LIDAR SITE MODEL TO AID COUNTER DRONE SYSTEM

• US 20170261999A1
• Filed: 02/27/2017
• Published: 09/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon BBN Technlogies Corp. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon BBN Technlogies Corp. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Van Voorst, Brian R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,690,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/15 for conventional or electronic warfare
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• 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: F41H 13/0006 Ballistically deployed systems for restraining persons or animals, e.g. ballistically deployed nets
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/04 Systems determining the presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/66 Tracking systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/87 Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/495 Counter-measures or counter-counter-measures using electronic or electro-optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/51 Display arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 : involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 : Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/12 : Target-seeking control
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 : Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 : Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/17 : taken from planes or by drones
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/07 : Target detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 : located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 : specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 : for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A system for creating a three dimensional model of an environment includes a LIDAR scanning system to scan an environment to provide an image of a scene of the scanned environment, a geo-locator to tag a plurality of points within the image with geo-reference points and a labeler to label features of interest within the image of the scene and to identify possible access paths within the three dimensional model of the environment from the features of interest potentially providing an access path for a target drone.

Claims

1. A system for creating a three dimensional model of an environment comprising:

a LIDAR scanning system to scan an environment to provide an image of a scene of the scanned environment;

a geo-locator to tag a plurality of points within the image with geo-reference points; and

a labeler to label features of interest within the image of the scene and to identify possible access paths within the three dimensional model of the environment from the features of interest potentially providing an access path for a target drone.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the LIDAR scanning system comprises a tracking system to track objects in the scanned environment and the tracking system determines if a new track is a false track by looking where the track originated.

3. The system as recited in claim 2 wherein the tracking system generates an intercept track for an intercept drone from the possible access paths determined from the labeler and the environmental model.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 comprising a response planner to plan safe paths through the environment for an intercept drone.

5. The system as recited in claim 3 wherein the response planner includes identifying false positives.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 comprising a response planner to plan the placement of sensors within the environment to reduce blind spots in the environmental model.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 comprising a response planner to plan interceptions that minimize collateral damage.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 comprising a response planner to select an appropriate countermeasure including deploying a second drone to intercept the target drone.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 comprising a response planner to pilot an intercept drone around obstacles that have been mapped in the scene apriori.

10. A method of providing a three dimension model of an environment comprising:

scanning an environment to provide an image of the scanned environment;

tagging a plurality of points within the image with geo-reference points to identify the location of a plurality of points;

labeling features of interest within the image and identifying possible access paths within the three dimensional model of the environment from the features of interest potentially providing an access path for a target drone.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 comprising tracking objects in the scanned environment and determining if a new track is a false track by looking where the track originated.

12. The method as recited in claim 10 comprising generating an intercept track for an intercept drone from the possible access paths determined from features of interest within the image.

13. The method as recited in claim 10 comprising planning safe paths through the environment for an intercept drone from the features of interest within the image.

14. The method as recited in claim 12 comprising identifying false positives.

15. The method as recited in claim 10 comprising planning the placement of sensors within the environment to reduce blind spots in the environmental model.

16. The method as recited in claim 10 comprising planning interceptions that minimize collateral damage.

17. The method as recited in claim 10 comprising selecting an appropriate countermeasure including deploying a second drone to intercept the target drone.

18. The method as recited in claim 10 comprising piloting an intercept drone around obstacles that have been mapped in the scene apriori.

19. A drone detection system comprising:

a LIDAR scanning system to scan an environment to provide an image of a scene of the scanned environment and to detect a target drone entering the scanned environment;

a geo-locator to tag a plurality of points within the image with geo-reference points;

a labeler to label features of interest within the image of the scene and to identify possible access paths within the three dimensional model of the environment from the features of interest potentially providing an access path for the target drone; and

a response planner to select an appropriate countermeasure including deploying a second drone to intercept the target drone.

20. The drone detection system as recited in claim 19 comprises a tracking system to track objects in the scanned environment and wherein the tracking system generates an intercept track for an intercept drone from the possible access paths determined from the scanned environment.