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US 12,736,971 B1Granted
System and method for ranging an object
AssigneeBAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
InventorBenjamin P. Wood
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Object ranging employing platforms having passive sensors to track the object moving towards the platforms. A wireless communication link enables the sharing of data between the platforms to determine the position or location of the object. The position of the object is provided in the form of closed-form function of time. A range-rate is derived from the closed-form function of time. Then, the system and method approximates a time-to-go until a collision point between the object and one of the platforms. The time-to-go is based on a ratio of range to range-rate.
Claims19
A computer program product including at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, implement a process track an object, the process comprising:
- detecting the object;
- tracking the object using a first passive sensor on a first platform and obtaining first angular data from tracking the object;
- determining a range of the object from the first platform as a closed-form function of time;
- deriving a range-rate of the object from the closed-form function of time;
- approximating a time-to-go until a collision point between the object and the first platform, wherein approximating the time-to-go is based on a ratio of the range to the range-rate;
- and
- tracking the object using a second passive sensor on a second platform and obtaining second angular data from tracking the object;
- and
- sharing at least one of the first angular data and the second angular data across a communication link between the first platform and the second platform;
- wherein determining the range of the object from the first platform as a closed-form function of time is accomplished by triangulating a position of the object based on the first angular data and the second angular data.
7 more elements
An object ranging method comprising:
- tracking, via a first passive sensor on a first platform, an object that is moving;
- obtaining first angular data of the object relative to the first platform via the first passive sensor;
- tracking, via a second passive sensor on a second platform, the object;
- obtaining second angular data of the object relative to the second platform via the second passive sensor;
- triangulating a location of the object based on first angular data from the first passive sensor and the second angular data from the second passive sensor and obtaining a smooth and monotonically decreasing closed-from function representative of a range of the object based on its location at a point in time;
- performing a polynomial curve fit of the first angular data relative to the smooth and monotonically decreasing closed-form function;
- taking a derivative of the polynomial curve fit of angular data to that results a smooth function approximating a range-rate of the object.
4 more elements
An object ranging system:
- a first platform;
- a first passive sensor on the first platform, wherein the first passive sensor is configured to track an object located remotely from the first platform;
- first spatial data logic on the first platform to generate first angular data of the object relative to the first platform, wherein the first angular data that is generated is based on raw imagery from the first passive sensor;
- first ranging logic on the first platform to determine a location of the object relative to the first platform based on the first angular data;
- first wireless communication logic on the first platform;
- a second platform configured to move in formation with the first platform;
- a second passive sensor on the second platform, wherein the second passive sensor is configured to track the object located remotely from the second platform;
- second spatial data logic on the second platform to generate second angular data of the object relative to the second platform, wherein the second angular data that is generated is based on raw imagery from the second passive sensor;
- second ranging logic on the second platform to determine the location of the object relative to the second platform based on the second angular data;
- second wireless communication logic on the second platform, wherein the first wireless communication logic and the second wireless communication logic establish a wireless link for transfer of data between the first platform and the second platform;
- wherein one of the first ranging logic and the second ranging logic derives a range of the object from one of the first platform and the second platform as a closed-form function of time, and thereafter derive a range-rate of the object relative to one of the first platform and the second platform as a function of time;
- wherein one of the first ranging logic and the second ranging logic approximates a time-to-go until a collision point between the object and one of the first platform and the second platform, wherein approximation of the time-to-go is based on a ratio of range to range-rate.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.