Hankel Matrix Rank as Indicator of Ghost in Bearing-only Tracking.

Area of Science:

• Radar Systems Engineering
• Signal Processing
• Target Tracking

Background:

• Bearing angle measurements are standard for target positioning via triangulation.
• Multi-radar, multi-target environments generate "ghost" targets that mimic real ones.
• Existing triangulation methods struggle to differentiate true targets from ghost targets.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robust classifier for distinguishing real targets from ghost targets.
• To address the challenge of ghost target proliferation in complex radar scenarios.
• To improve the accuracy of target tracking in multi-radar systems.

Main Methods:

• A novel target/ghost classifier is proposed.
• The classifier analyzes trajectory complexity.
• Ghost trajectories are identified as functions of multiple target trajectories.

Main Results:

• The proposed classifier effectively differentiates between real and ghost targets.
• Ghost trajectories exhibit significantly greater complexity than real target trajectories.
• This method enhances the reliability of target identification in cluttered radar environments.

Conclusions:

• The developed classifier offers a reliable solution for ghost target elimination.
• Trajectory complexity analysis is a key differentiator for ghost targets.
• This approach improves the performance and accuracy of multi-radar tracking systems.