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US 12,183,033 B2Granted
Laser strike origin determination for an aircraft
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsChristopher Esposito, James J. Troy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and devices that determine a position on the ground of a laser that emits a laser beam that strikes an aircraft. The process includes determining a strike position from a camera that is located on the aircraft. A relative direction vector of the laser beam is computed with respect to the camera. The relative direction vector is converted into a global coordinate direction vector. The position on the ground of the laser is determined based on a point where the global coordinate direction vector intersects with the ground representation.
Claims29
A method of determining a position of a laser on the ground that emits a laser beam that strikes an aircraft, the method comprising:
- determining a strike position of the laser beam on an imaging sensor of a camera with the camera positioned in or on the aircraft and the laser beam being emitted from the laser on the ground and aimed at the aircraft wherein the position of the laser on the ground is unknown to persons on the aircraft when the laser beam is emitted and strikes the aircraft;
- computing a relative direction vector of the laser beam with respect to the camera;
- converting the relative direction vector into a global coordinate direction vector;
- and
- determining the position on the ground of the laser that emitted the laser beam, the position comprising where the global coordinate direction vector intersects with a ground representation.
2 more elements
A computing device configured to determine a position on the ground of a laser that emits a laser beam that strikes an aircraft, the computing device comprising:
- a camera that detects a strike position of the laser beam on an imaging sensor of the camera and wherein the position of the laser on the ground is unknown to persons on the aircraft when the laser beam is emitted and strikes the aircraft;
- processing circuitry operatively connected to the camera and configured to:
- compute a relative direction vector of the laser beam with respect to the camera based on the strike position;
- determine a global orientation of the camera and a global position of the camera;
- convert the relative direction vector into a global coordinate direction vector using the global orientation and the global position;
- and
- determine an intersection of the global coordinate direction vector and the representation of the ground as the position on the ground of the laser.
4 more elements
A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program product to control a programmable computing device, the computer program product comprising software instructions that, when executed on processing circuitry of the programmable computing device, cause the processing circuitry to:
- determine a strike position from a camera that is located in a cockpit of an aircraft, the strike position comprising a position on an imaging sensor corresponding to where a laser beam strikes the camera on the aircraft wherein a position on the ground of a laser is unknown to persons on the aircraft when the laser beam is emitted from the laser and strikes the aircraft;
- determine a global orientation of the camera and a global position of the camera;
- compute a relative direction vector of the laser beam with respect to the camera;
- convert the relative direction vector into a global coordinate direction vector using the global orientation and the global position of the camera;
- and
- determine the position on the ground of the laser that emitted the laser beam, the position comprising a point where the global coordinate direction vector intersects with the representation of the ground.
3 more elements
A system configured to determine a position of a laser that emits a laser beam, the system comprising:
- a first computing device comprising:
- a first camera having a first imaging sensor and being located on or in a first aircraft, the first camera configured to detect a strike position of a first strike from laser beam from the laser on the first imaging sensor;
- first processing circuitry configured to collect first data regarding the first camera;
- first communication circuitry configured to transmit the first data;
- a second computing device comprising:
- a second camera having a second imaging sensor and being located on or in a second aircraft, the second camera configured to detect a strike position of a second strike from the laser beam from the laser on the second imaging sensor;
- second processing circuitry configured to collect second data regarding the second camera;
- second communication circuitry configured to transmit the second data;
- a processing device comprising:
- communication circuitry configured to receive the first data and the second data;
- processing circuitry configured to, based first data and the second data:
- determine a global orientation of the first camera and the second camera, and a global position of the first camera and the second camera;
- compute a relative direction vector of the first strike of the laser beam with respect to the first camera based on the strike position of the first strike of the laser beam on the first imaging sensor;
- convert the relative direction vector of the first strike of the laser beam into a first global coordinate direction vector using the global orientation and the global position of the first camera;
- compute a relative direction vector of the second strike of the laser beam with respect to the second camera based on the strike position of the second strike of the laser beam on the second imaging sensor;
- convert the relative direction vector of the second strike of the laser beam into a second global coordinate direction vector using the global orientation and the global position of the second camera;
- and
- determine the position on the ground of the laser based on intersections of the global coordinate direction vectors of both of the first strike and the second strike of the laser beam and the representation of the ground.
15 more elements
A method of determining a position of a laser on the ground that emits a laser beam that strikes a first aircraft and a second aircraft, the method comprising:
- determining a first strike position of the laser beam on a first imaging sensor of a first camera with the first camera located in or on the first aircraft and the laser beam being emitted from the laser positioned on the ground;
- determining a first global orientation and a first global position of the first camera;
- computing a first relative direction vector of the first strike of the laser beam with respect to the first camera;
- converting the first relative direction vector into a first global coordinate direction vector;
- determining a first position estimate on the ground of the laser, the first position estimate comprising where the first global coordinate direction vector intersects with the representation of the ground;
- determining a second strike position of the laser beam on a second imaging sensor of a second camera with the second camera located in or on the second aircraft;
- determining a second global orientation and a second global position of the second camera;
- computing a second relative direction vector of the second strike of the laser beam with respect to the second camera;
- converting the second relative direction vector into a second global coordinate direction vector;
- determining a second position estimate on the ground of the laser, the second position estimate comprising where the second global coordinate direction vector intersects with the representation of the ground;
- and
- determining the position of the laser on the ground based on the first position estimate and the second position estimate.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.