Imaging system

• US 8,446,503 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2009
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX), Teledyne Digital Imaging, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX), Teledyne Dalsa Incorporated (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Koenck, Steven E., Jensen, David W., Draijer, Cees
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLOHRE, JASON A
• Application Number:
  US12/570,528
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/297
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/741 by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/589 with different integration times, e.g. short and long exposures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/772 comprising A/D, V/T, V/F, I/T or I/F converters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

An imaging system may include: at least one photon sensing pixel; at least one digital counting circuit; and at least one processing core programmed to apply at least one image processing algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit.

Claims

1. An imaging system comprising:

at least one photon sensing pixel;

at least one digital counting circuit; and

at least one processing core programmed for applying at least one image processing algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit, wherein the applying at least one image processing algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit includes;

receiving a low-exposure pixel sample associated with a first point-in-time view;

receiving a high-exposure pixel sample associated with a second point-in-time view;

computing a difference between the low-exposure pixel sample and a minimum cutoff value;

computing a difference between the high-exposure pixel sample and a maximum saturation value; and

selecting a pixel sample having a greater difference as a representative pixel sample.

2. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the at least one photon sensing pixel comprises:

at least one uncooled solid-state photon counting pixel.

3. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the applying at least one image processing algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit further comprises:

applying a noise reduction algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit.

4. The imaging system of claim 1, the at least one processing core further programmed for:

scaling the first low-exposure pixel sample by a factor corresponding to the ratio of a high-exposure pixel sample exposure time to a low-exposure pixel sample exposure time.

5. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the applying at least one image processing algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit further comprises:

applying a deblurring algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit.

6. The imaging system of claim 5, wherein the applying a deblurring algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit further comprises:

applying iterative deblurring using refinement of a Point Spread Function (PSF) derived from an initial motion vector seed.

7. The imaging system of claim 6, wherein the applying iterative deblurring comprises:

applying a fast searching algorithm using a multiple resolution representation of an image to derive a motion vector; and

refining a blurred image using an iterative or direct method with the motion vector.

8. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the at least one photon sensing pixel comprises:

at least one uncooled avalanche photodiode sensor.

9. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the at least one photon sensing pixel and the at least one digital counting circuit are operably coupled by a bump bond contact.

10. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the at least one photon sensing pixel, the at least one digital counting circuit, and the at least one processing core are in a stacked configuration.

11. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processing core comprises:

a plurality of processing cores forming a multicore parallel processing array.

12. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising:

a display module.

13. A method for capturing images comprising:

counting at least one detected photon;

digitally sampling a count of detected photons;

applying at least one image processing algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit, wherein the applying at least one image processing algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit includes;

receiving a low-exposure pixel sample associated with a first point-in-time view;

receiving a high-exposure pixel sample associated with a second point-in-time view;

computing a difference between the low-exposure pixel sample and a minimum cutoff value;

computing a difference between the high-exposure pixel sample and a maximum saturation value; and

selecting a pixel sample having a greater difference as a representative pixel sample.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the applying at least one image processing algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit further comprises:

applying a noise reduction algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the applying at least one image processing algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit further comprises:

applying a deblurring algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the applying a deblurring algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit further comprises:

applying iterative deblurring using refinement of a Point Spread Function (PSF) derived from an initial motion vector seed.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the applying iterative deblurring comprises:

applying a fast searching algorithm using a multiple resolution representation of an image to derive a motion vector; and

refining a blurred image using an iterative or direct method with the motion vector.

18. A system for image processing comprising:

means for counting at least one detected photon;

means for digitally sampling a count of detected photons;

means for applying at least one image processing algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit, wherein the applying at least one image processing algorithm to at least one pixel sample of the at least one digital counting circuit includes;

receiving a low-exposure pixel sample associated with a first point-in-time view;

receiving a high-exposure pixel sample associated with a second point-in-time view;

computing a difference between the low-exposure pixel sample and a minimum cutoff value;

computing a difference between the high-exposure pixel sample and a maximum saturation value; and

selecting a pixel sample having a greater difference as a representative pixel sample.