effectiveness of the proposed inversion algorithm. Full article

High-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) is unable to measure the target’s altitude information due to its limited antenna aperture in the elevation dimension. This paper focuses on the 3-D localization problem for moving targets within the line of sight (LOS) in multistatic HFSWR. For this purpose, the 1-D space angle (SA) measurement is introduced into multistatic HFSWR to perform 3-D joint localization together with bistatic range (BR) and bistatic range rate (BRR) measurements. The target’s velocity can also be estimated due to the inclusion of BRR. In multistatic HFSWR, commonly used azimuth measurements offer no information about the target’s altitude. Since SA is associated with the target’s 3-D coordinates, combining SA measurements from multiple receivers can effectively enhance localization accuracy, particularly in altitude estimation. In this paper, we develop a two-stage localization algorithm that first derives a weighted least-squares (WLS) coarse estimate and then performs an algebraic error reduction (ER) procedure to enhance accuracy. Both stages yield closed-form results, thus ensuring overall computational efficiency. Theoretical analysis shows that the proposed WLS-ER algorithm can asymptotically attain the Cramér–Rao lower bound (CRLB) as the measurement noise decreases. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed WLS-ER algorithm and highlight the contribution of SA measurements to altitude estimation in multistatic HFSWR. Full article

Floating high-frequency surface-wave radar provides an effective solution to widening the range of detection by such radar systems. However, for high-frequency radars with long coherence integration times, the yaw angle variations during this period can have a significant impact on the accuracy of direction-of-arrival estimation. Although adaptive beamforming methods are applicable to yaw angle compensation, their effectiveness can be significantly reduced when the measured distortion of antenna patterns is considered. To solve this problem, an iterative adaptive beamforming of focusing concept is proposed in this paper to compensate for yaw rotation. Firstly, an adaptive beamforming technique, called balanced-focusing pseudo-fixed beamforming, is developed to improve the ability of beam shape control by shortening the constraint range of the azimuth. Then, the shortened focusing range is determined by one iterative strategy that iteratively reduces the focusing length and selects the focusing center. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is applicable to significantly improve the precision and stability of direction-of-arrival estimation. This algorithm is also validated against the results obtained from two cooperative signals and ship echoes in a field experiment. Full article

Shipborne high-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) can extend the measurement area due to the flexible movement of the platform and provide a new way to monitor large-area marine environment parameters. It has already been applied to wind and current measurements. However, extracting significant wave height using shipborne HFSWR presents challenges due to the complex effects of platform motion on the Doppler spectrum, which invalidate onshore methods. To address this, a novel method for extracting significant wave height from the spreading first-order Bragg peaks of shipborne HFSWR with a single antenna is proposed, which is immune to inevitable antenna pattern distortion and especially suitable for the space-constrained shipborne HFSWR. The method sequentially estimates wind directions, spreading parameters, and wind speeds from Bragg peaks and develops a new relationship between significant wave height and wind speed to enable wave height extraction. Additionally, a preprocessing step is introduced to mitigate the impact of noise and discretization errors. Simulations and field experiments validate the feasibility and accuracy of the method across various scenarios, with a detection range of up to 120 km without auxiliary measurements. Comparisons between the radar-extracted and fifth-generation European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts reanalysis (ERA5) or buoy-measured results demonstrate consistency. Full article

The fragmentation of vessel tracks represents a significant challenge in the context of high-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) tracking. This paper proposes a new track segment association (TSA) algorithm that integrates optimal tracklet assignment, iterative discrimination, and multi-stage association. This paper reformulates the optimal tracklet assignment task as an optimal state search problem for modeling and solution purposes. To determine whether competing old and new tracklets can be associated, we assume the existence of a public state that represents the correlation between the tracklets. However, due to track fragmentation, this public state remains unknown. We need to search for the optimal public state of all candidate tracklet pairs within a feasible parameter space, using a fitness function value as the evaluation criterion. The old and new tracklets pairs that match the optimal public state are considered optimally associated. Since the solution process involves searching for the optimal state across multiple dimensions, it constitutes a high-dimensional optimization problem. To accomplish this task, the catch fish optimization algorithm (CFOA) is employed for its ability to escape local optima and handle high-dimensional optimization, enhancing the reliability of tracklet assignment. Furthermore, we achieve precise one-to-one associations by assigning new tracklet to old tracklet through the optimal tracklet assignment method we proposed, a process we abbreviate as AN2O, and its inverse process, which assigns old tracklet to new tracklet, abbreviated as AO2N. This dual approach is further complemented by an iterative discrimination mechanism that evaluates unselected tracklets to identify potential associations that may exist. The algorithm effectiveness of the proposed is validated using field experiment data from HFSWR in the Bohai Sea region, demonstrating its capability to accurately process complex tracklet data. Full article

High-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) is widely used for detecting sea surface or low-altitude targets due to its all-weather operation and over-the-horizon detection capability. To further enhance the maneuverability and detection range of HFSWR, shipborne HFSWR has been developed. However, compared to shore-based platforms, shipborne platforms face challenges such as a small array aperture and reduced Direction of Arrival (DOA) estimation performance due to their limited size. The traditional time–domain virtual aperture extension method, based on the principle of space-time equivalence, aims to improve the array aperture but has limitations when used for HFSWR background or multiple targets with different speeds. To address these issues, this paper proposes a range-Doppler domain (RD-domain) virtual aperture extension method for the uniform linear array, based on the uniform motion model. The contributions of this work include (1) a continuous motion model for shipborne HFSWR, (2) a virtual aperture processing flowchart for shipborne HFSWR, and (3) an RD-domain aperture extension method suitable for HFSWR background or multiple targets with varying speeds. Through simulation and experimental data, we validate the proposed method and analyze its performance. Full article

As devastating natural disasters, typhoons pose a tremendous threat to human society, making effective typhoon early warning and monitoring crucial. To address this challenge, High Frequency Surface Wave Radar (HFSWR), which can observe oceanic parameters such as typhoon wind fields in real time and even capture the dynamic changes in the ionosphere, has become an effective tool for typhoon monitoring. This paper investigates the interaction mechanisms about Typhoon-Acoustic Gravity Waves (AGWs)-Ionosphere, as well as Typhoon-Ocean Waves for HFSWR, and simulates these interaction processes within HFSWR. Then a typhoon early warning and monitoring scheme for HFSWR has been proposed: In the first stage, the S-shaped ionospheric disturbances observed by HFSWR are utilized as precursor signals for early typhoon warnings. In addition, the second stage involves analyzing changes in first-order oceanic echo spectral peak ratio to pinpoint when the typhoon eye enters the radar detection range, thus initiating the typhoon monitoring phase. Subsequently, the measured data from HFSWR collected during Typhoon “Muifa” (2212) in conjunction with the proposed scheme are evaluated in detail. The results indicate that AGWs generated by typhoons can propagate into non-typhoon areas within the detection range, causing S- shaped ionospheric disturbances and providing approximately 6 h of early warning. At around 8:05 (UTC+8), an increasing trend in the first-order spectral peak ratio was noted, indicating the entry of the typhoon eye into the detection range, which closely aligns with the official typhoon path and marks the transition to the monitoring phase. The proposed scheme is expected to enhance the capability for typhoon early warning and real-time monitoring in specific sea areas and mitigate the risks associated with typhoon-related disasters. Full article

The monitoring of the sea surface, whether it is the state of the sea or the position of targets (ships), is an up-to-date research topic. In order to determine localization parameters of ships, we propose a high-resolution algorithm for primary signal processing in high-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) which operates at two frequencies. The proposed algorithm is based on a high-resolution estimate of the range–Doppler (RD-HR) map formed at every antenna in the receive antenna array, which is an essential task, because the performance of the entire radar system depends on its estimation. We also propose a new focusing method allowing us to have only one RD-HR map in the detection process, which collects the information from both these carrier frequencies. The goal of the bi-frequency mode of operation is to improve the detectability of targets, because their signals are affected by different Bragg-line interference patterns at different frequencies, as seen on the RD-HR maps during the primary signal processing. Also, the effect of the sea (sea clutter) manifests itself in different ways at different frequencies. Some targets are masked (undetectable) at one frequency, but they become visible at another frequency. By exploiting this, we increase the probability of detection. The bi-frequency architecture (system model) for the localization of sea targets and the novel signal model are presented in this paper. The advantage of bi-frequency mode served as a motivation for testing the detectability of small boats, which is otherwise a very challenging task, primarily because such targets have a small radar reflective surface, they move quickly, and often change their direction. Based on experimentally obtained results, it can be observed that the probability of detection of small boats can also be significantly improved by using a bi-frequency architecture. Full article

The transmit/receive-receive (T/R-R) synergetic High Frequency Surface Wave Radar (HFSWR) has increasingly attracted attention due to its high localization accuracy, but multi-target pairing needs to be performed before localization in multi-target scenarios. However, existing multi-target parameter matching methods have primarily focused on track association, which falls under the category of information-level fusion techniques, with few methods based on detected points. In this paper, we propose a multi-target pairing method with high computational efficiency based on angle information for T/R-R synergetic HFSWR. To be more specific, a dual-receiving array signal model under long baseline condition is firstly constructed. Then, the amplitude and phase differences of the same target reaching two subarrays are calculated to establish the cross-correlation matrix. Subsequently, in order to extract the rotation factor matrices containing pairing information and improve angle estimation performance, we utilize the conjugate symmetry properties of the uniform linear array (ULA) manifold matrix for generalized virtual aperture extension. Ultimately, azimuths estimation and multi-target pairing are accomplished by combining the propagator method (PM) and the ESPRIT algorithm. The proposed method relies solely on angle information for multi-target pairing and leverages the rotational invariance property of Vandermonde matrices to avoid peak searching or iterations, making it computationally efficient. Furthermore, the proposed method maintains superb performance regardless of whether the spatial angles are widely separated or very close. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Full article

In order to address the issue of limited common coverage and high cost in mapping ocean surface vector current by two (or more) high-frequency surface wave radars, this paper proposes a single-station surface wave radar vector current inversion algorithm. The feasibility of this algorithm has been validated in the Taiwan Strait. Based on the ocean dynamic characteristics of the Taiwan Strait, the algorithm utilizes the radial current obtained from a high-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) in Fujian Province to invert the ocean surface vector current. The surface vector current can be decomposed into three primary dynamic components: tidal currents, wind-driven currents, and geostrophic currents. Firstly, tidal current forecasting models and Ekman and Stokes theories are used to calculate the tidal and wind-driven currents in the Taiwan Strait, respectively. Subsequently, the directions of geostrophic currents in the Taiwan Strait are determined with sea surface height data, and the magnitudes of the geostrophic currents are constrained using the radial current from the single HFSWR. Finally, the three components are added together to obtain the vector current. Comparative results demonstrate that the efficacy of the algorithm has been validated through field experiments (with two HFSWRs and two drifting buoys) conducted in the southwestern of the Taiwan Strait. Further research is needed on the applicability of this algorithm to other sea areas and monitoring systems. Full article

The processes of ocean dynamics are complex near the Pearl River Estuary and are not clear due to a lack of abundant observations. The spatial characteristics of the spring sea surface currents in the adjacent waters of the Pearl River Estuary were analyzed using the current data observed by a three-station high-frequency surface wave radar system (HFSWRS). Compared with the two-station HFSWRS, the deviation of current velocity and direction observed by the three-station HFSWRS from the underway measurements decreased by 42.86% and 38.30%, respectively. The analyzed results show that the M₂ tidal current is the dominant current among all the tidal constituents, followed by K₁, with angles of inclination ranging from 130° to 150°. The tidal flow is dominated by northwest–southeast back-and-forth flow. In the southern part of the observed area, which is far from the coastline, the tidal current ellipses exhibit a circular pattern. The prevalent tidal current type in this region is irregularly semi-diurnal, and the shallow water constituents also have a significant effect. The tidal energy in the adjacent waters of the Pearl River Estuary is affected by potential energy flux and kinetic energy flux. As the water depth and currents velocity increase in the southeast direction, the tidal energy flux increases. In the nearshore zone, the direction of tidal energy flux varies along the coastline. The changes in the residual current within the observed area are correlated with the sea surface wind field. Based on the high-precision sea surface current observed by the three-station HFSWRS, the characteristics of the ocean dynamic processes near the Pearl River Estuary are analyzed comprehensively, which provides important reference and confidence for the application of the developing new radar observing network with about 10 radar stations near the Pearl River Estuary. Full article

Surface currents obtained from the high-frequency surface-wave radars (HFSWRs) installed along the coast of Fujian Province are utilized to characterize submesoscale eddies in the southwestern Taiwan Strait from 29 January to 26 March 2013. The algorithm based on vector geometry (VG) has been applied to datasets and a total of 414 (161 anticyclonic and 253 cyclonic eddies) were obtained. Eddies with both rotations had a relatively short lifespan (≤3.7 h), and their radii were in the range of 5–22.5 km. Eddies with a lifespan of over 30 minutes were more likely to occur north of the Taiwan Strait shoals and move eastward or northeastward. The deviation of moving directions of eddies with a moving distance of more than 20 km was within 18°. Moreover, eddies could hardly hold their original forms with cyclones extending in the east-west and compressing in the north-south direction, and anticyclones were the opposite. The vorticity and strain rate were proportional to the square of the energy intensity (EI). This study shows that the array HFSWRs have a strong capability to observe short-lived submesoscale eddies. Full article