Evaluating an α-β filter in terms of increasing a track update-sampling rate and improving measurement accuracy

• Published in: Electronics & communications in Japan. Part 1, Communications Communications, 2003-10, Vol.86 (10), p.10-20
• Main Authors: Kosuge, Yoshio, Ito, Masayoshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Kalman filter; radar; tracking filter; α-β filter
• ISSN: 8756-6621; 1520-6424
• DOI: 10.1002/ecja.10113

The α–β filter estimates the true values of the position and velocity of the target from the observed target position. If the driving noise indicating the ambiguity of the target motion differs, then various different α–β filters can be derived from a Kalman filter that uses a constant‐velocity linear motion model. On the other hand, the MV filter is an α–β filter that minimizes the variations of the steady error of the predicted value of the target position for a target in constant‐velocity linear motion, under the condition that the steady tracking error for the target with constant acceleration is constant. This MV filter cannot be derived from the Kalman filter. Note that there are methods of increasing the sampling rate and of improving observation accuracy for improvement of tracking capability. However, when multiple targets are tracked at the same time, the electromagnetic illumination time per target is necessarily reduced. In this paper, the tracking capability of the above α–β filter with constant gains is evaluated in terms of the tracking accuracy for a target in constant‐velocity linear motion under the condition that the steady tracking error for a target in constant‐acceleration motion is constant. It is found advantageous to increase the sample rate rather than to improve the observation accuracy if the electromagnetic illumination time is constant. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 1, 86(10): 10–20, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecja.10113