SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REDUCTION OF SPECKLE NOISE IN AN IMAGE
First Claim
1. A method of reducing speckle noise in an image comprising:
- (a) receiving an image comprising a plurality of pixels, the plurality of pixels defining a neighborhood system for pixels, wherein the neighborhood system for pixels comprises a first pixel and one or more neighboring pixels;
(b) estimating a coherence factor of the plurality of pixels;
(c) performing a uniformity test on a subset of pixels comprising a portion of the plurality of pixels;
(d) performing an intensity update on a pixel within the subset of pixels in response to the pixel being substantially non-uniform with respect to its neighborhood; and
(e) repeating steps (c) and (d) for substantially all of the plurality of pixels thereby producing a speckle-noise reduced image.
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Abstract
The present invention includes methods for the reduction of speckle noise in an image and methods for segmenting an image. Each of the methods disclosed herein includes steps for analyzing the uniformity of a pixel within a plurality of pixels forming a portion of the image and, based on the uniformity of the intensity of the plurality of pixels, adjusting and/or replacing the pixel in order to produce a speckle-noise reduced image, a segmented image, or a segmented and speckle-noise reduced image. The methods of the present invention can employ for example conditional probability density functions, nonlinear estimator functions, convex energy functions and simulated annealing algorithms in the performance of their respective steps.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method of reducing speckle noise in an image comprising:
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(a) receiving an image comprising a plurality of pixels, the plurality of pixels defining a neighborhood system for pixels, wherein the neighborhood system for pixels comprises a first pixel and one or more neighboring pixels; (b) estimating a coherence factor of the plurality of pixels; (c) performing a uniformity test on a subset of pixels comprising a portion of the plurality of pixels; (d) performing an intensity update on a pixel within the subset of pixels in response to the pixel being substantially non-uniform with respect to its neighborhood; and (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) for substantially all of the plurality of pixels thereby producing a speckle-noise reduced image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A storage media comprising program instructions that are hardware computer-executable to implement the reduction of speckle noise in an image, the storage media comprising:
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program instructions that cause a processor to recieve an image comprising a plurality of pixels, the plurality of pixels defining a neighborhood system for pixels, wherein the neighborhood system for pixels comprises a first pixel and one or more neighboring pixels; program instructions that cause a processor to estimate a coherence factor of the plurality of pixels; program instructions that cause a processor to perform a uniformity test on a subset of pixels comprising a portion of the plurality of pixels; program instructions that cause a processor to perform an intensity update on a pixel within the subset of pixels in response to the pixel being substantially non-uniform with respect to its neighborhood; and program instructions that cause a processor to repeat the uniformity test and the intensity update for substantially all of the plurality of pixels thereby producing a speckle-noise reduced image. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system for reducing speckle noise in an image comprising:
a processor adapted to; receive an image comprising a plurality of pixels, the plurality of pixels defining a neighborhood system for pixels, wherein the neighborhood system for pixels comprises a first pixel and one or more neighboring pixels; estimate a coherence factor of the plurality of pixels; perform a uniformity test on a subset of pixels comprising a portion of the plurality of pixels; perform an intensity update on a pixel within the subset of pixels in response to the pixel being substantially non-uniform with respect to its neighborhood; and generate a speckle reduced image. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. A method of segmenting an image comprising:
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(a) receiving an image comprising a plurality of pixels; (b) estimating a coherence parameter and a number of classes; (c) for each of the plurality of pixels, comparing an intensity of each pixel to an intensity of one or more neighboring pixels; (d) classifying each pixel into a class in response to a maximum value of a conditional probability function in response to the intensity of each pixel; and (e) providing a segmented image in response to the classification of each of the plurality of pixels. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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Specification