Tracking maneuvering targets with multiple, intermittent sensors

Abstract

In many multisensor systems, the number of sensors and the type of sensors supporting a particular target track can vary with time due to the mobility, type, and resource limitations of the individual sensors. This variability in the configuration of the sensor system poses a significant problem when tracking maneuvering targets because of the uncertainty in the target motion model. When the sensor system is fixed, the uncertainty in the motion model is addressed in the design of the tracking algorithm by considering individual target trajectories. However, considering individual target trajectories in conjunction with every possible multisensor configuration is not practical. In the paper, the problem of tracking maneuvering targets with multiple intermittent sensors is illustrated through an example involving a single motion model example. The interacting multiple model (IMM) algorithm is applied to this problem and simulation results are given.<>