An efficient algorithm for tracking the angles of arrival of moving targets

A novel technique for tracking the angles of arrival of moving targets is presented. The targets are modeled as signal sources that continuously emit narrowband signals which impinge on an array of sensors. Estimates of target angles are obtained by minimizing the norm of an error matrix function involving the covariance of the sensor outputs. The algorithm yields estimates that are automatically correctly associated with previous estimates. Consequently, the data association problem does not arise, and this results in a much more efficient scheme in comparison to existing methods involving search over N factorial possible measurement/target associations (where N is the number of targets). Performance of the algorithm is illustrated by a simulation example