Electronic Sensor Precision Feature Extraction Pre-processor

With the ever increasing complexity and density of the threat environment anticipated to be encountered by today's and tomorrow's EW systems, the need exists for a reconfigurable and adaptive real-time pulse feature extraction processor with enhancedcapabilities beyond that employed in most operational Electronic Support (ES) or Radar Warning Receivers (RWR). Automatic detection, identification, and classification of such systems is desired to ease operator workload in dense signal environments. Theemployment of a Feature Extraction Pre-Processor can be used to enhance a host Electronic Surveillance System's Emitter Track and ID capabilities using observable intentional modulation on pulse (IMOP) unintentional modulation on pulse (UMOP) features.Techniques employed in the development and integration of detection, measurement, and typing algorithms can be used to develop products to automate air traffic control operations, easing ATC operator burden and increase situational awareness. Theanticipated benefits include a low-cost, reconfigurable device based on FPGA based COTS board technology. Other potential applications include, in addition to upgrades to currently fielded and new planned systems, a reduced size version for UAVs. Usingthe VHDL design code provided on this effort, custom higher gate density FPGAs or even more efficient ASICs could be used to achieve size reduction necessary for UAV ELINT applications. In addition, individual algorithms can be easily modified withoutentire cardset redesign. Finally, many of the algorithms developed or implemented herein can be readily applied to characterizing the external features of communication signals (e.g. COMEX), or to perhaps characterizing certain wireless or cell phonemodulations for the purposes of identification and location to support Homeland Defense initiatives.