Classification of Radar Environment Using Ensemble Neural Network with Variation of Hidden Neuron Number

Abstract

Target detection is a mandatory task of radar system so that the radar system performance is mainly determined by its detection rate. Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) is a detection algorithm commonly used in radar systems. This method is divided into several approaches which have different performance in the different environments. Therefore, this paper proposes an ensemble neural network based classifier with a variation of hidden neuron number for classifying the radar environments. The result of this research will support the improvement of the performance of the target detection on the radar systems by developing such an adaptive CFAR. Multi-layer perceptron network (MLPN) with a single hidden layer is employed as the structure of base classifiers. The first step of this research is the evaluation of the hidden neuron number giving the highest accuracy of classification and the simplicity of computation. According to the result of this step, the three best structures are selected to build an ensemble classifier. On the ensemble structure, all of those three MLPN outputs then be collected and voted for getting the majority result in order to decide the final classification. The three possible radar environments investigated are homogeneous, multiple-targets and clutter boundary. According to the simulation results, the ensemble MLPN provides a higher detection rate than the conventional single MLPNs. Moreover, in the multiple-target and clutter boundary environments, the proposed method is able to show its highest performance.

Keywords

• radar environment
• homogeneity
• ensemble neural network
• hidden neuron number
• CFAR