US 10,473,429 B1 · Projectile detection system and method

Abstract

A projectile detection technique is disclosed. The technique helps improve the self-defense capabilities of strategic platforms such as naval ships against asymmetric threats such as anti-ship missiles (ASMs). These threats can be particularly challenging in a highly cluttered maritime environment, where the threats can be too close for radar to accurately detect. In one example, the projectile detection technique automatically detects ASMs flying above the horizon by using mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) and visible/near-infrared (VNIR) camera systems, and locating the horizon line and segmenting the imagery into different regions. Projectiles are detected in the near-horizon segment using a Fourier phase-only transform and convolution matched filters to enhance exceedances, then applying multi-frame processing to measure persistence and scintillation (e.g., flicker from missile exhaust) to help filter out background clutter objects. The use of the phase-only transform, matched filters, and multi-frame processing helps detect single-point anomalies and distinguish ASMs from background clutter.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A computer program product including one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage mediums having instructions encoded thereon that when executed by one or more processors, cause a process to be carried out for projectile detection, the process comprising:

identifying a horizon in a target image comprising thermal infrared (IR) image data of a target scene for a current frame;
rotating the target image to align the identified horizon in the horizontal direction;
equalizing the height of the horizon in the horizontal direction of the rotated image;
detrending the rows of the equalized horizon-height image;
performing a phase-only transform of the row-detrended image;
and
identifying projectile targets from the phase-only transformed image.

4 more elements

A method of projectile detection, the method comprising:

equalizing, by a processor-based system, the height of a horizon in the horizontal direction of a target image comprising thermal infrared (IR) image data of a target scene for a current frame;
detrending, by the processor-based system, the rows of the equalized horizon-height image;
performing, by the processor-based system, a phase-only transform of the row-detrended image;
convolving, by the processor-based system, the phase-only transformed image with matched filters to spread projectile patterns appearing in the transformed image;
generating, by the processor-based system, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for each pixel based on the convolved images and identifying, by the processor-based system, those pixels whose SNR exceeds an SNR threshold value;
and
identifying, by the processor-based system, projectile targets from the identified pixels.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Projectile detection system and method

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Projectile detection system and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22