초록 ▼

A system and method for tracking a cooperative, non-incandescent source may include collecting scene images of a scene that includes the cooperative, non-incandescent source and background clutter. First and second scene images of the scene may be generated over distinct spectral bands. The first an

A system and method for tracking a cooperative, non-incandescent source may include collecting scene images of a scene that includes the cooperative, non-incandescent source and background clutter. First and second scene images of the scene may be generated over distinct spectral bands. The first and second scene images may be imaged onto respective first and second focal plane arrays. In one embodiment, the imaging may be substantially simultaneous. The first and second scene image frame data respectively generated by the first and second focal plane arrays may be processed to produce resultant scene image frame data. The scene image frame data may result in reducing magnitude of scene image frame data representative of the background clutter more than magnitude of scene image frame data representative of the cooperative, non-incandescent source.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A system for tracking a cooperative, non-incandescent source coupled to a missile, said system comprising: a pair of focal plane arrays;an optical imaging system configured to: (i) collect a scene image of a scene within a field-of-view of said optical imaging system, the scene image including th

1. A system for tracking a cooperative, non-incandescent source coupled to a missile, said system comprising: a pair of focal plane arrays;an optical imaging system configured to: (i) collect a scene image of a scene within a field-of-view of said optical imaging system, the scene image including the cooperative non-incandescent source and background clutter,(ii) generate a first scene image over a first spectral band and a second scene image over a second spectral band, and(iii) image the first scene image onto a first focal plane array that generates first scene image frame data and the second scene image onto a second focal plane array that generates second scene image frame data; anda processing unit configured to process the first scene image frame data generated by the first focal plane array and the second scene image frame data generated by the second focal plane array to produce a resultant scene image frame that provides a differential between the magnitude of scene image frame data representative of the background clutter and the magnitude of scene image frame data representative of the cooperative, non-incandescent source, wherein the production of the resultant scene image frame includes subtracting light energy captured over the first spectral band from light energy captured over the second spectral band; wherein light energy of the cooperative, non-incandescent source captured over the second spectral band exceeds light energy of the cooperative, non-incandescent source captured over the first spectral band; andwherein a magnitude of light energy of the cooperative non-incandescent source captured over the first spectral band subtracted from light energy of the cooperative non-incandescent light source captured over the second spectral band exceeds a magnitude of light energy of the background clutter captured over the first spectral band subtracted from light energy of the background clutter captured over the second spectral band. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging of the first scene image onto the first focal plane array and the imaging of the second scene image onto the second focal plane array occurs simultaneously. 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said optical imaging system includes a beam splitter configured to pass a first spectral range of light of the scene image and perform at least one reflection of a second spectral range of light of the scene image. 4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the beam splitter performs two reflections of the second spectral range of light of the scene image. 5. The system according to claim 3, wherein said optical imaging system includes a first optical filter disposed between the beam splitter and the first focal plane array, wherein the first optical filter filters the first spectral range of light of the scene image to generate a first filtered image of the scene image over a first spectral band and a second optical filter disposed between the beam splitter and the second focal plane array, wherein the second optical filter filters the second spectral range of light of the scene image to generate a second filtered image of the scene image over a second spectral band. 6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the first optical filter is configured as a bandpass filter over a range of shorter wavelengths than the second optical filter. 7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the wavelength range of the first optical filter is between approximately 780 nanometers and approximately 800 nanometers, and wherein the wavelength range of the second optical filter is between approximately 900 nanometers and approximately 915 nanometers. 8. The system according to claim 5, wherein said first optical filter and said second optical filter are dichroic. 9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the differential reduces the magnitude of the scene image frame data representative of the background clutter more than the magnitude of the scene image frame data representative of the cooperative, non-incandescent source. 10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said processing unit, in processing the first scene image frame data and the second scene image frame data, is configured to subtract the second scene image frame data from the first scene image frame data. 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein processing of the first scene image frame data and the second scene image frame data is on a pixel-by-pixel basis, wherein each pixel of first scene image frame data from the first focal plane array is subtracted from a pixel of second scene image frame data from the second focal plane array having a corresponding pixel position. 12. The system according to claim 1, wherein said optical imaging system includes a beam splitter configured to pass a first percentage of light of the scene image and perform at least one reflection of the remaining percentage of the light of the scene image. 13. The system according to claim 1, wherein integration times of the first scene image frame data and the second scene image frame data are established to cause solar background clutter to be eliminated in the resultant scene image frame data by said processing unit processing the first and second scene image frame data. 14. A method implemented by a computer processor for tracking a cooperative, non-incandescent source, said method comprising: collecting, by a first focal plane array and a second focal plane array, scene images of a scene that includes the cooperative, non-incandescent source and background clutter;generating, by the first focal plane array, a first scene image over a first spectral band andgenerating, by the second focal plane array, a second scene image over a second spectral band;imaging the first scene image onto the first focal plane array and the second scene image onto the second focal plane array; andprocessing, by the computer processor, the first scene image frame data generated by the first focal plane array and the second scene image frame data generated by the second focal plane array to produce a resultant scene image frame that provides a differential between the magnitude of scene image frame data representative of the background clutter and the magnitude of scene image frame data representative of the cooperative, non-incandescent source, wherein the production of the resultant scene image frame includes subtracting light energy captured over the first spectral band from light energy captured over the second spectral bandwherein light energy of the cooperative, non-incandescent source captured over the second spectral band exceeds light energy of the cooperative, non-incandescent source captured over the first spectral band; andwherein a magnitude of light energy of the cooperative non-incandescent source captured over the first spectral band subtracted from light energy of the cooperative non-incandescent light source captured over the second spectral band exceeds a magnitude of light energy of the background source captured over the first spectral band subtracted from light energy of the background source captured over the second spectral band. 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the imaging of the first scene image onto the first focal plane array and the imaging of the second scene image onto the second focal plane array occurs simultaneously. 16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: splitting light from a scene image into a first spectral range of light of the scene image and a second spectral range of light of the scene image; passing the first spectral range of light; andperforming at least one reflection of the second spectral range of light of the scene image. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the performing includes performing two reflections of the second spectral range of light of the scene image. 18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising optically filtering the first spectral range of light of the scene image over a first spectral band and the second spectral range of light of the scene image over a second spectral band. 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the optical filtering of the first spectral range of light of the scene image is performed as a bandpass filtering over a range of shorter wavelengths than optical filtering of the second spectral range of light of the scene image. 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the wavelength range of the first optical filtering is between approximately 780 nanometers and approximately 800 nanometers, and wherein the wavelength range of the second optical filtering is between approximately 900 nanometers and approximately 915 nanometers. 21. The method according to claim 18, wherein the optical filtering includes performing optical filtering using dichroic optical filters. 22. The method according to claim 14, wherein the processing results in reducing the magnitude of the scene image frame data representative of the background clutter more than the magnitude of the scene image frame data representative of the cooperative, non-incandescent source. 23. The method according to claim 14, wherein processing the first scene image frame data and the second scene image frame data includes subtracting the second scene image frame data from the first scene image frame data. 24. The method according to claim 23, wherein processing of the first scene image frame data and the second scene image frame data is on a pixel-by-pixel basis, wherein each pixel of first scene image frame data from the first focal plane array is subtracted from a pixel of second scene image frame data the second focal plane array having a corresponding pixel position. 25. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: passing a first percentage of light of the scene image; imaging the first focal plane array with the first percentage of light of the scene image; performing at least one reflection of the remaining percentage of the light of the scene image; and imaging the second focal plane array with the remaining percentage of the light of the scene image. 26. The method according to claim 14, further comprising integrating the first scene image frame data and the second scene image frame data to cause solar background clutter to be eliminated in the resultant scene image frame data.