System and method for processing of tactical information in combat vehicles

• US 9,658,078 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BAE Systems Hã¤Gglunds AB
• Original Assignee: BAE Systems Hã¤Gglunds AB
• Inventors: Backstrm, Ronny, Segerman, Mikael
• Primary Examiner(s): Butler, Rodney
• Application Number:
  US14/897,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20160123757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 7/02 Land vehicles with enclosing armour, e.g. tanks endless-track vehicles, steering thereof B62D ; vehicles for placing portable or sectional bridges E01D15/127; vehicles carrying floating bridges E01D15/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30212 Military
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/38 Registration of image sequences
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 Automotive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

The invention pertains to a system, a method, a computer program and a combat vehicle with an integrated system, for processing of tactical information. The system comprises at least one sensor for registration of at least one image sequence display at least a portion of the surroundings of the combat vehicle. The system further comprises a navigation module arranged to register a current position of the vehicle. The system further comprises a tactical data module for storage of tactical information and an information processing unit arranged to process said image sequence to superimpose the tactical information onto said image sequence.

Claims

1. A system, integrated in a combat vehicle, for processing of tactical information of the combat vehicle, the system comprising:

at least one image registering sensor arranged to register at least one image sequence displaying at least a portion of surroundings of the vehicle, wherein said at least one sensor is comprised of at least one sensor of a set of sensors comprising a video camera, a still image camera and an IR-camera;

a navigation module comprising a GPS-receiver and a digital storage medium and arranged to register information at least indicating a current position of the vehicle;

a tactical data module comprising a digital storage medium and arranged to store tactical information describing a tactical environment in which the vehicle operate, wherein said tactical information comprises information at least describing a position of at least one tactical object and/or area;

at least one information processing unit coupled to said at least one sensor, said navigation module and said tactical data module receiving said at least one registered image sequence, said registered current position of the combat vehicle and said stored tactical information, wherein said at least one information processing unit is arranged to superimpose the tactical information onto said at least one registered image sequence by processing said at least one registered image sequence based on the registered current position of the combat vehicle and the position of said at least one tactical object and/or area, and to present at least a portion of said at least one processed image sequence in at least one display coupled to said information processing unit, and

wherein said at least one information processing unit further is arranged to process said at least one registered image sequence based on terrain information from a terrain database module of the system, wherein said terrain database module is arranged to store terrain information describing the topology of terrain surrounding the vehicle, and

wherein said at least one information processing unit is arranged to superimpose the tactical information onto said at least one registered image sequence in the form of at least one indicator displaying, in each respective image of said at least one registered image sequence, a line-of-sight to said at least one tactical object and/or area together with an indicator displaying whether said at least one tactical object and/or area is visible or obscured by terrain along the line-of-sight in each respective image of said at least one registered image sequence, and

wherein said at least one information processing unit is arranged to provide said at least one indicator displaying whether said at least one tactical object and/or area is visible or obscured by terrain along the line-of-sight based on information relating to the position of said at least one tactical object and/or area, the current position of the vehicle, the terrain information and said at least one angle of the image registering sensor relative to the combat vehicle at the moment of image registration.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one information processing unit is arranged to process said at least one registered image sequence based on information describing the current position of the combat vehicle, at least one angle in which said at least one image registering sensor is arranged relative to the combat vehicle at a moment of image registration and the position of said at least one tactical object and/or area in order to determine whether and where said the tactical information shall be superimposed in each respective image of said at least one registered image sequence.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said at least one information processing unit is arranged to determine whether and where said tactical information shall be superimposed based on the current position of the combat vehicle, the position of said at least one tactical object and/or area, the angle of the image registering sensor relative to the combat vehicle and a field of view of said at least one image registering sensor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said tactical information is arranged to be superimposed onto said at least one registered image sequence in the form of at least one indicator displaying, in each respective image of said at least one registered image sequence, a line-of-sight to said at least one tactical object and/or area.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one information processing unit is arranged to correlate said terrain information with said at least one registered image sequence in order to project said at least one registered image sequence onto said terrain information so as to enable three dimensional presentation of superimposed tactical information in said at least one display.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said tactical data module further comprises a tactical data link arranged to receive updated tactical information describing the tactical environment in which the vehicle operate so as to enable said tactical data module to update said stored tactical information with regard to presence and/or positional changes of tactical objects and/or areas.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a tactical object database comprising stored graphical synthetic objects describing different types of tactical objects and/or areas.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the stored tactical information comprises information indicating a type of tactical object and/or area.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said at least one portion of said tactical information is arranged to be superimposed onto said at least one registered image sequence in the form of synthetic objects selected, from the tactical object database, by said at least one information processing unit based on said tactical information indicating the type of tactical object and/or area.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said tactical information comprises information describing position and/or type of at least one tactical object, wherein said at least one tactical object is comprised of at least one object of enemy and/or own troop in a form of at least one object of a group of objects at least comprising a helicopter, an aircraft, an infantry soldier, an infantry soldier unit, a tank, a command center, an armoured personnel carrier, a troop transport vehicle, a building occupied by a troop, a bunker, a ground based surveillance vehicle, a jeep, an anti-aircraft unit, an artillery unit.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said tactical information comprises information describing position and/or type of at least one area, wherein said at least one tactical area is comprised of at least one area of a group of areas comprising at least a mine field, an observation area, a firing area, a firing position area, an area with particular ground characteristics, a protection area, a re-grouping area, and advance area, a fall-back area, a sunlit area, a shadow area, a building area, a civilian area, an enemy area, a smoke curtain area, an aerial support area, an artillery support area.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said information processing unit further is arranged to process said at least one registered image sequence to superimpose tactical information, onto said at least one image sequence, relating to at least one digital order issued by a vehicle commander of the combat vehicle and/or at least one digital order issued by a remote command center.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said at least one digital order is arranged to be superimposed in a form of information describing instructions associated to said at least one digital order together with tactical information indicating one or more tactical objects and/or one or more areas which said at least one digital order concerns.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a tactical route planning module comprising a processor and arranged to plan at least one route for the combat vehicle, based on the current position of the combat vehicle and tactical information from said tactical data module, and to communicate information describing said at least one planned route to said at least one information processing unit so as to enable said at least one information processing unit to superimpose information relating to said at least one planned route.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said tactical route planning module is arranged to automatically generate at least one digital order associated to said at least one planned route, or portions thereof, and communicate information describing said at least one planned route and said at least one digital order to said at least one information processing unit in order to enable said at least one information processing unit to superimpose information relating to said at least one planned route and said at least one automatically generated digital order onto said at least one registered image sequence.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising a threat detection unit comprising a processor and at least coupled to said at least one image registering sensor, wherein said threat detection unit is arranged to receive said at least one registered image sequence and to detect threats in the surroundings of the vehicle based on information from said at least one image sequence so as to enable registration and superimposition of tactical information registered locally at the combat vehicle.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one information processing unit is arranged to selectively superimpose tactical information onto said at least one registered image sequence for presentation in said at least one display based on input of user instructions, relating to a selection of tactical information, via at least one user interface.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one information processing unit is arranged to use information from a rule database in order to selectively superimpose said tactical information onto said at least one registered image sequence for presentation in said at least one display.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said rule database comprises at least one rule relating at least one type of tactical information to at least one role of a set of vehicle operator roles in order to enable said at least one information processing unit to superimpose different types of tactical information onto said at least one registered image sequence based on the role of vehicle operator which enables role dependent presentation.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said rule database comprises at least one rule relating at least one type of tactical information to at least one mission type of a set of mission types in order to enable said at least one information processing unit to superimpose different types of tactical information onto said at least one registered image sequence based on a current mission type which enables mission dependent presentation of superimposed tactical information.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein said rule database comprises at least one rule relating at least one type of tactical information to at least one future instant of time in order to enable said at least on information processing unit to superimpose different types of tactical information onto said at least one registered image sequence based on current time compared to said at least one future instant of time which enables time dependent presentation of superimposed tactical information.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein said rule database comprises at least one rule relating at least one type of object and/or area of said tactical information to at least one predetermined distance interval between the current position of the vehicle of the combat vehicle and said at least one type of object and/or area within which interval tactical information indicating said at least one type of object and/or area is arranged to be superimposed onto said at least one registered image sequence.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein said rule database is a dynamic rule database comprising at least one dynamic rule that may be updated in real time or close to real time based on at least one event of a set of events comprising an order issuance from a vehicle commander, a change of information of said tactical information, own firing, enemy firing and a changed position of the combat vehicle relative to at least one tactical object and/or area.

24. A method for processing of tactical information of combat vehicles comprising the steps of:

registering at least one image sequence displaying at least a portion of surroundings of the combat vehicle by at least one image registering sensor, wherein said at least one sensor is comprised of at least one sensor of a set of sensors comprising a video camera, a still image camera and an IR-camera;

registering a current position of the combat vehicle;

storing tactical information describing a tactical environment in which the combat vehicle operate, wherein said tactical information at least comprises information describing a position of at least one tactical object and/or area;

receiving, at an information processing unit, said registered current position of the vehicle and said stored tactical information;

superimposing the tactical information onto said at least one registered image sequence by processing, using said information processing unit, of said at least one registered image sequence based on the registered current position of the combat vehicle and the position of said at least one tactical object and/or area and to present at least a portion of said at least one processed image sequence in at least one display coupled to said information processing unit, wherein

the processing of said at least one registered image sequence comprises processing based on terrain information from a terrain database module, wherein said terrain database module is arranged to store terrain information describing the topology of terrain surrounding the vehicle;

the superimposing of the tactical information comprises superimposing in the form of at least one indicator displaying, in each respective image of said at least one registered image sequence, a line-of-sight to said at least one tactical object and/or area together with an indicator displaying whether said at least one tactical object and/or area is visible or obscured by terrain along the line-of-sight in each respective image of said at least one registered image sequence, wherein said at least one indicator displaying whether said at least one tactical object and/or area is visible or obscured by terrain along the line-of-sight is provided based on information relating to the position of said at least one tactical object and/or area, the current position of the vehicle, the terrain information and said at least one angle of the image registering sensor relative to the combat vehicle at the moment of image registration.

25. A computer program, stored on a non-transitory storing medium, for processing of tactical information, wherein the computer program, which when executed by a data processing unit in a combat vehicle based system comprising an image registering sensor for registering at least one image sequence displaying at least a portion of the surroundings of the vehicle, a navigation module comprising a GPS-receiver and a digital storage medium for registering a current position of the combat vehicle, a tactical data module comprising a digital storage medium for storage of tactical information, and a display, causes the system to perform the method of claim 24.

26. A combat vehicle comprising a system integrated in the combat vehicle for processing of tactical information of the combat vehicle, the system comprising:

at least one image registering sensor arranged to register at least one image sequence displaying at least a portion of surroundings of the vehicle, wherein said at least one sensor is comprised of at least one sensor of a set of sensors comprising a video camera, a still image camera and an IR-camera;

a navigation module comprising a GPS-receiver and a digital storage medium and arranged to register information at least indicating a current position of the vehicle;

a tactical data module comprising a digital storage medium and arranged to store tactical information describing a tactical environment in which the vehicle operate, wherein said tactical information comprises information at least describing a position of at least one tactical object and/or area;

at least one information processing unit coupled to said at least one sensor,

said navigation module and said tactical data module receiving said at least one registered image sequence, said registered current position of the combat vehicle and said stored tactical information, wherein said at least one information processing unit is arranged to superimpose the tactical information onto said at least one registered image sequence by processing said at least one registered image sequence based on the registered current position of the combat vehicle and the position of said at least one tactical object and/or area, and to present at least a portion of said at least one processed image sequence in at least one display coupled to said information processing unit.