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Process / pipelineSignal detection

Matched Filter

The matched filter is an optimal signal detector that maximizes the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for detecting a known signal in additive Gaussian noise. Developed by D. O. North during World War II for radar applications, the matched filter represents the optimal linear filter for signal detection and remains the foundation for detection theory and digital communications.

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Sources

  1. North, D. O. (1943). An Analysis of the Factors Which Determine Signal/Noise Discrimination in Pulsed Carrier Systems. RCA Laboratories, Technical Report PTM-946. link ↗
  2. Oppenheim, A. V., Schafer, R. W., & Buck, J. R. (1999). Discrete-Time Signal Processing (2nd ed.). Prentice Hall. link ↗

Related methods

Adaptive LMS FilterFIR Filter DesignKalman Filter for Signal TrackingWiener Filter

Referenced by

Butterworth Filter DesignFIR Filter DesignKalman Filter for Signal TrackingPower Spectral Density EstimationShort-Time Fourier TransformWiener Filter

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ScholarGate — Matched Filter (Matched Filter Signal Detection). Retrieved 2026-06-04 from https://scholargate.app/en/signal-processing/matched-filter