UAV Target Tracking via Optical Flow Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face challenges in tracking and shooting moving targets at high speeds or irregular speeds due to manual remote control limitations, resulting in poor shooting quality and instability.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that includes a control apparatus on the UAV to collect images, select and track targets by calculating movement speed, direction, and location using algorithms like Lucas-Kanade optical flow, and store characteristic templates for improved target tracking and shooting precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual remote control is used for tracking and shooting, then the operator can control the UAV, but it is difficult to track moving targets at high speed or irregular speed and shooting quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables the UAV to automatically track and shoot targets by itself without requiring continuous manual intervention. The control apparatus automatically calculates target movement parameters and adjusts UAV flight and photographing apparatus orientation based on real-time image analysis, making the system self-sufficient in tracking operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical control with an automated computer vision system. The control apparatus uses image processing algorithms to detect target movement and automatically generates control signals for the UAV and photographing apparatus, substituting human-operated mechanical control with an automated optical-mechanical system.
2Ease of operation
If manual remote control is used for tracking, then the operator can adjust the UAV, but the UAV cannot synchronously move with the target and shooting quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a closed-loop feedback mechanism where the control apparatus continuously analyzes images from the photographing apparatus, calculates target movement parameters, and adjusts the UAV's flight and the photographing apparatus's orientation in real-time. This feedback loop ensures the UAV synchronously tracks moving targets reliably without manual intervention.
3Measurement precision
If automated target tracking is implemented, then tracking precision is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional control apparatus and algorithms
Solution Approach 1:
The control apparatus is designed to perform multiple functions: it processes images from the photographing apparatus, calculates target movement parameters, controls the UAV's flight path, and adjusts the photographing apparatus's orientation. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional control system, the patent reduces overall system complexity while maintaining high tracking precision.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to the field of electronic photographing technologies, and provides a method, a control apparatus and a system for tracking and shooting a target. The method includes: in a tracking and shooting process, controlling, by a control apparatus, a photographing apparatus on an unmanned aerial vehicle to collect an image, and obtaining the collected image; selecting a tracked target in the image; calculating a movement speed, a movement direction and a location on the current image that are of the tracked target according to comparison between consecutive neighboring frame images; and controlling, according to the calculated movement speed, movement direction and location on the current image, the unmanned aerial vehicle to track the tracked target, so that the tracked target is always located on the image collected by the photographing apparatus. According to the present invention, tracking and shooting can be automatically performed on a target in an aerial shooting process, without a need to manually remotely control the unmanned aerial vehicle to track a moving target. Therefore, locating precision is high, the moving target can be tracked and shot, and a high-quality video or photo can be obtained.