System, Method, and Software for Image Processing

• US 20120038777A1
• Filed: 08/12/2010
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Portnoy, Andrew D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,277,141 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/164
• 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

According to certain embodiments, an image processing system includes a computing system that receives a video signal including data for one or more images and determines a region of interest in a particular image of the one or more images. Using the determined region of interest, the computing system instructs the camera to generate a peripheral region of one or more subsequent images having a reduced information intensity level relative to the information intensity level with which the region of interest of the one or more subsequent images are generated. The region of interest of the one or more subsequent images corresponds to the region of interest of the particular image. The peripheral region including portions of the image other than the region of interest.

Claims

1. An image processing system comprising:

an infrared camera comprising a focal plane array device operable to generate a video signal by scanning light representing one or more images;

one or more memory units;

one or more processing units operable to;

receive, from the infrared camera, the video signal comprising data for the one or more images;

representing the image;

determine a region of interest in a particular image of the one or more images; and

transmit, to the camera, a control signal instructing the camera to generate a peripheral region of one or more subsequent images with a reduced information intensity level relative to the information intensity level with which a region of interest of the one or more subsequent images are generated, the region of interest of the one or more subsequent images corresponding to the region of interest of the particular image, the peripheral region comprising portions of the subsequent one or more images other than the region of interest; and

a hand-held housing that houses the infrared camera, the one or more memory units, the one or more processing units, and a battery operable to power the camera, the one or more memory units, and the one or more processing units.

2. An image processing system comprising:

one or more memory units; and

one or more processing units operable to;

receive, from a camera, a video signal comprising data for one or more images;

determine a region of interest in a particular image of the one or more images; and

transmit, to the camera, a control signal instructing the camera to generate a peripheral region of one or more subsequent images with a reduced information intensity level relative to the information intensity level with which a region of interest of the one or more subsequent images are generated, the region of interest of the one or more subsequent images corresponding to the region of interest of the particular image, the peripheral region comprising portions of the subsequent one or more images other than the region of interest.

3. The image processing system of claim 2, wherein the camera comprises a focal plane array device operable to generate the video signal by scanning light representing the one or more images, the focal plane array device generating the peripheral region of the one or more subsequent images with reduced information intensity level by not scanning one or more segments of the peripheral region of light representing the one or more subsequent images.

4. The image processing system of claim 3, wherein the one or more segments comprise one or more rows of the one or more subsequent images.

5. The image processing system of claim 3, wherein the one or more segments comprise one or more columns of the one or more subsequent images.

6. The image processing system of claim 3, wherein the focal plane array device is operable to perform an interlace scan of the peripheral region of the one or more subsequent images and a progressive scan of the region of interest.

7. The image processing system of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are operable to determine the region of interest according to one or more visual characteristics of the region of interest, the visual characteristics comprising one or more of the following:

a color of the region of interest;

a contrast of the region of interest;

or

a shape of one or more objects in the region of interest.

8. The image processing system of claim 2, wherein the one or more images comprise a plurality of images, the one or more processors are operable to determine the region of interest according to a rate of change of information in the region of interest over the plurality of the one or more images.

9. The image processing system of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are operable to determine the region of interest according to manual input from a user.

10. The image processing system of claim 2, wherein the camera comprises an infrared camera operable to generate the video signal from longwave infrared light.

11. The image processing system of claim 2, further comprising a hand-held housing that houses the camera, the one or more memory units, the one or more processing units, and a battery operable to power the camera, the one or more memory units, and the one or more processing units.

12. An image processing method comprising:

receiving, from a camera, a video signal comprising data for one or more images;

determining a region of interest in a particular image of the one or more images; and

transmitting, to the camera, a control signal instructing the camera to generate a peripheral region of one or more subsequent images with a reduced information intensity level relative to the information intensity level with which a region of interest of the one or more subsequent images are generated, the region of interest of the one or more subsequent images corresponding to the region of interest of the particular image, the peripheral region comprising portions of the subsequent one or more images other than the region of interest.

13. The image processing method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating the video signal by scanning light representing the one or more images using a focal plane array device, the focal plane array device generating the peripheral region of the one or more subsequent images with reduced information intensity level by not scanning one or more segments of the peripheral region of light representing the image.

14. The image processing method of claim 13, wherein the one or more segments comprise one or more rows of the one or more subsequent images.

15. The image processing method of claim 13, wherein the one or more segments comprise one or more columns of the one or more subsequent images.

16. The image processing method of claim 13, further comprising:

performing, by the focal plane array device, an interlace scan of the peripheral region of the one or more subsequent images; and

performing, by the focal plane array device, a progressive scan of the region of interest of the one or more subsequent images.

17. The image processing method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining the region of interest according to one or more visual characteristics of the region of interest, the visual characteristics comprising one or more of the following;

a color of the region of interest;

a contrast of the region of interest;

or

a shape of one or more objects in the region of interest.

18. The image processing method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining the region of interest according to a rate of change of information in the region of interest over a plurality of the one or more images, the plurality of images comprising the one or more images.

19. The image processing method of claim 12, further comprising determining the region of interest according to manual input from a user.

20. The image processing method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating, using an infrared camera, the video signal from longwave infrared light.

21. The image processing method of claim 20, wherein the infrared camera comprises a microbolometer.

22. The image processing method of claim 12, further comprising:

powering the camera, the one or more memory units, and the one or more processing units using a battery, the camera, the one or more memory units, the one or more processing units, and the battery housed in a hand-held housing.