A unified approach to the design of decentralized detection systems

A unified approach to the design of decentralized detection networks with arbitrary topologies is proposed and analyzed. In this approach, a decentralized detection system of arbitrary topology is represented by a communication matrix that specifies the interconnection structure of the detection network. This matrix is used to derive the general decision rule using the person-by-person-optimal (PBPO) solution methodology. It is shown that the PBPO decision rule is a likelihood ratio test for statistically independent observations. The threshold of the test is shown to be a function of the decision input vector of the detector under consideration. This unified approach is used to obtain the PBPO decision rules of decentralized detection systems with various topologies. Various results in the literature are verified. In addition, the PBPO decision rules for a decentralized detection system with peer communication are presented. Numerical examples are presented for illustration.<
>