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AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsJonathon M Schuler, Dean A Scribner, J Grant Howard
Estimating the term…
A system for enhancing images from an electro-optic imaging sensor and for reducing the necessary focal length of a sensor while preserving system acuity. This system uniquely reduces the necessary focal length and enhances images by collecting a video sequence, estimating motion associate with this sequence, assembling video frames into composite images, and applying image restoration to restore the composite image from pixel, lens blur, and alias distortion. The invention synthetically increases the pixel density of the focal plane array. Thus it reduces the necessary size of the projected blur circle or equivalently it reduces the minimum focal length requirements.
A method of enhancing images from an electro-optic imaging system, comprising:
A system for enhancing images captured by an electro-optic imaging sensor and for reducing focal length of said sensor while preserving system acuity, comprising:
A system for enhancing images captured by an electro-optic imaging sensor and for reducing focal length of said sensor while preserving system acuity, comprising:
A method for enhancing images captured by an electro-optic imaging sensor and for reducing focal length of said sensor while preserving system acuity, the method comprising:
A method for enhancing images captured by an electro-optic imaging sensor having a focal plane array and for reducing focal length of the sensor while preserving system acuity, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Control of cameras or camera modules: for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting: based on super-resolution, i.e. the output image resolution being higher…
Motion detection: based on the image signal
Vibration or motion blur correction: performed by a processor, e.g. controlling the readout of an image memory
Term ended 11 Mar 2024 (estimated)
1. Field of the Invention
This invention deals generally with an algorithm for increasing the spatial acuity of Focal Plane Array based Electro-Optic imaging systems by accumulating multiple frames of imagery into a single composite image and thus reducing the effective focal length of a viewing lens.
2. Description of the Related Prior Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention in a computer processing system.
FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart outlining the operation sequence of the invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates a sequence of video imagery, along with corresponding coordinate directions.
This invention relates to particular types of imaging systems, and more specifically, to a method that improves the spatial resolution of such imaging systems. This is achieved by assimilating a video sequence of images that may drift, yet dwell, over an object of interest into a single composite image with higher spatial resolution than any individual frame from the video sequence.
This technique applies to a particular class of non-coherent electro-optical imaging systems that consist of a lens projecting incoming light onto a focal plane. Positioned at the focal plane is an array of electronic photo-conversion detectors, whose relative spatial positions at the focal plane are mechanically constrained to be fixed, such as through lithography techniques common to the manufacturing processes of focal plane array detectors.
It is noted this invention cannot increase the physically achievable resolution of an imaging system, which is fundamentally bounded by the diffraction limit of a lens with finite aperture at a given wavelength of non-coherent light. Rather, this invention recovers for resolution that is additionally lost to distortions of noise, aliasing, and pixel blur endemic to any focal plane array detector.