Back to results
US 10,209,343 B1Granted
Weapon fire detection and localization system for electro-optical sensors
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorsJeremy B. Brown, John E. Hutchison, III
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electro-optical imaging sensors system is disclosed for detecting and locating a blast, including muzzle flash, created by the launch of a projectile from a gun barrel, rocket tube or similar device, generally associated with weapons fire. The system is used in conjunction with detection algorithms and provides the azimuth and elevation from the detecting sensor to the location of the blast (the launch location) and also provides the weapon classification.
Claims16
A weapon fire detection and localization system, comprising:
- a weapon fire detection imaging sensor system based on three imaging detection sensors, each of which is based on a respective focal plane array which images in a different spectral range to, produce a video output to provide spectrally distinct signatures of weapon fire events;
- a global positioning system and accelerometer module based on a global positioning system capable of providing longitude position, latitude position, global date and time, and an accelerometer capable of determining a three axis orientation;
- a processor to computer process said video outputs using a weapon fire detection and localization algorithm to compute intensity, shape, and duration measurements from multiple temporally and spatially aligned spectral signatures and derive weapon fire detection and localization results, said weapon fire detection and localization algorithm comprising the following steps:
- video outputs from said three imaging detection sensors are provided to the processor as sensor outputs;
- a data input containing time, position, and orientation of said global positioning system and accelerometer module is provided to the processor;
- weapon fire detections are independently determined from the video output of each imaging detection sensor in the weapon fire detection sensor system, wherein signal intensity, duration, and shape characteristics are used to determine detections;
- said weapon fire detections are analyzed to determine if saturation occurs in the detected signal of all three detection sensors, wherein if all three imaging detection sensors are determined to be saturated, then the following steps are taken:
- the data input containing time, position, and orientation is processed to calculate a position of the sun, orientation data is used to determine a field of view of the detection imaging sensor system, relative to a position of the detection imaging sensor system, locations of detected saturated signals are compared with the calculated position of the sun, saturated events not co-located with the sun are declared as weapon fire, and saturated events declared as weapon fire are classified against known threat signatures as a resulting detection;
- if multiple detections are found to be associated, have been generated by a single hostile fire event, and at least one detection sensor was not saturated, a single detection is created as a resulting detection;
- for the resulting detection, features are calculated from temporal and intensity profiles of detection and used to classify the created detection as either weapons fire or false alarm, where weapon fire can be subdivided into ATGM, RR, and RPG;
- and
- associated detections, or the resulting detection, which have been classified as a weapon fire is declared as a weapon fire, wherein for each declared weapon fire event, azimuth location, elevation location, weapon classification, and time of firing are reported;
- and
- a messaging system to provide an alert message based on the weapon fire detection and localization results.
11 more elements
A weapon fire detection and localization system utilizing a saturation sensor, comprising:
- a weapon fire detection imaging sensor system comprising one imaging detection sensor which images in the long-wavelength infrared band, two imaging detection sensors which image in the mid-wavelength infrared band, and an imaging saturation sensor which images to a sensor focal plane in the mid-wavelength infrared band for detected saturated signals, said imaging saturation sensor being capable of preventing saturation from an anticipated weapons fire, each providing a video output as input to the processor;
- a weapon fire detection processor to computer process said video outputs using a weapon fire detection and localization algorithm to compute intensity, shape, and duration measurements from multiple temporally and spatially aligned spectral signatures and output weapon fire detection and localization results;
- and
- a messaging system to provide an alert message based on the weapon fire detection and localization results.
1 more element
A weapon fire detection and localization system utilizing an acoustic sensor, comprising:
- a weapon fire detection imaging sensor system based on three imaging detection sensors, each of which images in a different spectral range to produce a video output to provide spectrally distinct signatures of weapon fire events;
- a weapon fire detection acoustic sensor system based on an audio microphone saturation sensor and an analog to digital converter to detect saturated signals;
- a processor to computer process said video outputs of the imaging detection sensors and a digital audio output of the audio microphone saturation sensor using a weapon fire detection and localization algorithm to compute intensity, shape, and duration measurements from multiple temporally and spatially aligned spectral signatures and derive weapon fire detection and localization results, wherein video outputs from each imaging detection sensor in the weapon fire detection imaging sensor system are provided to the processor as image sensor outputs, and the digital audio output of the audio microphone saturation sensor in the weapon fire acoustic sensor system is provided to the processor as a saturation acoustic sensor output, and wherein said weapon fire detection and localization algorithm is comprised of the following steps:
- weapon fire detections are independently determined from the video output of each imaging detection sensor in the weapon fire detection sensor system,
- the weapon fire detections are analyzed to determine if saturation occurs in the detected signal of all three imaging detection sensors,
- if all three imaging detection sensors are saturated, the saturation acoustic sensor output is processed to determine if a detection occurred, and if so, a single detection is created as a resulting detection,
- if multiple detections are found to be associated and generated by a single hostile fire event and at least one imaging detection sensor was not saturated, a single detection is created as a resulting detection,
- features are calculated from the temporal and intensity profiles of the resulting detection and used to classify the detection as either weapons fire or false alarm, where weapon fire can be subdivided into ATGM, RR, and RPG, and
- associated detections, or the resulting detection, which has been classified as a weapon fire is declared as a weapon fire, wherein for each declared weapon fire event, the azimuth location, elevation location, weapon classification, and time of firing are reported;
- and
- a messaging system to distribute the output results of the weapon fire detection and localization algorithm to other connected systems and provide an alert message.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.