SYSTEM AND PROCESSOR IMPLEMENTED METHOD FOR IMPROVED IMAGE QUALITY AND GENERATING AN IMAGE OF A TARGET ILLUMINATED BY QUANTUM PARTICLES

• US 20140340570A1
• Filed: 06/12/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: US Army Research Laboratory (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Meyers, Ronald E., Deacon, Keith S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,131,128 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/370
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10032 Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20216 Image averaging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20224 Image subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/77 Retouching; Inpainting; Scratch removal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/90 Dynamic range modification of images or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/94 based on local image properties, e.g. for local contrast enhancement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/211 Ghost signal cancellation H04N23/81 takes precedence

Abstract

According to some embodiments, system and methods for image improvement comprise: receiving a plurality of frames of a given region of interest, the frames comprised of a plurality of pixels; determining, based on a quantum property of the frames, a normalized pixel intensity value for each pixel of each of the plurality of frames; and generating an improved image of the given region of interest based on the plurality of frames and the corresponding normalized pixel intensity values for the frames, the order of the image being two. Also embodiments for generating an image of a target illuminated by quantum entangled particles, such as, photons, are disclosed.

Claims

1. A processor implemented method for image improvement comprising:

receiving a plurality of frames of a given region of interest, the frames comprised of a plurality of pixels;

determining, based on a quantum property of the frames, a normalized pixel intensity value for each pixel of each of the plurality of frames; and

generating an improved image of the given region of interest based on the plurality of frames and the corresponding normalized pixel intensity values for the frames, the order of the image being two.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the normalized pixel intensity value of a frame comprises:

determining pixel values within a frame;

summing pixel intensity values for determined pixel values within a frame; and

dividing each summed pixel value by the number of determined pixel values to form a normalized pixel intensity value for each pixel in the frame.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the improved image of the region of interest comprises:

calculating (i) the average of the product of determined pixel values and the corresponding normalized pixel intensity values for the plurality of frames, and (ii) the product of the average of the determined pixels values for each frame and the average of normalized pixel intensity values for the plurality of frames.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

taking the difference of (i) and (ii).

5. The method of claim 3, wherein calculating (i) the average of the product of determined pixel values and the corresponding normalized pixel intensity values for the plurality of frames comprises:

multiplying pixel values for determined pixels within each frame by the corresponding normalized pixel intensity values for that frame to produce a product for each frame;

summing the products of all the frames; and

determining the average of first product arrays by dividing the sum of product by the number of frames.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein calculating (ii) the product of the average of the determined pixels values for each frame and the average of normalized pixel intensity values for the plurality of frames comprises:

determining the average value of each pixel for each frame for the plurality of frames;

determining the average normalized pixel intensity value for each pixel for the plurality of frames; and

multiplying the average pixel values and the average of the normalized pixel intensity value for each pixel.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein determining pixels values within a frame comprises:

selecting all pixels within each frame;

selecting pixel based upon at least one predetermined criterion;

selecting pixels which are shifted a pre-determined distance away from select pixels; and

/or

determining an average value of adjacent pixels for select pixels.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting at least one measureable property for determining a normalized pixel intensity value for each pixel of each of the plurality of frames; and

using at least one different measurable property of the plurality of frames for generating the improved image.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a measureable property comprises:

wavelength or wavelength band, color, polarity, polarization, orbital angular momentum, spin, a quantum particle;

or any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the frames comprise regions of interest that are radiation emitting.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the frames of a region of interest comprise sparse image data, and wherein the improved image is generated using the sparse image data.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a frame intensity deviation value for each frame by subtracting the average frame intensity for the plurality of first frames from the frame intensity for each frame; and

classifying the frame intensity deviation values for each frame based on whether the frame intensity deviation values is positive or negative.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

selecting processing for generating an improved image based on said classification.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

calculating one or more conditional product values of the classified frame intensity deviation values for each frame; and

selecting one or more of the conditional product values to generate the improved image.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein at least two calculated conditional product values are treated differently based upon their classification.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein all calculated conditional product values are used to generate the improved image without any change thereto.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising interpolating the pixel values for each frame to a finer resolution.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering the frame data, the normalized pixel intensity value, and/or any data used in one or more calculations thereof.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an iterated improved image of the region of interest which comprises;

specifying one or more pixel locations to be normalized to form the normalized pixel intensity value for each pixel;

selecting new pixel locations based on a pre-determined pixel selection criteria from the values of the improved image of the region of interest;

reviewing the new determined pixels to determine if the new determined pixel locations are substantially the same as the pixel locations previously determined pixel locations; and

repeating the aforementioned steps until a specified iteration criteria is met.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising using fewer than the total number of frames to determine an improved image of the region of interest.

21. A system for image improvement comprising

at least one processor;

at least one input for receiving or inputting frames of data; and

at least one memory operatively associated with the at least one processor adapted to store frames of data taken of a region of interest, each frame of data comprising an array of pixels, each pixel having a pixel value,

wherein the at least one processor is configured to process a plurality of frames of a given region of interest according to the method of claim 1.

22. A processor implemented method for image improvement comprising:

receiving a plurality of frames of a given region of interest, the frames comprised of a plurality of pixels, each pixel including a value of at least one measureable property of quantum particles;

specifying the order of the improved image to be generated, the order being greater than or equal to two;

selecting at least one measureable quantum property for pixel values of the frames corresponding to the specified order;

determining, based on the at least one measureable quantum property, normalized pixel intensity values for each pixel of each of the plurality of frames up to the specified order, to generate the improved image; and

generating an improved image of the given region of interest based on the plurality of frames and the corresponding normalized pixel intensity values for the frames.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least measureable quantum property comprises:

wavelength or wavelength band, color, polarity, polarization, orbital angular momentum, spin, quantum phase, a quantum particle;

or any combination thereof.

24. A system for generating an image of a target illuminated by quantum entangled particles comprising:

an illumination system comprising;

at least one source of quantum entangled particle pairs; and

a beamsplitter receiving the quantum entangled particle pairs, such that one particle from each pair of particle generated by each source interfere on the beamsplitter causing the interfered particles to be directed towards a target and the remaining particle pairs are not directed towards the target,

wherein the illumination system is configured so that the interfered particles interact with the target;

a measuring system comprising a first detector and a second detector that are configured to perform at least one spatially resolved measurement of particles, where the first detector measures one of the remaining particle pairs and the second detector measures the other of the remaining particle pairs; and

a processor configured to generate an image of the target based upon the correlated measured values and spatial information from the first detector and the second detector.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein the illumination system comprise:

a single source of entangled particle pairs; and

a pair of beamsplitters receiving the entangled particles pairs, such that one particle from each pair of particles generated by each source interfere on the beamsplitter causing the interfered particles to be directed towards a target and the remaining particle pairs to be retained;

wherein the illumination system is configured so that the interfered particles interact with the target causing absorption at the target entangling the retained particle pairs.

31. The system of claim 24, wherein the system is configured so that the interfered particles interact with the target causing absorbtion at the target entangling the retained particle pairs.

32. The system of claim 24 wherein the system is configured so that the interfered particles interact with the target causing reflection at the target and further comprises optics or focusing components and measurement electronics wherein the measurement of the reflected entangled particles entangled the retained particle pairs.

25. The system of 24, further comprising:

electronics configured to determine coincidences based on measurements of the first and second detectors which occur within a predetermined time interval.

26. The system of 25, wherein the processor is configured to generate at least a second order image using the coincidences.

27. The system of 25, wherein the processor is configured to apply an image improvement method for generating at least a second order image using at least one measureable quantum property.

28. The system of 24, further comprising an optical delay element configured to introduce a time delay for particles reaching the measuring system.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the optical delay element is further configured to be operated so as to generate an absorption image of the target, a reflection image of the target, or both.