Ship Tracking Device Wake Echo Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tracking devices for target objects moving on water surfaces often mistakenly track wakes instead of the actual target due to the similarity in echo positions and sizes between the target and its wakes, leading to inaccurate tracking.
Innovation Solution
A tracking device with a correction target area setting module, correction target echo extracting module, scoring module, and determining module that differentiates and scores target object echoes within and outside the wake area, reducing the likelihood of misidentifying wake echoes as the target.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional radar tracking is used to detect target objects on water surface, then the tracking coverage is comprehensive, but the tracking accuracy deteriorates due to wake echo misidentification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the detection space into a correction target area (where wakes are likely to occur behind the target) and other areas. By applying different scoring rules to echoes within and outside the correction target area, the system distinguishes between target echoes and wake echoes, thereby improving tracking accuracy while maintaining reliable tracking performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different scoring criteria locally: echoes within the correction target area receive reduced scoring points compared to echoes outside this area. This local differentiation allows the system to account for the higher probability of wake echoes in specific regions while maintaining sensitivity to genuine target echoes elsewhere
2Measurement precision
If the scoring threshold is lowered to detect more target echoes, then the detection sensitivity is improved, but the false identification of wake echoes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements location-dependent scoring where echoes within the correction target area (behind the target) are assigned lower scoring points than echoes outside this area. This allows the system to maintain lower detection thresholds for genuine target echoes while automatically penalizing wake echoes that appear in the characteristic wake region, thus improving detection sensitivity without increasing false identification
3Measurement precision
If the tracking algorithm considers all detected echoes equally, then the processing is simple, but the tracking accuracy deteriorates due to wake interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the detection space into distinct regions (correction target area and other areas) and applies different scoring rules to each segment. This segmentation approach allows the algorithm to account for wake interference systematically without requiring complex wake modeling or sophisticated signal processing techniques
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the scoring parameter dynamically based on the echo's spatial location relative to the correction target area. By changing the scoring parameter (reducing points for echoes within the correction area), the system effectively filters wake interference without adding complex processing steps
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the security and accuracy of tracking by reducing the misidentification of wake echoes, thereby improving tracking performance and ensuring the target object is correctly tracked.
Implementation Method 1
a target object detection module for being inputted with an echo signal from an antenna that transmits an electromagnetic wave and receives the echo signal
Data Source
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AI summary
A tracking device (10) is provided, which may include a correction target area setting module (121) configured to set an area in which an unnecessary echo tends to be generated based on a structure or behavior of a ship, as a correction target area, a correction target echo extracting module (122) configured to extract a target object echo (ED-ED8) within the correction target area from a plurality of detected target object echoes (ED1-ED8), as a correction target echo, a scoring module (123) configured to score a matching level between previous echo information on a target object echo (ED0) and detected echo information on each of the target object echoes (ED1-ED8), based on the previous echo information, the detected echo information and the extraction result, and a determining module (124) configured to determine a target object echo (ED1) as a current tracking target by using the scored result.