System and method for identifying and tracking straight line targets and for detecting launch flashes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9989334-B2
Application number	US-201515108609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2015
Priority date	Oct 20, 2014
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

Techniques for tracking a straight line object by creating a detection envelope between two detections selected from temporally-discontinuous frames are discussed. The detections within the detection envelope can then be analyzed in order to determine whether they are associated with a straight line track between the outer detections of the envelope. Techniques for identifying a launch-flash are also discussed. Potential launch flashes are checked for energy duration, intensity and spectral ratio. Techniques for detecting a hostile fire based on a single-frame detection are additionally detected. Based on a frame length of the detection, it can be determined whether the detection correlates to a hostile fire.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for tracking a straight line target, the method comprising:
selecting at least two temporally-discontinuous primary frames from a plurality of image frames;
creating a detection envelope between a first detection and a second detection, the first detection taken from a first primary frame and the second detection taken from a temporally-discontinuous second primary frame, the first detection and second detection being potential straight line targets; and
associating a third detection within the detection envelope with a straight line track between the first detection and the second detection to identify a straight line target.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a size of the detection envelope corresponds to an angle between the first detection and the second detection.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein associating the third detection with a straight line track includes performing planar analysis to determine that the third detection forms a track with the first and second detections.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
creating a new detection envelope between a third primary frame and a temporally-discontinuous previously-tracked frame; and
associating at least one previously-tracked detection taken from within the new detection envelope with at least one new detection from the third primary frame.

5. A system for tracking a straight line target, the system comprising:
one or more processors configured to:
select at least two temporally-discontinuous primary frames from a plurality of image frames;
create a detection envelope between a first detection and a second detection, the first detection taken from a first primary frame and the second detection taken from a temporally-discontinuous second primary frame, the first detection and second detection being potential straight line targets; and
associate a third detection within the detection envelope with a straight line track between the first detection and the second detection to identify a straight line target.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein a size of the detection envelope corresponds to an angle between the first detection and the second detection.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein associating the third detection with a straight line track includes performing planar analysis to determine that the third detection forms a track with the first and second detections.

8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
create a new detection envelope between a third primary frame and a temporally-discontinuous previously-tracked frame; and
associate at least one previously-tracked detection taken from within the new detection envelope with at least one new detection from the third primary frame.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions executable by a processing device, the instructions implementing a method for tracking a straight line target, wherein execution of the instructions causes the processing device to:
select at least two temporally-discontinuous primary frames from a plurality of image frames;
create a detection envelope between a first detection and a second detection, the first detection taken from a first primary frame and the second detection taken from a temporally-discontinuous second primary frame, the first detection and second detection being potential straight line targets; and
associate a third detection within the detection envelope with a straight line track between the first detection and the second detection to identify a straight line target.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein a size of the detection envelope corresponds to an angle between the first detection and the second detection.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein associating the third detection with a straight line track includes performing planar analysis to determine that the third detection forms a track with the first and second detections.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein execution of the instructions further causes the processing device to:
create a new detection envelope between a third primary frame and a temporally-discontinuous previously-tracked frame; and
associate at least one previously-tracked detection taken from within the new detection envelope with at least one new detection from the third primary frame.

Assignees

• Bae Sys Inf & Elect Sys Integ
• Cole Kevin C
• Schlupf Joseph M
• Lawrence Hurt Lucas

Inventors

• Cole Kevin C
• Schlupf Joseph M
• Mercier Michael N
• Lawrence-Hurt Lucas

Classifications

• G06T7/20

  Analysis of motion (motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51) · CPC title

• G06T2207/10004

  Still image; Photographic image · CPC title

• F41G3/147 Primary

  based on detection of a firing weapon · CPC title

• G06T2207/30241

  Trajectory · CPC title

• G01J3/2803

  using photoelectric array detector · CPC title