Weather-agile reconfigurable automatic target recognition system

• US 7,040,570 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2003
• Issued: 05/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Inventors: Pittman, William C., Sims, S. Richard F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US10/675,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20050087649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 342 25 R- 25 F, 342 26 R- 26 D, 342/27, 342/28, 342 52- 59, 342/89, 342/90, 342/175, 342189-197, 342 61- 66, 342165-174, 244 31- 33, 89/11.1, 356 401- 515, 382/100, 382/103
• US Class Current: 244/3.16
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/007 Preparatory measures taken before the launching of the guided missiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Applicants'"'"' ATR system is weather-agile because it is comprised of a primary target sensing means that is capable of surveilling the target scene in foul or fair weather, and a secondary target sensing means that is also capable of sensing targets in various weather. The primary and secondary sensing means communicate through a control center so that ultimately, among several weapons available, the most strategically located and equipped weapon is activated for the destruction of a selected target, given the weather. The control center accomplishes the communication by receiving the sensed target signature from the primary sensing means, processing the signature using database already resident in the center and transmitting the processed target signature to the weapon possessing the greatest potential for successfully destroying the target.

Claims

1. A Weather-Agile Automatic Target Recognition System for performing a rapid target update in diverse weather conditions, said system comprising:

a primary multi-spectral target sensing means for sensing targets in diverse climatic conditions and generating target signature corresponding to said sensed target;

a plurality of weapons;

a plurality of secondary multi-spectral target sensing means, one of said secondary sensing means being mounted on one of said weapons and enabling said weapon to seek the sensed target in any weather condition, said primary and secondary sensing means cooperating with each other to destroy selected targets; and

a control center having therein pre-existing target, weaponry and environmental databases, said center positioned to communicate with said primary and secondary multi-spectral target sensing means, said center receiving said target signature from said primary sensing means and processing said signature using said pre-existing databases prior to transmitting said processed signature to said secondary sensing means residing on a weapon selected as having the greatest potential to accomplish a successful destruction of the sensed target.

2. A Weather-Agile Automatic Target Recognition System for performing a rapid target update as set forth in claim 1, wherein said primary multi-spectral target sensing means is mounted on an airborne surveillance platform positioned to observe a target scene and said control center transmits to said primary sensing means said pre-existing databases to facilitate efficient surveillance by said primary sensing means.

3. A Weather-Agile Automatic Target Recognition System for performing a rapid target update, said system comprising:

a primary target sensing means mounted on an airborne surveillance platform, said primary sensing means sensing a diversity of targets in a first given climatic condition and generating target signature corresponding to said sensed target;

a plurality of weapons, said weapons each having an individual secondary target sensing means, said individual sensing means enabling said weapons to seek the sensed target in a second given climatic condition, said primary and individual secondary sensing means cooperating with each other to destroy selected targets; and

a control center having therein preexisting target, weaponry and environmental databases, said center positioned to communicate with said primary and individual secondary sensing means, said center transmitting to said first sensing means said pre-existing databases to facilitate effective surveillance by said first sensing means, receiving from said primary sensing means said target signature and processing said signature using said pre-existing databases to produce processed target signature, said center subsequently transmitting said processed target signature to said individual sensing means residing on a weapon selected as having the greatest potential to accomplish a successful destruction of the sensed target.

4. A Weather-Agile Automatic Target Recognition System for performing a rapid target update as set forth in claim 3, wherein said primary sensing means comprises a synthetic aperture radar for maximum target recognition in cloudy, foggy or rainy weather, and each individual secondary sensing means comprises a synthetic aperture radar for maximum target recognition and destruction in cloudy, foggy or rainy weather in response to said processed target signature.

5. A Weather-Agile Automatic Target Recognition System for performing a rapid target update as set forth in claim 3, wherein said primary sensing means comprises a synthetic aperture radar for maximum target recognition in cloudy, foggy or rainy weather, and each individual sensing means comprises a laser radar for maximum target recognition and destruction in fair weather in response to said processed target signature.

6. A Weather-Agile Automatic Target Recognition System as set forth in claim 3, wherein said primary sensing means comprises a synthetic aperture radar for maximum target recognition in cloudy, foggy or rainy weather, and each individual sensing means comprises an electro-optical sensor for maximum target recognition and destruction in fair weather in response to said processed target signature.

7. A Weather-Agile Automatic Target Recognition System as set forth in claim 3, wherein said primary sensing means comprises an electro-optical sensor for target recognition in fair weather, and each individual sensing means comprises an electro-optical sensor for maximum target recognition and destruction in fair weather in response to said processed target signature.

8. A Reconfigurable Automatic Target Recognition System for performing a rapid target update in diverse weather conditions, said system comprising:

a plurality of primary target sensing means;

a plurality of airborne surveillance platforms, each of said primary target sensing means being mounted onto one of said platforms such that there are no more than one primary target sensing means on any one platform, each of said primary target sensing means sensing a plurality of targets in a given climatic condition and generating target signature corresponding to said sensed target;

a plurality of weapons, said weapons each hosting an individual secondary target sensing means such that each weapon hosts no more than one individual secondary target sensing means, said individual sensing means enabling its hosting weapon to seek the sensed target in any climatic condition, said primary and individual secondary sensing means cooperating with each other to destroy selected targets; and

a control center having therein pre-existing target, weaponry and environmental databases, said center positioned to communicate with said plural primary and individual secondary sensing means, said center receiving said target signature from one or more of said primary sensing means and processing said signature using said pre-existing databases prior to transmitting said processed target signature to said individual sensing means hosted in a weapon selected as having the greatest potential to accomplish a precision destruction of the sensed target.

9. A Reconfigurable Automatic Target Recognition System for performing a rapid target update in diverse weather conditions as set forth in claim 8, wherein some of said primary target sensing means are synthetic aperture radars and the others are electro-optical sensors.

10. A Reconfigurable Automatic Target Recognition System as set forth in claim 9, wherein some of said individual secondary target sensing means are synthetic aperture radars, some are laser radars and yet others are electro-optical sensors.