Target tracking and data fusion using multiple adaptive foveal sensors

In this paper, multiple foveal sensors are used to track a target moving in three dimensions; the target tracker is implemented using particle filters. A foveal sensor's field of view includes a high-sensitivity "foveal" region surrounded by a lower sensitivity region. The location and acuity of the foveal region are actively configured by the tracker using the estimated target position and spread of particles. Two tracker architectures are presented. In the joint resampling architecture, the observations from all sensors are used by a central control module to estimate the state; the central control module configures each sensor. In the individual resampling architecture, each sensor uses its own observations to configure itself and provide angular estimates to a central control module; the central control module estimates the target state using these estimates. The performance of both architectures is compared through Monte Carlo simulation.