Incoherent Detection Performance Analysis of the Distributed Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Radar for Rice Fluctuating Targets

Utilizing spatial diversity, the distributed multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar has the potential advantage of improving system detection performance. In this paper, the incoherent detection performance of distributed multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radars is investigated for Rice fluctuating targets. To calculate the incoherent detection probability, the moment generating function (MGF) of the Rice variable is expanded as the infinite series form. By inverting the product of MGFs of multiple independent Rice variables, new closed-form expressions for the probability density function (PDF) of the sum of independent and weighted squares of Rice variables are proposed. The proposed PDF expression for the sum of independent, non-identically distributed (i.n.i.d.) Rice variables involves an infinite series in terms of the confluent Lauricella function. Specially, the PDF for the sum of independent identically distributed (i.i.d.) Rice is expressed as the confluent hypergeometric function-based infinite series. In addition, the uniform convergence of the proposed PDF expression is also validated. Using this proposed expression, the closed-form and approximate expressions of the incoherent detection probability of MIMO radar are derived, respectively. Numerically evaluated results are illustrated and compared with Monte Carlo (MC) simulations to validate the accuracy of the derivations.