Predetection fusion: resolution cell grid effects

If members of a suite of sensors from which fusion is to be carried out are not colocated, it is unreasonable to assume that they share a common resolution cell grid; this is generally ignored in the data fusion community. We explore the effects of such “noncoincidence”, and we find that what at first seems to be a problem can in fact be exploited. The idea is that a target is known to be confined to an intersection of overlapping resolution cells, and this overlap is generally small. We examine noncoincidence from two viewpoints: tracking and detection. With respect to tracking our analysis is first static, by which is meant that we establish the decrease in measurement error; and then dynamic, meaning that the overall effect in the tracking problem is quantified. The detection viewpoint considers noncoincidence as it has impact on a predetection fusion system. Specifically, the role of the fusion rule is examined, and the use of noncoincidence to improve detection performance (rather than that of tracking) is explored