System and Method for Tracking Objects Using Lidar and Video Measurements

A system for tracking a target from lidar measurements and video images, the system comprising:

• a lidar subsystem configured to direct at least four beams toward the target and to provide a range measurement and a Doppler velocity measurement for each of a plurality of points on the target based on information obtained from the at least four beams;
• a video subsystem configured to capture a plurality of two-dimensional images of the target;
• and
• a processor configured to:
• receive, from the lidar subsystem, the range measurement and the Doppler velocity measurement for each of the plurality of points on the target,
• receive, from the video subsystem, the plurality of images of the target,
• estimate a translational velocity component vztrans and angular velocity components ωx and ωy for each of the plurality of points on the target from the range measurements and the Doppler velocity measurements from the lidar subsystem,
• estimate translational velocity components vxtrans and vytrans and the angular velocity component ωz for each of the plurality of points on the target from two-dimensional position and velocity measurements of at least one feature of the target obtained from the plurality of images of the target and from the estimated velocity component vztrans and the estimated angular velocity components ωx and ωy, and
• generate a three-dimensional image of the target using the estimated translational velocity components vxtrans, vytrans, and vztrans and the estimated angular velocity components ωx, ωy and ωz.