Multi-Target Tracking in Clutter without Measurement Assignment

When tracking targets using radars and sonars, the number of targets and the origin of data is uncertain. Data may be false measurements or clutter, or they may be detections from an unknown number of targets whose possible trajectories and detection processes can only be described in a statistical manner. Optimal all-neighbor multi-target tracking (MTT) in clutter enumerates all possible joint measurement-to-track assignments and calculates the a posteriori probabilities of each of these joint assignments. The numerical complexity of this process is combinatorial in the number of tracks and the number of measurements. One of the key differences between most MTT algorithms is the manner in which they reduce the computational complexity of the joint measurement-to-track assignment process. We propose an alternative approach, using a form of soft assignment, that enables us to bypass this step entirely. Specifically, our approach treats possible detections of targets followed by other tracks as additional clutter measurements. It starts by approximating the a~priori probabilities of measurement origin. These probabilities are then used to modify the clutter spatial density at the location of the measurements. A suitable single target tracking (STT) filter then uses the modified clutter intensity for updating the track state. In effect, the STT filter is transformed into an MTT filter with a numerical complexity that is linear in the number of tracks and the number of measurements. Simulations show the effectiveness of this approach in a number of different multi-target scenarios.     

Clutter map information for data association and track initialization

This paper considers the problem of forming and maintaining tracks when measurements have both uncertain origin and are corrupted by additive sensor noise. The spatial clutter measurement density is assumed nonhomogeneous and known. The PPDA-MAP algorithm provides a set of recursive formulae for data association and probability of target existence, thus enabling automatic track initiation, track maintenance, and track termination. New values for initial probability of target existence for IPDA-type algorithm are also derived. Simulation results compare the performance of IPDA-MAP with IPDA, IMM-PDA, IMM-PDA-MAP, EB-PDA and EB-PDA-MAP in a heavy and nonuniform clutter situation.     

Joint integrated probabilistic data association: JIPDA

A new recursive filter for multi-target tracking in clutter is presented. Multiple tracks may share the same measurement(s). Joint events are formed by creating all possible combinations of track-measurement assignments and the probabilities for these joint events are calculated. The expressions for the joint event probabilities incorporate the probabilities of target existence of individual tracks, an efficient approximation for the cluster volume and a priori probability of the number of clutter measurements in each cluster. From these probabilities the data association and target existence probabilities of individual tracks are obtained, which allows track state update and false track discrimination. A simulation study is presented to show the effectiveness of this approach.     

Integrated track splitting filter--efficient multi-scan single target tracking in clutter

A fully automatic tracking algorithm must be able to deal with an unknown number of targets, unknown target initiation and termination times, false measurements and possibly time-varying target trajectory behaviour. An efficient algorithm for tracking in this environment is presented here. This approach makes use of estimates of the probability of target existence, which is an integral part of the algorithm. This allows for the efficient generation and management of possible target hypotheses, yielding an algorithm with performance that matches what can be obtained by multiple hypothesis tracking-based approaches, but at a significantly lower computational cost. This paper considers only the single target case for clarity. The extension to multiple targets is easily incorporated into this framework. Simulation studies are given that show the effectiveness of this approach in the presence of heavy and nonuniform clutter when tracking a target in an environment of low probability of detection and in an environment where the target performs violent manoeuvres.