Free space image communication system and method

• US 5,793,880 A
• Filed: 05/13/1996
• Issued: 08/11/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aerospace Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aerospace Corporation
• Inventors: Constant, Robert N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Application Number:
  US08/644,439
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/181, 382/182, 382/232, 382/325, 340/815.4, 340/815.45, 340/815.53, 340/815.63, 341/13, 341/175, 359/154, 380/49, 380/54, 380/59, 116/18
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002

Abstract

A communication system including a transmitter and receiver, encodes a data set into a pixelized image for display and projection transmission through free space to a receiving camera regenerating the pixelized image which is then decoded back into the data set, the image transmission increases data transmission rates over serial bit free space communication by coding an entire data set into one pixelized image matched to one of several image patterns to which the data set may be coded using various image coding schemes, as examples, hexadecimal, angular and symbolic image coding schemes are particularly disclosed.

Claims

1. A system for communicating a data set through free space, the system comprising,

a encoding means for encoding the data set into an pixelized image,

a display means for converting the pixelized image into a displayed image and projecting the displayed image through free space,

a camera means for receiving the display image and converting the displayed image into the pixelized image, and

a decoding means for decoding the pixelized image into a data set.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the encoding means is a microcomputer comprising a programmed microprocessor for executing programs and a memory for storing image patterns, the encoding means receives the data set and matches the data set to one of the image patterns to generate the pixelized image communicated to the display means.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the display means comprises an illumination means for receiving the pixelized image and converting the pixelized image into the display image, and a projection means for projecting the displayed image towards the camera means through free space.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the camera means comprises a focusing means for receiving and focusing the displayed image transmitted from the display means, and a photodetecting means for receiving the displayed image from the focusing means and for converting the displayed imaged into the pixelized image communicated to the decoding means.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the decoding means is a microcomputer comprising a programmed microprocessor for executing programs and a memory for storing image patterns, the microcomputer is programmed to match the pixelized image to one of the image patterns to generate the data set.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein

the encoding means is a microcomputer comprising a programmed microprocessor for executing programs and a memory for storing image patterns, the encoding means receives the data set and matches the data set to one of the image patterns to generate the pixelized image communicated to the display means,

the display means comprises an illumination means for receiving the pixelized image and converting the pixelized image into the display image, and a projection means and for projecting a display image towards the camera means through free space,

the camera means comprises a focusing means for receiving and focusing the displayed image transmitted from the display means, and a photodetecting means for receiving the displayed image from the focusing means and for converting the displayed imaged into the pixelized image communicated to the decoding means, and

the decoding means is a microcomputer comprising a programmed microprocessor for executing programs and a memory for storing the image patterns, the microcomputer is programmed to match the pixelized image to one of the image patterns to generate the data set.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the image patterns are hexadecimal image patterns each respectively coded to one a plurality of data sets.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the image patterns are angular image patterns each respectively coded to one a plurality of data sets.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the image patterns are symbolic image patterns each respectively coded to one a plurality of data sets.

10. A method of communicating a data set through free space, the method comprising the steps of

encoding the data set into a pixelized image,

converting the pixelized image into a display image,

projecting the display image through free space,

receiving the display image,

focusing the display image,

photodetecting the display image,

converting the display image into the pixelized image, and

decoding pixelized image into the data set.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of

storing image patterns before the encoding step, the encoding step is by matching the data set to one of the image patterns and generating the pixelized image.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of

storing image patterns before the decoding step, the decoding step is by matching pixelized data set to one of the image patterns and generating the data set.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein

the encoding step encodes one or more bits of the data set to a respective area of the pixelized image, and

the decoding steps decode the respective area of the pixelized image into one or more bits.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of

storing image patterns before the encoding step, the encoding step is by matching the data set to one of the image patterns and generating the pixelized image, and

storing image patterns before the decoding step, the decoding step is by matching pixelized data set to one of the image patterns and generating the data set.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the image patterns are hexadecimal image patterns each respectively coded to one a plurality of data sets.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the image patterns are angular image patterns each respectively coded to one a plurality of data sets.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the image patterns are symbolic image patterns each respectively coded to one a plurality of data sets.