Sensor system having nonuniformity suppression with image preservation
First Claim
1. Apparatus for processing an image produced by a sensor having an array of sensor elements, comprising:
- controller means for providing a movement command to a sensor positioner to cause a sensor to physically move;
compensation means for correcting for detector element nonuniformity in an image array of pixels produced by the sensor, to form a nonuniformity-compensated image; and
repositioning means for electronically correcting the indicated position of the nonuniformity-compensated image for the movement of the sensor, responsive to an inverse of the movement command received from the controller means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sensor system includes a sensor (20) having an array (22) of detector elements (24), a movable sensor positioner (32) in which the sensor (20) is mounted, a signal processor (30) that progressively corrects the intensities of the pixels of a sensor output array for detector element nonuniformity, an electronic scene position corrector (40), and a motion controller (36) that provides a movement command (34) to the sensor positioner (32), and transmits the substance of the movement command to the scene position corrector (40). An image array signal is furnished from the sensor (20) to the signal processor (30), while the sensor positioner (32) is controllably moved under command of the motion controller (36). A nonuniformity-compensated output signal (38) of the signal processor (30) is provided to the scene position corrector (40), wherein the position of the image is corrected for the motion of the sensor positioner (32). The resulting sensor output signal (44) has sensor element nonuniformity selectively compensated, but objects in the field of view of the sensor (20) are not suppressed.
63 Citations
19 Claims
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1. Apparatus for processing an image produced by a sensor having an array of sensor elements, comprising:
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controller means for providing a movement command to a sensor positioner to cause a sensor to physically move; compensation means for correcting for detector element nonuniformity in an image array of pixels produced by the sensor, to form a nonuniformity-compensated image; and repositioning means for electronically correcting the indicated position of the nonuniformity-compensated image for the movement of the sensor, responsive to an inverse of the movement command received from the controller means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of producing a sensor output signal, comprising the steps of:
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furnishing an image array signal from a sensor having an array of detector elements mounted in a physically movable sensor positioner; controllably moving the sensor positioner; processing the image array signal to progressively correct pixel intensities of the signal for detector element nonuniformity; and electronically correcting the indicated position of the processed image array signal for the movement of the sensor positioner to provide a sensor output signal having sensor element nonuniformity selectively compensated but objects in the field of view of the sensor not suppressed. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of producing a sensor output signal, comprising the steps of:
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providing a sensor having an array of detector elements, a movable sensor positioner in which the sensor is mounted, a signal processor that progressively corrects the intensities of the pixels of a sensor output array for detector element nonuniformity, an electronic scene position corrector, and a motion controller that provides a movement command to the sensor positioner, and transmits the substance of the movement command to the scene position corrector; furnishing an image array signal from the sensor to the signal processor, while controllably moving the sensor positioner under command of the motion controller; and furnishing a nonuniformity-compensated output signal of the signal processor to the scene position corrector, wherein the position of the image is corrected for the motion of the sensor positioner to provide a sensor output signal having sensor element nonuniformity selectively compensated but objects in the field of view of the sensor not suppressed. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification