Method to Provide Graphical Representation of Sense Through The Wall (STTW) Targets

• US 20070035436A1
• Filed: 11/14/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RealTronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: RealTronics Corporation
• Inventors: Askildsen, Bernt, Thompson, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,339,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/888 through wall detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/22 Producing cursor lines and indicia by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/411 Identification of targets based on measurements of radar reflectivity G01S7/415 takes precedence

Abstract

A method to present easily understood images that represent targets that are detected through walls or other opaque barriers is disclosed. This method is particularly well suited for sense-through-the-wall radar systems. One of the main challenges of evolving STTW systems is that the practitioners of the technology are generally presented with complicated images to represent the gain adjusted amplitude of signals that are detected by the radar. Interpretation of images from prior art, which can be in the form of the radar speckle, target blob, wiggle plot, and horizontal amplitude intensity displays, shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, requires high levels of skill, focus, and time. Naturally, the foregoing places military and law-enforcement customers of the technology at considerable risk during hostile missions. This invention discloses a method that converts a typical radar signal into an image that is easily understood by a practitioner of STTW technology. This invention improves prior art by employing any combination of radar data interpretation with any combination of video feed overlay, hologram, target silhouettes, lines, borders, colored target representations and the like to concisely report target information to a STTW device operator.

Claims

1. A method for display of Sense-Through-The-Wall (STTW) radar data on a display device to achieve a simplified yet intuitive form or representation of a target that is easily understood by a STTW radar operator that comprises in combination the following steps in an endless loop,

(a) collecting radar return data from any sense through the wall radar device,

(c) using any method or system to characterize the STTW radar return data into any plurality of classes,

(d) associating a real or synthetic image representation of each target in the STTW radar return data that corresponds to the characterized class of each target,

(c) using any method or system to determine the coordinates of targets that are detected in the STTW radar return data,

(d) assigning a scale or size to the real or synthetic image representation of each target that is appropriate to the coordinates of the target so that the target image appears to reflect the physical distance between the STTW radar and the target,

(d) forming a plot that assigns a relative size and display position for each real or synthetic target image that is correlated to the corresponding coordinates and scale of each detected target in the current STTW radar return data or by forming a plot that assigns any other type of graphic and any position on the display that may be used to optimally indicate the presence or composition of each STTW target,

(e) using a display rendering cycle to cause a computing machine, embedded processor, microprocessor and the like to cause a display device to form a background image that may be any combination of a blank image, live video stream, longitude grid overlay, latitude grid overlay, area map overlay, an overlay map of objects in the area, menu overlay, or any image that can be used to enhance presentation or understanding of the target images,

(e) using a display rendering cycle to cause a computing machine, embedded processor, microprocessor and the like to cause a display device to overlay the current plot image of the properly pixel positioned real or synthetic target images onto the background image.

2. A STTW virtual image display management for use in a plurality of STTW radar system and display devices of the type in claim 1 that comprises in combination,

(a) a plurality of sense through the wall radar devices,

(b) a plurality of display devices or monitoring systems,

(c) a plurality of display adapters for interfacing STTW interface to a plurality of display devices or monitoring systems,

(d) a plurality of video camera, CCD, or other image capturing device that collects live video images,

(e) a processor for coupling display data from any plurality of STTW devices, data systems, communication systems, and image capturing devices to any plurality of display devices,

(f) a virtual image display management system that causes any plurality of display devices to display any representation of targets that are detected by any plurality of STTW sensors,

(g) a plurality of mode selection switch, keyboard, voice recognition device, or other input device coupled between any plurality of display devices or monitoring systems for selectively coupling data from any plurality of video capturing or STTW devices,

(h) a mode selection switch, keyboard, voice recognition device, or other input device coupled to the display electronics or to the STTW radar for permitting data or command entry thereto,

(i) a method for selectively displaying target images, background images, live background video stream, zoom effect, and other features to that optimize the display for a given STTW operator.