
Efficient Distributed Fusion Filtering Algorithms  
for Multiple Time Delayed Systems 
Il Young Song and Moongu Jeon 
 School of Information & Communications, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology 
Oryong-Dong, Buk-Gu, 500-712, Gwangju, South Korea 
Keywords:  Distribute Fusion, Multi Sensor, Kalman Filter, Time-delayed System, Receding Horizon. 
Abstract:  In this paper, we provide two computational effective multi sensor fusion filtering algorithms for discrete-
time linear uncertain systems with state and observation time delays. The first algorithm is shaped by 
algebraic forms for multi rate sensor systems, and then we propose a matrix form of filtering equations 
using block matrices. The second algorithm is based on exact cross-covariance equations. These equations 
are useful to compute matrix weights for fusion estimation in a multidimensional-multisensor environment. 
Also, our proposed filtering algorithm is based on the receding horizon strategy in order to achieve high 
estimation accuracy and stability under parametric uncertainties. We demonstrate the low computational 
complexities of the proposed fusion filtering algorithm and how the proposed algorithm robust against 
dynamic model uncertainties comparing with Kalman filter with time delays. 
1 INTRODUCTION 
In the past decades, state estimation problem for 
dynamic systems with time delays has received a 
great deal of research interest. The time delay 
phenomenon in state variables is unavoidable in 
many real systems (Anderson and Moore, 1979), 
such as low earth orbit (LEO) satellite 
communication systems (Glistic et al., 1996). 
Ignorance of the computation of these delays could 
cause unpredictable and unsatisfactory system 
performance with traditional Kalman filters. 
Using finite-memory estimation, we can obtain 
an estimate based on data from the recent past only 
(receding horizon). As a result, finite-memory filters 
such as receding horizon Kalman filters are more 
robust against model uncertainties and numerical 
errors than standard Kalman filters, which utilize all 
measurements (Kim et al., 2006 and Kim et al., 
2007). Thus, a receding horizon filter was chosen in 
this study. 
Based on aforementioned literature, and to the 
best of the authors’ knowledge, there are no existing 
results for the receding horizon filtering for linear 
systems with time delays. Motivated by the above 
problems, we focus on estimating the state of a 
discrete-time linear system with time delays in both 
the state and observation matrices, using a receding 
horizon strategy. The main contribution of the paper 
is to propose a fusion filtering algorithm using fusion 
formulas for the systems with time-delays. Moreover, 
a matrix form of filtering equations using block 
matrices is also discussed, because this form is useful 
to simply the filtering equations and derivation of 
crucial Lyapunov-like equations for receding horizon 
mean and covariance of systems with an arbitrary 
number of time delays. Finally, the obtained results 
are valid for general linear systems having time 
delays in both dynamic and observation models.  
The rest of this paper is organized as follows. In 
Section II, the problem statement and description of 
the Kalman filter with time delays (KFTD) are 
given. In Section III, we present the receding 
horizon filter for discrete-time linear systems with 
time delays. Here, the exact recursive equations for 
determining receding horizon initial conditions 
(mean and covariance) are derived and discussed. In 
Section IV, two computational effective multi sensor 
fusion receding horizon filtering algorithms are 
presented. To achieve the fusion filtering, local 
cross-covariances are required. Thus, the equations 
of the exact cross-covariance are derived using the 
proposed form. In Section V, the effectiveness and 
comparative analysis of the proposed filter with the 
KFTD are then presented. Finally, a brief conclusion 
is given in Section VI. 
351
Young Song I. and Jeon M..
Efficient Distributed Fusion Filtering Algorithms for Multiple Time Delayed Systems.
DOI: 10.5220/0003970703510356
In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics (ICINCO-2012), pages 351-356
ISBN: 978-989-8565-21-1
Copyright
c
 2012 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)