A system and method for dual-band detection of incoming threats using an initial passive detection system and a selectively activated active detection system. Advantages include improved threat detection accuracy, reduction of false alarms, and reduced radiation emission from the active system, ther
A system and method for dual-band detection of incoming threats using an initial passive detection system and a selectively activated active detection system. Advantages include improved threat detection accuracy, reduction of false alarms, and reduced radiation emission from the active system, thereby making the active system more difficult to detect and reducing irradiation levels of users and bystanders. Variations include systems employing passive optical or electro-optical detectors, systems employing active RADAR or LADAR detectors, and systems connected to alarm signal/threat mitigation systems. The system may be configured for use on ground vehicles or small watercraft. Variations of the system may be specifically configured to detect incoming munitions launches.
대표청구항▼
1. A method of detecting and tracking a potential threat with a dual-band detection system, the method comprising: passively detecting, with a passive detector operating in a first band, a potential threat;activating, based on results of said passively detecting, an active detection system that oper
1. A method of detecting and tracking a potential threat with a dual-band detection system, the method comprising: passively detecting, with a passive detector operating in a first band, a potential threat;activating, based on results of said passively detecting, an active detection system that operates in a second band;actively detecting, based on a signal of the second band emitted and detected by said active detection system, a range and velocity of the potential threat;calculating a time of expected impact of the potential threat based on results of actively detecting; anddetermining if the potential threat is an actual threat based on results of said actively detecting and said calculating. 2. The method of claim 1, said actively detecting further including actively detecting a movement direction of the potential target. 3. The method of claim 1, said passively detecting further including determining a relative location of the potential threat. 4. The method of claim 3, where activating includes orienting the active detection system in a direction associated with the relative location of the potential threat. 5. The method of claim 3, where the passive detector is a 360-degree, fixed field-of-view optical detector and the relative location is an azimuth and elevation angle of the potential threat relative to a vehicle being monitored by said method. 6. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising sending results of said calculating to at least one ancillary system for further processing and action when said determining determines that the potential threat is an actual threat. 7. The method of claim 6, where said further processing and action includes deploying countermeasures to neutralize the actual threat; and the method further includes de-activating the active detection system after said deploying. 8. The method of claim 1, where passively detecting includes detecting a launch of a munition. 9. The method of claim 1, where: said passively detecting includes comparing a passive detection result against at least one predetermined passive threat signature and deciding whether the passive detection result has a threat signature associated with a potential threat;said actively detecting includes comparing an active detection result against at least one predetermined active threat signature; andsaid determining includes deciding, based on said comparing an active detection result, whether the active detection result has a threat signature associated with a potential threat. 10. The method of claim 9, where the predetermined passive threat signature includes a light flash with a duration of less than 0.03 seconds. 11. The method of claim 9, where the predetermined active threat signature includes expected or threshold velocity and direction values. 12. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising de-activating the active detection system when determining if the potential threat is an actual threat does not indicate an actual threat. 13. The method of claim 1, where actively detecting includes spatially integrating detection results of passive detection with detection results of the active detector. 14. The method of claim 1, where passively detecting includes magneto-optically filtering incident visible light. 15. The method of claim 14, where magneto-optically filtering includes band-pass filtering with a pass band of 25 milli-angstroms centered at a wavelength of 769 nanometers. 16. The method of claim 1, where actively detecting includes detecting with an active RADAR device. 17. A dual-band detection device for detecting and tracking a potential threat, the device comprising: a passive detection system operating in a first band, where said passive detection system detects a potential threat;an active detection system operating in a second band, where said active detection system tracks the potential threat;a processing section operably connected to the active and passive detection systems, the processing section including: a target verification unit that determines if the potential threat detected by the passive detection system is a likely real threat;a detector control unit in communication with the target verification unit such that the detector control unit activates the active detection system to track the likely real threat; anda memory unit in communication with the target verification and detector control units, said memory unit storing detection data from the active and passive detection systems; wherethe target verification unit determines, based on the detection data of the active detection system, a range and velocity of the likely real threat and whether the likely real threat is an actual threat. 18. The device of claim 17, the target verification unit including: a relative location unit that determines a relative location of the potential threat based on detection results from the passive detection system; anda time to impact calculator that calculates, based on detection results from the active detection system, an expected impact time of the actual threat. 19. The device of claim 17, where the target verification unit also determines a movement direction of the likely real threat. 20. The device of claim 17, the device further comprising a mitigation system interface unit that passes information about the actual threat to a threat mitigation system. 21. The device of claim 20, wherein the threat mitigation system includes a countermeasures deployment system. 22. The device of claim 17, wherein the passive detection system is a visible-spectrum optical detector. 23. The device of claim 22, where the visible-spectrum optical detector is a detector having a 360-degree horizontal field of view and where the detector includes a magneto-optical filter that band-pass filters incident light with a pass band of 25 milli-angstroms centered at a wavelength of 769 nanometers. 24. The device of claim 23, where the detector has a vertical field of view larger than 90 degrees. 25. The device of claim 17, wherein the active detection system is a RADAR system. 26. The device of claim 17, wherein the passive detection system detector is an infra-red detector. 27. The device of claim 17, where the active detection system is a laser detection and ranging (LADAR) system. 28. The device of claim 17, where the detector control unit de-activates the active detection system when the target verification unit determines that the likely real threat is not an actual threat. 29. The device of claim 17, where the device is installed on a land vehicle. 30. A method for reducing a false alarm rate in a threat detection system, the method comprising: first detecting, with a passive detection system in a first waveband, a potential threat;determining if the potential threat is a likely real threat;activating, in response to a likely real threat, an active detection system in a second waveband;second detecting, with the active detection system, a range and velocity of said likely real threat; anddetermining, based on the results of the first and second detecting steps, if said likely real threat is an actual threat. 31. The method of claim 30, the method further comprising providing actual threat information to a downstream ancillary system for processing and action. 32. The method of claim 30, where the first waveband is a waveband associated with visible light and the second waveband is a waveband associated with radio-frequency waves. 33. The method of claim 30, the method further comprising de-activating the active detection system when the likely real threat is not determined to be an actual threat. 34. A method of selectively activating an active detector of a dual-band threat detection system, the method comprising: passively detecting, with a passive detector, a potential threat;determining if the potential threat is a likely real threat;activating, only in response to a likely real threat, the active detector;actively detecting, with the active detector, a range and velocity of said likely real threat;determining, based on the results of the passive and active detecting steps, if said likely real threat is an actual threat; andde-activating the active detector if the likely real threat is not an actual threat;where the passive detector operates in a first waveband and the active detector operates in a second waveband.
연구과제 타임라인
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
이 특허에 인용된 특허 (6)
Diaz, Frederick U.; Boka, Jeffrey B., Generalized midcourse missile guidance.
※ AI-Helper는 부적절한 답변을 할 수 있습니다.