Simultaneous Multibeam Resource Allocation Scheme for Multiple Target Tracking

A colocated multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar system has the ability to address multiple beam information. However, the simultaneous multibeam working mode has two finite working resources: the number of beams and the total transmit power of the multiple beams. In this scenario, a resource allocation strategy for the multibeam working mode with the task of tracking multiple targets is developed in this paper. The basis of our technique is to adjust the number of beams and their directions and the transmit power of each beam through feedback, with the purpose of improving the worst tracking performance among the multiple targets. The Bayesian Cramér-Rao lower bound (BCRLB) provides us with a lower bound on the estimated mean square error (MSE) of the target state. Hence, it is derived and utilized as an optimization criterion for the resource allocation scheme. We prove that the resulting resource optimization problem is nonconvex but can be reformulated as a set of convex problems. Therefore, optimal solutions can be obtained easily, which greatly aids real-time resource management. Numerical results show that the worst case tracking accuracy can be efficiently improved by the proposed simultaneous multibeam resource allocation (SMRA) algorithm.