Information-weighted Consensus Filter Research Articles

Information-weighted Consensus Filtering under Limited Communication

A distributed sensor network refers to a set of stationary or mobile agents equipped with sensors, each of which observes and estimates the state of some system, while utilizing the communication channels of the sensor network to improve the overall state estimation performance of the network. In particular, consensus-based distributed state estimation algorithms can compute accurate state estimates of the system at each agent under relaxed observability conditions, using a low communication bandwidth. A drawback of many existing consensus-based approaches is that they are developed under the presumption that a large number of consensus subiterations are used, which may not be possible in large-scale sensor networks, in the presence of communication delays and/or energy constraints. In this paper, we develop an extension of the Information-weighted Consensus Filter (ICF) for the case where only a limited number of consensus subiterations are possible. Through mathematical analysis and numerical simulations, it is shown that the proposed algorithm improves upon the existing algorithms under identical computation and communication requirements.

A multi-satellite co-tracking method for a single space target based on adaptive distributed spherical simplex information-weighted consensus filter

A multi-satellite co-tracking method for a single non-cooperative target is proposed to extend the arc of observation as well as to improve the accuracy of tracking. Firstly, the motion of the target is considered to be affected by J2 perturbation, and the model of multi-satellite co-tracking a single space target is designed with only measured angles. Then, a multi-satellite co-tracking method for a single space target based on an adaptive distributed spherical simplex information-weighted consensus filter (ADSSICF) is proposed. The spherical simplex is used to reduce the computational cost of the information filter, and to improve the efficiency of tracking. The angle-only measurement equation is linearized by the statistical linear regression method, and linearization errors are compensated for by updating measurement noise. By designing an adaptive consensus algorithm, only a small number of iterations are needed to achieve network consensus, to improve the convergence speed of the consensus algorithm, and prove the stability of ADSSICF. Finally, a simulation of four low-orbit satellites tracking a single space target is established. The focus of this paper is on the real-time performance and tracking accuracy of the multi-satellite co-tracking a single space target with angle-only based on ADSSICF. The performance of ADSSICF is verified from three indicators: the consensus and convergence of algorithm, the accuracy of state estimation.

Efficient Multi-View Multi-Target Tracking Using a Distributed Camera Network

In this paper, we propose a multi-target tracking method using a distributed camera network, which can effectively handle the occlusion and reidenfication problems by combining advanced deep learning and distributed information fusion. The targets are first detected using a fast object detection method based on deep learning. We then combine the deep visual feature information and spatial trajectory information in the Hungarian algorithm for robust targets association. The deep visual feature information is extracted from a convolutional neural network, which is pre-trained using a large-scale person reidentification dataset. The spatial trajectories of multiple targets in our framework are derived from a multiple view information fusion method, which employs an information weighted consensus filter for fusion and tracking. In addition, we also propose an efficient track processing method for ID assignment using multiple view information. The experiments on public datasets show that the proposed method is robust to solve the occlusion problem and reidentification problem, and can achieve superior performance compared to the state of the art methods.

Cardinality compensation method based on information-weighted consensus filter using data clustering for multi-target tracking

In this paper, a cardinality compensation method based on Information-weighted Consensus Filter (ICF) using data clustering is proposed in order to accurately estimate the cardinality of the Cardinalized Probability Hypothesis Density (CPHD) filter. Although the joint propagation of the intensity and the cardinality distribution in the CPHD filter process allows for more reliable estimation of the cardinality (target number) than the PHD filter, tracking loss may occur when noise and clutter are high in the measurements in a practical situation. For that reason, the cardinality compensation process is included in the CPHD filter, which is based on information fusion step using estimated cardinality obtained from the CPHD filter and measured cardinality obtained through data clustering. Here, the ICF is used for information fusion. To verify the performance of the proposed method, simulations were carried out and it was confirmed that the tracking performance of the multi-target was improved because the cardinality was estimated more accurately as compared to the existing techniques.

Unscented summation information‐weighted consensus filter for distributed sensor networks with incomplete information

SummaryIn order to improve network scalability and fault tolerance, the distributed sensor networks are desirable. However, the distributed state estimation becomes challenging when some sensors have insufficient information due to restricted observability, and/or have imparity information due to unequal measurement‐noise covariances. Centralized summation information‐fusion (CSI) model is presented which performs weighted least‐squares estimation for all measurement information to achieve the optimal centralized state estimation. The CSI model revises the initialization and covariance propagation in the original information‐weighted consensus filter (ICF). Since centralized information fusion is a summation mode and is approached by the average consensus protocol, all the covariances involved in the CSI model contain the information regarding the total number of nodes. The artificially preset initial values are considered as measurement information and fused in accordance with the CSI model. By combining the CSI model with unscented transform, distributed unscented summation information‐weighted consensus filter (USICF) is proposed. USICF realizes the nonlinear estimation in the context of highly incomplete information. Theoretical analysis and experimental verification showed that USICF achieves better performance than UICF that is based on ICF.

A Novel Distributed State Estimation Algorithm with Consensus Strategy.

Owing to its high-fault tolerance and scalability, the consensus-based paradigm has attracted immense popularity for distributed state estimation. If a target is neither observed by a certain node nor by its neighbors, this node is naive about the target. Some existing algorithms have considered the presence of naive nodes, but it takes sufficient consensus iterations for these algorithms to achieve a satisfactory performance. In practical applications, because of constrained energy and communication resources, only a limited number of iterations are allowed and thus the performance of these algorithms will be deteriorated. By fusing the measurements as well as the prior estimates of each node and its neighbors, a local optimal estimate is obtained based on the proposed distributed local maximum a posterior (MAP) estimator. With some approximations of the cross-covariance matrices and a consensus protocol incorporated into the estimation framework, a novel distributed hybrid information weighted consensus filter (DHIWCF) is proposed. Then, theoretical analysis on the guaranteed stability of the proposed DHIWCF is performed. Finally, the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed DHIWCF is evaluated. Simulation results indicate that the proposed DHIWCF can achieve an acceptable estimation performance even with a single consensus iteration.

Human Action Recognition Using a Distributed RGB-Depth Camera Network

In this paper, we introduce the information-weighted consensus filter (IWCF)-based human pose estimation method for action recognition using a distributed RGBD camera network, which can handle the occlusion problem effectively existed in the single-view image. As far as we know, this is the first time that the novel consensus filter is proposed for distributed 3-D human pose estimation and action recognition. To demonstrate the performance of the proposed idea, we construct a small RGBD camera network and collect a number of actions from different persons. The final recognition results show that the IWCF-based human pose estimation method can converge to the centralized solution and achieve 93.75% accuracy rate after nine consensus iterations, which is much higher than the recognition results derived from single views.

Adaptive Interacting Multiple Model Algorithm Based on Information-Weighted Consensus for Maneuvering Target Tracking.

Networked multiple sensors are used to solve the problem of maneuvering target tracking. To avoid the linearization of nonlinear dynamic functions, and to obtain more accurate estimates for maneuvering targets, a novel adaptive information-weighted consensus filter for maneuvering target tracking is proposed. The pseudo measurement matrix is computed with unscented transform to utilize the information form of measurements, which is necessary for consensus iterations. To improve the maneuvering target tracking accuracy and get a unified estimation in each sensor node across the entire network, the adaptive current statistical model is exploited to update the estimate, and the information-weighted consensus protocol is applied among neighboring nodes for each dynamic model. Based on posterior probabilities of multiple models, the final estimate of each sensor is acquired with weighted combination of model-conditioned estimates. Experimental results illustrate the superior performance of the proposed algorithm with respect tracking accuracy and agreement of estimates in the whole network.

Cooperative space object tracking using space-based optical sensors via consensus-based filters

Cooperative tracking plays a key role in space situation awareness for scenarios with a limited number of observations or poor performance of a single sensor or both. To use the information from multiple networked sensors, both centralized and decentralized fusion algorithms can be used. Compared with centralized fusion algorithms, decentralized fusion algorithms are more robust in terms of communication failure and computational burden. One popular distributed estimation approach is based on the average consensus that asymptotically converges to the estimate by multiple exchanges of neighborhood information. Consensus-based algorithms have become popular in recent years due to the fact that they do not require global knowledge of the network or routing protocols. The main contributions of this paper are 1) an effective space-based object (SBO) measurement model that considers the geometric relation of the Sun, the space object, the SBO sensor, and the Earth; 2) two consensus-based filters, the information-weighted consensus filter (ICF) and the Kalman consensus filter (KCF), are used to track space objects by using multiple SBO sensors; and 3) the cubature rule-embedded ICF (Cub-ICF) and KCF (Cub-KCF) are proposed to improve the accuracy of the ICF and KCF. Three scenarios that contain one or two space objects and four SBOs are used to test proposed algorithms. We also compare the consensus-based space object tracking algorithms with the centralized extended information filter (centralized EIF) and the centralized cubature information filter (centralized Cub-IF). The simulation results indicate that 1) cooperative space object tracking algorithms provide better results than algorithms using a single sensor, 2) the consensus-based tracking algorithms can achieve performance close to that of the centralized algorithms, and 3) the Cub-ICF and Cub-KCF outperform the conventional ICF and KCF for a challenging space object tracking case shown in the paper. The proposed Cub-ICF and Cub-KCF algorithms should facilitate the application of using consensus-based filters for cooperative space object tracking.

Distributed Multi-Target Tracking Based on the K-MTSCF Algorithm in Camera Networks

It is a challenging task to develop an effective multi-target tracking algorithm for camera networks due to the factors, such as spurious measurement, limited field of view, complexity of data association algorithm, and so on. In a real-life environment, the system model for camera networks is usually nonlinear, and hence, a Kalman filter may be inappropriate for modeling this system. Besides, the main drawback of traditional joint probabilistic data association (JPDA) is prone to raise the combinatorial explosion problem when the association probabilities have to be calculated. To solve these problems, a multi-target square-root cubature information weighted consensus filter (MTSCF) combined with a K-best joint probabilistic data association algorithm is proposed in this paper. The proposed K-MTSCF algorithm can not only reduce the effect of data association uncertainty stemming from the ambiguity of measurements and computation complexity of data association algorithm by K-best JPDA, but also increase tracking accuracy and stability using MTSCF algorithm. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach performs favorably against the state-of-the-art methods in terms of accuracy and stability for tracking multiple targets in camera networks.

A novel square-root cubature information weighted consensus filter algorithm for multi-target tracking in distributed camera networks.

This paper deals with the problem of multi-target tracking in a distributed camera network using the square-root cubature information filter (SCIF). SCIF is an efficient and robust nonlinear filter for multi-sensor data fusion. In camera networks, multiple cameras are arranged in a dispersed manner to cover a large area, and the target may appear in the blind area due to the limited field of view (FOV). Besides, each camera might receive noisy measurements. To overcome these problems, this paper proposes a novel multi-target square-root cubature information weighted consensus filter (MTSCF), which reduces the effect of clutter or spurious measurements using joint probabilistic data association (JPDA) and proper weights on the information matrix and information vector. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can efficiently track multiple targets in camera networks and is obviously better in terms of accuracy and stability than conventional multi-target tracking algorithms.

Information Weighted Consensus Filters and Their Application in Distributed Camera Networks

Due to their high fault-tolerance and scalability to large networks, consensus-based distributed algorithms have recently gained immense popularity in the sensor networks community. Large-scale camera networks are a special case. In a consensus-based state estimation framework, multiple neighboring nodes iteratively communicate with each other, exchanging their own local information about each target's state with the goal of converging to a single state estimate over the entire network. However, the state estimation problem becomes challenging when some nodes have limited observability of the state. In addition, the consensus estimate is suboptimal when the cross-covariances between the individual state estimates across different nodes are not incorporated in the distributed estimation framework. The cross-covariance is usually neglected because the computational and bandwidth requirements for its computation become unscalable for a large network. These limitations can be overcome by noting that, as the state estimates at different nodes converge, the information at each node becomes correlated. This fact can be utilized to compute the optimal estimate by proper weighting of the prior state and measurement information. Motivated by this idea, we propose information-weighted consensus algorithms for distributed maximum a posteriori parameter estimation, and their extension to the information-weighted consensus filter (ICF) for state estimation. We compare the performance of the ICF with existing consensus algorithms analytically, as well as experimentally by considering the scenario of a distributed camera network under various operating conditions.