Patent ID: 7218270

Claim:
A method of determining trajectories of a plurality of periodically sensed targets, comprising: periodically accepting a plurality of target sensor reports (α, β, χ, . . . ); grouping temporally related subsets of the plurality of target sensor reports into a plurality a sequential frames (Ω, Γ, . . . ); establishing a system of track objects (i, j, k, . . . ) associated with the plurality of target sensor reports in a previous frame; linking each target sensor report (α) in the current frame to each of one or more track objects {i, j, . . . } in a previous frame (Ω) by a weighted labeling assignment (P(i, Ω, α)); defining a plurality (M) of compatibility matrices (R Z (i, Ω, α|j, Γ, β| . . . )) wherein Z=1,2, . . . ,M) each operatively configured to measure selected relative compatibilities and consistencies of a set of sensor reports labels identified by {(Ω, α), (Γ, β), . . . } being assigned to the set of track objects identified by {i, j, . . . }; generating a system of support functions S z (i, Ω, α) from said system of varied-ordered compatibility matrices (R z ) by computing weighted averages of each compatibility matrix (R z ) with said weighted labeling assignments, ( S z ⁡ ( i , Ω , α ) = ∑ j , Γ , β ⁢ … ⁢ ⁢ R z ⁡ ( i , Ω , α ⁢  j , Γ , β  ⁢ … ) · P ⁡ ( j , Γ , β ) ⁢ … ) generating a resultant support function [S(i,Ω,α)] by combining said system of support functions S z (i,Ω,α); iteratively modifying said weighted labeling assignments (P(i,Ω,α)) with a relaxation labeling technique that maximizes an average local consistency ( A = ∑ i , Ω , α ⁢ P ⁡ ( i , Ω , α ) · S ⁡ ( i , Ω , α ) ) which measures compliance of said weighted labeling assignments with said consistency conditions represented by said system of compatibility matrices; generating trajectory descriptors of periodically sensed targets using said weighted labeling assignments.