An Innovative Integrated Framework for Cooperative Search and Track of Moving Emitters in Areas with Obstacles

Document Type : Article

Authors

Department of Aerospace Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

In this paper, the problem of detection and tracking of emitters by multiple flying vehicles, working in a cooperative manner, is considered. The radio sensor on each vehicle is capable of measuring the distance of the vehicle to the radio emitter. The goal is to detect the presence of such emitters, localize, and then track them. Meanwhile, the emitter can be moving or stationary, and may go beyond some environmental obstacles that prevent it from being sensed. The proposed procedure optimizes the routes and tasks of the employed flying vehicles by minimizing a suitably defined cost function. Moreover, the appropriateness level of the assigned routes and tasks is continuously assessed, so that if it drops below an acceptable threshold due to the dynamics of the scenario, optimization is performed again and the routes and tasks are renewed. The simulations, as well as the complexity discussion, verify effectiveness of the proposed method, considering the applied requirements and limitations.

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