JP3908451B2 - Target tracking guidance system and target tracking guidance method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a target tracking guidance system and a target tracking guidance method in which a laser beam is emitted toward a target direction by an infrared laser irradiation device when a target is captured by a radar or the like, and a flying object flies toward the target direction.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in a target tracking guidance system that tracks a flying object, a laser beam is emitted toward a target direction by an infrared laser irradiation device when the target is captured by a radar device, a light wave imaging device, or the like. There is a system for flying flying objects.
[0003]
In this type of system, the flying object receives the laser beam emitted from the target, captures the target, and flies in the target direction. However, in this type of system, whether or not the target is captured depends on the amount of infrared radiation emitted from the target, so if the target infrared radiation is small, it cannot be captured or the capture distance is shortened. The problem has arisen.
[0004]
One way to solve this problem is to irradiate the target with a laser beam and detect the reflected light with an infrared seeker mounted on the flying object to capture the target and move it toward the target direction. There is a semi-active method to fly. However, since this semi-active method uses target reflected light, a high-power laser is required, and the infrared laser irradiation apparatus itself is increased in size.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in the conventional target tracking guidance system, when the infrared laser emitted from the target is used, if the target infrared radiation amount is small, there is a problem that the capturing cannot be performed and the capturing distance is shortened. When the target reflected light is used, a high-power laser is required, and there is a problem that the infrared laser irradiation apparatus itself is increased in size.
[0006]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a target tracking guidance system and a target tracking guidance method capable of guiding a moving body toward a target reliably while simplifying the equipment.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A target tracking guidance system according to the present invention includes a laser beam irradiation apparatus that irradiates a laser beam toward a target direction and a moving body that moves toward the target direction when the target is captured. Compare and verify the scattered light detection means for detecting the backscattered light of the laser beam emitted from the beam irradiation device, the moving body position / velocity information obtained by the sensor of the moving body itself, and the detection result by the scattered light detection means. A moving position / direction calculating means for calculating the moving position and moving direction of the moving body with respect to the locus and direction of the laser beam based on the comparison and collation result is provided.
[0008]
The moving body includes a guiding signal generating means for generating a guiding signal for the moving body so that the moving position / moving direction calculated by the moving position / direction calculating means substantially matches the locus and direction of the laser beam, The apparatus further comprises a moving body driving means for changing a moving position and a moving direction of the moving body by the induction signal from the induction signal generating means. The moving body further includes target tracking control means for capturing the target and controlling the moving direction with respect to the moving body driving means so as to move in the target direction when the tip of the laser beam is detected. It is characterized by.
[0009]
That is, in this invention, the backscattered light of the laser beam irradiated from the laser beam irradiation device toward the target is detected by the moving body and used as a kind of guidance signal to the target. In this case, the moving body does not always need to capture the target, and the target can be captured after flying using the scattered light of the laser beam. As a result, it is possible to construct a system that can sufficiently cope with a target that emits a minute infrared intensity that could not be captured by a conventional moving body. Further, the laser beam emitted from the laser beam irradiation device only needs to indicate the target direction, and it is not necessary to increase the spread angle of the laser beam and drive the target into the beam. This means that a laser beam having a high beam density that is optimal for detecting backscattering is irradiated. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the laser beam irradiation apparatus and contribute to simplification of equipment. Furthermore, the moving body only needs to track the locus of the laser beam emitted toward the target until the target is captured, and background clutter or the like can be suppressed by this processing. That is, in this system, it is only necessary to mount a sensor for detecting the back scattered light of the laser beam on the moving body, and the cost of the entire system can be reduced.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0011]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a target tracking guidance system according to the present invention.
[0012]
The system shown in FIG. 1 includes a ground facility 10 and a flying object 20. Among these, the ground facility 10 includes a radar device 11, an infrared laser irradiation device 12, and a control device 13. The radar apparatus 11 transmits a radar wave, and then receives a radar reflected wave that is reflected by being reflected by the target T, thereby notifying the control apparatus 13 of the capture result of the target T. The control device 13 drives the infrared laser irradiation device 12 based on the notified result of capturing the target T. The infrared laser irradiation device 12 irradiates a laser beam LB having a high beam density toward the target T direction based on command information from the control device 13. Thereafter, the control device 13 launches the flying object 20 from a launch pad (not shown).
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 2, the flying object 20 includes an antenna 21, a frequency converter 22, a reception detector 23, a system control unit 24, a position / velocity sensor 25, an infrared sensor 26, and an attitude driving unit 27. And.
[0014]
That is, the radio wave from the target T received by the antenna 21 of the flying object 20 is converted to an intermediate frequency by the frequency converter 22 and then supplied to the system control unit 24 as a result of capturing the target T by the reception detector 23. Is done. The system control unit 24 inputs information indicating the flight position and flight direction of the flying object 20 detected by the position / speed sensor 25. The infrared sensor 26 detects backscattered light of the laser beam LB irradiated from the infrared laser irradiation device 12 and inputs information indicating the detection result to the system control unit 24. Note that the laser beam LB emitted from the infrared laser irradiation device 12 is narrowed down so as to have a high density, and thus generates backscattered light.
[0015]
The system control unit 24 sends a guidance signal to the posture driving unit 27 based on each input information, and controls the flight direction of the flying object 20. The system control unit 24 includes a flight position / direction calculation function, a guidance signal generation function, and a target tracking function.
[0016]
The flight position / direction calculation function compares and collates the position / velocity information of the flying object 20 detected by the position / velocity sensor 25 with the detection result by the infrared sensor 26, and based on the comparison / collation result, the laser beam LB is detected. The flight position and flight direction of the flying object 20 with respect to the locus and direction are calculated by image processing.
[0017]
The guidance signal generation function generates a guidance signal that substantially matches the flight position and flight direction calculated by the flight position and direction calculation function with the locus and direction of the laser beam LB.
[0018]
The target tracking function captures the target T when the tip of the laser beam LB is detected, and controls the flying direction of the flying object 20 so as to fly toward the target direction.
[0019]
Next, the operation of the system configured as described above will be described.
Now, for example, a radar device 11 mounted on the ground device 10 first detects and follows a target T having a small infrared radiation intensity. And the control apparatus 13 directs the infrared laser irradiation apparatus 12 to a target direction from the target angle information obtained from the radar apparatus 11, and irradiates the laser beam LB. When it is confirmed that the follow-up state of the target T and the irradiation state of the laser beam LB are stable, the control device 13 instructs the launch pad to launch the flying object 20 in the direction of the predicted hit point. The launched flying object 20 cannot capture the target T because the infrared radiation intensity of the target T is small.
[0020]
Therefore, in the flying object 20, the system control unit 24 executes a control processing procedure as shown in the flowchart of FIG.
[0021]
When this control process is started, the system control unit 24 first compares the flight position / direction detected by the position / velocity sensor 25 with the locus and direction of the laser beam LB obtained from the detection result of the infrared sensor 26. From the comparison result, the flight position and flight direction of the flying object 20 with respect to the laser beam direction are obtained (step ST1), and it is determined whether the direction substantially coincides with the laser beam direction or the position is within the allowable range from the laser beam. (Step ST2). Here, if the flight position and flight direction of the flying object 20 are not within the allowable range (NO), a guidance signal that substantially matches the flight position and flight direction with the locus and direction of the laser beam LB is generated. Then, this guidance signal is sent to the attitude driving unit 27, and as shown in FIG. 4, the flying object 20 is brought close to the laser beam LB, and the attitude of the flying object 20 is changed so that the flying direction substantially coincides with the laser beam direction (step). ST3). Then, the system control unit 24 determines again whether or not the flying position and the flying direction of the flying object 20 are within the allowable range in the process of step ST2, and if they are within the allowable range (YES), the posture is determined. The sending of the guidance signal to the driving unit 27 is stopped, the flying direction of the flying object 20 is maintained as it is, and the flying object 20 is caused to fly along the locus of the laser beam LB.
[0022]
Note that when the target T exists ahead of the laser beam, the laser beam LB is not irradiated before the target T, and an image in which the locus of the laser beam ends in the middle as shown in FIG. 5 is obtained.
[0023]
Therefore, the system control unit 24 determines whether or not the tip of the laser beam LB has been detected (step ST4), and maintains the flying direction of the flying object 20 until the tip of the laser beam LB is detected. Repeat the process.
[0024]
When the system control unit 24 detects the tip of the laser beam LB by image processing, it captures the target T capture result from the reception detector 23 (step ST5), and the flight direction and the target direction of the flying object 20 are determined. It is determined whether or not they match (step ST6). A guidance signal is generated so as to substantially match the flight direction and the laser beam direction until they match, and this guidance signal is sent to the attitude driving unit 27 (step ST7). ), The process of step ST6 and step ST7 is repeatedly executed.
[0025]
If the flight direction of the flying object 20 matches the target direction (YES), the system control unit 24 stops sending the guidance signal to the attitude driving unit 27 and maintains the flying direction of the flying object 20 as it is. And fly toward the target direction (step ST8).
[0026]
By such a processing procedure, it is possible to improve the accuracy of hitting the target T having a small infrared radiation intensity.
[0027]
As described above, in the above embodiment, the flying object 20 detects the back scattered light of the laser beam LB emitted from the infrared laser irradiation device 12 toward the target T by the infrared sensor 26, and the system control unit 24 The locus and direction of the laser beam LB are obtained from the detection result of the infrared sensor 26, and the locus and direction of the laser beam LB are compared with the flight position / speed information of the flying object 20 detected by the position / velocity sensor 25. The flight position and flight direction of the flying object 20 with respect to the laser beam LB are obtained, and a guidance signal corresponding to the deviation between the trajectory and direction of the laser beam LB and the flight position and flight direction is generated and given to the attitude driving unit 27. Thus, the flying object 20 is brought close to the laser beam LB so that the flight direction and the laser beam direction are substantially matched. There. That is, it is not always necessary to capture the target T on the flying object 20 side, and the target T may be captured when the tip of the laser beam LB is detected.
[0028]
Therefore, it is possible to construct a system that can sufficiently cope with the target T that emits a minute infrared intensity that could not be captured by a conventional flying object.
[0029]
In the above embodiment, the laser beam LB emitted from the infrared laser irradiation device 12 only needs to indicate the target direction, and it is not necessary to increase the spread angle of the laser beam LB and drive the target T into the beam. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the size of the infrared laser irradiation device 12, thereby contributing to simplification of the ground facility 11.
[0030]
Further, in the above embodiment, the flying object 20 only needs to track the locus of the laser beam LB irradiated toward the target T until the target T is captured, and this process can suppress background clutter and the like. Therefore, it is only necessary to install the infrared sensor 26 for detecting the backscattered light of the laser beam LB in the flying object 20, and the other circuits can be used, so that the cost of the entire system can be reduced.
[0031]
In the above embodiment, only the reception system of the flying object 20 is shown, but it goes without saying that the flying object 20 is also provided with a transmission system. Moreover, although the internal structure of the flying object 20 was demonstrated with the hardware structure, even if it is a software structure, it can implement. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the radar apparatus 11 is used for capturing a target has been described. However, a light wave imaging apparatus may be used. The infrared sensor 26 may be an image seeker.
[0032]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the target tracking guidance system on the ground has been described. However, the target tracking guidance system is not limited to the ground, and may be applied to outer space. In this case, it will be very convenient if the present invention is applied to guide a robot as a moving object to dust or dust in outer space.
[0033]
In addition, the configuration of the flying object, the flight control procedure of the flying object, and the like can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a target tracking guidance system and a target tracking guidance method capable of guiding a moving body to a target with certainty while simplifying equipment. Can do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a target tracking guidance system according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the flying object shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart shown for explaining the control processing operation of the system control unit shown in FIG. 2;
4 is a view showing an example of an image representing a positional and directional relationship between a laser beam and a flying object obtained by the system control unit shown in FIG. 2;
5 is a view showing an example of an image representing a positional and directional relationship between a laser beam and a flying object similarly obtained by the system control unit shown in FIG. 2;
[Explanation of symbols]
10 ... ground equipment,
11: Radar device,
12 ... Infrared laser irradiation device,
13 ... Control device,
20 ... Flying object,
21 ... antenna,
22 ... frequency converter,
23. Reception detector,
24. System control unit,
25. Position / speed sensor,
26: Infrared sensor,
27: Posture drive unit,
T ... Target.

Claims (4)

A laser beam irradiation device that irradiates a laser beam toward the target direction at the time of target capture, and a moving body that moves toward the target direction;
The moving body is
Scattered light detection means for detecting backscattered light of the laser beam irradiated from the laser beam irradiation device;
The moving body position / velocity information obtained by the moving body's own sensor and the detection result by the scattered light detection means are compared and collated, and the movement of the moving body with respect to the locus and direction of the laser beam based on the comparison and collation result A moving position / direction calculating means for calculating a position and a moving direction;
Guidance signal generation means for generating a guidance signal for the moving body so that the movement position / movement direction calculated by the movement position / direction calculation means substantially matches the locus and direction of the laser beam;
A moving body driving means for changing a moving position and a moving direction of the moving body according to a guide signal from the guide signal generating means;
It is determined whether or not the tip of the laser beam is detected from the detection result by the scattered light detection means, and when the tip is detected, the target is captured and moved in the target direction. A target tracking guidance system comprising target tracking control means for controlling a moving direction with respect to the driving means .   The target tracking guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the moving body is a flying body that flies toward a target direction. In a target tracking guidance method applied to a moving body of a target tracking guidance system that includes a laser beam irradiation device that irradiates a laser beam toward the target direction at the time of target capture, and a moving body that moves toward the target direction. ,
A first step of detecting backscattered light of a laser beam irradiated from the laser beam irradiation device;
The moving body position / velocity information obtained by the moving body's own sensor and the detection result of the first step are compared and collated, and the movement of the moving body with respect to the locus and direction of the laser beam based on the comparison and collation result. A second step of calculating a position and a moving direction;
A third step of generating a guidance signal for the moving body such that the movement position / movement direction calculated in the second step substantially matches the locus and direction of the laser beam;
A fourth step of changing a moving position and a moving direction of the moving body according to the guidance signal obtained by the third step;
A fifth step of capturing the target and controlling the moving direction of the movable body so as to move toward the target direction when the tip of the laser beam is detected from the detection result of the first step. A target tracking guidance method characterized by comprising: The target tracking guidance method according to claim 3 , wherein the moving body is a flying body that flies toward a target direction.

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