Ground surveillance system

• US 6,791,673 B1
• Filed: 04/07/2003
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RVision, Inc. (COMSovereign Holding Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Gregory E. Johnston, Robert E. Malm
• Inventors: Johnston, Gregory E., Malm, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buczinski, Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US10/249,417
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 356/4.07, 356/141--14, 356/60.1, 348/140, 348/143, 348/144, 340/545.3, 340/540
• US Class Current: 356/4.07
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/04 Interpretation of pictures
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/00 Prospecting or detecting by optical means

Abstract

The invention is a method and apparatus for exercising surveillance over a surface from an observation point above the surface utilizing three-dimensional map data pertaining to the surface. The method comprises the steps (1) intercepting the light rays from a surface in a field of view, (2) separating the intercepted light rays into a plurality of light-ray clusters, a light-ray cluster comprising a plurality of light-ray bundles, a light-ray bundle being the light rays from a point on the surface in the field of view, a light-ray cluster being the light-ray bundles from a region of contiguous points on the surface, (3) determining the map coordinates of each region from which a light-ray cluster comes, (4) obtaining a measure of the radiant power and/or color of each light-ray cluster at predetermined time intervals, and (5) identifying the map coordinates of a surface activity from measurements of the radiant power of the light-ray clusters.

Claims

1. A method for exercising surveillance over a surface from an observation point above the surface utilizing three-dimensional map data pertaining to the surface, the method comprising the steps:

(1) intercepting the light rays from a surface in a field of view;

(2) separating the intercepted light rays into a plurality of light-ray clusters, a light-ray cluster comprising a plurality of light-ray bundles, a light-ray bundle being the light rays from a point on the surface in the field of view, a light-ray cluster being the light-ray bundles from a region of contiguous points on the surface;

(3) determining the map coordinates of each region from which a light-ray cluster comes;

(4) obtaining a measure or normalized measure of the radiant power of each light-ray cluster or part thereof, spectrally modified or not, at predetermined time intervals;

(5) identifying the map coordinates of a surface activity from measures or normalized measures of the radiant power of the light-ray clusters or parts thereof, spectrally modified or not.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (3) comprises the step:

determining the map coordinates from a table which lists region map coordinates for each light-ray cluster.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (3) comprises the steps:

(1) determining the map coordinates and height of the observation point above the map datum;

(2) determining the direction-of-arrival coordinates of each light-ray cluster in the map coordinate system;

(3) calculating the map coordinates of each region from which a light-ray cluster comes utilizing the map coordinates and height of the observation point and the direction-of-arrival coordinates of the light-ray clusters.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein step (1) comprises the step:

determining the map coordinates and height of the observation point utilizing information from a GPS receiver.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein step (1) comprises the step:

determining the map coordinates and height of the observation point utilizing information from an inertial navigation system.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein step (2) comprises the steps:

(1) obtaining the direction-of-arrival coordinates of each light-ray cluster in a coordinate system referred to herein as the DOA coordinate system from stored reference data;

(2) obtaining the orientation coordinates of the DOA coordinate system in the map coordinate system;

(3) determining the direction-of-arrival coordinates of each light-ray cluster in the map coordinate system.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein step (2) comprises the step:

obtaining the orientation coordinates from stored reference data.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein step (2) comprises the step:

obtaining the orientation coordinates from an external source.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein step (4) comprises the step:

dividing each light-ray cluster into a plurality of parts with modified spectrums.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein step (4) comprises the step:

applying normalizing factors to the measures of radiant power.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein step (5) comprises the step:

identifying a surface activity from a change in radiant power of a light-ray cluster or a part thereof, spectrally modified or not, from a region over time.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein step (5) comprises the step:

identifying a surface activity by a change in radiant power of a light-ray cluster or a part thereof, spectrally modified or not, from a region following a change in radiant power of a light-ray cluster or a part thereof, spectrally modified or not, from another region.

13. A system for practicing the method of claim 1.

14. A system for exercising surveillance over a surface from an observation point above the surface utilizing three-dimensional map data pertaining to the surface, the system comprising:

a lens system for intercepting the light rays from a surface in the field of view, the lens separating the intercepted light rays into a plurality of light-ray clusters, a light-ray cluster comprising a plurality of light-ray bundles, a light-ray bundle being the light rays from a point on the surface in the field of view, a light-ray cluster being the light-ray bundles from a region of contiguous points on the surface;

a detector assembly comprising a plurality of detector cells, the detector assembly being attached to the lens system, a plurality of light-ray clusters passing through the lens system being imaged by the lens system on a plurality of detector cells, only one light-ray cluster being imaged on any one detector cell, a detector cell producing a measure or measures or a normalized measure or normalized measures of the radiant power of the incident light-ray cluster or parts thereof, spectrally modified or not, at predetermined time intervals;

a processor system comprising one or more processors for reading out the measures or normalized measures of radiant power of the light-ray clusters or parts thereof, spectrally modified or not, from the detector assembly and determining the map coordinates of each region from which a light-ray cluster comes.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the tasks performed by the detector assembly include:

dividing each light-ray cluster into a plurality of parts with modified spectrums.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the tasks performed by the detector assembly include:

applying normalizing factors to the measures of radiant power.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the tasks performed by the processor system include:

determining the map coordinates of each region from a table which lists region map coordinates as a function of light-ray cluster.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the tasks performed by the processor system include:

(1) determining the map coordinates and height of the observation point above the map datum;

(2) determining the direction-of-arrival coordinates of each light-ray cluster in the map coordinate system;

(3) calculating the map coordinates of each region from which a light-ray cluster comes utilizing the map coordinates and height of the observation point and the direction-of-arrival coordinates of the light-ray clusters.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein task (1) includes:

determining the map coordinates and height of the observation point utilizing information from a GPS receiver.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein task (1) includes:

determining the map coordinates and height of the observation point utilizing information from an inertial navigation system.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein task (2) includes:

(1) obtaining the direction of arrival coordinates of each light-ray cluster in a coordinate system referred to herein as the DOA coordinate system;

(2) obtaining the orientation coordinates of the DOA coordinate system in the map coordinate system;

(3) determining the direction-of-arrival coordinates of each light-ray cluster in the map coordinate system.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein task (1) includes:

obtaining the direction-of-arrival coordinates from stored reference data.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein task (2) includes:

obtaining the orientation coordinates from stored reference data.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein task (2) includes:

obtaining the orientation coordinates from an external source.

25. The system of claim 14 wherein the tasks performed by the processor system include:

identifying the map coordinates of a surface activity from measures or normalized measures of the radiant power of the light-ray clusters or parts thereof, spectrally modified or not.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the task performed by the processor system includes:

identifying a surface activity by a change in radiant power of a light-ray cluster or a part thereof, spectrally modified or not, from a region over time.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the task performed by the processor system includes:

identifying a surface activity by a change in radiant power of a light-ray cluster or a part thereof, spectrally modified or not, from a region following a change in radiant power of a light-ray cluster or a part thereof, spectrally modified or not, from another region.

28. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

a stabilizing apparatus for maintaining the lens system in a predetermined orientation with respect to the map coordinate system.