Enhancement of aimpoint in simulated training systems

[0001] The invention relates to a target tracking system, and more particularly to enhancements to a target tracking system for tracking multiple targets within a weapon's camera sighting target tracking system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] As simulated training becomes more and more important, the effort to create and improve simulated training systems increases significantly. In particular, to ensure effective combat training, a lot of emphasis is placed on tracking the target, because without accurate tracking of the ceL s^kuteczno^{ś k}and^ZDis^gabout scorching^tpabout^gorszona^{, p}he^andewa^with s^kabout^lhe^s me mo^withew ^ crne czemć cz^sr^oZne techmk too^pewmajas^{p p}about^pRaw^ę cetowama.

[0003] In the past, many methods have been used to provide target tracking. For example, some systems used video cameras to provide target tracking. Some of these systems, for example, used luminance and / or chrominance of a video image to determine where a target appears in the video image. Such systems may calculate the centroid of the image, e.g. by referring to an area defined by a chrominance and / or luminance that matches the pattern value, which may correspond to patterns for skin tone and / or other applicable patterns. Another type of video circuit to^ślis^dzema w^kebabbarley^ss^tpit is made oltno ^don the identification of olszszarów zamteresowama in CEIL^smeaning of ceL. ^Pabout^dabout^bwhat teclimld ^pOrdinary mo^{to be} at^ZYTis ^dthat^kebabshe has ^ślis^dthat he has.

[0004] In yet another arrangement, a digitized live image is compared to a digitized background image. Based on the pixel difference, centroid is calculated for the center of mass of the differential image. The speed of the differential image can be calculated using the difference of video frames. Other systems use the correlation between the gated regions of subsequent frames to match the position of the moving area.

[0005] Yet another set of tracking systems uses digital spatial correlation to suppress false target signals after being used in an aiming tracking device. The tracking system search field is divided into a matrix of rows and columns of fields of vision cells. Each field of view cell is examined to determine if there is a target in this field, and neighboring fields in the matrix are compared to determine if the target signal exists in neighboring cells in the field. The system rejects the signal if its adjacent field in the matrix contains a signal.

[0006] In some tracking systems, a video processor is coupled to a television camera and limits the system response to signals represented by an internal, saturated contour of potential targets. The digital processor responds to the output signals of the video processor to determine the differences between the angular position of the determined objects and the previously saved estimation of the position, and then update the stored position. The update function is normalized by the dimension of the target image so that the layout tracking response is substantially independent of the size of the target image. The video processor unit eliminates signals that do not represent a designated target, based on a comparison of the signal amplitude. A digital logic system distinguishes between a designated target and false targets based on an angular position.

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[0007] However, such systems are not able to set targets accurately accurately, in particular when tracking the target of interest in a multi-target field. In addition, conventional systems have difficulty in effectively predicting the location of targets, in particular during periods of increased traffic. [0008] US 5215464A describes an interactive scenario-based simulation employing a multi-screen display system, multiple items for trainees, and means for removing enemies' images after neutralization to provide an apparent threat to trainees on the side of simulated enemies and to track the effectiveness of each trainee during the scenario training.

[0009] FR 2840064A describes an interactive training simulator and a hunting game that provides synthesized three-dimensional real-time images to a display screen with associated loudspeaker sounds.

[0010] WO 94 / 15165A describes a target acquisition training apparatus comprising display means, a target acquisition display and a target acquisition means including means for transmitting a beam, a video camera and computational means for generating a coordinate of the aiming point.

[0011] EP 0146466A describes a training device for firing a weapon in a room containing a projector for displaying a target and a weapon equipped with a trigger mechanism and an electronic computer unit for controlling the emission of infrared radiation. The video camera detects an infrared ray trace to determine the position in the video image.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0012] Thus, embodiments of the invention provide improved systems and methods for tracking targets in a simulation environment. For example, the exemplary embodiment provides a laser target tracking system that tracks the target with a video camera and associated computational logic, in some embodiments a closed loop algorithm can be used to predict the future location of the targets based on the patterns from previous tracking points. Thus, the next location of the target can be predicted. In some cases, the targets may be filtered and / or sorted based on the predicted position, in some embodiments, equations (o^bejmuj^andthis ^beziramche of the equation ^pierwsze^gabout footage ^and równama ^dRu^gis^gabout the stops) mo^ndcome from one or more video frames. Such equations may also be applied to one or more consecutive frames of video received and / or generated by the system. In certain embodiments, these formulas may also be used to calculate the predicted position of the targets; these forecasts may, in some cases, compensate for internal delays in the processing.

[0013] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a system providing improved tracking of aiming at a sighting point in a simulated environment according to claim 1. 1.

[0014] The system includes a computer system that communicates with the video capture system. The computer system includes a computer readable processor and a data carrier with executable commands by the processor. The commands are performed to analyze each of the many video frames to determine the position of the aiming point on each of the many video frames. The commands are also performed to determine the equation for the movement of the aiming point; the equations may be generally met, in some cases, for the position of the target point on at least one of the plurality

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EP 1 779 055 B1 video frames. In some embodiments, the equation can be a second degree equation that can take into account the position of the aiming point, the speed of the aiming point, and the acceleration of the aiming point.

[0015] For example, using at least an equation, the position of the aiming point may be provided in the next video frame. In a specific embodiment, the aiming point can be identified on the next video frame based on the intended position of the aiming point. In another embodiment, the aiming point can be distinguished from a plurality of sight points.

[0016] In some cases, the prediction of the position of the aiming point on the next video frame may include predicting the position of the aiming point in the second subsequent video frame (again, possibly with the equation) and averaging the predicted aiming point in the second subsequent video frame with at least one known position the aiming point in at least the current video frame. Based on the average predicted position of the aiming point in the second following video frame and at least one known position of the sighting point, the position of the aiming point may be provided in the first subsequent video frame. The next video frames do not have to be continuous (i.e. there may be one or more intermediate frames between the current frame, the next frame and the second next frame).

[0017] Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of providing improved tracking of aiming at a sighting point in a simulated environment according to claim 1; 29.

[0018] In some embodiments, the computer analyzes each of a plurality of video frames to determine a plurality of known positions of a point of sight. Many known positions of the aiming point may include the present known position of the aiming point on the current video frame and / or at least one previous known position of the aiming point on at least one previous video frame. In some embodiments, the computer predicts the position of the aiming point on the first next video frame, e.g. by averaging, possibly weighting, the intended position of the aiming point on the second subsequent video frame with at least one of the plurality of known positions of the aiming point. The average may be a weighted average that may depend on the speed of the crescent point^pgovernment^ss^piessences^andand ^punMu cetowmczeęio.

[0019] Only for example, if the aiming point moves at a relatively high speed, many previous known positions of the aiming point may have a relatively large number of previous known positions of the aiming point, while if the aiming point moves at a relatively low speed, many previous known positions of the aiming point. may contain a relatively smaller number of previous known positions of the aiming point. Another example, if the speed of the aiming point is relatively smaller, in the weighted average at least one known position of the aiming point will have a relatively large weight (e.g., the second next video frame is vis-a-vis the intended position of the aiming point).

[0020] In yet another example, if the speed of the aiming point is relatively smaller, the second subsequent video frame may be relatively close to the first next video frame, and if the speed of the aiming point is relatively larger, the second subsequent video frame may be relatively further in the video frame. time to the first next video frame (i.e. when the aiming point is moving at a relatively high speed, the method can extrapolate further in time to calculate the predicted position, which can then be used to average).

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[0021] Other embodiments are provided by systems including, without limitation, systems adapted to perform the methods of the invention. Still other embodiments provide software containing programs included on one or more computer readable media. Some such programs may be implemented by a computer system to perform the methods of the invention.

[0022] Reference to the rest of the description and figures in which like reference numbers have been used in many figures of the drawing to denote similar elements allows further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention. In some cases, a side reference is associated with a reference number and is separated by a hyphen to distinguish one^pabout^dabout^bn^sc^h etementów. ^If reference is^t in^kebabOnan ^dfor the re. number^ferenc^setc.^gabout ^bez w^sParticular^goaln^andin^andand ^ands^tn^andabove^andthis^gabout the name ^ Ibocznecetet^t odrnesterne s^dabout all^ss^threadsc^hc^hmany similar elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0023]

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating components of a tracking system according to various embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a general diagram illustrating a computer system according to various embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating elements of a target tracking system according to various embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart of a method for tracking sighting points according to various embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a flow chart of a method for estimating predicted target points according to various embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 6 is an illustration of a centroid of the aiming point according to various embodiments of the invention. Fig. 7 is an illustration of the reflection of the aiming point projected onto the video image according to various embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0024] Thus, embodiments of the invention provide improved systems and methods for tracking targets in a simulated environment. For example, the exemplary embodiment provides a target tracking system with a reflected laser that tracks the target with a video camera and associated computational logic. In some embodiments, a closed loop algorithm may be used to predict the future location of targets based on equations derived from previous tracking points. Thus, the next location of the target can be predicted. In some cases, the targets can be filtered and / or sorted based on the predicted position. In some embodiments, equations (including without limitation the first degree equation and second degree equations) may be derived from one or more video frames. Such equations may also be applied to one or more consecutive frames of video received and / or generated by the system. In some embodiments, these equations may also be used to calculate the predicted position

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EP 1 779 055 B1; these forecasts may, in some cases, compensate for internal delays in the processing.

[0025] In an aspect, an embodiment of the invention provides an improved method and system for defining a weapon sighting point in training systems for small arms. In many cases, the small arms training system uses visible or infrared (IR) lasers mounted in the barrel of the training weapon barrel to illuminate targets on the displayed shooting range. By using the feedback from the camera (or any other suitable video capture device), the computer system can recognize the sighting points of many weapons and, in some cases, predict where one or more points are^lown^andpart^sc^h can^withis ^pmarketw^{ll of} s^out on ^pgovernment^sseatpost^h Watkach w^idit's the^{, you}m alone^sm making it easier ^idumpteenth^gotACJ^{ę and śl}is^dphagocytic ^youc^cellphonea^któw cehwmczj / cln on ^pgovernment^sseatpost^h Threads. ^WITHbreath, in Nektóiy ^pgovernment^sWa^dac^h Target beam emission from different weapons does not have to be cycled to ensure identification of each weapon (however, in other embodiments, the emission can still be modulated (i.e., turned on and off) at specific intervals). Only by way of example, in some embodiments, the emission from one or more weapons is modulated at a frequency corresponding to the frame rate of the video interceptor, which may facilitate the tracking and / or identification of the sighting points.

An example of a simulator arrangement 100 can be seen in Fig. 1. The system 100 includes one or more simulated weapons 105b, each of which includes a device configured to emit a beam of sight (which may have a frequency visible to the human eye or invisible, such as IR) which can be detected by a suitable detection device as described below. It can be said that the aiming beam represents the hypothetical trajectory that the projectile would follow after launching the simulated weapon (omitting, in some cases, the environmental impact and ballistics). In some cases, a simulated weapon may be (but not necessary) a real weapon that has been reconfigured to emit a targeting beam.

[0027] The system 100 also includes a projector 100, which may be adapted to display one or more targets on a projection screen 115 (the displayed image may be a moving image, e.g. a video image of one or more moving targets, and / or a static image, e.g. (photo of one or more goals). When the simulated weapon 105 is aimed at the projection screen 115 and emits a targeting beam, the intersection of the targeting beam with the projection screen 115 forms a sight point, which is the point where the hypothetical projectile launched from the simulated weapon 105 would cross the projection screen 115 (again omitting, in some cases , ballistics and / or environmental impact). Then, the aiming point may be detected as a reflection of the aiming beam from the projection screen 115, as described in more detail below.

[0028] The system also includes a video capture device 120, which may be a video camera, a fixed digital imaging device (such as a digital video camera or any other photocell-containing device, one or more CCDs or similar technology) ) and / or any other suitable device that can capture video images (or static images at a sufficiently high frequency) so as to store the position of one or more sighting points on the projection screen 110. In some cases, the video capture device 120 may be a camera video with progressive scan, which does not have problems with interlaced frames (as described in more detail below).

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[0029] The video capture device 120 is arranged to capture a video image (and / or a series of still images) from the projection screen. In an aspect of the invention, the video capture device 120 is adapted to detect the frequency of the aiming beam / aiming point (which may be visible or invisible, depending on the embodiment). In some embodiments, the video capture device 120 may also be adapted to detect visible frequencies, such that the displayed target image (which is usually visible) is also captured by the video capture device 120 (in other embodiments, e.g. when the beam is not present; visible frequency, many video capture devices 120 can be used,^psay^hin^yourhe is using ceW ^and them^dno (^lat^b in^outmore) office^TOthat^{120 p}rzecliw^yourkissing ^pa^cts cetowmcze).

[0030] The video capture device 120 communicates with a tracking computer 125 that may be used to perform the method of the invention as described in more detail below. In specific embodiments, for example, the tracking computer 125 determines where the weapon 105 targets the displayed image by identifying the position of the sighting point. For example, the tracking computer 125 may capture an image (such as one or more video frames) from the video capture device 120 and then use threshold tests and / or centroid calculations (as described in more detail below) to determine the position of the target points on the eltrame.^pswarms^kc^sjn^sm ΊΊ^five, on a particular Watee in^idit's the (^lat^b wick^hohm^sm olbraz ^). FWeme for^withis ^{be p}about^Theabout^within^andI ^bewz^gLEDEn^sm hill^Thethe eltran ^pswarms^kc^setc.^gabout ¹¹⁵ ULB ^przecliw^sWatki office^TOthe video intercept zema 120 and / or may be relative to the displayed target picture.

[0031] In the group of embodiments, each simulating weapon 105 communicates with a data interface device 130 that provides data flow between the weapons 105 and the tracking computer 125. In this way, for example, the weapon 105 may transmit 130 details of the weapon to the tracking computer. 105, such as when the trigger is pulled, when the weapon emits a sight beam, details of the sight beam (beam frequency, frequency modulation, etc.) and the like. Similarly, in some embodiments, the tracking computer 130 may transmit to the weapon 105 a command to start (or stop) the beam of the beam of targeting, which use the frequency of the Wulb beam to mutate frequencies^e.t.c.

[0032] The term "beam frequency" means the frequency of light emitted from the weapon, while the term "frequency modulation" means the frequency with which the target beam is modulated or cyclically actuated. In some cases, the aiming beam may be unmodulated; in other cases, the aiming beam may be modulated at a frequency corresponding to the frame rate of the video capture system, which may help to identify the aiming points. In still other instances, different weapons 105a, 105b may be adapted to modulate with different frequencies to help identify target points of these weapons. However, in many embodiments, due to the possibility of a system 100 for identifying target points as described below, modulation distinction is not necessary. [0033] In some embodiments, the system 100 also includes a display computer 135 that can be used to display targets, sight points, etc. (or, for example, their still image and / or video), e.g. to analyze the effectiveness of the trainee, etc. The display computer 135 may also be adapted to act as a control station of the system (however, a separate control station (not shown) and / or tracking computer 125) may be used. Then, the computer The display computer 135 may also be adapted to function as a control station of the system (however, a separate control station (not shown) and / or tracking computer 125) may be used. Then, the computer The display computer 135 may also be adapted to function as a control station of the system (however, a separate control station (not shown) and / or tracking computer 125) may be used. Then, the computer

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The display 135 may communicate with the tracking computer 135 (e.g., via a network 140, such as an Ethernet, Internet, intranet, wireless network or any other suitable communication network) (in other cases, a computer displaying 135 and a computer; tracking 125 can be the same computer). The display computer 135 is also used, in some cases, to provide a projected image to the projector 110. The display computer 135 can communicate with the data interface device (s) 130, either directly or via the tracking computer 125, so that it can communicate with the user. weapons 105, e.g. in a similar manner to the one described above for the tracking computer 125.

[0034] According to some embodiments, typical computers and / or devices may be adapted for use in a system 100 (e.g., as a tracking computer 125, control station, display computer 135 and / or data interface device 130) and / or for implementing methods. according to the invention. Figure 2 shows a general representation of one embodiment of a computer system 200, which may be, for example, any of the computers / devices described above. A computer system 200 is shown including hardware elements that can be electrically connected via a bus 205. The accessory parts may include one or more central processing units 210; one or more input devices 215 (e.g., mouse, keyboard, etc.); and / or one or more output devices 220 (n^p. device^TOnil in^Ysin^andis^{t |}oh^andthis^. printer, ^e.t.c.). ^steeringand^minohm^puterow^{and 200} maybe also^andwas^Æ them^dno w ho^outdevice^TOthat^{ń p}say^howuj^andc^sc^{h 225}. ^pgovernment^YKLand^dthis appliance^TOscavenger (s) ^psay^howuj^andthis ²²⁵ maybe ^bea hard disk, an optical memory device, a semiconductor memory device, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM), which can be programmable, writeable flash memory and or similar.

[0035] The computer system 200 may further include a computer-readable storage medium reader 230; one or more communication systems 235 (which may include, without limitation to any suitable communication devices between devices, exchanging^fewand ^pgovernment^YKLand^dThe word^. hello with me^kpplace series^gthese ^ ulo even ^ c ^ ^pMiddle ^USB ^pMiddle ^{EEE 1934,} modems, network cards and / or integrated circuits (wireless or wired), infrared communication devices and wireless communication systems including Bluetooth and the like); and an operational memory 240, which may include (without being limited to) the RAM and ROM devices described above. In some embodiments, the computer system 200 may also include a processing acceleration unit 245 that may include a DSP (digital signal processor), a specialized processor, and / or the like.

The computer-readable storage medium reader 230 may also be connected to the computer-readable storage medium 250 together (and optionally in combination with the storage device (s) 225) to form remote, local and / or removable storage devices with a carrier. memory for temporary and / or more permanent storage of computer-readable information. The communication circuit (s) 235 may allow data to be exchanged with the network (including without limitation the network 145 described above) and / or any other computers and / or devices (including without limitation the devices and computers described above with respect to the system) 100). [0037] The computer system 200 may also include software components shown to be in the operational memory 240,

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EP 1 779 055 B1 such as BSD, etc., operating systems for mainframe computers, etc.). Software elements may also include other codes 260, such as one or more computer applications (which may be an application, etc. Configured to execute instructions according to embodiments of the invention, as well as work as a client application, server application, web browser, network server, application intermediate layer, RDBMS, etc.). Computer applications may be intended for implementing the methods of the invention.

[0038] It should be noted that alternative embodiments of the computer system 200 may have numerous deviations from that described above. For example, customized equipment can also be used and / or some elements can be implemented in the hardware and software (o^bejmuj^andc^scan^pro^gramowan^andis ^przeno^śTO^. group me^k andⁱⁿethyl) ^lat^b Where^bat. ^pshe^DTabout^{, p}about^thewhy from ^andnn^sm^anddevice^TOwas it^andam^and obhczeniowych, teMid me^k device^TOzeme interface ^dan^sc^h I3⁰ down ^ k⁰ device^TOzeme video capture 120, input / output network devices, etc. can be implemented using any suitable typical and / or dedicated connections.

In the group of embodiments, the tracking computer is configured with a software application (and / or a software application group) to enable the tracking computer to track and / or identify the sighting points and to perform other methods according to the invention (in some cases the application (s)). the software can be divided into many ^kohm^pat^tis^aboutin^. which ^theczme ^pis^Then^{and f}a^ktions ^pgovernment^Ypisane ^kohm^puterow^{and śl}is^dwith^andNewborn). ^Nand ^FIG. ³ with sc^hmother^tfa^kcjona^ln^s and^fileACJ^{and śl}is^dwith^andmore ³⁰⁰ about^bejmuj^andtended e^|ly^aboutin^. which can^{to be} contained in such application (s), according to some embodiments (although Fig. 3 illustrates some functional combination, it should be noted that other embodiments may have a different set-up and the person skilled in the art will recognize the present disclosure that the tracking server functions can be separated as needed into any number of software, application and / or device components).

[0040] In the illustrated embodiments, the tracking application 300 includes a video interception interface 305, the purpose of which is to capture video and / or still images from a video capture device. The purpose of the video capture interface 305 is to receive the image (s) and / or format the image (s) when it is necessary for processing by the chip. The application 300 also includes a target point locating module 310 that scans the image (s) for patterns matching potential sight points. In the group of embodiments, the target location module looks for the luminance and / or chrominance value corresponding to the values ​​of the group of patterns (e.g., within the range of defined and / or configurable thresholds).

[0041] According to some embodiments, the 315 radial filtration module uses a filtering algorithm to analyze patterns matching potential target points. In an embodiment, the filtering algorithm compares the algorithms for the expected shape, so that patterns that do not match the expected shape and / or size of the aiming point can be rejected as artifacts of the video capture process (although in the described embodiments the expected aiming points have a generally centric shape, others embodiments may use aiming points with other shapes and appropriate filtering algorithms for filtering based on the shape may be used). [0042] Patterns that have not been rejected (or, in embodiments that do not use the filter module, all patterns identified) can therefore be considered to be correct sight points. For one or more sight points, the centroid locator 320 finds centroid

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For the purpose of determining the exact position of the center of the aiming point. One exemplary embodiment for determining the centroid is described below with reference to Fig. 6. Other procedures may also be used. Then, the centroid position can be assigned to the position of the aiming point.

[0043] In some embodiments, a spatial translator 325 may be used to correct any imperfections in the image capture process. For example, there may be distortion of the lens in the video capture device such that the captured image does not actually reflect the actual position of the sighting point on the displayed image. Thus, a spatial translator may be one or more equations (or a system of equations) that correct such imperfections. In many cases, the equation (-a) can be determined and / or calibrated based on empirical comparisons of the actual position of the aiming point with the recorded position of the target point for the particular system. Therefore, such equations (or their coefficients) may be characteristic of a given system (of course,

After passing all necessary spatial translations, the recorded aiming points are processed by the identifier of the target point 330, which identifies the aiming point as a specific aiming point (e.g. from a plurality of sight points) using the predicted position window 350 (described in more detail below). Fig. 4, described in more detail below, illustrates one reference method for identifying a sight. When the sighting point is identified, its location is added to the viewpoint's history log 335 for this sighting point. A history log of the sight point 335 (which can be stored in a database, a simple file and / or any other appropriate data structure),

[0045] Based on the history of the aiming point, the equation generator 340 generates an equation describing the movement of a specific aiming point. In a certain group of embodiments, the equation describing the movement of the aiming point takes the form:

aT^AND2 + bT + c (Equal 1) where T is the time value (which can be calculated based on the frame rate of captured video and / or still images), is acceleration (e.g. in pixels per frame), b is the speed ( e.g. in pixels per frame) and c is the original position of the traced aiming point. In some embodiments, the motion equation is derived by fitting the curve to a selected number of historical positions of the aiming point for the traced aiming point (i.e., the positions stored in the history log of the target point 335). As also described below, in some embodiments, the number of historic positions of the aiming point used to generate the equation can be different (e.g. depending on the current speed of the aiming point and / or on the basis of other factors). In many embodiments, the equation describing the location of any particular aiming point is updated continuously (i.e., together with each captured image) or at a certain frequency.

[0046] In the group of embodiments, the generated equation together with the current position (possibly after translation) of the sighting point can be used to determine the window of the predicted position

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EP 1 779 055 B1

350, which is the radius from the current position of the aiming point in which it is expected to find the position of the aiming point on the next frame (which may or may not be the next frame). This predicted position window can be used to identify a sighting point on the next frame and / or to track the aiming point, as described in more detail below.

In the group of embodiments, the generated equation and / or history of the target points can be provided to the variable 345 averaging module, which can determine how to weigh the average predicted position of the aiming point on future frames and historical positions for this aiming point, so that more accurately predict the future location of the aiming point (only for example if the current speed of the aiming point is relatively small or more ^higreat^stotaling^sc^h maybe she will stay^Æ WZ cake^outthese ^pabout^d considered^Give in ^śre^dor these ^hithe theoretical value of mo^ndmte^Æ WZ cake^gLEDEnte w^IECs^and weight (^pgovernment^Ypisan^and in^IECs^and wa^Give in the middle), natom^within olonecna ^pr^EDKabout^SCthe aiming point is relatively large, then relatively less historical values ​​can be taken into account and / or historical values ​​may be assigned a relatively lower weight in the mean).

[0048] This is based on the idea that if the current speed is relatively small it is much more likely that the trainee is focused at one point, and the speed and acceleration changes are probably artifacts of the video interception system and / or unstable weapon movements, so that it is W-Z cake^gLEDEnte mate ^pRaw^dabout^pabout^dabout^{with a}ENS^two schrzewtezente teldcli value zmten. ABOUT^dwro^tn^andis^. them^within olonecna ^pr^EDKabout^SC contest^t WZ cake^gLEDEme ^du^t relative to this ^pRaw^dabout^pabout^dabout^bTO^{, with}no^kOten^ypcrafts^lweapon, so that it is more likely that the equation of motion will have predicted values.

[0049] Fig. 5 describes a reference procedure for performing weight determination according to some embodiments of the invention. In some cases, this weighted average can be used to determine a predicted position window as described above.

[0050] It should be noted that although the reference functional elements are illustrated in Fig. 3, it will be appreciated by the skilled person that many similar functional elements may replace the specifically described above and / or arrangement of elements, as mentioned above, may be modified accordingly. In some embodiments, for example, certain functions do not have to be performed and thus may be omitted from the tracking application.

[0051] Another group of embodiments provides methods including, but not limited to, methods for identifying and / or tracking one or more sighting points. Fig. 4 illustrates the exemplary method 400 in accordance with some embodiments. The methods of the invention including, without limitation, those illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 may be performed by various elements of the system 100, described with reference to Fig. 1 (such as, for example, a tracking computer); however, it should be noted that in other embodiments, various structural systems may be used. Thus, the methods of the invention are not limited to any specific devices or systems.

[0052] The method 400 of Fig. 4 includes capturing a video frame (block 405). As described above, capturing a video frame (which in alternative embodiments may be a still image) may include recording a video frame with a video capture device and / or capturing a recorded frame via the video interception interface of the software application (in terms of video capture device, video capture interface and / or a combination of them can be considered as a video intercept system). Other procedures may also be used. In general, the video frame contains at least one aiming point (in other words, the captured image contains

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EP 1 779 055 B1 reflection or reflection of the aiming point). In block 410, one or more potential sight points are identified. In a group of embodiments as described above, a pattern matching algorithm can be used to compare the luminance and / or chrominance values ​​of different areas of the captured cage to identify potential sight points.

[0053] The video frame is then analyzed to determine the position of the aiming point (block 415). In the group of embodiments, determining the position of the aiming point may, in various embodiments, comprise one or more procedures, including without limitation, filtering of potential aiming points to reject artifacts, locating the centroid of the aiming point, and / or assigning the centroid position to the position of the aiming point. and / or in^kebabhe^sWarne ^dThe word^|football^. in^sIt has^gtranstation ^plashes^tNative (n^p. and^would s^kor^whoHalf of^Æ IMMUNICATIONS^dat ^psay^hin^stywam in^idit's the).

[0054] In the group of embodiments, the method 400 also includes recording the position of the sight point (block 420). In some embodiments, the position of the aiming point is recorded in the history log of the sight point, for example together with a chronological identifier (which can be a time stamp, frame number, etc.) that can allow the aiming point to be analyzed within a certain period of time. Then, the procedures in blocks 405-420 can be repeated, thus capturing many frames of video and / or expanding the record of the history of the point of cetowmęęio on^kand^ZDhey Idatelk w^idit's the.

[0055] In block 425, the aiming traffic equation is determined. As described above, in some embodiments, the equation is a second degree equation, such as Equ. 1. In some embodiments, the equation is determined by curve fitting for selected historical positions of the aiming point (which may or may not include the current position of the aiming point). Then, in an aspect, the equation can be met for the position of the sighting point on one or more previously saved video frames.

[0056] In block 430, the future position of the aiming point is predicted. The forecast can be based on the aiming-point motion equation, based on the known position of the sight point on one or more frames and / or the current frame and / or on their average. In some cases, as described above, the mean is the weighted average and / or weights may depend on the movement of the aiming point (eg the speed of the aiming point, the acceleration of the aiming point, etc.). Fig. 5 illustrates a reference example of a method of calculating a predicted position based on a weighted average.

[0057] In some embodiments, the aiming point may be tracked (block 435). Only for example, the sighting points in each series of video frames can be used to track the aiming point over a certain time interval, allowing the trainee to be assessed.

[0058] In other embodiments, a sighting point can be identified (block 440). After determining the intended position of the sighting point, the intended position can be used to identify the sighting point on the next frame. For example, as noted above, in some cases, a predicted position window can be calculated for the next frame. Then, the aiming point inside the window on the next frame can be identified as a shadowed target. Furthermore, if it is necessary and / or appropriate (for example, if a plurality of sighting points are inside the predicted position window), the aiming point of the two or more subsequent frames may be analyzed to determine the pattern

VP / 4495 / AG

EP 1 779 055 B1. If this motion pattern meets the motion equation for the target point being sighted, the sighting point on the next cages can be identified as a tracked sighting point.

[0059] In some cases, the intended location of the aiming point is used to distinguish a point of sight among a number of sight points (block 445). For example, if there are multiple sight points located on a given frame, the aiming point that is inside the predicted position window can be distinguished (as a shadowed aiming point) from those that are not inside the predicted position window.

[0060] As noted above, in many cases, the weighted average of the traffic equation for the aiming point and the position history of the aiming point can be used to predict the future position of the sighting point. Fig. 5 illustrates the exemplary method 500 that can determine the weighted average that should be used. The method 500 includes maintaining the history of the points of the aiming point for a specific aiming point (block 505). The history of the points of the sight can be kept in the history log of the sight point, as described above.

[0061] In block 510, the depth of the averaging history is determined. The depth of the averaging history describes what number of known positions of the aiming point should be used to obtain the average predicted position. The depth of the history of averaging can be based on the aperture window with a variable slope, in which the speed and / or acceleration of the sight point (based on the rucli^{b and |}combined^gabout^. I^k about^pihealthy ^pthat^YZnot) o^kre^śand^. I^ka Nominative of the history of the piotothem ^pit remained^Æat^ZYTand. ^Jis^twoTO ^pgovernment^YKLand^dThe word^. in the field of ^pgovernment^YKLand^dac^h reaNza ^ for^pEWN^andit^. that, in ^pgovernment^ypand^minat ^ifspeed and / or acceleration are relatively small, as the depth of the history of averaging a relatively large number of historical positions (i.e., locations from previously recorded video frames) are used.

[0062] Method 500 may also include determining the extrapolation distances (block 515). In some embodiments, when the speed and / or acceleration of the aiming point are relatively large (determined for example from the aiming-point equation), it is useful to extrapolate several frames forward to predict the position of the aiming point. When speed and / or acceleration are relatively small, such extrapolation may not be needed. After extrapolation distances have been determined, the extrapolated position (block 520) is predicted using the aiming motion equation. [⁰⁰⁶3] Then, in block 525, the weighted average is determined. In the group of embodiments, the weighted average takes into account both the depth of the history of averaging and the distance of extrapolation. Thus, the weighted average depends on the speed and / or acceleration of the sighting point. At low speed, for example, the average will use more historical positions, and the extrapolation distance will be smaller. Thus, the motion equation has a relatively small weight allocated, and the historical positions have a relatively large weight assigned. This is to "alleviate" the overestimation of the change in position, which would result from the use of only the equation of motion, because, as mentioned above, when the velocity is low, the movements most likely result from artifacts of the system and / or small, unintended movements of the trainee. On the contrary, at high speed,

[0064] In block 530, the weighted average is used to determine the intended position (which may be the window of the predicted position as described above). This predicted position can be used to track, identify and / or distinguish a point of view as described with reference to Fig. 4. In

VP / 4495 / AG

In the group of embodiments, the weighting equations (i.e., the equations which determine the depth of the weighing history and / or the extrapolation distances based on the variable slope aperture window) can be calculated on an ongoing basis. In other embodiments, the equations can be previously calculated and / or calibrated based on the specific behavior of the system.

[0065] It should be noted that while to facilitate the description, the above-described methods 400 and 500 relate to the identification and processing of a single aiming point on each cage, embodiments of the invention may simultaneously identify, process and / or track a plurality of sighting points. In fact, one advantage of one embodiment is the ability to simultaneously identify / track multiple target points. Only for example, some examples of implementation can^gis^dwith^{i p}she^d fifteen ^pa^któw cehwmczj / cln (aw rnelktó ^ cli ^pgovernment^ypand^minac^h znaczrne ^pshe^{d five}with^andis^{p and p}a^whoin cehwmczj / cln) on ^dan^sm olaraz ^ w^idit's the. Uzza^pa^kof cetowmczych, which is mo^ndto be tracked is limited only to the computing power of the system and / or to distinguish separate points of sight in the video image.

[0066] In addition, various embodiments of the invention provide systems (including, but not limited to, the systems described above) and computer programs that may be configured to implement the methods of the invention, including, but not limited to, methods described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5.

[0067] As noted above, in many embodiments a center point centroid can be identified. Fig. 6 shows a reference reflection of the sight 600 and shows how centroid can be identified. As shown in graphs 605, 610, reflected energy can be measured (in this case, IR energy). At the central point (X₇, Y₇) the reflected energy (E) is the largest, while the reflected energy decreases with the distance from the central point. To find the centroid of the sight point, the area surrounding the aiming point can be divided into regions (as illustrated in example 600), and the reflected energy E can be determined for each area along the X axis and the Y axis. To find the centroid of the sight point on each the following equation can be used:

X_c = (Equal 2))

Y_c = _(DITCH. ₃₎ [0068] One of skill in the art would recognize from the present disclosure that in some embodiments the video capture device generates an interlaced video stream (however, other embodiments such as those in which the video capture device is a progressive or static digital video camera); they do not generate an interlaced video stream). The skilled artisan will also appreciate that an uncorrected interlaced video stream will create alternating video frames on which the aiming point is slightly shifted vertically, due to the interlacing effect shown in Fig. 7, which represents a reference representation of the target point reflection 700 and how odd and odd even video lines return separate parts of the reflection, thereby moving the centroid. Therefore,

[0069] In summary, embodiments of the invention provide improved tracking and / or identification of target points by using, inter alia, generated equations that predict

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EP 1 779 055 B1 position of sight points on the next frame. These generated equations improve the accuracy of target point determination by combining results from multiple frames into the exact equation of target movement. Application of these equations allows for accurate identification of sight points at any time, as well as during the movement of the aiming point. Certain embodiments may provide a significant improvement in accuracy compared to prior art systems. [0070] Furthermore, the generated traffic equations can compensate for internal delays of the capture and calculation models. Because the equations provide an accurate model of the linear system (human arm lever movement), they can be extrapolated (e.g., in some embodiments, up to 20 frames ahead) before observing trace accuracy. Additionally,^kebabbarley^sStane ^dabout ^phere^withis^ñ INTERNATIONAL, w ^ktrack^sc^h at^withytkown^I about^ddand^The sfrzaf ^dostarczaj^andc ^dOWA^dn^spoint of sight.

[0071] Thus, various embodiments of the invention provide novel methods and software products that allow to improve the tracking and / or prediction of the weapon sighting point in simulated environments. However, other embodiments may implement similar methods, procedures and / or systems according to the invention for tracking any suitable type of target, indicator, etc. Only for example, embodiments of the invention may be used in gaming systems and the like. Thus, although the above description identifies some exemplary embodiments for implementation in the invention, one skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the invention.

[0072] It should be noted that the methods and systems described are only examples. Which means that various embodiments may omit, replace and / or add different procedures and / or elements as appropriate. Similarly, in the above description, for illustrative purposes, various methods have been described in a particular order. It should be noted that in alternative embodiments, the methods may be performed in a different order than described. It should also be noted that the above-described methods can be performed by accessories and / or can be made in machine-command sequences that can be used to make a machine such as a general purpose processor or a specialized or programmable logic perform methods using instructions. These machine instructions can be stored on one or more machine readable media such as a CD-ROM or other type of optical disk, floppy, ROM, RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic or optical card, flash memory or other type of machine readable medium suitable to store electronic commands. By way of example only, some embodiments of the invention provide software that can be performed on one or more computers to perform the methods described above. In certain embodiments, for example, there may be a plurality of software components adapted to execute hardware on various devices. Alternatively, the methods may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. such as a CD-ROM or other type of optical disk, floppy disk, ROM, RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic or optical card, flash memory or other type of machine-readable media suitable for storing electronic commands. By way of example only, some embodiments of the invention provide software that can be performed on one or more computers to perform the methods described above. In certain embodiments, for example, there may be a plurality of software components adapted to execute hardware on various devices. Alternatively, the methods may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. such as a CD-ROM or other type of optical disk, floppy disk, ROM, RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic or optical card, flash memory or other type of machine-readable media suitable for storing electronic commands. By way of example only, some embodiments of the invention provide software that can be performed on one or more computers to perform the methods described above. In certain embodiments, for example, there may be a plurality of software components adapted to execute hardware on various devices. Alternatively, the methods may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. flash memory or other type of machine readable medium suitable for storing electronic commands. By way of example only, some embodiments of the invention provide software that can be performed on one or more computers to perform the methods described above. In certain embodiments, for example, there may be a plurality of software components adapted to execute hardware on various devices. Alternatively, the methods may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. flash memory or other type of machine readable medium suitable for storing electronic commands. By way of example only, some embodiments of the invention provide software that can be performed on one or more computers to perform the methods described above. In certain embodiments, for example, there may be a plurality of software components adapted to execute hardware on various devices. Alternatively, the methods may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. there may be many software components adapted to perform accessories on various devices. Alternatively, the methods may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. there may be many software components adapted to perform accessories on various devices. Alternatively, the methods may be performed by a combination of hardware and software.

[0073] Thus, although some exemplary embodiments for implementing the invention have been identified in the above description, one skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the invention. Thus, the invention is defined only by the claims set out below.

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EP 1 779 055 B1