Process for the identification of objects

• US 7,627,170 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Inventors: Thai, Bea, Ramroth, Richard R., Aboutalib, Omar
• Primary Examiner(s): Bali; Vikkram
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bitar; Nancy
• Application Number:
  US11/247,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20070081723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,512 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/154, 382/172, 382/173, 382/199, 382/170, 382/217, 382/218, 250/221, 250/393, 701/223
• US Class Current: 382/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 Three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/11 Technique with transformation invariance effect

Abstract

The invention is a process for identifying an unknown object. In detail, the process includes the steps of: 1) compiling data on selected features on a plurality of segments of a plurality of known objects; 2) illuminating the unknown object with a laser radar system; 3) dividing the unknown object into a plurality segments corresponding to each of the segments of the known objects; 4) sequentially measuring selected features of each of the plurality of segments of the unknown object; and 5) comparing the sequentially measuring selected features of each of the plurality of segments of the unknown object to the selected features on the plurality of segments of the plurality of known objects.

Claims

1. A process for identifying an unknown object, the process comprising the steps:

compiling data on selected features of a plurality of articulated segments of a plurality of known objects by making piecewise pixel-pair invariant measurements of each of the plurality of segments of the known objects;

illuminating the unknown object by means of a laser radar system;

dividing the unknown object into a plurality articulated segments corresponding to each of the segments of the known objects;

sequentially measuring selected features of each of the plurality of segments of the unknown object by making piecewise pixel-pair invariant measurements of each of the plurality of segments of the unknown objects; and

comparing the piecewise pixel-pair invariant measurements of each of the plurality of segments of the unknown object until a match is found

wherein the pixel-pair invariant measurements include the distance between first and second pixels of the pixel-pairs, the angle between the normals, {hacek over (N)}p and {hacek over (N)}Q, to the surface area about the first and second pixels, the normalized distance between the first and second pairs along {hacek over (N)}p+{hacek over (N)}Q, and the normalized distance between the first and second pairs along {hacek over (N)}p*{hacek over (N)}Q and

comparing the sequentially measuring selected features of each of the plurality of segments of the unknown object to the selected features on the plurality of segments of the plurality of known objects to identify the unknown object.

2. The process as set forth in claim 1 wherein in the step of compiling data on selected features on a plurality of segments of a plurality of known objects the plurality of segments of the plurality of known objects are bottom and top segments.

3. The process as set forth in claim 1 wherein in the step of compiling data on selected features on a plurality of segments of a plurality of known objects the plurality of segments of the plurality of known objects are bottom, middle and top segments.

4. The process as set forth in claim 3 wherein the pixel-pair invariants are selected from those having angles between normals to their respective surfaces of between 80 and 100 degrees.

5. The process as set forth in claim 4 wherein the step of dividing the unknown object into a plurality segments corresponding to each of the segments of the known objects includes the step of determining the slope of the ground the object is residing on.

6. The process as set forth in claim 5 wherein the step of making piecewise pixel-pair invariant measurements of each of the plurality of segments of the unknown object is conducted with the source of the laser radar at an angle of between 30 and 60 degrees to the slop of the unknown object.