Open system architecture for surveillance systems with efficient bandwidth management

• US 7,536,057 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2005
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Inventors: Akarmann, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Do; Anh Hong
• Application Number:
  US11/263,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20070098280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• Field of Search: 382/254, 382/236, 382/238, 345/629, 345/632, 345/555, 345/557, 715/790, 348/430.1, 348/E7.003, 375/E7.265
• US Class Current: 382/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/503 involving temporal prediction adaptive coding with adaptive selection between spatial and temporal predictive coding H04N19/107; adaptive coding with adaptive selection among a plurality of temporal predictive coding modes H04N19/109
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/587 involving temporal sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. decimation or subsequent interpolation of pictures in a video sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/59 involving spatial sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. alteration of picture size or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/593 involving spatial prediction techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/597 specially adapted for multi-view video sequence encoding

Abstract

A signal processing method comprises the steps of: receiving an image frame including a plurality of rows of pixel data words, wherein each of the rows includes a start pixel data word and a plurality of successive pixel data words; processing each row by subtracting each successive pixel data word in the row from the start pixel data word in the row to produce a plurality of difference pixel data words; and storing and/or transmitting the difference pixel data words. An apparatus that performs the method is also included.

Claims

1. A signal processing method comprising the steps of:

using an input to receive an image frame including a plurality of rows of pixel data words;

each of the rows including a start pixel data word and a plurality of successive pixel data words;

using a processor to subtract each successive pixel data word in each row from the start pixel data word in the row to produce a plurality of difference pixel data words; and

storing the difference pixel data words in a buffer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the start pixels of successive rows are at opposite ends of the successive rows.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the difference pixel data words comprise four bits per pixel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor compresses the difference pixel data words by a factor of 2, 4, 10 or 20.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises electro-optical or infrared image data.

6. An apparatus comprising:

an input for receiving an image frame including a plurality of rows of pixel data words, wherein each of the rows includes a start pixel data word and a plurality of successive pixel data words;

a processor for subtracting each successive pixel data word in each row from the start pixel data word in the row to produce a plurality of difference pixel data words; and

a memory for storing the difference pixel data words.

7. A signal processing method comprising the steps of:

using a synthetic aperture radar to produce corresponding image frames of a spot, each image frame including a plurality of pixel data words;

using a processor to process the image frames by subtracting each of the pixel data words in a second one of the image data frames from a corresponding pixel data word in a first one of the image frames to produce a plurality of difference pixel data words; and

storing the difference pixel data in a buffer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the difference pixel data words comprise four bits per pixel.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the processor compresses the difference pixel data words by a factor of 2, 4, 10 or 20.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a synthetic aperture radar producing corresponding image frames of a spot, each image frame including a plurality of pixel data words;

a processor for processing the image frames by subtracting each of the pixel data words in a second one of the image data frames from a corresponding pixel data word in a first one of the image frames to produce a plurality of difference pixel data words; and

a memory for storing the difference pixel data words.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the difference pixel data words comprise four bits per pixel.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor compresses the difference pixel data words by a factor of 2, 4, 10 or 20.