Target tracking using robust sensor motion control

We consider the problem of tracking moving targets using mobile wireless sensors (of possibly different types). This is a joint estimation and control problem in which a tracking system must take into account both target and sensor dynamics. We make minimal assumptions about the target dynamics, namely only that their accelerations are bounded. We develop a control law that determines the sensor motion control signals so as to maximize target resolvability as the target dynamics evolve. The method is given a tractable formulation that is amenable to an efficient search method and is evaluated in a series of experiments involving both round-trip time based ranging and Doppler frequency shift measurements. • A unified tracking-control framework for heterogeneous mobile sensors. • The control law improves target resolvability under bounded acceleration. • Sensor control accounts for target uncertainty over a receding horizon. • A tractable formulation enables efficient solution with first-order methods.