IMAGE PROCESSOR

• US 20080143857A1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sota Shimizu
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Shimizu, Sota, Burdick, Joel W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,094,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/294
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/04 Context-preserving transformations, e.g. by using an importance map panospheric to cylindrical image transformations G06T3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/449 Biologically inspired filters, e.g. difference of Gaussians [DoG] or Gabor filters

Abstract

A system and method for making an image processor. A system for processing an image may include a target image processing element, a distorted image calculating element coupled to the target image processing element, an eccentricity estimator coupled to the distorted image calculating element, an eccentricity compensator coupled to the distorted image calculating element, a distorted foveated image modeler coupled to the eccentricity compensator, a log-polar image generator coupled to the eccentricity compensator, and an unreliable feature omitter coupled to the eccentricity compensator. Methods to make the foregoing system are also described.

Claims

1. A method of processing an image, the method comprising:

providing a target image;

calculating a distorted image from the target image;

estimating an eccentricity between the target image and the distorted image;

compensating for the eccentricity between the target image and the distorted image;

modeling a distorted foveated image;

generating a log-polar image; and

omitting an unreliable feature.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the modeling the distorted foveated image includes sectoring a field of view in a plurality of areas.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sectoring the field of view in the plurality of areas further includes sectoring the field of view at least in an area selected from the group consisting of:

a foveal area,

a para-foveal area,

a near-peripheral area, and

a peripheral area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the log-polar image includes calculating at least one discrete coordinate.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the generating the log-polar image includes calculating at least one Cartesian coordinate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the compensating for the eccentricity includes performing a mapping.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the performing the mapping includes at least one mapping selected from the group consisting of:

image to distorted foveated image and

distorted foveated image to compensated log-polar image.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one mapping of distorted foveated image to compensated log-polar image includes estimating a root mean square error.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the omitting the unreliable feature includes generating a discrete wavelet transform.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the omitting the unreliable feature includes generating a threshold based on at least one quantity selected from the group consisting of:

a parameter regulating an accuracy of a digitized error, and

an integer representing a resolution level.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the omitting the unreliable feature includes generating an inverse discrete wavelet transform.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the omitting the unreliable feature includes applying a Fourier-Mellin transform.

13. A system for processing an image, comprising:

a target image processing element;

a distorted image calculating element coupled to the target image processing element;

an eccentricity estimator coupled to the distorted image calculating element;

an eccentricity compensator coupled to the distorted image calculating element;

a distorted foveated image modeler coupled to the eccentricity compensator;

a log-polar image generator coupled to the eccentricity compensator; and

an unreliable feature omitter coupled to the eccentricity compensator.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the distorted foveated image modeler is configured to sector a field of view in a plurality of areas.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein one of the plurality of areas is selected from the group consisting of:

a foveal area,

a para-foveal area,

a near-peripheral area, and

a peripheral area.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the log-polar image generator is configured to calculate at least one discrete coordinate.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the log-polar image generator is configured to calculate at least one Cartesian coordinate.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the eccentricity compensator is configured to perform a mapping.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the mapping includes at least one mapping selected from the group consisting of:

an image to a distorted foveated image and

a distorted foveated image to a compensated log-polar image.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one mapping of the distorted foveated image to the compensated log-polar image includes a root mean square error estimation.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the unreliable feature omitter is configured to generate a discrete wavelet transform.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the unreliable feature omitter is configured to generate a threshold based on at least one quantity selected from the group consisting of:

a parameter regulating an accuracy of a digitized error, and

an integer representing a resolution level.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the unreliable feature omitter is configured to generate an inverse discrete wavelet transform.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein the unreliable feature omitter is configured to apply a Fourier-Mellin transform.

25. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for:

providing a target image;

calculating a distorted image from the target image;

estimating an eccentricity between the target image and the distorted image;

compensating for the eccentricity between the target image and the distorted image;

modeling a distorted foveated image;

generating a log-polar image; and

omitting an unreliable feature.