Missile Tracking via Range and Doppler Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for tracking tactical ballistic missiles suffer from inaccuracy in azimuth and elevation angular data, leading to slow convergence of missile position, velocity, and acceleration estimates, which can result in ineffective defense measures being implemented before the missile reaches its target.
Innovation Solution
A method that collects range and Doppler velocity measurements from multiple radar sensors, time-aligns them, and uses spherical equations to derive exact analytical solutions for position and velocity estimation, focusing on the more accurate range and Doppler data to enhance tracking accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional filtering techniques such as extended Kalman filtering are used with full measurement vectors containing range, angular and Doppler information, then the method can process all available sensor data, but the accuracy of target state estimates converges very slowly due to the inaccuracy of azimuth and elevation angular data
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and uses only the accurate components (range and Doppler measurements) from the full measurement vector, discarding the inaccurate angular measurements. This selective extraction resolves the contradiction by eliminating the source of slow convergence while retaining the useful accurate data for rapid target state estimation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different quality weights to different measurement types, treating range and Doppler measurements as high-quality data while excluding angular measurements. This local quality differentiation allows the system to optimize estimation accuracy by relying on the superior quality measurements without being degraded by the poor quality angular data.
2Area of stationary object
If the distance between the sensor and the missile increases, then the coverage area of the radar network increases, but the accuracy of the angular data deteriorates rapidly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and utilizes only the range and Doppler measurements from the sensor data, which maintain their accuracy regardless of distance. By excluding the angular measurements that deteriorate with distance, the system achieves rapid convergence of target state estimates even when sensors are positioned far from the missile to maximize coverage area.
3Reliability
If conventional methods are used to track the missile, then the system can provide tracking information, but the accuracy of position, velocity and acceleration estimates is insufficient for effective defense intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and uses only the accurate range and Doppler measurements to compute target state estimates, eliminating the degrading effect of inaccurate angular measurements. This extraction approach delivers the high position, velocity and acceleration accuracy required for reliable defense intervention effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the measurement parameters used for estimation from the conventional full measurement vector (including inaccurate angular data) to a selective subset (only range and Doppler). This parameter change transforms the estimation accuracy and enables reliable defense intervention.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach rapidly converges to accurate position and velocity estimates, enabling timely defense measures and determining the missile's launching site, with robustness against radar system errors, thus improving the effectiveness of missile defense systems.
Implementation Method 1
Conventional methods of tracking TBMs employ a network of distributed radar sensors to detect and track TBMs. The radar sensors provide positional information in terms of range (distance from the object to the sensor), and angular data (azimuth and elevation), and Doppler velocity information on detected TBMs.
Implementation Method 2
The radar sensors provide positional information in terms of range (distance from the object to the sensor), and angular data (azimuth and elevation), and Doppler velocity information on detected TBMs.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of tracking an object including the steps of: collecting N measurements of range Ri and Doppler velocity Di associated with the object from a plurality M of radar sensors Si each measurement being assigned a time stamp ti; time aligning each Range Ri measurement to a common time stamp tN to provide a corresponding time aligned range Pi for each of the N measurements; using each time aligned Range measurement Pi to define a corresponding spherical equation such that N spherical equations are defined; and deriving analytical solutions from three of the N spherical equations to determine the position vector of the object.