Method and apparatus for locating the trajectory of an object in motion

• US 7,335,116 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visual Sports Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dimitri Petrov Consultants Inc.
• Inventors: Petrov, Dimitri
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIM T
• Application Number:
  US10/964,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20050153786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 473/141, 473/165, 473198-200, 473/407
• US Class Current: 473/407
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 5/007 Reactive armour; Dynamic armour
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/685 for projectile velocity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves

Abstract

An object locating system detects the presence of an object as it passes through two consecutive planar fields of view. Two pairs of optical sensor arrays with multiple, directed, pixel detectors observe the object from two angles as the object passes through each consecutive field of view. The locations of penetrations of the respective fields of view are calculated by triangulation. Using this data, the known location of the take-off point and/or the delay between penetrations, the trajectory of the object in time and space is calculated. Applications include projecting the range of a driven golf ball, measuring the respective arriving and departing velocities of a hit baseball, and determining the trajectory and origin of an arriving projectile, as in the case of the threat to a military vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for locating and tracking a path of an object traveling in space comprising:

a) first and second sets of two member linear sensor arrays operating in the visible or near-infrared spectrum and having respective lenses therein, each set of two member sensor arrays being separated from the other set by a known baseline;

b) each member sensor array within each set having a plurality of directed pixel sensors positioned to provide individual pixel fields of view which collectively provide a planar field of view for each such member sensor array, said planar field of view being defined by the respective lens;

c) the respective sets of sensor arrays being mounted so that the individual planar field of view of each member of the first set of sensor arrays substantially overlaps with the planar field of view of a respective member of the second set of sensor arrays to provide two shared, substantially common planar fields of view, each common planar field of view having a known angle of inclination in space;

d) signal generation means associated with each of the members of each set of sensor arrays to generate signals corresponding with the detected presence of the object passing through the planar field of view of each such member sensor array;

e) electronic processing means connected to receive signals from said signal generation means for calculating the positions of the object as it passes through the respective common fields of view, and being provided with means for calculating a calculated extended path for the object based upon the path in the region between the common planar fields of view being a generally parabolic path to thereby determine the calculated extended path in space of the object as it passes immediately beyond the respective, common planar fields of view; and

f) display means connected to the processing means to provide a display based upon the calculated extended path.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein said processing means includes means for calculating the extended path of the object when launched from a known location to provide the said display.

3. A system as in claim 2 wherein said electronic processing means comprises ballistics processing means to provide the calculated extended path in space of the object as a projected ballistic trajectory to provide the said display.

4. A system as in claim 2 wherein said electronic processing means includes means to calculate the initial velocity at the known location without making any time measurements.

5. A system as in claim 1 wherein said electronic processing means includes means to calculate a hypothetical point of origin of the object, using the distance of the hypothetical point of origin from the baseline to calculate the extended path for the object to provide the said display.

6. A system as in claim 5 wherein said electronic processing means comprises ballistics processing means to provide the calculated extended path in space of the object as a projected ballistic trajectory to provide the said display.

7. A system as in claim 1 wherein said electronic processing means comprises ballistics processing means to provide the calculated extended path in space of the object as a projected ballistic trajectory to provide the said display.

8. A system as is claim 1 wherein said electronic processing means comprises means for determining the path of the object consecutively when the object traverses both common fields of view, traveling in both directions, both incoming and outgoing and wherein said display means provides a display based thereon.

9. A system as in claim 8 wherein said electronic processing means comprises ballistics processing means to provide the calculated extended path in space of the object as a projected ballistic trajectory to provide the said display.

10. The system as in claim 1 wherein the members of the respective first and second sets of sensor arrays are respectively installed in a pair of pods, each pod containing two member sensor arrays, such members in each pod being fixed together to provide respective fields of view that are oriented at a known angle to each other.

11. The system of claim 10 comprising mounting means whereby each such pod may be installed on a support surface with the fields of view of the sensor arrays contained therein positioned at fixed, known orientations with respect to the support surface.

12. The system as in claim 11 wherein said pair of pods are installed at a spaced separation from each other in the vicinity of a golf tee.

13. The system as in claim 11 wherein said pair of pods are installed in proximity to a baseball home plate that is opposite to a pitcher'"'"'s mound at a spaced separation from each other on either side of the line joining the pitcher'"'"'s mound to home plate.

14. The system of claim 1 comprising optical filter means positioned to filter light arriving from the field of view of each sensor array, said optical filter means being an selective wave-length optical filter.

15. The system of claim 1 comprising optical filter means positioned to filter light arriving from the field of view of each sensor array, said optical filter means being a selective wave-length optical filter.

16. A system for locating and tracking a path of an object traveling in space comprising:

a) first and second sets of two member linear sensor arrays operating in the visible or near-infrared spectrum and having respective lenses therein, each set of two member sensor arrays being separated from the other set by a known baseline;

b) each member sensor array within each set having a plurality of directed pixel sensors positioned to provide individual pixel fields of view which collectively provide a planar field of view for each such member sensor array, said planar field of view being defined by the respective lens;

c) the respective sets of sensor arrays being mounted so that the individual planar field of view of each member of the first set of sensor arrays substantially overlaps with the planar field of view of a respective member of the second set of sensor arrays to provide two shared, substantially common planar fields of view, each common planar field of view having a known angle of inclination in space;

d) signal generation means associated with each of the members of each set of sensor arrays to generate signals corresponding with the detected presence of the object passing through the planar field of view of each such member sensor array;

e) electronic processing means connected to receive signals from said signal generation means for calculating the positions of the object as it passes through the respective common fields of view, and being provided with means for calculating the path for the object based upon such path being a generally parabolic path in the region between the common planar fields of view to thereby determine a calculated extended path in space of the object as it passes immediately beyond the respective, common planar fields of view; and

f) display means connected to the processing means to provide a display based upon the calculated extended path wherein said electronic processing means includes means to record the times at which the object passes through the respective, common fields of view and, using the delay between the passage of the object through the respective common fields of view, to calculate the velocity of said object there between, wherein the display is, based upon such calculated velocity and the positions of the object as it passes through the respective common fields of view.

17. A system as in claim 16 wherein said electronic processing means comprises ballistics processing means to provide the calculated extended path in space of the object as a projected ballistic trajectory to provide said path display.

18. A system for locating and tracking a path of an object traveling in space comprising:

a) first and second sets of two member linear sensor arrays, each set of two member sensor arrays being separated from the other set by a known baseline;

b) each member sensor array within each set having a plurality of directed pixel sensors positioned to provide individual pixel fields of view which collectively provide a planar field of view for each such member sensor array;

c) the respective sets of sensor arrays being mounted so that the individual planar field of view of each member of the first set of sensor arrays substantially overlaps with the field of view of a respective member of the second set of sensor arrays to provide two shared, substantially common planar fields of view, each common field of view having a known angle of inclination in space;

d) signal generation means associated with each of the members of each set of sensor arrays to generate signals corresponding with the detected presence of the object passing through the field of view of each such member sensor array;

e) electronic processing means connected to receive signals from said signal generation means for calculating positions of the object as it passes through the respective common fields of view and for determining the velocity of the object consecutively when the object traverses both common fields of view, traveling in both directions, both incoming and outgoing;

f) display means connected to the processing means to provide a display based upon the incoming and outgoing velocity of the object so determined.

19. A system as in claim 18 wherein the display means provides the display based on the relative incoming and outgoing velocities of the object.

20. The system as in claim 18 wherein the members of the respective first and second sets of sensor arrays are respectively installed in a pair of pods, each pod containing two member sensor arrays, such members in each pod being fixed together to provide respective fields of view that are oriented at a known angle to each other, such pods comprising mounting means whereby each such pod may be installed on a support surface with the fields of view of the sensor arrays contained therein positioned at fixed, known orientations wherein said pair of pods are installed in proximity to a baseball home plate that is opposite to a pitcher'"'"'s mound at a spaced separation from each other on either side of the line joining the pitcher'"'"'s mound to home plate.

21. A system as in claim 20 wherein the display means provides the display based on the relative incoming and outgoing velocities of the object.

22. A system for locating and tracking a path of an object traveling in space comprising:

a) first and second sets of two member sensor arrays operating in the visible or near-infrared spectrum and having respective lenses therein, each set of two member sensor arrays being separated from the other set by a known baseline;

b) each member sensor array within each set having a plurality of directed pixel sensors positioned to provide individual pixel fields of view which collectively provide a planar field of view for each such member sensor array, said planar field of view being defined by the respective lens;

c) the respective sets of sensor arrays being mounted so that the individual planar field of view of each member of the first and second sets of sensor arrays intersects the potential path of the object passing through the respective planar fields of view for each such member sensor array, the planar field of view for each such member sensor array each having a known angle of inclination in space;

d) signal generation means associated with each of the members of each set of sensor arrays to generate signals corresponding with the detected presence of the object passing through the respective planar field of view of each such member sensor array;

e) electronic processing means connected to receive signals from said sensor arrays for calculating positions of the object as it passes through the respective fields of view, and being provided with means for calculating an extended path for the object based upon such path being a generally parabolic path in the region between the respective fields of view of each such member sense for away to thereby determine a calculated path in space of the object as it passes immediately beyond the respective, fields of view; and

f) display means connected to the processing means to provide a display based upon the calculated extended path.

23. A system for locating and tracking a path of an object traveling in space comprising:

a) first and second sets of two member sensor arrays operating in the visible or near-infrared spectrum and having respective lenses therein, each set of two member sensor arrays being separated from the other set by a known baseline;

b) each member sensor array within each set having a plurality of directed pixel sensors positioned to provide individual pixel fields of view which collectively provide a planar field of view for each such member sensor array, said planar field of view being defined by the respective lens;

c) the respective sets of sensor arrays being mounted so that the individual planar field of view of each member of the first set of sensor arrays substantially overlaps with the planar field of view of a respective member of the second set of sensor arrays to provide two shared, substantially common planar fields of view, each common planar field of view having a known angle of inclination in space;

d) signal generation means associated with each of the members of each set of sensor arrays to generate signals corresponding with the detected presence of the object passing through the respective planar field of view of each such member sensor array;

e) electronic processing means connected to receive signals from said sensor arrays for calculating the positions of an object as it passes through the respective common planar fields of view, and being provided with means for calculating the path for the object to thereby determine a calculated extended path in space of the object as it passes immediately beyond the respective, common planar fields of view; and

f) display means connected to the processing means to provide a display based upon the calculated extended path.