Abstract:
Airborne tracking systems use sensors to track objects of interest. In order to track the objects of interests, the sensors need to be steered such that the object is kept, ideally, in the center of the sensors field of view. Automatic steering of optical sensors requires the generation of a track on an object of interest. When tracking boats on the water, current approaches to image processing may generate multiple detections on the object of interest. Embodiments of the present disclosure solve the track multiplicity problem by grouping tracks associated with the object of interest into a cluster and by estimating a most likely location of the object within the cluster of tracks. Based on the estimated location, embodiments of the present disclosure outputs a single track for the object. The single track is used by an automatic steering system to maintain a sensor aimed at the object of interest.