SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR HOSTILE FIRE STRIKE INDICATION

• US 20150377709A1
• Filed: 07/01/2015
• Published: 12/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Moraites, Stephen C., McPhail, Shawn, Sobiski, Donald
• Granted Patent: US 9,658,108 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/147 based on detection of a firing weapon
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/2293 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/02 Anti-aircraft or anti-guided missile or anti-torpedo defence installations or systems cartridges or missiles for producing smoke or for dispensing radar chaff or infrared material F42B5/15, F42B12/48, F42B12/70; informative reference: details of radar or sonar systems G01S7/00; jamming or electronic countermeasures G01S7/38, G01S7/495, H04K3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0022 for sensing the radiation of moving bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/784 using a mosaic of detectors

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products for optically identifying hostile fire strikes to a vehicle. The identification can be that the hostile fire will hit the vehicle, will likely hit the vehicle, hit the vehicle, or likely hit the vehicle. In the case of predictive hits, a warning may be output and the vehicle can take evasive and/or countermeasure actions. In the case of actual or likely strikes to the vehicle, the optical identification can map a travel path of a detected projectile to positions on the vehicle, thus identifying a likely position or area of projectile impact. Such data can be used for inspection and maintenance purposes.

Claims

1. A damage assessment system that is operative to determine whether a structure was hit or was likely hit by a fired unguided energetic projectile and the position or likely position on the structure where the projectile hit or likely hit, the system comprising:

an infrared (IR) camera mountable on the structure, said IR camera having a field of view (FOV) and a predetermined sensitivity sufficient to capture a heat signature of the fired unguided energetic projectile, the heat signature including at least one of a firing component generated upon firing of the projectile, a tracer-related component, and a friction component generated by friction as the projectile travels through the troposphere, pixels of said IR camera being operative to capture a portion of a trail of energy associated with the heat signature of the fired projectile;

an image processor mountable on the structure and operative to receive signals from said IR camera corresponding to the captured portion of the trail of energy, said image processor being operative to post-process the signals from said IR camera and to make a determination as to whether the fired projectile hit or likely hit the structure and the position or likely position on the structure where the projectile hit or likely hit the structure; and

an electronic data storage device to store data regarding projectile hit position or likely hit position on the structure.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the structure is a vehicle, the electronic data storage device being accessible when the vehicle is not moving.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the structure is a vehicle, the electronic data storage device is accessible by maintenance personnel for post-trip damage assessment and/or by vehicle crewmembers for during-trip damage assessment.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein accessing the electronic data storage device includes displaying a diagram of the structure on a display screen and showing indicia on the diagram representative of one or more hit or likely hit positions on the structure.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an alert system operatively coupled to said image processor to generate timely audible, tactile, and/or visible indications that the structure was hit or was likely hit by the fired projectile.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the position or likely position on the structure is an estimate zone of impact.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured and operative to capture and process multiple heat signatures from multiple fired projectiles and to determine whether any of the fired projectiles hit or likely hit the structure and the corresponding positions or likely positions on the structure where any of the projectiles hit or likely hit.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein hit or likely hit data from accessing the electronic data storage device is for providing a map of the structure showing any of one or more hit or likely hit positions of fired projectiles with respect to the structure.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the map includes more than one view of the structure and corresponding any of one or more hit or likely hit positions.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the stored data regarding projectile hit position or likely hit position on the structure is retrievable via a hand-held maintenance device providing a display operative to display thereon instructions for inspection.

11-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A nontransitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon software instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

analyze received electronic data regarding any sensed heat signatures of small arms fire sensed in a predetermined sensing zone;

determine any hit locations of small arms fire based on estimations of associated paths of the small arms fire with respect to a focal plane array; and

electronically store data corresponding to any determined hit locations for later retrieval and analysis for inspection and maintenance purposes.

17. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the received electronic data is in terms of one or more functions of time of a flying vehicle and/or one or more functions of velocity of the flying vehicle.

18. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

responsive to a retrieval request, output the stored data corresponding to any determined hit locations for later retrieval and analysis, the stored data being transformed so as to provide on a display device a visual diagrammatic representation of the structure and any determined hit locations shown in the structure.

19. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

outputting on the display device a sequence of inspection instructions for each of the determined hit locations.

20. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the display device is a hand-held display device.