Journal of Nantong University (Natural Science Edition), Volume. 24, Issue 2, 48(2025)

Blind estimation algorithm for frequency hopping parameters based on enhanced time-frequency ridge extraction

WAN Kai1, CHANG Cheng2, HOU Changbo1、*, and WU Xiangyu1
Author Affiliations
  • 1School of Information and Communication Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China
  • 2China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, Beijing 100854, China
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    In existing blind estimation algorithms for frequency-hopping parameters based on time-frequency ridges, performance degrades significantly when the signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) falls below-5 dB. To address this issue, an improved blind estimation method based on time-frequency ridges is proposed. First, the time-frequency matrix of the received signal is obtained using the short-time Fourier transform (STFT). Then, Gaussian filtering is applied for signal smoothing and noise suppression. Since the energy distribution of fixed-frequency interference differs from that of frequency-hopping signals in the time-frequency matrix, an energy cancellation method is used to eliminate such interference. Next, OTSU thresholding is applied to the matrix after energy cancellation to further remove residual fixed-frequency interference and noise, yielding a clearer time-frequency representation. Time-frequency ridges are then extracted from this image, and the least-squares method is employed to fit the hopping instants along these ridges, enabling accurate estimation of frequency-hopping parameters. Simulation results show that the proposed method effectively produces clean time-frequency images even at SNR levels as low as-5 dB in the presence of fixed-frequency interference. The average relative estimation error of each parameter remains below 1%, and the method demonstrates strong robustness against varying intensity and quantity of interference.

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    WAN Kai, CHANG Cheng, HOU Changbo, WU Xiangyu. Blind estimation algorithm for frequency hopping parameters based on enhanced time-frequency ridge extraction[J]. Journal of Nantong University (Natural Science Edition), 2025, 24(2): 48

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    Paper Information

    Received: Nov. 9, 2024

    Accepted: Aug. 25, 2025

    Published Online: Aug. 25, 2025

    The Author Email: HOU Changbo (houchangbo2023@163.com)

    DOI:10.12194/j.ntu.20241109001

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