Cognitive tracking radar

• US 20110084871A1
• Filed: 10/13/2009
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mcmaster University
• Original Assignee: Mcmaster University
• Inventors: Xue, Yanbo, Arasaratnam, Ienkaran, Haykin, Simon, Zia, Amin
• Application Number:
  US12/588,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20110084871A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/82
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/282 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4008 of transmitters

Abstract

Methods and systems relating to a cognitive tracking radar system. A radar system determines an immediately preceding state of a target being tracked. Based on this immediately preceding state, the system determines parameters and waveforms which may be used to better illuminate the target. These parameters and waveforms are then used when illuminating the target. The state of the target is then measured from the reflected returns of the illuminating waveform. The newly received measurements then form the basis for the new state of the target and the procedure is repeated.

Claims

1. A method for operating a radar system for tracking a target, the radar system having a transmitter and a receiver, the method comprising:

a) determining an immediately preceding state of said target;

b) based on said immediately preceding state, predicting an expected state of said target;

c) based on said expected state of said target, determining parameters for use in illuminating said target;

d) using said transmitter to illuminate said target based on said parameters;

e) receiving radiation reflected from said target;

f) determining a current state of said target based on radiation received in step e)

g) using said current state as said immediately preceding state, repeating steps b)-g).

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said parameters include which waveforms are to be used in illuminating said target.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein said waveforms are selected from a predetermined table of waveforms.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein step b) is accomplished using cubature Kalman filters.

5. A method according to claim 1 further including minimizing an error between said predicted state of said target and a measured state of, said target as determined from said radiation reflected from said target.

6. A system for iteratively tracking a target, the system comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting electromagnetic radiation to said target;

a receiver for receiving reflected radiation from said target;

processing means for receiving data related to said reflected radiation received by said receiver, said processing means determining parameters to be used by said transmitter when illuminating said target by transmitting said electromagnetic radiation;

wherein

said transmitter receives said parameters from said processing means, said parameters being determined by said processing means based on a predicted state of said target;

said processing means determines said predicted state based on an immediately preceding state of said target as derived from said reflected radiation received by said receiver.

7. A system according to claim 6 wherein said processing means determines which waveforms are to be used by said transmitter in transmitting said electromagnetic radiation to said target, said processing means determining said waveforms based on said predicted state of said target.

8. A system according to claim 7 further including at least one lookup table having stored thereon said waveforms.

9. Computer readable medium having stored thereon computer readable instruction which, when executed, executes a method for approximating a discrete-time Bayesian filter estimation that has a time update and a measurement update, said time update being estimated by a method comprising:

a) Factorize

P<sub>k−

1|k−

1</sub>=S<sub>k−

1|k−

1</sub>S<sub>k−

1|k−

1</sub>^T

using an assumption that at time k that a posterior density function p(x<sub>k−

1</sub>|D<sub>k−

1</sub>)=({circumflex over (x)}<sub>k−

1|k−

1</sub>,P<sub>k−

1|k−

1</sub>) is known

b) Evaluate cubature points (i=1, 2, . . . , m)

X<sub>i,k−

1|k−

1</sub>=S<sub>k−

1|k−

1</sub>ξ

_i+{circumflex over (x)}<sub>k−

1|k−

1</sub>

where m=2n_x.

c) Evaluate propagated cubature points (i=1, 2, . . . , m)

X<sub>i,k|k−

1</sub>*=f(X<sub>i,k−

1|k−

1</sub>,u<sub>k−

1</sub>)

d) Estimate a predicted state