Method and apparatus for correlating sensor detections in space and time

摘要

Sensor detections received over time are analyzed to find relationships therebetween. For example, radar echoes, outputs from an infrared sensor, etc., may be analyzed to find target tracks. First, gross similarities are detected by mapping, e.g., angular readings into angle bins using each of a plurality of hypothesized rates of change of angle. Those sensor detections which are found to correlate with respect to angular measurement are subjected to similar mapping into range bins using rate of change of range. The angle and range bins are compared to determine which represent target tracks. The resulting target tracks may be used to revise the parameters and repeat the same process. For example, if one of the "target" tracks detected on the first pass has an angle of 30°, an angle rate of 2° per minute, a range of 2 kilometers and a range rate of 3 kilometers/second, this target track might be evaluated to determine whether it is a cluster of targets using angle rates varying from 1° per minute to 3° per minute in steps of 1/4 degree per minute to map the sensor detections into angle bins ranging from 27° to 33° in steps of 0.2° with similar mapping in a region of range space.