Distributed Probabilistic Data Association Feedback Particle Filter for Photoelectric Tracking System

A photoelectric tracking system is a typical bearing-only target tracking system that faces significant challenges arising from measurement origin uncertainty due to clutter and the discrepancy between continuous-time target dynamics and discrete-time optical sampling, as well as the inherent nonlinearity of bearing-only tracking. This paper addresses these issues by proposing a novel distributed probabilistic data association feedback particle filter (DPDA-FPF) framework. To resolve the tracking ambiguity at the local level, we extend the feedback particle filter to a continuous-discrete setting integrated with probabilistic data association. Subsequently, the local state estimates and covariances from spatially separated tracking systems are transmitted to a fusion center and integrated using an optimal linear covariance-weighted fusion rule to improve global observability and mitigate biases of individual systems. Numerical simulations in a 3D scenario with moderate clutter density demonstrate that while individual sensor tracks suffer from fluctuations, the proposed fused estimate achieves substantially lower root mean square errors in both position and velocity. The results validate the efficiency of the proposed architecture as a robust solution for photoelectric tracking applications.