Monitoring method for target localization by way of an unmanned aircraft

Abstract

Abstract 1. A surveillance system implying a drone permitting the localization of a target, comprising : - said drone (1), equipped with a video image pick-up (3) for detecting the image of an observed zone (Zs ), detection devives (4) for measuring the parameters defining the attitude (rho, K, alpha) of the drone, its altitude (H) and the position of the sighting line (LV) of the image pick-up, and transmitter-receiver means (5) for transmitting data corresponding to the image and to its parameters and for receiving data relative to navigation of the drone ; - a station (2) equipped with transmitter-receiver means (6) for communication with the drone (1), with a display device (8) for the transmitted video-image (IV), with a cartographic indicator device (10) for representing a geographic map (CG) including the region flown over and observed by the image pick-up (3), and computation means (7) used for computing the geographic position of a target (B), by selecting in the representation of the geographic map (CG) a reference point (A), termed landmark, also visible on the displayed image (IV), and doing so after having identified the target (B) in that image, a designation means (11) being provided for designating successively, in the displayed image (IV) the landmark (A), then the target (B) and then the landmark (A) in the geographic map, the computations for the localization of the target (B) comprising the following main steps : - the angle of the elevation and of the azimuth of the landmark (A), then of the target (B), in relation to a reference point (Ra) associated with the drone (1) as a function of said attitude parameters of the drone and the position of the sighting line (LV) of the image pick-up, and of the measurement of the coordinates of the point designated in the displayed image ; - the computation of the deviations on ground between the landmark (A) and the target (B) as to the depth and laterally, as a function of the preceding evaluations and of the spatial position of the sighting line ; and - the computation of the longitude and the latitude of the target (B) based on the preceding deviations and taking into account the fact that the position of the landmark is determined on the basis of the topographical informations of the geographic map and of the coordinates of that point in the presented map, said station comprising in addition control means (20) which cooperate with said computation means (7) and the transmitter-receiver means (6E, 6R) for retransmitting remote control data relative to the sighting device (LV) of said image pick-up.

Inventors

• 👤 Denis Losfelt

Bibliographic Details