Echo Detection Method Based on Matched Filter Using Fast Orthogonal Search

As a traditional detector in the field of signal detection, the matched filter (MF) still plays an extremely important role in electronic information systems such as sonar and radar. Aiming at the problem of echo extraction in active sonar target detection, this paper proposes an echo detection method based on matched filter using the fast orthogonal search (FOS-MF) by transforming the spectral output of the matched filter into a line-spectrum detection problem and combining a high frequency-resolution spectral analysis tool which is the fast orthogonal search (FOS) algorithm. The results of simulation and experimental data processing show that compared with the conventional matched filtering echo detection method, FOS-MF can detect target echoes and estimate the delays stably and accurately. The method proposed in this paper can automatically extract target echoes even in a low input signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) situation.