Target positioning method, device and equipment applied to optical observation and medium

Abstract

This invention discloses a target positioning method, apparatus, device, and medium for optical observation. The target positioning method for optical observation collects and caches the relative distance and azimuth of the target using optical observation equipment. Upon detecting a target locking signal triggered by the type or usage of the carrying equipment, the data is immediately frozen and transmitted wirelessly to a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal combines the received data with its own positioning module's current location, calculates the target's geographic coordinates using a geodetic model, marks the location on a map interface, and generates a navigation path. This achieves automatic target location locking and geographic mapping after firing, effectively solving the problems of difficulty and low efficiency caused by the large difference between thermal imaging field of view and the actual landscape, requiring manual GPS repositioning in existing technologies. It significantly improves the accuracy and convenience of target search after long-range nighttime firing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of firearm aiming equipment technology, and in particular to a target positioning method, device, equipment and medium for optical observation. Background Technology

[0002] In modern outdoor hunting, especially at night or in low-visibility conditions, optical observation equipment such as thermal imaging sights are widely used for long-range target identification and precision shooting. These devices detect differences in infrared radiation between the target and its environment, displaying a thermal outline on a screen to help hunters locate concealed or moving prey. However, despite the significant improvement in aiming capabilities brought about by thermal imaging technology, the search for the target's impact point after shooting still faces serious technical bottlenecks.

[0003] There is a significant visual difference between thermal imaging and the actual geographical environment. Thermal images primarily reflect temperature distribution characteristics and lack geographical references such as natural terrain textures, vegetation forms, and rock outlines found in visible light images. This makes it difficult for users to accurately match the target location observed in thermal imaging with the actual terrain after firing. Especially in long-range shooting scenarios, the bullet impact point may deviate from the center of the line of sight or exceed the original field of view, further exacerbating the positioning difficulties.

[0004] Furthermore, existing technologies have significant drawbacks in their operational procedures. Typically, after firing, the user must first put down the weapon, then manually activate a separate handheld GPS device or smartphone to relocate the target visually or with a rangefinder, and manually record the coordinates. This process is not only cumbersome and time-consuming, but also highly susceptible to positioning failures due to target movement, changes in ambient light, or memory errors.

[0005] In summary, when using thermal imaging sights for long-range shooting in nighttime outdoor hunting, the disconnect between thermal imaging visual features and the actual geographical scene, the lack of automated data locking mechanisms, and poor inter-device coordination among existing equipment prevent users from quickly and accurately locating the target's landing point, severely reducing hunting efficiency and success rate. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a technical solution that can achieve automatic post-shot positioning, cross-device collaborative calculation, and intuitive navigation to overcome the aforementioned shortcomings of existing technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present invention provide a target positioning method, device, equipment and medium for optical observation, which aims to solve the technical problem that, in the prior art, when using a thermal imaging sight for long-range shooting at night in outdoor hunting, the visual differences and cumbersome operation make it impossible to quickly and accurately search for the target's landing point.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a target positioning method for optical observation, applied to an aiming system, including an optical observation device, a carrier device, a mobile terminal, and a positioning module. The optical observation device is installed on the carrier device, and the positioning module is installed on the mobile terminal. The method includes: when a user aims at a target through the optical observation device, collecting the relative distance and azimuth angle between the target and the user's observation position as source data, and caching the source data; generating a target locking trigger signal according to the type of the carrier device or the usage mode of the optical observation device using a corresponding trigger mode; simultaneously freezing the current source data in the cache upon receiving the target locking trigger signal, and sending the frozen current source data to the mobile terminal via wireless communication; based on the current source data and the current location geographic coordinates obtained by the positioning module, calculating the geographic coordinates of the target according to a preset geodetic model, marking the geographic location of the target on the map interface of the mobile terminal, and simultaneously generating a navigation path.

[0008] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention also provide a target positioning device for optical observation, used to perform the target positioning method for optical observation as described above.

[0009] Thirdly, embodiments of the present invention also provide a computer device, the computer device including a memory and a processor connected to the memory; the memory is used to store a computer program; the processor is used to run the computer program stored in the memory to perform the steps of the target positioning method applied to optical observation described above.

[0010] Fourthly, embodiments of the present invention also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, the computer program including program instructions, which, when executed by a processor, can implement the steps of the target positioning method applied to optical observation described above.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: In the technical solution of this invention, the target positioning method applied to optical observation collects and caches the relative distance and azimuth of the target using optical observation equipment. Upon detecting a target locking signal triggered by the type or usage of the carrying equipment, the data is immediately frozen and transmitted to a mobile terminal via wireless communication. The mobile terminal combines the received data with its current location obtained by its own positioning module, calculates the target's geographic coordinates using a geodetic model, and marks the location and generates a navigation path on the map interface. This achieves automatic target location locking and geographic mapping after firing, effectively solving the problems of difficulty and low efficiency caused by the large difference between thermal imaging field of view and the actual landscape, requiring manual GPS repositioning under existing technologies. It significantly improves the accuracy and convenience of target search after long-range firing at night. Attached Figure Description

[0012] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the following description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0013] Figure 1 A flowchart of a target positioning method for optical observation provided by the present invention; Figure 2 This is a first sub-flowchart of the target localization method for optical observation provided by the present invention; Figure 3 This is a second sub-flowchart of the target localization method for optical observation provided by the present invention; Figure 4 This is the third sub-flowchart of the target localization method for optical observation provided by the present invention; Figure 5 This is the fourth sub-flowchart of the target localization method for optical observation provided by the present invention; Figure 6 This is the fifth sub-flowchart of the target localization method for optical observation provided by the present invention; Figure 7 The sixth sub-flowchart of the target localization method for optical observation provided by the present invention; Figure 8 A schematic block diagram of a unit of the target positioning device for optical observation provided by the present invention; Figure 9 A schematic block diagram of a computer device provided for an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0014] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0015] It should be understood that, when used in this specification and the appended claims, the terms "comprising" and "including" indicate the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or collections thereof.

[0016] It should also be understood that the terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0017] It should also be further understood that the term "and / or" as used in this specification and the appended claims refers to any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0018] To address the technical problem in existing technologies where long-range shooting with thermal imaging sights during nighttime outdoor hunting is hampered by visual differences and cumbersome operation, resulting in the inability to quickly and accurately locate the target's impact point, this invention discloses a target positioning method applied to optical observation. This method is applied to an aiming system, comprising an optical observation device, a carrier device, a mobile terminal, and a positioning module. The optical observation device is mounted on the carrier device, and the positioning module is mounted on the mobile terminal.

[0019] The aiming system of this invention is used to achieve automatic geolocation and navigation of shooting or observation targets at night or in low visibility environments. The optical observation equipment is an intelligent optoelectronic device with laser rangefinding, orientation sensing, and wireless communication functions. The carrier equipment is divided into two categories according to the usage scenario: firearms and handheld observation devices. The mobile terminal is a smartphone or tablet computer with map application software. The positioning module is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) module built into the mobile terminal, used to obtain the geographic coordinates of the user's current location.

[0020] In the first embodiment, the supporting device is a hunting rifle, and the optical observation device is a thermal imaging sight mounted on the rifle rail. After the user locates a target through the thermal imaging sight, they activate the integrated laser rangefinder to obtain the relative distance between the target and the observation position. Simultaneously, the magnetometer inside the thermal imaging sight, combined with an attitude sensor, collects geomagnetic field data, calculates the geographic azimuth of the device, and temporarily stores this azimuth and relative distance as source data in a local cache. When the user pulls the trigger to fire, the accelerometer in the thermal imaging sight detects a high-G impact waveform caused by recoil. The system uses a preset waveform feature recognition algorithm to determine whether it is a valid firing event. If the determination is valid, a target lock trigger signal is generated. In response to this trigger signal, the thermal imaging sight immediately freezes the source data in the current cache and sends a data packet containing the trigger source type, relative distance, and geographic azimuth to the paired mobile terminal via Bluetooth Low Energy. After receiving the data, the mobile terminal calls its positioning module to obtain the geographic coordinates of the user's current location. Combining the received distance and azimuth parameters, it uses the spherical trigonometry method to calculate the geographic coordinates of the target based on the geodetic model. The location is then marked with a red bullseye icon on the map interface. At the same time, a navigation path from the user's current location to the target point is generated to help the user quickly search for the landing point.

[0021] In the second embodiment, the supporting device is a handheld observation platform, and the optical observation device is a thermal imaging monocular telescope. The user uses the handheld device to search for distant targets. During operation, the user aligns the device with the target and initiates laser ranging to obtain the relative distance. Simultaneously, the device's internal magnetometer continuously outputs the calibrated geographic azimuth angle, and this data is also temporarily stored in the device's cache. When the user confirms that the target location needs to be marked, they press and hold the physical button on the side of the device for a preset duration. The system recognizes this as a manual trigger command and generates a target lock trigger signal. Subsequently, the thermal imaging monocular telescope freezes the current source data and transmits the data packet to the mobile terminal via Bluetooth. The mobile terminal obtains the target's geographic coordinates based on the same calculation logic and marks it on the map with a blue marker icon to distinguish it from the impact point of a firearm. It also plans a navigation path to support the user's subsequent approach to the target area.

[0022] To improve the accuracy of azimuth measurement, the optical observation equipment can perform a magnetic sensor calibration procedure before initial use. The user enters the equipment menu and starts the calibration mode, slowly rotating the entire device in a figure-eight motion. The system collects the extreme values ​​of the magnetometer's three axes, calculates the hard iron offset and soft iron scaling factor, and stores the compensation parameters in memory for subsequent real-time azimuth correction, thereby effectively eliminating the magnetic interference caused by the metallic environment.

[0023] Reference Figures 1 to 7 The target localization method applied to optical observation includes the following steps: S110. When the user aims at the target through the optical observation device, the relative distance and azimuth between the target and the user's observation position are collected as source data, and the source data is cached. S120. Generate a target locking trigger signal according to the type of the carrier device or the usage mode of the optical observation device using the corresponding trigger mode; S130. Upon receiving the target lock trigger signal, freeze the current source data in the cache and send the frozen current source data to the mobile terminal via wireless communication. S140. Based on the current source data and the current location geographic coordinates obtained by the positioning module, the geographic coordinates of the target are calculated according to the preset geodetic model, and the geographic location of the target is marked on the map interface of the mobile terminal, while generating a navigation path.

[0024] When a user aligns the optical observation device with the target, the laser ranging function is activated. The device emits a laser towards the target and receives the reflected signal. Based on the time of flight, the straight-line distance between the target and the user's observation position is calculated as the relative distance. Simultaneously, the magnetometer integrated into the optical observation device detects the direction of the Earth's magnetic field and, combined with the device's attitude information, calculates the geographic azimuth angle the device is pointing, i.e., the angle measured clockwise with true north as 0°. The aforementioned relative distance and geographic azimuth angle are periodically updated as source data and temporarily stored in the optical observation device's local cache for later use.

[0025] The system automatically matches the appropriate trigger mode to generate a target lock trigger signal based on the type of carrier device or the usage mode of the optical observation device. When the carrier device is a firearm, the optical observation device monitors the recoil impact waveform generated at the moment of firing through its built-in accelerometer. By judging the amplitude threshold and identifying the waveform characteristics, it confirms whether a valid shooting event has been constituted. Once the determination is made, a target lock trigger signal is immediately generated. When the carrier device is a handheld observation device, the user can trigger a manual marking command by pressing and holding a physical button on the optical observation device for a preset operation time, thereby generating a target lock trigger signal and avoiding data lock caused by accidental touch.

[0026] Upon receiving the target lock trigger signal, the optical observation equipment immediately freezes the latest relative distance and geographic azimuth data in its cache, constructs a data packet containing the trigger source type, distance value, and azimuth information, and sends this data packet to the pre-paired mobile terminal via Bluetooth Low Energy wireless communication. After receiving the data, the mobile terminal uses its positioning module to obtain the user's current geographic coordinates as the starting point. Combining this with the received relative distance and geographic azimuth parameters, it employs spherical trigonometry to deduce the absolute geographic coordinates of the target point based on a geodetic model. This calculation process considers the influence of the Earth's curvature and is suitable for high-precision positioning within a range of several hundred meters to several kilometers.

[0027] Subsequently, the mobile terminal converts the calculated target geographic coordinates into map projection coordinates adapted to the map service, and marks the target location in the map interface using visually distinguishable icons. For example, the impact point triggered by a firearm is displayed as a red bullseye icon, while observation points manually marked by the handheld device are represented by blue information icons, allowing users to intuitively identify different types of markers. Simultaneously, based on the geographic relationship between the user's current location and the target location, the mobile terminal uses its built-in navigation engine to generate a walkable or traversable route, displaying real-time direction and distance prompts to help users efficiently reach the target area.

[0028] In the specific implementation process, when the mobile terminal receives a signal containing the triggering method and relative distance... and azimuth After receiving the data packet, the mobile terminal's processor first calls the built-in GNSS / GPS positioning module to obtain the user's current location coordinates. The processor operates on the WGS-84 ellipsoid, which is the Earth's average radius. As the basic parameters, the following coordinate calculation process is executed: First, convert the angle parameters to radians: Calculate the spherical angular distance: Next, calculate the latitude of the target point: Calculate the longitude of the target point: Finally, convert the results back to degrees: The mobile terminal processor detects special situations in real time during the calculation process, such as when the azimuth angle... or The system automatically switches to the polar coordinate correction model. After the coordinate calculation is complete, the system will convert the geographic coordinates... The data is projected onto the map coordinate system, and differentiated markers are generated on the map interface based on the trigger type. Automatically triggered events are marked with a red bullseye icon to indicate the impact point, while manually triggered events are marked with a blue telescope icon to indicate the observation point. Simultaneously, the system calls a pre-loaded navigation engine based on open street map data, combined with SRTM30 terrain elevation information, to generate an optimal navigation path that takes into account terrain undulations. During the journey, the system continuously monitors the user's deviation, automatically triggering path replanning when a displacement error exceeding 5 meters is detected.

[0029] To improve the accuracy of azimuth measurements, optical observation equipment can perform a magnetic sensor calibration procedure upon initial use or after environmental changes. The user enters the equipment settings menu and initiates calibration mode, slowly rotating the device in three-dimensional space. The system collects raw magnetic field data from the magnetometer in multiple directions, determines the maximum and minimum values ​​across the three axes, calculates the hard iron offset and soft iron scaling factor based on these values, and stores the compensation parameters in system memory. Subsequently, all azimuth data is corrected using this calibration algorithm, effectively eliminating magnetic interference caused by the metal structure of firearms or other external ferromagnetic materials, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the direction data.

[0030] In one embodiment, step S110 includes: S111. By using the laser ranging function integrated in the optical observation device, a laser is emitted towards the target and the reflected signal is received to obtain the straight-line distance from the user's observation position to the target as the relative distance; S112. The direction of the geomagnetic field is detected by the magnetometer built into the optical observation device, and the geographical azimuth of the carrying device is calculated by combining the attitude information of the carrying device. S113. The raw data of the magnetometer is calibrated and compensated using hard iron offset and soft iron scaling factor, and the calibrated azimuth angle is output. S114. The relative distance and the calibrated azimuth angle are updated in real time and temporarily stored in the local cache of the optical observation device.

[0031] Optical observation equipment is an intelligent optoelectronic device with integrated sensing and computing capabilities. It integrates a laser ranging module, a three-axis magnetometer, an attitude sensor (such as a six-axis IMU, which includes an accelerometer and a gyroscope), and a local data buffer unit. All data acquisition and processing are completed in real time at the device. The attitude sensor can be a six-axis IMU, which includes an accelerometer and a gyroscope.

[0032] The user aligns the optical observation device with the target through the eyepiece or display screen, activates the laser ranging function, and the system emits an invisible infrared laser pulse towards the target. A photodetector receives the laser signal reflected from the target surface. Based on the principle of the constant speed of light and time-of-flight measurement technology, the device's main control chip calculates the round-trip time of the laser, thus determining the straight-line distance from the user's observation position to the target, which is then used as relative distance data. The ranging result is updated to the memory buffer immediately upon successful acquisition.

[0033] Meanwhile, the triaxial magnetometer inside the optical observation equipment continuously detects the X, Y, and Z components of the surrounding geomagnetic field in the equipment's coordinate system to determine the equipment's current horizontal orientation. However, because optical observation equipment is often mounted on metal support structures or contains magnetic components, the raw magnetometer data is susceptible to interference from both hard and soft iron, causing the measured azimuth angle to deviate significantly from the true value. To address this issue, the system performs a magnetic sensor calibration procedure before use. Following the prompts, the user slowly rotates the equipment in a figure-eight motion in space. The equipment collects multiple sets of magnetic field sampling points, identifies the maximum and minimum values ​​across the three axes, and calculates the hard iron offset and soft iron scaling factor matrix. After calibration, all subsequently acquired raw magnetometer data is corrected in real-time using this compensation algorithm, outputting a high-precision geomagnetic direction vector.

[0034] Subsequently, combining the pitch and roll angle information provided by the attitude sensor, the system performs coordinate transformation on the corrected geomagnetic data to eliminate directional deviations caused by equipment tilt. Finally, it calculates the horizontal angle between the equipment's principal optical axis and geographic true north, i.e., the geographic azimuth, measured clockwise from 0° to 360°. This azimuth, together with the aforementioned relative distance, constitutes the source data pair.

[0035] To ensure the acquisition of the latest valid data at the trigger moment, the optical observation equipment writes the updated relative distance and calibrated geographic azimuth to its local cache in real time, retaining the previous valid values ​​when no new measurement results are available. The cached data is timestamped, ensuring that the system can accurately freeze the optimal observation value at the current moment when it receives the target lock trigger signal. This data caching mechanism supports multiple rounds of ranging and azimuth updates, suitable for scenarios involving long-term observation or multiple candidate targets. By integrating laser ranging, magnetic sensing, attitude fusion, and calibration algorithms, highly reliable and accurate source data acquisition and management are achieved, providing a reliable input for subsequent target geographic coordinate calculation and effectively overcoming measurement errors caused by environmental interference and equipment installation.

[0036] In one embodiment, step S120 includes: S121. When the carrying device is a firearm, the target lock trigger signal is generated by determining the effective shooting event based on the recoil characteristics of the firearm by the acceleration sensor mounted on the optical observation device. S122. When the device is a handheld observation device, the target locking trigger signal is generated based on the instruction signal generated by the user's manual operation of the physical button.

[0037] When the carrier device is a firearm, the optical observation device is a thermal imaging sight or a front-mounted tandem thermal imaging device mounted on the firearm's rail. This device integrates a high dynamic range triaxial accelerometer to monitor the mechanical impact experienced by the device at the moment of firing in real time. When the user pulls the trigger to complete the firing action, the firearm generates significant recoil, causing the optical observation device to undergo a high-intensity acceleration change within a short period, typically manifested as an impact waveform with a peak value exceeding 10g and a duration between 5 and 20 milliseconds. The processor of the optical observation device performs real-time analysis of the triaxial data collected by the accelerometer. First, it determines whether there is transient vibration that meets a preset amplitude threshold and time window. If the conditions are met, it further performs pattern recognition on the waveform characteristics, including rise edge steepness, decay rate, and spectral distribution characteristics, to distinguish between valid firing events and non-firing vibrations, such as equipment drops, collisions, or bumps during movement. Only when the waveform characteristics match the pre-stored firearm firing characteristic templates within the system is it determined to be a valid firing event, and a target lock trigger signal is generated, thereby avoiding false triggering. The triggering process is fully automated, requiring no additional user intervention, and ensures that data locking is completed the instant of firing.

[0038] When the carrier device is a handheld observation device, such as a handheld thermal imaging monocular or binoculars, it lacks the ability to automatically detect shooting behavior and therefore employs a manual triggering mechanism. After the user locates the target and completes ranging using the optical observation device, they can mark the location by pressing and holding a physical button on the device's casing, such as a side function key or a reusable laser rangefinder button. The system continuously monitors the button's status, and only when the press duration reaches a preset time threshold, such as 0.8 seconds, is it considered a valid manual marking command, triggering the generation of a target lock trigger signal. This design effectively prevents mismarking due to accidental or brief touches, improving operational reliability. The physical button provides clear tactile feedback, facilitating accurate operation at night or while wearing gloves. Furthermore, the system can provide feedback to the user via a beep, screen pop-up, or vibration after successful triggering, confirming that the data has been successfully locked and entered the transmission process. The two trigger modes intelligently switch according to the device usage pattern, ensuring the accuracy and convenience of target positioning operations in different scenarios, and solving the inefficiency problem caused by relying on manual memory or secondary positioning in traditional methods.

[0039] In one embodiment, step S121 includes: S1211. Continuously collect triaxial acceleration data through the accelerometer; S1212. Continuously detect the triaxial acceleration data and determine whether there is an acceleration waveform that meets the preset amplitude threshold and time duration. S1213. Perform pattern recognition on the acceleration waveform that conforms to the preset firearm firing characteristics to determine whether it is the valid firing event; S1214. If the shot is determined to be effective, the target lock trigger signal is generated.

[0040] The optical observation equipment integrates a high-sampling-rate triaxial accelerometer, with a sampling frequency typically set above 1 kHz to ensure accurate capture of the transient dynamic characteristics at the moment of firing. This sensor continuously acquires acceleration data in the X, Y, and Z directions and transmits the raw signals in real time to the equipment's main control processor for analysis and processing.

[0041] The processor continuously monitors the received triaxial acceleration data, first determining whether there are impact waveforms with amplitudes exceeding a preset threshold and durations between 5 and 25 milliseconds. This threshold range is set based on the physical characteristics of typical firearm recoil and can effectively exclude low-intensity vibrations that may occur during daily use, such as hand-held shaking, equipment collisions, or bumps while moving. If an acceleration event that meets the amplitude and time conditions is detected, the process proceeds to the next stage: waveform feature recognition.

[0042] At this stage, the system performs pattern recognition on the captured acceleration waveform, analyzing its time and frequency domain characteristics. Valid firing events typically manifest as short pulse signals with extremely steep rising edges, concentrated peaks, rapid decay, and specific frequency components. The system compares the current waveform with standard firing feature templates stored in the device firmware using a preset digital filtering algorithm and template matching mechanism. If the similarity reaches a set confidence threshold, the event is determined to be a valid firing event.

[0043] Once a valid firing event is confirmed, the processor immediately generates a target lock trigger signal and initiates the subsequent data freeze and transmission process. This mechanism ensures that the positioning operation is triggered only when an actual firing occurs, improving the system's automation level and response accuracy. Furthermore, the system supports multi-firearm adaptation; users can select the type of firearm used, such as a rifle or shotgun, from the device menu. The system then calls the corresponding waveform recognition parameter set to further optimize judgment accuracy. This implementation fully demonstrates the intelligent design of the triggering logic in firearm application scenarios, solving the technical problems of traditional methods that rely on manual operation and are prone to missing critical moments.

[0044] In one embodiment, step S122 includes: S1221. Monitor the operation status of designated physical buttons on the handheld observation device; S1222. When a long press operation on the designated physical button is detected to reach a preset duration, it is confirmed that the user has issued an active marking command signal, triggering the generation of the target locking trigger signal.

[0045] The handheld observation device is a thermal imaging monocular or binocular observation instrument. The device casing has designated physical buttons, which are usually located on the side for easy thumb operation and have clear tactile feedback characteristics, allowing users to accurately trigger them when wearing gloves or in low light conditions.

[0046] During system operation, the main control processor of the optical observation equipment continuously monitors the voltage level or interrupt signal of designated physical buttons to determine button operation behavior in real time. The monitoring logic includes recording the timestamps of button presses and releases, and calculating the duration of the press. The system sets a preset duration threshold, typically 0.5 to 1.2 seconds, as the criterion for distinguishing between "short presses" and "long presses." Only when the processor detects that a button has been pressed and the duration reaches or exceeds the preset duration is it considered a valid active marking command signal input; if the press time is shorter than the threshold, it is considered a mis-touch or function switching operation, and the positioning process is not triggered.

[0047] Once the user sends an active marking command signal, the system immediately generates a target lock trigger signal and initiates subsequent data freezing and transmission actions. To enhance the user experience, the device can provide feedback in various ways after successful triggering, such as emitting a short beep, flashing a notification icon on the screen, or activating a micro vibration motor, allowing the user to intuitively perceive that the operation has taken effect.

[0048] This manual triggering mechanism fully considers the stability and fault tolerance of operation in the field, avoiding mismarking caused by brief touches, bumps, or button sticking, ensuring that every trigger reflects the user's clear intent. Simultaneously, this design is applicable to non-shooting observation scenarios, such as wildlife observation, terrain feature marking, or search and rescue point recording, expanding the system's application scope. By combining a long-press duration judgment and confirmation feedback mechanism, accurate and controllable target positioning is achieved even in the absence of an automatic triggering source, effectively solving the positioning deviation problem caused by reliance on memory or repeated aiming in traditional methods.

[0049] In one embodiment, step S130 includes: S131. When the target locking trigger signal is generated, immediately lock the latest distance and azimuth data in the current cache; S132. Construct a data packet including the trigger source type, relative distance, and azimuth angle; S133. Transmit the data packet to the paired mobile terminal via Bluetooth protocol.

[0050] At the instant the target lock trigger signal is generated, the main control processor of the optical observation equipment issues a command to lock the source data stored in the local cache and extract the latest relative distance and geographic azimuth data. This mechanism closes the cache write channel within milliseconds of the trigger signal's arrival to prevent subsequent ranging or azimuth updates from overwriting the original data, thereby ensuring that the locked data accurately corresponds to the observation state at the trigger moment and avoiding positioning errors caused by data delays or updates.

[0051] The system then enters the data packet construction phase. The main control processor encapsulates the locked, frozen relative distance and geographic azimuth data, along with the current trigger source type information, into a structured data packet. The trigger source type distinguishes the data source; for example, "auto_shoot" indicates automatic triggering by weapon recoil, or "manual_key" indicates manual triggering by a long press of a physical button. This data packet is organized in a lightweight binary format or JSON encoding, with typical fields including: trigger_source, distance_m (distance in meters), azimuth_deg (azimuth in degrees), and an optional timestamp. The data packet is compact, typically not exceeding 64 bytes, to improve transmission efficiency and reduce power consumption.

[0052] After constructing the data packet, the optical observation equipment wirelessly transmits it to the pre-paired mobile terminal via the established Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication link. The BLE protocol, due to its low power consumption, short connection time, and wide compatibility, is particularly suitable for short-range data transmission between battery-powered optical equipment and smartphones in field environments. Before transmission, the device checks the Bluetooth connection status: if connected, it transmits directly; if the connection is interrupted, it attempts to quickly reconnect and retransmits the data upon restoration, ensuring no data loss. The transmission process uses an ACK confirmation mechanism; after receiving the data packet, the mobile terminal sends back an acknowledgment signal. Upon receiving the acknowledgment, the optical observation equipment can update its internal status or trigger a success notification.

[0053] To enhance user experience, the device can provide feedback on the transmission completion status to the user through a buzzer, screen icon flashing, or slight vibration after successful data transmission, ensuring the user is clearly aware that the target location has been successfully marked and sent to the mobile terminal. This data freezing and transmission process is fully automated, with rapid response and high reliability, effectively ensuring a closed information loop from observation to positioning, and solving the problem of target location loss caused by manual recording or delayed operations in traditional methods.

[0054] In one embodiment, step S140 includes: S141. After the mobile terminal receives the data packet, it starts the positioning module to obtain the current user's geographical coordinates as the starting point; S142. Based on the starting point coordinates, the relative distance, and the azimuth angle, the geographic coordinates of the target are derived using spherical trigonometry. S143. After converting the geographic coordinates of the target into map projection coordinates, add a marker icon with graphic distinction to the map layer; S144. Based on the marker icon and the user's current location, invoke the preloaded navigation engine to generate a guidance route from the user's current location to the geographical location of the target.

[0055] The positioning module is a built-in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver unit in the mobile terminal, supporting GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, or multi-system joint positioning. It can achieve real-time positioning accuracy from sub-meter to several meters in open environments. The system uses the currently acquired latitude and longitude coordinates as the starting point. This coordinate corresponds to the user's actual position during shooting or observation and serves as the benchmark for subsequent target point calculation.

[0056] While obtaining the starting point coordinates, the mobile terminal parses the relative distance and geographic azimuth parameters contained in the data packet. The relative distance represents the straight-line distance from the user to the target. (Unit: meters), Geographic azimuth This represents the angle (in degrees) from the user's location towards the target, with true north as 0° and measured clockwise. Based on these two parameters and the starting point coordinates, the system calls a preset geodetic model to perform a reverse calculation of the target's geographic coordinates. Specifically, it uses the spherical trigonometry method, approximating the Earth as a standard sphere with an average radius... The absolute geographic coordinates of the target point are solved iteratively using mathematical formulas. The calculation process first converts the latitude, longitude, and azimuth of the starting point into radians, and then calculates the angular distance. Then, the latitude of the target point is solved using spherical trigonometry: And longitude: The calculation results are then converted back to angular units to obtain the latitude and longitude coordinates of the target point. This algorithm can achieve a positioning accuracy of better than 10 meters within a range of several hundred meters to several kilometers, meeting the needs of field search.

[0057] The system then converts the calculated target geographic coordinates into map projection coordinates adapted to the map service, such as the Web Mercator projection, for correct display in the map layer. In the map interface, the system automatically adds a visually distinguishable marker icon to mark the target location. The icon style is dynamically selected based on the trigger source type in the data packet: a red bullseye icon represents the "shot impact point" if triggered by a firearm firing; a blue information marker icon represents an "observation point" or "point of interest" if triggered manually by a handheld device. This visual differentiation mechanism allows users to intuitively identify different types of target markers, facilitating task management and path planning.

[0058] After the target point is marked, the mobile terminal further calls the built-in or pre-loaded navigation engine, such as an online map or offline map SDK, to generate a guiding route from the user's current location to the target geographical location. The navigation engine combines digital map data, comprehensively considers terrain accessibility, path distance, and safety factors, and plans the optimal walking or traveling route, which is then displayed on the map as a highlighted line segment.

[0059] The system provides navigation information including directional arrows, distance indicators, and estimated arrival time, and supports real-time location tracking and path correction. Even in remote areas without network signal, the system can still perform coordinate calculations and path pre-generation based on offline maps, and update synchronously once mobile network or satellite communication is restored.

[0060] This implementation method achieves a complete closed loop from data reception, coordinate calculation, map annotation to path guidance, significantly improving the efficiency and accuracy of target search at night or in complex environments, and effectively solving the problem of difficulty in finding targets caused by the disconnect between thermal imaging field of view and the real scene and the cumbersome manual positioning.

[0061] Based on the above embodiments of the target positioning method for optical observation provided by the present invention, it can be seen that the target positioning method for optical observation provided by the present invention has broad application prospects in fields such as field hunting, wildlife observation and protection. Its technical advantages are not only reflected in improving operational efficiency and positioning accuracy, but also in constructing a scalable, intelligent, and multi-scenario adaptable geographic information closed-loop system, which significantly enhances users' spatial perception and decision-making capabilities in complex natural environments.

[0062] In the field of wilderness hunting, this method completely changes the inefficient traditional "observation-shooting-recalling-searching" model. Especially at night or in low-visibility conditions, although thermal imaging equipment can assist aiming, the disconnect between the thermal image and the actual scene often makes it difficult for shooters to confirm the point of impact. This invention locks the target distance and azimuth at the moment of firing through an automatic trigger mechanism, and calculates the target's geographical coordinates in real time based on the user's location. It accurately marks the impact point on the mobile terminal map and generates a navigation path, greatly shortening the retrieval time and improving the hunting success rate. At the same time, the system supports offline operation and Bluetooth communication, completing the entire process without an external network, adapting to the absence of signal in the wild, and has extremely high practical reliability.

[0063] In wildlife observation scenarios, researchers and wildlife photographers often need to record animal activity patterns and habitat locations from a distance. Traditional methods rely on visual memory or manual coordinate recording, which are prone to errors and inefficient. This invention, using handheld thermal imaging or night vision equipment in conjunction with a manual triggering mechanism, allows for one-click marking of targets without disturbing the animals. The system automatically records and categorizes the targets' geographic coordinates, such as "deer activity points" or "breeding areas," forming a continuous spatial observation data chain. Researchers can then use these high-precision markers to construct animal activity heat maps and migration path models, providing reliable data support for population dynamics analysis.

[0064] This technology also holds significant value in wildlife conservation and anti-poaching operations. Rangers or patrol teams can use the system during nighttime patrols to quickly mark suspected poacher tracks, illegal campsites, or the location of injured animals, sharing the coordinates in real-time with the command center or other collaborative terminals for rapid response and precise deployment. The coordinate synchronization and path sharing capabilities between multiple devices further enhance team collaboration efficiency. Furthermore, the system supports setting up "virtual fences" in sensitive areas, automatically issuing warnings when markers appear densely, assisting managers in identifying potential ecological threats.

[0065] Figure 8 This is a schematic block diagram of a target positioning device 600 for optical observation provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 As shown, corresponding to the target positioning method applied to optical observation described above, the present invention also provides a target positioning device 600 for optical observation. This target positioning device 600 for optical observation includes a unit for executing the aforementioned target positioning method for optical observation, and the device can be configured in a desktop computer, tablet computer, smartphone, or other terminal.

[0066] Specifically, please refer to Figure 8 The target positioning device 600 for optical observation includes: The data acquisition and caching unit 610 is used to acquire the relative distance and azimuth angle between the target and the user's observation position as source data when the user aims at the target through the optical observation device, and to cache the source data; The trigger mode determination unit 620 is used to generate a target locking trigger signal according to the type of the carrier device or the usage mode of the optical observation device using the corresponding trigger mode; The data freezing and sending unit 630 is used to freeze the current source data in the cache when it receives the target locking trigger signal, and send the frozen current source data to the mobile terminal via wireless communication. The geographic coordinate calculation and navigation generation unit 640 is used to calculate the geographic coordinates of the target based on the current source data and the geographic coordinates of the current location obtained by the positioning module, according to a preset geodetic model, and mark the geographic location of the target on the map interface of the mobile terminal, while generating a navigation path.

[0067] In one embodiment, the data acquisition and caching unit 610 includes: The relative distance acquisition unit is used to emit a laser at the target and receive the reflected signal by means of the laser ranging function integrated in the optical observation device, so as to obtain the straight-line distance from the user observation position to the target as the relative distance; The geographic azimuth calculation unit is used to detect the direction of the geomagnetic field by the magnetometer built into the optical observation device, and calculate the geographic azimuth of the carrier device by combining the attitude information of the carrier device. The magnetic sensor calibration and compensation unit is used to apply hard iron offset and soft iron scaling factor to the raw data of the magnetometer for calibration and compensation, and output the calibrated azimuth angle. The source data temporary storage unit is used to update the relative distance and the calibrated azimuth angle in real time and temporarily store them in the local cache of the optical observation device.

[0068] In one embodiment, the trigger mode determination unit 620 includes: A firearm mode triggering unit is used to determine the generation of the target lock trigger signal based on the effective firing event generated by the accelerometer mounted on the optical observation device based on the recoil characteristics of the firearm when the carrying device is a firearm. The handheld mode triggering unit is used to trigger the generation of the target locking trigger signal based on the instruction signal generated by the user's manual operation of the physical button when the device is a handheld observation device.

[0069] In one embodiment, the firearm mode triggering unit includes: An acceleration data acquisition unit is used to continuously acquire triaxial acceleration data through the acceleration sensor; The waveform initial screening and judgment unit is used to continuously detect the triaxial acceleration data and determine whether there is an acceleration waveform that meets the preset amplitude threshold and time duration. The firing feature recognition unit is used to perform pattern recognition on the acceleration waveform that conforms to the preset firearm firing features, and determine whether it is the valid firing event; An automatic trigger signal generation unit is used to trigger the generation of the target lock trigger signal if the shot is determined to be effective.

[0070] In one embodiment, the handheld mode triggering unit includes: A button status monitoring unit is used to monitor the operation status of a specified physical button on the handheld observation device; The long press confirmation and trigger unit is used to confirm that the user has issued an active marking command signal when a long press operation on the designated physical button reaches a preset duration, thereby triggering the generation of the target locking trigger signal.

[0071] In one embodiment, the data freezing and sending unit 630 includes: The current data locking unit is used to immediately lock the latest distance and azimuth data in the current cache when the target locking trigger signal is generated; A packet construction unit is used to construct a packet that includes the trigger source type, relative distance, and azimuth angle. A wireless data transmission unit is used to transmit the data packets to the paired mobile terminal via the Bluetooth protocol.

[0072] In one embodiment, the geographic coordinate calculation and navigation generation unit 640 includes: The starting coordinate acquisition unit is used to activate the positioning module to acquire the current user's geographic coordinates as the starting point after the mobile terminal receives the data packet; The target coordinate inversion unit is used to invert the geographic coordinates of the target based on the starting point coordinates, the relative distance, and the azimuth angle using a spherical trigonometry method. The map annotation unit is used to convert the geographic coordinates of the target into map projection coordinates and then add a marker icon with graphic distinction to the map layer. The navigation route generation unit is used to generate a guidance route from the user's current location to the target location by calling a preloaded navigation engine based on the marker icon and the user's current location.

[0073] The aforementioned target positioning device 600 for optical observation can be implemented as a computer program, which can be used in, for example... Figure 9 It runs on the computer device shown.

[0074] Please see Figure 9 , Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of a computer device 500 provided in an embodiment of this application. The computer device 500 can be a terminal or a server. The terminal can be an electronic device with communication functions, such as a desktop computer, tablet computer, or smartphone. The server can be a standalone server or a server cluster composed of multiple servers.

[0075] See Figure 9 The computer device 500 includes a processor 502, a memory, and a network interface 505 connected via a system bus 501. The memory may include a non-volatile storage medium 503 and internal memory 504.

[0076] The non-volatile storage medium 503 may store an operating system 5031 and a computer program 5032. The computer program 5032 includes program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor 502 to perform a target localization method for optical observation.

[0077] The processor 502 provides computing and control capabilities to support the operation of the entire computer device 500.

[0078] The internal memory 504 provides an environment for the operation of the computer program 5032 in the non-volatile storage medium 503. When the computer program 5032 is executed by the processor 502, the processor 502 can execute a target positioning method applied to optical observation.

[0079] This network interface 505 is used for network communication with other devices. Those skilled in the art will understand that... Figure 9 The structure shown is merely a block diagram of a portion of the structure related to the present application and does not constitute a limitation on the computer device 500 to which the present application is applied. The specific computer device 500 may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0080] The processor 502 is used to run a computer program 5032 stored in a memory to implement the steps of the above method.

[0081] It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, the processor 502 may be a central processing unit (CPU), or it may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0082] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program includes program instructions and can be stored in a storage medium, which is a computer-readable storage medium. The program instructions are executed by at least one processor in the computer system to implement the process steps of the embodiments of the above methods.

[0083] Therefore, the present invention also provides a storage medium. This storage medium can be a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium stores a computer program, wherein the computer program includes program instructions. When executed by a processor, the program instructions cause the processor to perform the steps of the above-described method.

[0084] The storage medium can be any computer-readable storage medium capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, portable hard drive, read-only memory (ROM), magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0085] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the components and steps of the various examples have been generally described in terms of functionality in the foregoing description. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this invention.

[0086] In the several embodiments provided by this invention, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of each unit is only a logical functional division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed.

[0087] The steps in the method of this invention can be adjusted, merged, or reduced in order according to actual needs. The units in the device of this invention can be merged, divided, or reduced according to actual needs. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this invention can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0088] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a terminal, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0089] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A target positioning method applied to optical observation, characterized in that, An application to a targeting system, comprising an optical observation device, a carrier device, a mobile terminal, and a positioning module, wherein the optical observation device is mounted on the carrier device, and the positioning module is mounted on the mobile terminal, the method comprising: When a user aims at a target using the optical observation device, the relative distance and azimuth between the target and the user's observation position are collected as source data, and the source data is cached. Based on the type of the carrier device or the usage mode of the optical observation device, a target locking trigger signal is generated using the corresponding trigger mode. Upon receiving the target lock trigger signal, the current source data in the cache is frozen, and the frozen current source data is sent to the mobile terminal via wireless communication. Based on the current source data and the current location geographic coordinates obtained by the positioning module, the geographic coordinates of the target are calculated according to the preset geodetic model, and the geographic location of the target is marked on the map interface of the mobile terminal, while a navigation path is generated.

2. The target positioning method for optical observation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The carrier device is a firearm or a handheld observation device. The step of generating a target lock trigger signal according to the type of the carrier device or the usage mode of the optical observation device includes: When the carrying device is a firearm, the target lock trigger signal is generated by determining the effective firing event based on the recoil characteristics of the firearm by the acceleration sensor mounted on the optical observation device. When the device is a handheld observation device, the target locking trigger signal is generated based on the instruction signal generated by the user's manual operation of the physical button.

3. The target positioning method for optical observation according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of generating the target lock trigger signal by means of a command signal generated by an accelerometer mounted on the optical observation device based on the recoil characteristics of the firearm includes: The accelerometer continuously collects triaxial acceleration data. The triaxial acceleration data is continuously monitored to determine whether there is an acceleration waveform that meets the preset amplitude threshold and time duration. The acceleration waveform that conforms to the preset characteristics of firearm firing is subjected to pattern recognition to determine whether it is a valid firing event; If the shot is determined to be effective, the target lock trigger signal is generated.

4. The target positioning method for optical observation according to claim 2, wherein The step of generating the target locking trigger signal based on the instruction signal generated by the user's manual operation of the physical button includes: Monitor the operation status of designated physical buttons on the handheld observation device; When a long press operation on the designated physical button is detected to have reached a preset duration, it is confirmed that the user has issued an active marking command signal, triggering the generation of the target locking trigger signal.

5. The target positioning method for optical observation according to claim 1, wherein The step of collecting the relative distance and azimuth angle between the target and the user's observation position as source data when the user aims at the target through the optical observation device, and caching the source data, includes: By using the laser ranging function integrated into the optical observation device, a laser is emitted towards the target and the reflected signal is received to obtain the straight-line distance from the user's observation position to the target as the relative distance; The direction of the geomagnetic field is detected by the magnetometer built into the optical observation device, and the geographical azimuth of the carrier device is calculated by combining the attitude information of the carrier device. The raw data of the magnetometer is calibrated and compensated using hard iron offset and soft iron scaling factor, and the calibrated azimuth angle is output. The relative distance and the calibrated azimuth angle are updated in real time and temporarily stored in the local cache of the optical observation device.

6. The target positioning method for optical observation according to claim 1, wherein The step of freezing the current source data in the cache upon receiving the target lock trigger signal, and sending the frozen current source data to the mobile terminal via wireless communication, includes: When the target lock trigger signal is generated, the latest distance and azimuth data in the current cache are immediately locked; Construct a data packet that includes the trigger source type, relative distance, and azimuth angle; The data packet is transmitted to the paired mobile terminal via Bluetooth protocol.

7. The target positioning method for optical observation according to claim 1, wherein The steps of calculating the geographic coordinates of the target based on the current source data and the current location geographic coordinates obtained by the positioning module, calculating the geographic coordinates of the target according to a preset geodetic model, marking the geographic location of the target on the map interface of the mobile terminal, and generating a navigation path include: When the mobile terminal receives the data packet, it activates the positioning module to obtain the current user's geographical coordinates as the starting point; Based on the starting point coordinates, the relative distance, and the azimuth angle, the geographic coordinates of the target are derived using spherical trigonometry. After converting the geographic coordinates of the target to map projection coordinates, add a marker icon with graphic distinction to the map layer; Based on the marker icon and the user's current location, a preloaded navigation engine is invoked to generate a navigation route from the user's current location to the target's geographical location.

8. A target positioning device for optical observation, characterized by, Used to perform the target positioning method for optical observation as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A computer device, comprising: The computer device includes a memory and a processor connected to the memory; the memory is used to store a computer program; the processor is used to run the computer program stored in the memory to perform the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program, which includes program instructions that, when executed by a processor, can implement the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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