Tracking apparatus and method capable of presuming position and velocity of an object with high precision

• US 20020193900A1
• Filed: 01/25/2002
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation, Nippon Avionics Company Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC CORPORATION, NIPPON AVIONICS CO., LTD.
• Inventors: Nakamura, Tadashi, Yamashita, Mamoru, Kinoshita, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 6,622,112 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/115
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/723 by using numerical data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar

Abstract

In a tracking apparatus for tracking an object by the use of a plurality of detecting data sets supplied from a detecting device, a velocity presuming portion is provided together with a position presuming portion. The position presuming portion finds a presumed position of the object at the latest detecting time of the detecting data sets by the use of the latest detecting time and regression curves found on the basis of the detecting data sets. The velocity presuming portion finds a presumed velocity of the object at the latest detecting time by the use of the regression curves and at least one of former detecting times different from the latest detecting time.

Claims

1. A tracking apparatus for tracking an object by the use of a plurality of detecting data sets which are successively supplied from a detecting device and finding a presumed position and a presumed velocity of said object at the latest detecting time of said detecting data sets, said tracking apparatus comprising;

regression curve calculating portion for finding two regression functions individually corresponding to time variation of X and Y coordinates of said object on a predetermined X-Y coordinate system by the use of said detected data sets,

position presuming portion connected to said regression curve calculating portion for finding said presumed position by the use of said regression functions and the latest detecting time, and

velocity presuming portion connected to said regression curve calculating portion for finding said presumed velocity by the use of said regression functions and at least one of the other detecting times of said detected data sets.

2. A tracking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said velocity presuming portion finds a speed and an azimuth of said object as said presumed velocity by the use of a first detecting time as the other detecting time different from the latest detecting time.

3. A tracking apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said speed corresponds to varying rates of said regression functions at the latest detecting time, said azimuth found by the use of said varying rates.

4. A tracking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said velocity presuming portion finds a speed and an azimuth of said object as said presumed velocity by the use of first and second detecting times as the other detecting times, said first and said second detecting times being different from the latest detecting time and from each other.

5. A tracking apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first detecting time is used for finding said speed while said second detecting time is used for finding said azimuth.

6. A tracking apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said speed corresponds to first varying rates of said regression functions at said first detecting time, said azimuth found by the use of second varying rates of said regression functions at said second detecting time.

7. A tracking apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said first and said second detecting times are used for finding both of said speed and said azimuth.

8. A tracking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said regression functions comprises a quadratic function of time.

9. A tracking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tracking apparatus further comprises a data storing portion connected to said detecting device and said regression curve calculating portion for storing later n of said detected data sets to supplies said detected data sets for said regression curve calculating portion.

10. A tracking method for tracking an object by the use of a plurality of detecting data sets which are successively supplied from a detecting device and finding a presumed position and a presumed velocity of said object at the latest detecting time of said detecting data sets, said tracking method comprising the steps of:

finding two regression functions individually corresponding to time variation of X and Y coordinates of said object on a predetermined X-Y coordinate system by the use of said detected data sets,

finding said presumed position by the use of said regression functions and the latest detecting time, and

finding said presumed velocity by the use of said regression functions and at least one of the other detecting times of said detected data sets.

11. A tracking method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the finding step for finding said presumed velocity is for finding a speed and an azimuth as said presumed velocity by the use of a first detecting time as the other detecting time different from the latest detecting time.

12. A tracking method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the finding step for finding said presumed velocity comprises the steps of:

finding varying rates of said regression functions at the latest detecting time as said speed, and

finding said azimuth by the use of said varying rates.

13. A tracking method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the finding step for finding said presumed velocity is for finding a speed and an azimuth as said presumed velocity by the use of first and second detecting times as the other detecting times, said first and said second detecting times being different from the latest detecting time and from each other.

14. A tracking method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said first detecting time is used for finding said speed while said second detecting time is used for finding said azimuth.

15. A tracking method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the finding step for finding said presumed velocity comprises the steps of:

finding varying rates of said regression functions at said first detecting time as said speed, and

finding said azimuth by the use of varying rates of said regression functions at said second detecting time.

16. A tracking method as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of said first and said second detecting times are used for finding both of said speed and said azimuth.

17. A tracking method as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of said regression functions comprises a quadratic function of time.

18. A tracking method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said tracking method further comprises the steps of:

storing later n of said detected data sets supplied from said detecting device in a storing portion, and

supplying n of said detected data sets from said storing portion to said regression curve calculating portion.

19. A tracking method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the finding step for finding said regression functions is carried out by the use of a determinant.

20. A tracking method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the finding step for finding said velocity is carried out by the use of a determinant.