Tracking device

• US 9,500,746 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2014
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guidance Marine Limited (Wartsila Oyj Abp)
• Original Assignee: Guidance Navigation Limited
• Inventors: Miles, Russ
• Primary Examiner(s): Brainard, Timothy A
• Application Number:
  US14/514,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20150102956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 342/73
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/66 Tracking systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0206 specially adapted to water vehicles

Abstract

A targetless tracking device has a detector configured to receive scattered radiation indicative of the presence of an object. The device also has a processor which is configured to calculate a positional relationship between the device and the object based on the scattered radiation, receive an indication of a desired positional relationship to the object, and output an error signal indicative of the positional relationship versus the desired positional relationship so that the device position is able to be controlled to reduce the error signal. The processor creates first and second images at first and second points in time, respectively, and compares the first and second images in order to calculate the positional relationship.

Claims

1. A targetless tracking device comprising:

a detector configured to receive scattered radiation indicative of the presence of an object; and

a processor configured to;

calculate a positional relationship between the device and the object based on the scattered radiation;

receive an indication of a desired positional relationship of the detector relative to the object; and

generate an error signal indicative of the positional relationship versus the desired positional relationship so that the device position is able to be controlled to reduce the error signal;

wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the positional relationship by creating first and second images at first and second points in time, respectively, and then comparing the first and second images in order to calculate the positional relationship;

wherein either;

the scattered radiation is from a radar and the first and second images are radar images;

or the scattered radiation is from a lidar and the first and second images are lidar images.

2. The targetless tracking device of claim 1, wherein the first and second images are compared by scan-matching.

3. The targetless tracking device of claim 2, wherein scan-matching comprises selecting part of the second image based on a predicted location of the object in the second image.

4. The targetless tracking device of claim 3, wherein a prediction error is calculated by optimising a function between the second image and the first image.

5. The targetless tracking device of claim 4, wherein the function is a correlation between the second and first images.

6. The targetless tracking device of claim 3, wherein an estimated change is generated using an estimator such as a state observer, comprising one of a fixed gain state observer, a particle filter and a Kalman filter.

7. The targetless tracking device of claim 6, wherein the estimator takes a current speed of the device as a parameter.

8. The targetless tracking device of claim 2, further comprising adjusting the second image to match the first image.

9. The targetless tracking device of claim 1, wherein creating first and second images comprises calculating a spatial power spectral density of the intensity of the scattered radiation.

10. The targetless tracking device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to select a sub-region of one of the first and second images.

11. The targetless tracking device of claim 10, wherein the processor selects the sub-region so that the object fills a majority of the sub-region.

12. The targetless tracking device of claim 10, wherein the sub-region contains no further object which moves relative to the object.

13. The targetless tracking device of any of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to display the sub-region to a user, receive input from the user, and calculate the positional relationship in response to receiving the input from the user.

14. The targetless tracking device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to compare the first and second images in order to calculate one or more of a separation distance, a relative orientation or bearing between the device and the object based on the scattered radiation, and wherein the desired positional relationship is an equivalent one or more of a desired separation distance, desired relative orientation or desired bearing of the detector relative to the object.

15. The targetless tracking device of claim 1, further comprising a dynamic positioning system configured to control a propulsion system to move a vessel towards the desired target distance based on the error signal.

16. A targetless tracking device comprising:

a detector configured to receive scattered radiation indicative of the presence of an object; and

a processor configured to;

calculate a positional relationship between the device and the object based on the scattered radiation;

receive an indication of a desired positional relationship of the detector relative to the object; and

generate an error signal indicative of the positional relationship versus the desired positional relationship so that the device position is able to be controlled to reduce the error signal;

wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the positional relationship by creating first and second images at first and second points in time, respectively, and then comparing the first and second images in order to calculate the positional relationship, wherein the first and second images are compared by scan-matching.

17. A targetless tracking device comprising:

a detector configured to receive scattered radiation indicative of the presence of an object; and

a processor configured to;

calculate a positional relationship between the device and the object based on the scattered radiation;

receive an indication of a desired positional relationship of the detector relative to the object; and

generate an error signal indicative of the positional relationship versus the desired positional relationship so that the device position is able to be controlled to reduce the error signal;

wherein the processor is further configured to;

generate an image of the object based on the scattered radiation;

select a sub-region of the image, the sub-region containing the object;

display the sub-region to a user;

receive input from the user, and in response to receiving the input, calculate the positional relationship by creating first and second images of the sub-region based on the scattered radiation at first and second points in time, respectively, and then comparing the first and second images in order to calculate the positional relationship.