A Two-Stage Track-before-Detect Method for Non-Cooperative Bistatic Radar Based on Deep Learning

Compared with traditional active detection radar, non-cooperative bistatic radar has a series of advantages, such as a low cost and low detectability. However, in real-life scenarios, it is limited by the non-cooperation of the radiation source and the bistatic geometric model, resulting in a low target signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and unstable detection between frames in the radar scanning cycle. The traditional detect-before-track (DBT) method fails to exploit adequately the target information and is incapable of achieving consistent and effective tracking. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a two-stage track-before-detect (TBD) method based on deep learning. This method employs a low-threshold detection network to identify the target initially, followed by utilizing the model method to ascertain potential tracks. Subsequently, a diverse range of network structures are employed to extract and integrate position information, innovation score, and target structural information from the track in order to obtain the target track. Experimental results demonstrate the method’s ability to achieve multi-target tracking in highly cluttered environments, where the higher the number of frames processed, the better the target tracking effect. Moreover, the method exhibits real-time processing capabilities. Hence, this method provides an effective solution for target tracking in non-cooperative bistatic radar systems.