METHOD FOR DETECTING VELOCITY OR DISPLACEMENT OF AN OBJECT OVER A SURFACE BY ANALYZING IMAGES OF THE SURFACE

There is described a method for detecting relative displacement between an object such as a slow moving vehicle and an illuminated surface which is normally the ground surface illuminated by an infrared light source so as to provide an output indicating the displacement or a velocity calculated from the displacement. The method includes providing an array of CCD or similar elements each arranged to receive light from a portion of a field of view and to provide an output responsive thereto. The method involves selection of a reference image and repeatedly comparing the reference image of the surface with each successive image by calculating the convolution integral of the signals using a fast fourier transform to obtain a probable displacement value. The reference image is maintained as long as possible until a “Q” factor falls below an acceptable minimum, or until a predetermined time elapses or until a predetermined displacement is measured. The displacement values obtained from the comparisons can be filtered by discarding some values if they are outside an expected range of probable values.