A long standing need for the application of laser radar (LADAR) to a wider range of targets is a technique for creating a "target model" from target photographs. This is feasible since LADAR images are 3D and photographs at selected azimuth/elevation angles will allow the required models to be created. Preferred photographic images of a wide range of selected targets were specified and collected. These photographs were processed using code developed in house and some commercial software packages. These "models" were used in model-based automatic target recognition (ATR) algorithms. The ATR performance was excellent. This technique differs significantly from other techniques for creating target models. Those techniques require CAD models which are much harder to manipulate and contain extraneous detail. The technique in this paper develops the photographic-based target models in component form so that any component (e.g., turret of a tank) can be independently manipulated, such as rotating the turret. This new technique also allows models to be generated for targets for which no actual LADAR data has ever been collected. A summary of the steps used in the modeling process is as follows: start with a set of input photographs, calibrate the imagery into a 3D world space to generate points corresponding to target features, create target geometry by connecting points with surfaces, mark all co-located points in each image view and verify alignment of points, place in a 3D space, create models by creating surfaces (i.e., connect points with planar curves) and scale target into real-world coordinates.

Date Published: 2 May 2009
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 7323, Laser Radar Technology and Applications XIV, 73230D (2 May 2009); doi: 10.1117/12.818303

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7323:
Laser Radar Technology and Applications XIV
Monte D. Turner; Gary W. Kamerman, Editor(s)