US 12,299,912 B2
Method and device for passive ranging by image processing
Paul Dorbessan, Le Plessis-Robinson (FR)
Assigned to MBDA FRANCE, Le Plessis-Robinson (FR)
Appl. No. 17/619,629
Filed by MBDA France, Le Plessis-Robinson (FR)
PCT Filed May 26, 2020, PCT No. PCT/FR2020/050876
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 16, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/260783, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0358664 A1, Nov. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. G06K 9/00 (2022.01); G06T 7/50 (2017.01); G06T 7/70 (2017.01); G06V 10/764 (2022.01); G06V 10/82 (2022.01)
CPC G06T 7/50 (2017.01) [G06T 7/70 (2017.01); G06V 10/764 (2022.01); G06V 10/82 (2022.01); G06T 2207/20081 (2013.01); G06T 2207/20084 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30212 (2013.01); G06V 2201/07 (2022.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for estimating the distance between a position of an observer and a target, using at least one image generated by a digital image generator from the position (P1) of the observer,
wherein the method comprises a sequence of steps comprising:
a detection and identification step (E1) consisting in detecting and identifying at least one target (4) in the image (I), from at least one list of known targets;
an orientation estimation step (E2) consisting in determining the orientation of the target identified in the image; and
a distance estimation step (E3), the distance estimation step (E3) comprising a measurement sub-step (E3A) consisting of measuring, on the image, the length (l1) of at least one characteristic segment (S1, S2, S3) of the target and a calculation sub-step (E3B) consisting in calculating the distance (D) from said measured length (l1), and from an actual length (L1) known of the characteristic segment (S1, S2, S3) on the target taking into account the orientation of the target and a spatial resolution of the digital image generator.