The Design and Implement of Acoustic Array Sensor Network Platform For Online Multi-Target Tracking
The Design and Implement of Acoustic Array Sensor Network Platform For Online Multi-Target Tracking
Abstract—We present the design, implement and evaluation of a information from fusion center to sensor nodes as necessary
sensing platform for on-line multi-target tracking based on instructions.
acoustic array networks, named Integrated Acoustic Array
Sensor Network Tracker (IAASNT). To provide on-line multi-
target tracking service, a well-designed system structure is
proposed, composed by supporting components and associations
between each part. Among these, IAASNT’s multi-level low-
power management and integrated tracking frame set it different
from other related platforms. The integrated tracking frame is
the core of the system and has been carefully designed, to achieve
a self-acting tracking service. Finally, a series of experiments on
system have been done to evaluate the performance of IAASNT.
The tracking experiments on system show a perfect tracking
performance in both noise-free and noisy environment, and the Figure 1. Typical acoustic array sensor network
tracking precision can be within 5.8m in 300*300m area.
In this paper, we present the design, implement and
Keywords-acoustic array networks; system design; integrated evaluation of Integrated Acoustic Array Sensor Network
target tracking; low-power management; tracking experiments Tracker (IAASNT), a platform for on-line multi-target tracking.
Each sensor node in IAASNT is developed by embedded
I. INTRODUCTION system and can get the bearing estimation by sampling and
Target tracking attracts much attention for its great processing acoustic signal from targets. Comparing with the
application in military, scientific and civil. Since the past classical tracking system such as radar, acoustic array sensor
decades, the related theory has achieved great development and network systems have advantages including passive measuring
many target tracking systems have also been developed. In is low-power consuming and well stealthy, and network frame
applications, especially in military application, however, active can achieve more general and robust service. IAASNT’s
sensors like radar are easily detected, located and destroyed by advantages also lies on its well-designed system structure and
enemies. So this kind of system does not fit for this special the implement of supporting components in the structure.
application. As passive sensor technique and wireless sensor Among these, components for integrated target tracking and
networks (WSN) develop, passive sensor networks provide a multi-level low-power management are the highlights of the
new era for target tracking and acoustic array sensor networks system distinguish it from other related systems. The challenge
is a nice try among these. However, for lacking of study in a in designing the tracking component is how to combine
system view on this fields and the limitation of processing classical tracking model and the supplement for the special
capacity on sensors, little work has provided an integrated on- characteristics in this system and the integrated tracking frame
line tracking service under acoustic sensing platform. We make we proposed gives a feasible solution. Based on this frame, we
efforts to achieve a sensing platform for on-line multi-target do efforts on modules such as initial state estimation
tracking based on acoustic array sensor networks. combining with track initiation, node selection. To evaluate the
performance of system, we perform experiments on tracking.
Figure 1 shows a typical acoustic array sensor networks for
target tracking application. Several sensor array nodes locate in Our IAASNT system is a nice try for the target tracking
the area. When a target occurs, the sensor nodes can get application in WSN including innovations both in theory and
measurements about target motion such as bearing measuring practice. The contributions mainly lie on the following points:
by utilizing the phase difference between array elements. Then • Firstly, the system structure of IAASNT is well-designed
measurements will be uploaded to the data fusion center and and a series of approaches are proposed for components in
target tracking estimation can be obtained here. Sometimes, a this structure. All these work can be easily referenced by
feedback structure is needed to transfer some important scientists and engineers to construct similar systems.
This work has been partially supported by joint ANR-NSFC Quasimodo project
(ANR 2010 INTB 020601 and NSFC 61061130563), SKLICT project (ICT1103)
and KLWSNC CAS project (WSNC2011001). *Corresponding author
324
on the bus to be used in the intermediate results storing. Time synchronization is necessary for application platforms.
MSP430 is the MCU in the IAASNT system which achieves In order to synchronize nodes, we design a lightweight scheme
low-power work mode. as following. All nodes are synchronized by sink node. The
sink node broadcasts a synchronization message with MAC-
Wireless
module
AD layer timestamp and seqNum every 10 seconds. The nodes in
the broadcast radius of sink node collects reference point and
then broadcast a synchronization message. By this way, all the
FRQWURO nodes can collect reference point directly from the sink node or
MSP430 Add(0:15) FPGA Add(0:15) DSP
indirectly. By this scheme, the network can be synchronized
FIFO Data(0:31)
from sink node to the normal nodes within 1ms difference.
Data(0:31)
Node selection
Schedule Instruct
325
[13] for data association. For the limitation of the paper size, iteration, as shown in algorithm 2. In initial state estimation
the details are omitted and we emphasize on introducing node part, a probability is calculated while localization to give a
selection and initial state estimation parts. relative division of targets and ghosts which is decided by the
residual between the predicted azimuths and the bearing
Node selection for target tracking consists of two main measures. Then, by setting a distance taboo, only a few
parts: establishing a cost function for weighing localization relatively independent localization outputs are selected and
accuracy and optimizing the cost function to obtain node new tracks to be initiated are created based on the localizations
selection strategy. Node selection under bearing only and their probabilities. The reason why we choose only one
measurements is quite different from common node selection scan to estimate initial state is that measurements from targets
in WSN for the cost function is quite difficult in this case. The may be not stable and localization results are not accurate
geometrical dilution of precision (GDOP) [14] is a fine cost enough so it is hard to estimate a valid target velocity by using
function in theory and many related works have been done multiple localization from multiple scans. In order to avoid the
based on it. The difficulty mainly lies on the searching process influence on lacking of initial velocity estimation, covariance
to optimize the cost function which is a NP-hard problem. of target motion noise should be set larger at first. In track
Instead of complex process for an optimal or suboptimal node initiation part, probability-based algorithm similar to [16][17]
selection result, IAASNT uses a simple heuristic approach is adopted. Probability of target existence updates while
similar to the “add one node at a time” method [15] to achieve iteration and tracking initiation strategy can be made based on
an acceptable result, see Algorithm 1. Firstly, neighboring it.
nodes are selected as candidates. Then, by finding the
minimizing cost function f cost proposed in [15], the first Algorithm 2 Initial state estimation and track initiation
selected node into Ns is obtained. By finding one node Input: measurements Z = {zi ( j )} received from each node, record for
minimizing cost function each time, node selection process can
track to be confirmed TraIni = {TI i }
be accomplished. Although it is not an optimal approach, the
method can achieve a relative fine result in a short time which Output: record for track confirmed TraCon = {TCi }
meets the requirement for on-line process.
1: Loc = ∅ , PLoc = ∅ ;
Algorithm 1 Node Selection: heuristic approach 2: for each group consists of 3 neighboring sensors do
Na , the predicted target position Xt
Input: the position of all the nodes 3: [ Loc , PLoc ]=MultiLocalization( Z );
and covariance Pt , the expected number of node selection num( Ns ) 4: end for
1: find min( 2 num( Ns ) , num( Na ) ) neighboring nodes 6: create new track TI i to TraIni by [ Loc , PLoc ];
{Nri :1 ≤ i ≤ num( Nr )} to predicted target position from Na ; 7: for each TI i from TraIni do
9: end for
D. Low-power Management
Low-power management technique is a necessary part for
Initial state estimation is needed on tracking initiation for an applied system especially for wireless sensor network
under bearing only measurements the initial state is not ready system. The main idea of low-power management is
for us. The problem of initial state estimation is in fact multi- scheduling nodes to work in active mode only when necessary.
target localization under bearing only measurements. Single In order to achieve reliable service with low-power consuming,
target localization under bearing measurements is not difficult a multi-level low-power management is proposed for IAASNT
while multi-target localization algorithm is rare. In fact, it is as shown in Figure 6. The management can be divided into
almost impossible to absolutely distinguish target and ghost in three levels corresponding to the multi-layer structure of
only one scan under measurement suffering undetected and system and we will describe them in bottom-up flow.
false-alarm. We design an integrated mechanism in which
initial state estimation part is responsible for providing a In hardware level, the design and implement of sensor node
probability based initial state estimation but leaves more satisfies the basic regulations for low-power consuming. Also,
precise work to the target initiation part during several scans’ the hardware structure makes it possible for the node to change
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its mode according to decisions made by upper levels to level are made to reduce the redundancy both in time and space
achieve energy saving. in order to achieve more energy saving. The scheduling is
based on the result of node selection module in target tracking
System Decision Application
component.
Target-finding Stage Target-tracking Stage
Node Decision
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Middleware
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Process Protocol
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1RGH'HWHFWLRQ 1RGH6HOHFWLRQ
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Figure 7. Low-power management in system level
Hardware
Hardware Structure
into two stages, these are target-finding stage and target- 100
Node
GPS: target true loca
target estimate track
18
16
tracking stage. Strategies are designed for the two stages 14
50
respectively to make system decision for scheduling nodes, see 12
error:m
Y:m
327
system. The error analysis is shown as Figure 10(b). The Besides algorithms mentioned above, the design of low-cost
average error is about 5.8m. Considering that the target is about and low-power sensor is a great challenge. Also, theoretical
5m long, the tracking performance is perfect. and experimental study for problems under large-scale of
sensors is not yet sufficient which will be the future work.
B. Noisy Environment Experiment
In application, more complex case must be considered. To ACKNOWLEDGMENT
test the performance, we do experiment in a noisy environment The authors would like to thank Ji-an Luo, Kai Yu and
[19]. In this experiment, the field available is only about Ming Yin for their contributions.
300*300m and the sensors are deployed relatively closely.
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