Tracking of Extended Object Using Random Triangle Model

In this article, a random triangle model (RTM) is proposed for tracking an extended object (EO) (e.g., an aircraft or ship) that can be modeled by one or more triangles. In the RTM, a triangular extension is represented by a random vector. Facilitated by properties of the RTM and the uncorrelated conversion, an approach is developed to estimate the kinematics and the extension of a triangular EO jointly. This approach is further embedded into a multiple-model framework for maneuvering target tracking. To track a nontriangular EO, an approach is developed to approximate an EO by a combination of multiple triangular subobjects, each represented by an RTM. The simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of our modeling and estimation.