Target detection in a known number of intervals based on cooperative search technique

Abstract

ABSTRACT Finding hidden/lost targets in a broad region costs strenuous effort and takes a long time. From a practical view, it is convenient to analyze the available data to exclude some parts of the search region. This paper discusses the coordinated search technique of a one-dimensional problem with a search region consisting of several mutual intervals. In other words, if the lost target has a probability of existing in a bounded interval, then the successive bounded interval has a far-fetched probability. Moreover, the search domain is swept by two searchers moving in opposite directions, leading to three categories of target distribution truncations: commensurate, uneven, and symmetric. The truncated probability distributions are defined and applied based on the proposed classification to calculate the expected value of the elapsed time to find the hidden object. Furthermore, the optimization of the associated expected time values of various cases is investigated based on Newton’s method. Several examples are presented to discuss the behavior of various distributions under each case of truncation. Also, the associated expected time values are calculated as their minimum values.