A multiple-target tracking filter using data association based on a MAP approach

Abstract

Tracking many targets simultaneously using a search radar has been one of the major research areas in radar signal processing. The primary difficulty in this problem arises from the noise characteristics of the incoming data. Hence it is crucial to obtain an accurate association between targets and noisy measurements in multi-target tracking. We introduce a new scheme for optimal data association, based on a MAP approach, and thereby derive an efficient energy function. Unlike the previous approaches, the new constraints between targets and measurements can manage the cases of target missing and false alarm. Presently, most algorithms need heuristic adjustments of the parameters. Instead, this paper suggests a mechanism that determines the parameters in an automated manner. Experimental results, including PDA and NNF, show that the proposed method reduces position errors in crossing trajectories: by 32.8% on the average compared to NNF.