Target aimpoint location

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for analysing a viewed scene containing a target. The scene is digitised and forms a binary image in which the target is distinguished from the background. The image is then processed to form a contoured representation of the target, and a target skeleton. Finally a contoured skeleton is produced and the target aimpoint is determined.

Description: This invention relates to a method of target aimpoint location, specifically, but not exclusively, to skeleton aimpoint location as may be implemented on parallel processing devices. GB-A-2,202,112 relates to a method for identifying regions of interest in a binary image of a viewed scene. US 4,796,187 describes a method for selecting an aimpoint on a target viewed by an imaging system. The method involves the examination of the various images in a viewed scene and the selection, for further processing, of those segments which are contiguous and nearest to the centre of the scene. DE-A-2,949,453 describes a method for improving missile accuracy by comparing a target image with a stored image in a correlation circuit. We have proposed a target tracking system in which a digitised image of a target and its background is formed and then the image is processes to form a skeletal image of the target. The terms skeleton and skeletal image used herein mean an image comprising one or more linear elements forming a kind of "stick figure" representation of the original image. In one embodiment to be described, this "stick figure" representation comprises horizontal and vertical linear elements, one pixel across, and respectively corresponding to features such as a central area and lobes of the target image. At least approximately, the linear elements are centred symmetrically between boundaries of the target at the two sides of the element. In this embodiment also, the skeleton incorporates substantially all the information contained in the original image, i.e. the original image could be reproduced from the skeleton. This follows from the algorithm used to form the skeleton. It may be desirable to assign a specific pixel within the target image, namely the centre-of-gravity or centroid of the image, as an aimpoint for a weapon being guided onto the target. One object of the present invention is to provide a quick and simple process for determining the aimpoint of a target using a parallel processing device. According to one aspect of the present invention there is a method of determining a target aimpoint in a missile guidance tracking system, comprising the steps of:- forming an image of a viewed scene; determining the presence of a target within the scene and forming a digitised binary image of the scene, the target being distinguished from the background of the scene; and characterised by the further steps of: contouring the binary image to form a contoured image of the target and forming a separate skeleton image of the target using a recursive process, the skeleton being substantially one element thick; Contouring the skeleton image to form a contoured skeleton; and, using parallel processor to determine a centroid from the contour values and position of the skeleton elements and to determine the element closest to the centroid, said element closest to the centroid comprising the target aimpoint. Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 illustrates a binary image of a target; Figure 2 shows how the Figure 1 image is contoured; Figure 3 illustrates a completed contoured image corresponding to Figure 1; Figure 4 shows an image equivalent to Figure 3 but which satisfies the skeleton image conditions; Figure 5 illustrates the skeleton image of the Figure 1 target; and, Figure 6 shows part of another skeleton image in which contour values have been assigned to the pixels of the skeleton. In order to determine the aimpoint for a given target, a skeleton image has to be obtained from an image of a viewed scene containing the target. A binary image is formed of the target by any convenient method known to those skilled in the art. This binary image is shown in Figure 1 and comprises, an array of pixels each having a value of either '0' (corresponding to the background, or '1' (corresponding to the target). The binary image of Figure 1 is contoured to provide a weighting for each pixel of the target area. In order to do this, the array is scanned, raster fashion, until the first '1' is located. This '1' is the starting point for the first contour, the boundary contour. Moving in a clockwise direction, all pixels on the boundary are assigned the contour value of '2', see Figure 2. The array is scanned again as before until the first '1' is located, then as before all the pixels having a value of '1' inside the boundary contour (having a value '2') are assigned the value '4' when moving in a clockwise direction. This process is repeated, each of the inner contours being assigned a value two greater than its adjacent outer contour, until no more pixels having a value of '1' are located. The completed contoured image is illustrated in Figure 3. At the same time as the contoured image is being produced, another 'image' of the binary array is formed. Similar processing is used to that used for the contoured image but certain 'test' conditions have to be satisfied at each pixel. As before described, the first '1' is located by scanning the binary array raster fashion. Once this '1' is located a 3x3 operator is applied to it, the operator being:- A B A B C B A B A The pixel C is the one to which the 'test' conditions are applied, and in this case is the first '1'. The other pixels of the operator respectively take the values of the eight neighbouring pixels unless any of those pixels does not have the value '1'. For each such pixel which does not have the value '1', the relevant pixel of the operator is given the value '0'. For example, for the first '1', we get:- 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 The 'test' conditions are then applied: =>(i) more than two of the possible (A + B) pixel pairs must be equal to 1 i.e. A + B = 1 for at least three pairs of adjacent pixels; =>(ii) the sum of all A's and B's must be less than three. If one or both these conditions are satisfied the pixel located at C remains unaltered. If neither condition is satisfied, then the value of the pixel at position C is given an increased value in the same way that values were assigned to the pixels when the contoured image was formed as described above. In the example above neither condition is satisfied. Therefore, that pixel takes a contour value of '2'. If later on in the contouring process, another pixel having the value of '1' is taken:- 4 4 2 6 1 4 1 1 4 All the values of A and B are not '1' so the operator elements corresponding to the non-'1' image elements are made zero:- 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 In this case, condition (ii) is satisfied and therefore the pixel C (in the centre) remains unaltered i.e. keeps its value of '1'. Once this process is completed for each pixel the array as shown in Figure 4 is obtained i. e. a contoured image except where the 'test' conditions are satisfied. From this array, the skeleton image is formed where all the pixels not having a value of '1' are assigned the value of '0', this array shown in Figure 5. The array of figure 5 may be contoured by any appropriate method to produce an array similar to that of figure 6, for example, the skeleton pixels may simply be assigned the contour values already determined for the corresponding pixels of the previously formed contour image. Referring to Figure 6, in order to determine a suitable aimpoint location or actual centroid of the target, an xy axes system is centred on one of the pixels, preferably the one with the highest skeletal contour value, i.e. the skeletal centroid. The co-ordinates x , y of the actual centroid are then determined from:- x = ΣΣ x C(x,y)/ΣΣC(x,y) and y = ΣΣ y C(x,y)/ΣΣC(x,y) where x and y are values on the axes system and C(x,y) are the contour values found at the skeletal pixel locations. From x and y the distance D of the actual centroid (denoted * ) from the skeletal centroid may be determined thus:- D = √( x ² + y ²) Considering the skeleton of Figure 6. The centroid C is marked and has a contour value of 14. The x,y axis is centred on this point. ΣΣC(x,y), ΣΣxC(x,y) and ΣΣyC(x,y) are determined as shown. ΣΣC(x,y) = 6+8+10+12+14+12+10+8+6+4 = 90 ΣΣxC(x,y) = (-4x6)+(-3x8)+(-2x10)+(1x12)+(0x14)+(1x12)+(2x10)+ (3x8)+(4x6)+(4x4) = -24+ -24 -20 -12 +12 +20 +24 +24 +16 = 16 ΣΣyC(x,y) = (0x6)+(0x8)+(0x10)+(0x12)+(0x14)+(0x12)+(0x10)+ (0x8)+(1x6)+(2x4) = 6 + 8 = 14 x = ΣΣxC(x,y)/ΣΣC(x,y) = 16 90 = 0.1778 y = ΣyC(x,y)/ΣΣC(x,y) = 14 90 = 0.1555 The distance D from the actual centroid to the skeletal centroid is also determined:- D = √( x ²+ y ²) D = √(0.1778² + 0.1555²) D = √(0.0316 + 0.0242) D = 0.236 If necessary this distance D may be determined for each skeletal pixel so that the pixel closest to the centroid can be determined and this pixel be used as an indication of aimpoint location.

Claims: A method of determining a target aimpoint in a missile guidance tracking system, comprising the steps of:- forming an image of a viewed scene; determining the presence of a target within the scene and forming a digitised binary image of the scene, the target being distinguished from the background of the scene; and characterised by the further steps of: contouring the binary image to form a contoured image of the target and forming a separate skeleton image of the target using a recursive process, the skeleton being substantially one element thick; contouring the skeleton image to form a contoured skeleton; and, using a parallel processor to determine a centroid from the contour values and position of the skeleton elements and to determine the element closest to the centroid, said element closest to the centroid comprising the target aimpoint. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the contouring of the binary image includes the step of assigning each element of the image a value indicative of the position of said element. A method according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the recursive process includes the steps of: scanning the image raster fashion with a 3x3 operator; assigning values to the elements of the image, which corresponds to the central position of the operator, said assigning being by virtue of the position of said element within the image; and, assigning a value of zero to all elements which are not assigned a '1' in the previous step, thereby producing a binary skeletal image. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the binary image is contoured by assigning each element of the target within the binary image a value according to the distance of said element from the perimeter of the target image. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the skeleton image is formed by assigning a value to each element of the target within the binary image according to the distance of said element from the perimeter of the target image and a function of the contour value of each element adjacent to said pixel if said pixel has been assigned a contour value or the binary value according to the binary image of each element adjacent to said pixel if said pixel has not been assigned a contour value. A method according any one of the preceding claims, wherein the contoured skeleton image is formed from a combination of the contoured image and the skeleton image. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the co-ordinates of the centroid with respect to an axis system centred on an element of the contoured skeleton are each calculated by respective mathematical functions having a plurality of terms, one of which is the set of respective contour values of the contoured skeleton image, another of which is the distance of said respective elements according to said axis system from the element on which said axis system is centred. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the location of the centroid is used to determine the element of the skeleton closest to said centroid.

Inventors: JAMES ENOCH, STAFFORD RAYMOND JOSEPH PAUL, JAMES, ENOCH, STAFFORD, RAYMOND JOSEPH PAUL
Applicants: BRITISH AEROSPACE, BRITISH AEROSPACE PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
Application year: 1990
Main classification: F41G7
IPC codes: F41G7, G01S3