<title>Particle filter-based track before detect algorithms</title>

Abstract

In this paper we will give a general system setup, that allows the formulation of a wide range of Track Before Detect (TBD) problems. A general basic particle filter algorithm for this system is also provided. TBD is a technique, where tracks are produced directly on the basis of raw (radar) measurements, e.g. power or IQ data, without intermediate processing and decision making. The advantage over classical tracking is that the full information is integrated over time, this leads to a better detection and tracking performance, especially for weak targets. In this paper we look at the filtering and the detection aspect of TBD. We will formulate a detection result, that allows the user to implement any optimal detector in terms of the weights of a running particle filter. We will give a theoretical as well as a numerical (experimental) justification for this. Furthermore, we show that the TBD setup, that is chosen in this paper, allows a straightforward extension to the multi-target case. This easy extension is also due to the fact that the implementation of the solution is by means of a particle filter.