An SVSF-Based Generalized Robust Strategy for Target Tracking in Clutter

Autonomous self-drive requires intelligence and cognition that relies on observations and tracking of the state of motion of surrounding vehicles. This information can be acquired by using sensors; however, these are often affected by clutter and noise that, in turn, introduce the issues of estimation and data origin uncertainty into the tracking system. The most popular methods for estimation and tracking are based on the well-studied Kalman filter (KF). KF is optimal when noise is white and remains so despite uncertainties in the filter model; the robustness and stability of the KF is affected if this condition is not met. The smooth variable structure filter (SVSF) is a relatively new method that is more robust to disturbances and uncertainties. The SVSF ensures stability by using a discontinuous corrective term that maintains estimates to within a subspace of the true state trajectory. The discontinuous corrective term results in chattering that is removed by using a smoothing boundary layer. In this paper, a generalized covariance formulation of the SVSF and a generalized optimal time-varying smoothing boundary layer are proposed. The generalized optimal SVSF is then combined with a joint probabilistic data association technique for target tracking. The robustness and accuracy of the new form of filtering and data association is validated and comparatively analyzed by its application to an experimental traffic monitoring system based on Light Detection and Ranging.