Distributed kernel mean embedding Gaussian belief propagation for underwater multi-sensor multi-target passive tracking

To address the problem of underwater multi-sensor multi-target passive tracking in clutter, a distributed kernel mean embedding-based Gaussian belief propagation (DKME-GaBP) algorithm is proposed. First, a joint posterior probability density function (PDF) is established and factorized, and it is represented by the corresponding factor graph. Then, the GaBP algorithm is executed on this factor graph to reduce the computational complexity of data association. The factor graph of the GaBP consists of inner and outer loops. The inner loop is responsible for local track estimation and data association. The outer loop fuses information from different sensors. For the inner loop, the kernel mean embedding (KME) with a Gaussian kernel is designed to transform the strong nonlinear problem of local estimation into a linear problem in a high-dimensional reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS). For the outer loop, a multi-sensor distributed fusion method based on KME is proposed to improve fusion accuracy by accounting for the distance among different PDFs in RKHS. The effectiveness and robustness of the DKME-GaBP are validated in the simulations.