Semhybridnet: a semantically enhanced hybrid CNN-transformer network for radar pulse image segmentation

Abstract Radar signal sorting is a vital component of electronic warfare reconnaissance, serving as the basis for identifying the source of radar signals. However, traditional radar signal sorting methods are increasingly inadequate and computationally complex in modern electromagnetic environments. To address this issue, this paper presents a novel machine-learning-based approach for radar signal sorting. Our method utilizes SemHybridNet, a Semantically Enhanced Hybrid CNN-Transformer Network, for the classification of semantic information in two-dimensional radar pulse images obtained by converting the original radar data. SemHybridNet incorporates two innovative modules: one for extracting period structure features, and the other for ensuring effective integration of local and global features. Notably, SemHybridNet adopts an end-to-end structure, eliminating the need for repetitive looping over the original sequence and reducing computational complexity. We evaluate the performance of our method through conducting comprehensive comparative experiments. The results demonstrate our method significantly outperforms the traditional methods, particularly in environments with high missing and noise pulse rates. Moreover, the ablation studies confirm the effectiveness of these two proposed modules in enhancing the performance of SemHybridNet. In conclusion, our method holds promise for enhancing electronic warfare reconnaissance capabilities and opens new avenues for future research in this field.