JP6847619B2 - Tracking target setting device, tracking target setting method and tracking target setting program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technique for automatically setting a tracking target to be tracked by the detection means when a plurality of detection targets are detected by a detection means such as an optical sensor or a radar.

Conventionally, there is known a technique of tracking a detection target by a detection means such as an optical sensor or a radar mounted on an aircraft and continuously acquiring the information (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
When a plurality of detection targets are detected in the tracking of such a detection target, the operator selects one of the plurality of detection targets to be tracked, and the tracking target is detected by the detection means. It is common to track to.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-209415 Japanese Patent No. 3339295

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, when a plurality of detected detection targets are moving at high speed at the same time, it becomes difficult for the operator to manually select the tracking target, and the detection target can be tracked suitably. It will disappear.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable a suitable tracking target to be set even when a plurality of detection targets are detected.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a tracking target setting device.
A detection means that can change the detection direction,
A field of view dividing means for dividing the field of view of the detecting means into a plurality of tracking regions, and
When the detection means detects a plurality of detection targets in the field of view, a determination means for determining whether or not the plurality of detection targets exist in only one of the plurality of tracking regions.
When the determination means determines that the plurality of detection targets exist in only one tracking area, the center of the range in which the plurality of detection targets exist in the one tracking area is set as the tracking target of the detection means. Tracking setting means to set and
It is characterized by having.

The invention according to claim 2 is the tracking target setting device according to claim 1.
It is possible to communicate with another tracking target setting device provided with other detection means, and is provided with a communication means for receiving information on a detection target captured by the other detection means transmitted from the other tracking target setting device. ,
When it is determined that the plurality of detection targets exist over a plurality of tracking regions, the determination means obtains information on the detection targets captured by the other detection means received by the communication means. based further determines whether include those wherein the plurality of detected target is captured in the other detection means,
When the determination means determines that the plurality of detection targets include those captured by the other detection means, the tracking setting means is captured by the other detection means among the plurality of detection targets. It is characterized in that those that have not been set are preferentially set as the tracking target of the detection means.

The invention according to claim 3 is the tracking target setting device according to claim 2.
Does the determination means include those in which the plurality of detection targets are moving toward a critical point when it is determined that the plurality of detection targets do not include those captured by the other detection means? Further judge whether or not
When the determination means determines that the plurality of detection targets are moving toward the critical point, the tracking setting means is moving toward the critical point among the plurality of detection targets. It is characterized in that a thing is preferentially set as a tracking target of the detection means.

The invention according to claim 4 is the tracking target setting device according to claim 3.
When the determination means determines that the plurality of detection targets do not include those moving toward the critical point, the tracking setting means is detected by the detection means among the plurality of detection targets. It is characterized in that the earliest time or the one with the closest future time that cannot be detected by the detection means is preferentially set as the tracking target of the detection means.

The invention according to claim 5 is the tracking target setting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The detection means is an optical sensor or radar mounted on an aircraft.

The invention according to claim 6 and 7 is a tracking target setting method and a tracking target setting program having the same features as the tracking target setting device according to claim 1.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the detection means detects a plurality of detection targets, the plurality of detection targets exist in only one of a plurality of tracking regions in the field of view of the detection means. When it is determined whether or not there are a plurality of detection targets in only one tracking area, the center of the range in which the plurality of detection targets exist in the one tracking area is the tracking target of the detection means. Is set as.
As a result, even when a plurality of detection targets are detected, the tracking targets can be preferably set without depending on the operator's selection operation or the like.

According to the invention of claim 2, when the other detection means has captured any of the detection targets, the plurality of detection targets that are not captured by the other detection means are the detection means. Since the tracking target is set with priority, a plurality of detection targets can be efficiently tracked as a whole detection / capture system including the detection means and other detection means.

According to the invention of claim 3, since the plurality of detection targets moving toward the critical point are preferentially set as the tracking target of the detection means, the detection target toward the critical point is tracked. The tracking target can be preferably set as the one having high importance.

It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the aircraft in this embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the tracking target setting process in this embodiment. It is a data flow diagram which shows the flow of data in a tracking target setting process. It is a figure which shows the field of view of an optical sensor, (a) is the state which is divided into two tracking areas, and (b) is the state which the detection target exists in one of the tracking areas. It is a figure which shows the field of view of an optical sensor, and is the state which the detection target exists over both tracking regions.

Hereinafter, embodiments when the tracking target setting device according to the present invention is applied to an aircraft will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Constitution]
First, the configuration of the aircraft 1 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the aircraft 1.
The aircraft 1 in the present embodiment monitors a predetermined detection target T (see FIG. 2, etc.) using the mounted optical sensor 13.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, in addition to the flight mechanism 11 for flying the aircraft 1, the aircraft 1 includes an optical sensor 13, an airframe sensor 14, a communication unit 15, a storage unit 16, and the like. It is configured to include a control unit 18.

The optical sensor 13 is a detection means for detecting and tracking a detection target and continuously acquiring the information, and is mounted on a gimbal (not shown) so that the detection direction can be changed on the aircraft 1. It is provided. The optical sensor 13 acquires an image of the outside of the aircraft 1 based on a control command from the control unit 18, and outputs the acquired image information to the control unit 18.
The detection means is not limited to the optical sensor, and for example, a radar may be used instead of the optical sensor 13.

The airframe sensor 14 is various sensors for detecting the position, flight state, etc. of the aircraft 1, and includes a gyro sensor, a speed sensor, a navigation sensor, and the like. These airframe sensors 14 acquire various information based on control commands from the control unit 18 and output the signals to the control unit 18.

The communication unit 15 can be connected to a communication network by wireless communication, and can communicate with other aircraft (a wingman 20 described later) to send and receive various signals to each other.

The storage unit 16 is a memory that stores programs and data for realizing various functions of the aircraft 1 and also functions as a work area. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 16 stores the tracking target setting program 160 and the map data 161.
The tracking target setting program 160 is a program for causing the control unit 18 to execute the tracking target setting process described later.
Map data 161 has comprehensive geographic information including information on land use conditions such as roads, railroads, buildings, fields, and critical areas, in addition to topographical information such as mountains and rivers.

The control unit 18 centrally controls each unit of the aircraft 1. Specifically, the control unit 18 drives and controls the flight mechanism 11 to control the flight of the aircraft 1, controls the operation of the optical sensor 13 and the airframe sensor 14, and is stored in the storage unit 16. Expand the program and execute various processes in cooperation with the expanded program.

[motion]
Subsequently, the operation of the aircraft 1 when executing the tracking target setting process will be described.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the tracking target setting process in the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a data flow diagram showing a data flow in the tracking target setting process. Further, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the field of view 130 of the optical sensor 13, in which (a) is divided into two tracking regions 132, and (b) is a plurality of one in one tracking region 132. The detection target T is present, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the field of view 130 of the optical sensor 13, in which a plurality of detection targets T are present over both tracking regions 132. ..

In the tracking target setting process, a predetermined detection target T is detected by the optical sensor 13, and when a plurality of detection targets T are detected, all the detection targets T are captured in the field of view 130 of the optical sensor 13 as much as possible. If that is difficult, it is a process of automatically setting a tracking target to be tracked by the optical sensor 13. In this tracking target setting process, the control unit 18 reads out the tracking target setting program 160 from the storage unit 16 and develops it when an execution instruction of the process is input by, for example, an operation of an operator who operates the optical sensor 13. Is executed by.
Here, as shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the aircraft 1 forms a formation with two wingmen 20 and is in surveillance flight of four aircraft in front of the aircraft, which is the detection target T. Further, it is assumed that each wingman 20 is configured in substantially the same manner as the aircraft 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the tracking target setting process is executed, the control unit 18 first detects the detection target T by the optical sensor 13 (step S1). That is, the control unit 18 controls the operation of the optical sensor 13 and captures the detection target T within the field of view (range) 130 thereof. At this time, the control unit 18 stores the time when each detection target T is detected in the storage unit 16.

Next, the control unit 18 determines whether or not a plurality of detection targets T have been detected by the optical sensor 13 (step S2).
Then, when it is determined that the plurality of detection targets T have not been detected (step S2; No), the control unit 18 shifts to another process. Specifically, in this case, for example, when only a single detection target T is detected, the control unit 18 tracks the detection target T by the optical sensor 13, and when the detection target T is not detected, the above-mentioned description is performed. The process shifts to step S1.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S2 that a plurality of detection targets T have been detected (step S2; Yes), the control unit 18 divides the field of view 130 of the optical sensor 13 into a plurality of tracking regions (step S3).
Specifically, the control unit 18 divides the viewing angle of the optical sensor 13 into a plurality of tracking regions. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, the control unit 18 extends the inner region of the visual field 130 excluding the peripheral region 131 having a predetermined width in the vertical direction (elevation) including the visual axis Ax. It is divided into two equal parts in the left-right direction (azimuth direction) into two tracking areas 132 and 132 (right side tracking area 132R, left side tracking area 132L) with a surface along the direction as a boundary.
However, the division mode of the visual field 130 is not particularly limited, and the visual field 130 may be divided into three or more tracking regions 132, or may be divided vertically or vertically or horizontally.

Next, the control unit 18 determines whether or not all of the detected plurality of detection targets T exist in only one of the tracking regions 132 of the field of view 130 of the optical sensor 13 (step S4).
Then, when it is determined that all the detection targets T exist only in one tracking area 132 (step S4; Yes), the control unit 18 starts all from the one tracking area 132 as shown in FIG. 4 (b). The existence range R of the detection target T is extracted, and the center C thereof is set as the tracking target of the optical sensor 13 (step S5). As a result, the control unit 18 causes the optical sensor 13 to track a plurality of detection targets T so that the visual axis Ax of the optical sensor 13 coincides with the center C of the existence range R.
After that, the control unit 18 transmits the tracking target setting information to the wingman 20, and then shifts the process to step S1 described above.

In step S4 described above, when it is determined that all the detection targets T do not exist only in one tracking region 132 (that is, they exist over a plurality of tracking regions 132) (step S4; No). In the control unit 18, the detection target T existing in the tracking region 132 of any one of the visual fields 130 of the optical sensor 13 is the optical sensor of the consort machine 20 (that is, other detection means other than that of the own machine; not shown). ) To determine whether or not it has been captured / tracked (step S6). Here, when the wingman 20 sets the tracking target, it is assumed that the setting information is transmitted from the wingman 20 and stored in the storage unit 16.
Then, the detection target T existing in any one of the tracking regions 132 is captured and tracked by the optical sensor of the companion machine 20 (the setting information has been received), that is, a plurality of detection targets T are the optics of the companion machine 20. When it is determined that the sensor includes something that has been captured / tracked (step S6; Yes), the control unit 18 sets the detection target T that has not been captured / tracked by the optical sensor of the consort machine 20 as the tracking target of the optical sensor 13. (Step S7). For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when only the two detection targets T in the right side tracking area 132R are captured and tracked by the optical sensor of the consort machine 20, the control unit 18 controls the two detection targets in the left side tracking area 132L. The center C of the existence range R of T is set as the tracking target of the optical sensor 13. Alternatively, if any one of the detection targets T in the left tracking area 132L is also captured and tracked by the optical sensor of the wingman 20, the control unit 18 tracks the remaining one uncaptured detection target T. Set as a goal.
After that, the control unit 18 transmits the tracking target setting information to the wingman 20, and then shifts the process to step S1 described above.

In step S6 described above, the detection target T existing in any one of the tracking regions 132 is not captured / tracked by the optical sensor of the companion machine 20 (that is, a plurality of detection targets T are captured / tracked by the optical sensor of the companion machine 20). When it is determined (step S6; No), the control unit 18 sets the detection target T existing in the tracking region 132 of any one of the visual fields 130 of the optical sensor 13 as a critical point. It is determined whether or not the head is heading (step S8). Specifically, the control unit 18 obtains the position and moving direction of each detection target T from the information acquired by the optical sensor 13, and compares this with the map data 161 to see if the detection target T is heading for a critical point. To judge. Alternatively, when the detection target T is, for example, in ballistic flight, the control unit 18 first estimates the expected arrival point of each detection target T based on the information acquired by the optical sensor 13 and the map data 161. .. Then, the control unit 18 calculates the distance between the expected arrival point of each detection target T and the nearest critical point, and based on this distance, determines whether or not each detection target T heads for the critical point. You may judge.
Then, when it is determined that the detection target T existing in any one of the tracking regions 132 is heading toward the critical point (that is, including those in which a plurality of detection targets T are moving toward the critical point) (step). S8; Yes), the control unit 18 preferentially sets the detection target T heading for this critical point as the tracking target of the optical sensor 13 (step S9).
After that, the control unit 18 transmits the tracking target setting information to the wingman 20, and then shifts the process to step S1 described above.

In step S8 described above, when it is determined that the plurality of detection targets T do not include those moving toward the critical point (step S8; No), the control unit 18 determines the time detected by the optical sensor 13. The earliest detection target T or the detection target T having the closest future time that cannot be detected is preferentially set as the tracking target of the optical sensor 13 (step S10). At this time, the future time at which each detection target T becomes undetectable (cannot be detected by the optical sensor 13) is the position, speed, moving direction of each detection target T, changes in optical and radio wave reflection characteristics, and distance from the own machine. Estimated based on distance, etc.

Next, the control unit 18 determines whether or not to end the tracking target setting process (step S11), and if it determines that the tracking target setting process is not terminated (step S11; No), the process shifts to the above-mentioned step S1. .. On the other hand, when it is determined to end the tracking target setting process (step S11; Yes), for example, by receiving an end operation by the operator, the control unit 18 ends the tracking target setting process.

[effect]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the optical sensor 13 detects a plurality of detection targets T, the plurality of detection targets T are any of the plurality of tracking regions 132 of the field of view 130 of the optical sensor 13. If it is determined whether or not it exists in only one of them, and it is determined that a plurality of detection targets T exist in only one tracking area 132, the existence of a plurality of detection targets T in the one tracking area 132 is determined. The center C of the range R is set as the tracking target of the optical sensor 13.
As a result, even when a plurality of detection targets T are detected, the tracking target can be preferably set without depending on the operator's selection operation or the like.

When the optical sensor of the consort machine 20 has captured any of the detection targets T, the plurality of detection targets T that are not captured by the optical sensor of the consort machine 20 have priority as the tracking target of the optical sensor 13. Therefore, the entire detection / acquisition system including the optical sensor 13 of the own machine and the optical sensor of the consort machine 20 can efficiently track a plurality of detection targets T.

Further, since the detection target T moving toward the critical point is preferentially set as the tracking target of the optical sensor 13, the detection target T toward the critical point is regarded as having a high tracking importance. , The tracking target can be set preferably.

[Modification example]
The embodiment to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, in the tracking target setting process, determination of whether or not a plurality of detection targets T exist only in one tracking area 132, tracking target setting (steps S4 and S5) based on the determination, and a plurality of detection targets T Judgment as to whether or not includes those captured by other detection means and tracking target setting (steps S6 and S7) based on the determination, and determination as to whether or not a plurality of detection targets T include those heading to a critical point and the like. The tracking target setting (steps S8 and S9) based on the above is executed in this order, but these orders are not particularly limited.

Further, although the case where the tracking target setting device according to the present invention is applied to an aircraft has been described, the present invention can be suitably applied to other moving objects such as vehicles and ships.

1 Aircraft 13 Optical sensor 130 Field of view 132 Tracking area Ax Visual axis 16 Storage unit 160 Tracking target setting program 18 Control unit 20 Wingman T Detection target R Existence range

Claims (7)

A detection means that can change the detection direction,
A field of view dividing means for dividing the field of view of the detecting means into a plurality of tracking regions, and
When the detection means detects a plurality of detection targets in the field of view, a determination means for determining whether or not the plurality of detection targets exist in only one of the plurality of tracking regions.
When the determination means determines that the plurality of detection targets exist in only one tracking area, the center of the range in which the plurality of detection targets exist in the one tracking area is set as the tracking target of the detection means. Tracking setting means to set and
A tracking target setting device characterized by being equipped with. It is possible to communicate with another tracking target setting device provided with other detection means, and is provided with a communication means for receiving information on a detection target captured by the other detection means transmitted from the other tracking target setting device. ,
When it is determined that the plurality of detection targets exist over a plurality of tracking regions, the determination means obtains information on the detection targets captured by the other detection means received by the communication means. based further determines whether include those wherein the plurality of detected target is captured in the other detection means,
When the determination means determines that the plurality of detection targets include those captured by the other detection means, the tracking setting means is captured by the other detection means among the plurality of detection targets. The tracking target setting device according to claim 1, wherein a device that has not been set is preferentially set as a tracking target of the detection means. Does the determination means include those in which the plurality of detection targets are moving toward a critical point when it is determined that the plurality of detection targets do not include those captured by the other detection means? Further judge whether or not
When the determination means determines that the plurality of detection targets are moving toward the critical point, the tracking setting means is moving toward the critical point among the plurality of detection targets. The tracking target setting device according to claim 2, wherein the object is preferentially set as the tracking target of the detection means. When the determination means determines that the plurality of detection targets do not include those moving toward the critical point, the tracking setting means is detected by the detection means among the plurality of detection targets. The tracking target setting according to claim 3, wherein the earliest time or the one with the closest future time that cannot be detected by the detection means is preferentially set as the tracking target of the detection means. apparatus. The tracking target setting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the detection means is an optical sensor or a radar mounted on an aircraft. A tracking target setting device equipped with a detection means that can change the detection direction,
The detection process by the detection means and
A field of view dividing step of dividing the field of view of the detection means into a plurality of tracking regions, and
A determination step of determining whether or not the plurality of detection targets exist in only one of the plurality of tracking regions when the detection means detects a plurality of detection targets in the field of view.
When it is determined in the determination step that the plurality of detection targets exist in only one tracking area, the tracking target of the detection means is set at the center of the range in which the plurality of detection targets exist in the one tracking area. The tracking setting process to be set as
A tracking goal setting method characterized by executing. A tracking target setting device equipped with a detection means that can change the detection direction,
A field-of-view dividing means that divides the field of view of the detecting means into a plurality of tracking regions.
A determination means for determining whether or not the plurality of detection targets exist in only one of the plurality of tracking regions when the detection means detects a plurality of detection targets in the field of view.
When the determination means determines that the plurality of detection targets exist in only one tracking area, the center of the range in which the plurality of detection targets exist in the one tracking area is set as the tracking target of the detection means. Tracking setting means to set,
A tracking goal setting program characterized by functioning as.

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