US 2014/0229034 A2 · SENSOR LOCATION METHOD AND SYSTEM

Abstract

The present invention applies model-based processing to a sensor output from a sensor such as a sonar, radar, or laser range finder. In particular, embodiments of the invention use a priori knowledge of a model signal return expected from a particular object to identify the location of the object relative to the sensor (and/or vice versa). In some embodiments the object is augmented with reflectors that return the sensor signal back towards the sensor so that the object can be more easily detected by the sensor. In preferred embodiments the reflectors are arranged in an a priori known pattern on the object, to help identify both the location and the orientation of the object with respect to the sensor. In the preferred embodiment, the sensor is a sonar, mounted on an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV).

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for locating an object with respect to a sensor, the sensor being of a type that emits energy and detects reflections of the emitted energy in order to detect objects, the system comprising:

at least one memory in which is stored:
i) an a priori model of a configuration of the object, the configuration providing a set of expected sensor returns;
and
ii) received sensor data from a sensor scan, the sensor data comprising a plurality of candidate sensor returns that may represent the object to be located;
and at least one processor, arranged in use to:
i) from the candidate sensor returns, hypothesise a plurality of locations for the object in dependence, for a hypothesised location, on a subset of the candidate sensor returns and the a priori model;
and
ii) from the hypothesised plurality of locations, determine one or more of the hypothesised locations to provide a best fit of the a priori model to the sensor data in dependence at least on the other candidate sensor returns than those in the subset that formed the one or more best fit hypothesised locations.

5 more elements

A method of locating an object with respect to a sensor, the sensor being of a type that emits energy and detects reflections of the emitted energy in order to detect objects, the method comprising:

obtaining an a priori model of a configuration of the object, the configuration providing a set of expected sensor returns;
receiving sensor data from a sensor scan, the sensor data comprising a plurality of candidate sensor returns that may represent the object to be located;
from the candidate sensor returns, hypothesising a plurality of locations for the object in dependence, for a hypothesised location, on a subset of the candidate sensor returns and the a priori model;
from the hypothesised plurality of locations, determining one or more of the hypothesised locations to provide a best fit of the a priori model to the sensor data in dependence at least on the other candidate sensor returns than those in the subset that formed the one or more best fit hypothesised locations.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Sensor location method and system

Life of this patent

Sensor location method and system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20