Machine vision tracking of carrier-deck assets for improved launch safety

We present an automated aircraft tracking system as a tool for improving carrier-deck safety. Using a single video stream, aircraft are tracked with relation to the deck, enabling the automatic evaluation of deck safety criteria. System operation involves matching observed image edge features to a calibrated projection of a 3D deck/aircraft model. By identifying the best-fit model, high accuracy 3D tracking is achieved. Testing with a 1:72-scale model indicates a full-scale accuracy on the order of 1 foot spatially and 1 degree in aircraft orientation. Further, our edge-matching based method is insensitive to illumination changes, robust to partial obscuration and highly parallelizable (with preliminary benchmarking indicating real-time feasibility). Automated aircraft tracking allows improved operational locations for launch control personnel and/or provides a second-look deck safety evaluation and, as such, represents a significant new tool for the assurance of carrier deck safety.