Patent · US Expired

Method of determining the position of multiple targets using bearing-only sensors

US4806936A · kind A · utility

30Cited by
6References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 20, 1986
Grant dateFeb 21, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 20, 2006

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S5/04
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The positions of a plurality of targets (26) are located using three or more sensors (20, 22, 24) such as radars which sense only the bearing angle of the targets. The intersecting bearing lines (30) form triangles (28) representing both true targets (26) and false targets (28). The false target triangles (28) are separated from the true target triangles by analyzing the size and position of each triangle. Bearing data defining the triangles is first ordered and then sequentially examined in a manner such that a first group of false targets (28) is eliminated from consideration. The bearing data defining the remaining triangles is processed through coarse and fine gates to eliminate second and third groups of false targets (28). A fourth group of false targets (28) is eliminated by using a global maximum likelihood procedure, in which a likelihood function is maximized through the use of discrete optimization techniques.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.