Active IR System for Projectile Detection and Tracking

Reliable detection and tracking of high-speed projectiles is crucial in providing modern battlefield protection or to be used as a forensic tool. Subsonic projectiles fired from silenced weapons are difficult to detect, whereas reliable tracking of the projectile trajectory is hard to accomplish. Contemporary radar based counter-battery systems showed to be valuable in detection of incoming artillery fire, but are unable to provide detection at close ranges. In this paper, an active IR system is proposed that aims to detect and track incoming projectiles at close ranges. Proposed system is able to reconstruct projectile’s trajectory in space, predict impact location and estimate direction of projectile origin. Active detector system is based on a pair of high- speed cameras in stereo-configuration synced with computer and IR illuminator that emits coded IR light bursts. Innovative IR light coding enables automated detection and tracking of a nearby projectile and elimination of false positive alarms caused by distant objects.