초록 ▼

A method of target acquisition and lock-on-launch strike capability of self guided explosive canisters, such as imaging missile systems and imaging artillery projectiles, by launching an imaging sensor platform over the battlefield area and transmitting imagery of the battlefield to an image process

A method of target acquisition and lock-on-launch strike capability of self guided explosive canisters, such as imaging missile systems and imaging artillery projectiles, by launching an imaging sensor platform over the battlefield area and transmitting imagery of the battlefield to an image processing computer system and an image receiving on-board microcomputer. The sensor platform may be an artillery television camera fired over the battlefield and parachute deployed, or an airlift sensor platform aboard a helicopter or the like. The image processing computer system is comprised of an automatic target cueing system and CRT display in which the system displays cued targets on the CRT. The method has an important man-in-the-loop, as a crew-chief, who examines the cued targets on the CRT and eliminates false targets, such as a bush or rock, and annotates selected targets to be struck by the explosive canisters. The self guided explosive canisters have electrical connectors between the microcomputer system and the computer system to directly receive and store thresholded digital target maps of the battlefield targets therein from the computer system. After launch of the canister, the microprocessor directly receives sensed imagery from the battlefield, compares and matches the sensed imagery with the stored digital target map, and guides the explosive canister to its designated target.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of autonomous target acquisition for an imaging self guided explosive canister launched by a millitary battery, comprising the steps of: exposing an active sensor imaging system on a sensor platform to a direct view of an enemy area of a battlefield to obtain a sensed image and transmitting

A method of autonomous target acquisition for an imaging self guided explosive canister launched by a millitary battery, comprising the steps of: exposing an active sensor imaging system on a sensor platform to a direct view of an enemy area of a battlefield to obtain a sensed image and transmitting said sensed image therefrom; receiving said sensed image in a TV receiver of an image processing computer system and converting the sensed TV image from analog to digital while performing enhancement and target cueing algorithms on said sensed TV image and displaying the enhanced targets in digital form on a light sensitive screen of a cathode ray tube; performing a manipulation of the digitized information on the light sensitive screen by a crew chief man-in-the-loop viewing the sensed TV image display and annotating selected targets to be hit by said military battery imaging self guided explosive canister by a light pen light beam means and manipulation of said image processing computer system which is electrically connected with an on-board microcomputer system within each of a plurality of imaging self guided explosive canisters to assign a specific imaging self guided explosive canister to a specific target wherein said image processing computer system automatically provides said microcomputer with a digital target map of the sensed TV image including the crew chief manipulated annotated target; launching said imaging self guided explosive canister toward the battlefield enemy area while unshielding a canister active imaging system wherein said canister active imaging system provides said microcomputer system with a continuous sensed image picture of said enemy area; and automatically sequencing a program stored within said microcomputer system for matching said digital target map to said continuous sensed image by rotating said digital target map using mathematical algorithms to match said annotated target to its spatial position of said continuous sensed image picture of said enemy area and after the matching step is complete activating a terminal guidance system for autonomous guidance of said canister to said annotated target.