Enhanced Adaptive Statistical Filter Providing Improved Performance for Target Motion Analysis Noise Discrimination

An adaptive statistical filter system for receiving a data stream comprising a series of data values from a sensor associated with successive points in time. Each data value includes a data component representative of the motion of a target and a noise component, with the noise components of data values associated with proximate points in time being correlated. The adaptive statistical filter system includes a prewhitener, a plurality of statistical filters of different orders, correlation mensuration and decorrelator module and a selector. The prewhitener generates a corrected data stream comprising corrected data values, each including a data component and a time correlated noise component. The plural statistical filters receive the corrected data stream and generate coefficient values to fit the corrected data stream to a polynomial of corresponding order and fit values representative of the degree of fit of corrected data stream to the polynomial. The correlation mensuration and decorrelation module performs a hypothesis test to determine whether the degree of correlation is statistically significant, and, if it is, generates decorrelated fit values using an autoregressive. moving average methodology which assesses the noise components of the statistical filter. The selector receives the decorrelated fit values and coefficient values for the plural statistical filters and selects coefficient values from one of the filters in response to the decorrelated fit values. The coefficient values are coupled to a target motion analysis module which determines position and velocity of a target.