Video tracking for visual degraded aerial vehicle with H-PMHT

Abstract

The work presented in this paper describes a novel approach for automatic video tracking of visual degraded air vehicles in daylight with sky background. The offered and applied video object tracking method is based on Histogram Probabilistic Multi Hypothesis Tracker algorithm. The HPMHT is an expectation maximization based algorithm developed for tracking objects in intense clutter environment by using intensity modulated data streams. Basically H-PMHT algorithm is suitable for linear-Gaussian point spread function case. However, recent studies have indicated that the algorithm is also applicable for non-linear and non-Gaussian target shapes. Thus H-PMHT becomes a suitable alternative for tracking applications with sonar, high resolution radars, IR, UV sensors and cameras. In this work H-PMHT algorithm is used for video tracking of visual degraded air vehicles. For this purpose RGB video data is processed by using a reciprocal pixel intensity measurement for meeting the requirements of the tracking process. A simulation study is conducted in order to demonstrate the video tracking performance of H-PMHT against visual degraded air vehicles. Also the results obtained with H-PMHT algorithm are compared with the results of amplitude information added Interacting Multi Model Probabilistic Data Association algorithm.