Autonomous track before detection of a radio target by an unmanned aerial vehicle using radio signal strength measurement

This paper presents a Track-Before-Detect (TBD) approach to search and localize a radio-emitted target in a wide marine environment using just the received signal strength (RSS) measurements. In this problem, the lost target transmits radio signals, and the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), guided on a search path, receives the target transmitted signal strength by its mounted antenna. The guidance law directs the UAV to the best detection points where the probability of target detection is maximum. At the same time, the estimation module evolves the posterior distribution of the radio target states, including the target position, heading, and transmitter power. The best detection points are calculated based on this evolved target’s states’ posterior. The superiority of the proposed method is due to the consideration of the antenna radiation pattern, which is accurately modeled in this paper and ensures the strength of the filter against the uncertainties of the measurement model and the target model. The simulation results validate the performance of the proposed method in the autonomous localization of a lost moving target.