Activity control principles for automatic tracking algorithms

An automatic track detection algorithm will declare a collection of random radar contacts that line up in space and time in a track-like pattern as a track. The probability of this occurrence can, in general, be reduced by requiring additional associating contacts before declaring a track detection. Constraints on response time for new track detection typically establish the maximum length of the detection process. Any fixed length detection process has an input contact density above which it will produce an unacceptable rate of false track declarations. Whenever this density is reached, the alternative is to accept a higher false track rate or desensitization. Thus the control of the false track rate involves the tradeoff of detection sensitivity with response time. The paper discusses principles of activity control for automatic tracking algorithms, using mathematical development and computer simulation