Abstract

We present a technique that uses data-association target tracking in a sequence of images by means of an adaptive joint-transform correlator. The correlator is made to adapt to the input scene that contains the targets by updating the reference image of the correlator with the previous frame of the input scene. The targets in the current frame will then have high correlation with the reference images, and the massive data in the field of view can be reduced into a few correlation peaks. The average velocity of a target during the tracking cycle is then determined from the location of the correlation peaks. We have used a data association algorithm for the analysis of these correlation signals, for which multiple targets can be tracked. A phase-mostly liquid crystal television is used in this hybrid joint-transform correlator system, and simultaneous tracking of three targets is demonstrated.

© 1990 Optical Society of America