Apparatus and method for tracking a target
US5062056A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 18, 1989 |
| Grant date | Oct 29, 1991 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 18, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S3/7865
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Target tracking capability is provided by a synergistic tracker system (5) which includes both a correlation tracker (30) and an object tracker (40) for processing sensor data input (10) and for generating tracking error signals (80). The operation of the synergistic tracker system is controlled by a central processing unit (70). The system operates by first correlating a reference region image with a portion of a current digitized image provided by an analog to digital converter (20). Secondly, the object tracker provides a precisely defined trackpoint for an object within the current image. The correlation tracker stabilizes and limits the portion of the digitized image that the object tracker must operate upon. Stabilizing and limiting this portion of the digitized image reduces the object tracker's sensitivity to background clutter and sensitivity to a loss of lock induced by sensor motion. The object tracker provides a non-recursive update for the correlation's reference region image. The correlation tracker and the object tracker are used simultaneously and cooperatively so that the strengths of one tracker are used to overcome the weaknesses of the other. A method of trackin…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.