Communication adaptive multi-sensor system

• US 4,860,216 A
• Filed: 11/13/1986
• Issued: 08/22/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force
• Inventors: Linsenmayer, Glenn R.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/930,161
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• Field of Search: 364/516, 364/517, 371/36, 342/110, 342/111, 342/192, 342/194, 342/195
• US Class Current: 342/159
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/412 based on a comparison between measured values and known or stored values
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/256 of results relating to different input data, e.g. multimodal recognition

Abstract

A multi-sensor system adaptively utilizes communications or data bus facilities for multi-sensor signal fusion. For each source of sensor signals, a local signal processor compares each signal against a pre-determined set of hypotheses, and generates a ranking value corresponding to each hypothesis. An adaptive interface unit then selects the highest ranking values and transmits them, together with an identification of the hypothesis to which they correspond, through the multi-sensor system communication network or data bus, to the system signal processor. The system signal processor then multiplies the ranking from the various sensors, or adds their logarithms and selects the hypothesis whose product (or logarithmic sum) is greatest. This provides for transmission of the highest ranking hypothesis, or of a selection of hypotheses, to identify the target detected by multiple snsors.

Claims

1. In a multi-sensor system which has a plurality of sensors which receive target echo return signals from a tracked target, and a plurality of local signal processors, each being electrically connected to, and receiving said target echo return signals from one of said sensor systems and producing a plurality of hypothesis identifications with probability rankings of said hypothesis identifications for said target by comparing said target echo return signals with expected characteristics of target identifies, wherein the improvement comprises:

a signal fusion processor which is programmed to produce a highest ranking hypothesis identification by composing probability sums for each hypothesis identification by adding logarithms of probability rankings of like hypothesis identifications from each of the local signal processors to create a set of probability sums, with one probability sum for each hypothesis identification, and outputting the hypothesis identification with the highest probability sum as the highest ranking hypothesis identification; and

a means for identifying said tracked target, said identifying means identifying said tracked target as having the hypothesis identification with the highest probability sum produced by said signal fusion processor.