Target Tracking and Data Fusion with Cooperative IMM-based Algorithm

In solving target tracking problems, the Kalman filter (KF) is a systematic estimation algorithm. Whether the state of a moving target adapts to the changes in the observations depends on the model assumptions. The interacting multiple model (IMM) algorithm uses interaction of a bank of parallel KFs by updating associated model probabilities. Every parallel KF has its model probability adjusted by the dynamic system. For moving targets of different dynamic linear models, an IMM with two KFs generally performs well. In this thesis, in order to improve the performance of target tracking and state estimation, multi-sensor data fusion technique will be used. Same types of IMMs can be incorporated in the cooperative IMM-based algorithm. The IMM-based estimators exchange with each other the estimates, model robabilities and model transition probabilities. A distributed algorithm for multi-sensor tracking usually needs a fusion center that integrates decisions or estimates, but the proposed cooperative IMM-based algorithm does not use the architecture. Cooperative IMM estimator structures exchange weights and estimates on the platforms to avoid accumulation of errors. Performance of data fusion may degrade due to different kinds of undesirable environmental effects. The simulations show that an IMM estimator with smaller measurement noise level can be used to compensate the other IMM, which is affected by larger measurement noise. In addition, failure of a sensor will cause the problem that model probabilities can not be updated in the corresponding estimator. Kalman filters will not be able to perform state correction for the moving target. To tackle the problem, we can use the estimates from other IMM estimators by adjusting the corresponding weights and model probabilities. The simulations show that the proposed cooperative IMM structure effectively improve the tracking performance.