GIMBAL POSITIONING WITH TARGET VELOCITY COMPENSATION
First Claim
1. An optical system for tracking a moving target, comprising:
- a pointing device attachable to a support platform;
a sensor, supported by the pointing device, and pivotably orientable with respect to the support platform about a pair of nonparallel axes by controlled driven motion of the pointing device, to provide pan and tilt movement of the sensor, such that the sensor can be pointed at the target;
a user input device configured to allow a user to provide information regarding position and velocity of the target; and
a controller programmed to receive the information provided by the user and, based on that information, to prepare and transmit instructions to the pointing device to orient and maintain its line of sight toward the target, thereby allowing the sensor to track the target.
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Abstract
A gimbal system, including components and methods of use, configured to track moving targets. More specifically, the disclosed system may be configured to orient and maintain the line of sight (“los”) of the gimbal system toward a target, as the target and, in some cases, the platform supporting the gimbal system are moving. The system also may be configured to calculate an estimated target velocity based on user input, and to compute subsequent target positions from previous positions by integrating the estimated target velocity over time. A variety of filters and other mechanisms may be used to enable a user to input information regarding a target velocity into a gimbal controller.
37 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An optical system for tracking a moving target, comprising:
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a pointing device attachable to a support platform; a sensor, supported by the pointing device, and pivotably orientable with respect to the support platform about a pair of nonparallel axes by controlled driven motion of the pointing device, to provide pan and tilt movement of the sensor, such that the sensor can be pointed at the target; a user input device configured to allow a user to provide information regarding position and velocity of the target; and a controller programmed to receive the information provided by the user and, based on that information, to prepare and transmit instructions to the pointing device to orient and maintain its line of sight toward the target, thereby allowing the sensor to track the target. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An optical device for tracking a moving target, comprising:
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a gimbal system attachable to a support platform; an imaging system, supported by the gimbal system, and pivotably orientable with respect to the support platform about a pair of nonparallel axes by controlled driven motion of the gimbal system, to provide pan and tilt movement of the imaging system, such that a line of sight of the imaging system can be pointed at the target; a display configured to present images of the target collected by the imaging system; a user input device configured to allow a user to input information regarding successive positions of the target, based on images of the target presented on the display; and a controller programmed to receive information from the user input device and, based on that information, to prepare and transmit instructions to the gimbal system to orient and maintain the line of sight of the imaging system toward the target while the target moves between two positions, thereby allowing the imaging system to track the target. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of tracking a moving target, comprising:
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bringing the target into a field of view of an imaging system; calculating an initial velocity of the target based on orientation of a line of sight of the imaging system toward the target at two different times; and keeping the target in the field of view while the target is moving by either (i) causing the field of view to track a point moving with velocity corresponding to the initial velocity of the target, or (ii) receiving user input relating to a change in target velocity, using the user input to determine the change in target velocity, and causing the field of view to track a point moving with a velocity corresponding to the vector sum of the initial velocity and the change in target velocity. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of tracking a moving target, comprising:
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receiving information regarding an initial position of the target; directing a gimbal to point a tracking device toward the initial position of the target; receiving information regarding a subsequent position of the target; directing the gimbal to point the tracking device toward the subsequent position of the target; calculating an initial target velocity using a rotation rate of a line of sight from the tracking device to the target as the line of sight rotates between the initial position of the target and the subsequent position of the target; and directing the gimbal to point the tracking device to follow a point moving with a velocity corresponding to the initial target velocity, thereby tracking the target. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification