Dual-Camera Ship Tracking for Wide-Area Monitoring and Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ship monitoring systems face challenges in maintaining effective surveillance due to crew fatigue and difficulty in identifying objects at sea that are difficult to detect with the naked eye, leading to potential collision risks.
Innovation Solution
An other-ship tracking monitoring system utilizing a wide-angle camera and a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera to capture and track enlarged images of other ships, with a control unit to control the PTZ camera to control the tracking camera based on the display position of the other ship, providing automatic tracking and enlarged images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera is used for tracking and enlarging images of other ships, then the monitoring precision and object identification capability are improved, but the device complexity and control difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the monitoring function into two independent parts: a wide-angle camera for overall surveillance and a PTZ camera for detailed tracking. This segmentation allows each camera to specialize in its specific function, improving overall identification capability while managing complexity through functional separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the wide-angle camera and PTZ camera into a coordinated dual-camera system with a unified control unit. The control unit integrates information from both cameras and automatically controls the PTZ camera based on the wide-angle camera's detection, combining the advantages of both camera types to resolve the contradiction between precision and complexity.
2Ease of operation
If automatic tracking control is implemented using a PTZ camera, then crew fatigue is reduced and monitoring effectiveness is improved, but the control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automatic self-tracking functionality where the control unit automatically controls the PTZ camera based on detection information from the wide-angle camera without requiring manual intervention. This self-service capability reduces crew fatigue and operational complexity by eliminating the need for continuous manual monitoring and adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit receives feedback information from the wide-angle camera about detected objects and automatically adjusts the PTZ camera's positioning and zoom levels based on this feedback. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables automatic tracking while managing control system complexity through algorithmic coordination rather than complex mechanical systems.
3Area of stationary object
If only a wide-angle camera is used for monitoring, then the coverage area is large and device complexity is low, but the ability to identify distant or small objects is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the monitoring task into two functional components: wide-angle coverage provided by the wide-angle camera and detailed identification provided by the PTZ camera. This segmentation allows the system to maintain large coverage area while improving object identification capability through the specialized capabilities of each camera type.
Solution Approach 2:
The wide-angle camera serves a dual function: providing overall surveillance coverage and detecting potential targets of interest. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain large coverage area while the detected targets are then tracked and identified in detail by the PTZ camera, improving overall identification capability without sacrificing coverage.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to other-ship tracking monitoring for tracking and monitoring other ships around a ship, and includes a sensor information collection unit configured to generate a wide-angle image of a sea area around an own ship, the wide-angle image including an other ship, a tracking camera unit configured to track the other ship and capture an enlarged image of the other ship, separately from the wide-angle image, and a control unit configured to control the tracking camera unit by considering a display position of the other ship appearing in the enlarged image.