This correspondence examines multiparameter generalizations of the Cramér-Rao (C-R) bound and related bounds from a new viewpoint. We derive a general class of bounds and show that Rao's generalization is the tightest (bes0 of the class. A bound reported by Zacks is another member of the class. This derivation of the C-R bound emphasizes its optimum nature. The relationship of the general class to Barankin bounds is also discussed.

Estimation of the parameters of a single-frequency complex tone from a finite number of noisy discrete-time observations is discussed. The appropriate Cramér-Rao bounds and maximum-likelihood (MI.) estimation algorithms are derived. Some properties of the ML estimators are proved. The relationship of ML estimation to the discrete Fourier transform is exploited to obtain practical algorithms. The threshold effect of one algorithm is analyzed and compared to simulation results. Other simulation results verify other aspects of the analysis.