Bae Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.

Bae Systems Information and Electronics Systems Integration Inc.

Derek T Robison

Robin Lee Brown

John H Koltookian

Gregory W Sletterink

Jason V Irr

Michael S Chan

Erik V Rencs

Kari M Karwedsky

Brendan P Cirillo

Mark R Mallalieu

Steven David Beck

Hilary L Hayes

Christopher M Houle

Local detail enhancement (LDE) is an imagery contrast enhancement method applied to visible and uncooled long wave imagery. It enhances local spatial detail through the use of a median based high/band pass filter. The generated detail channel is blended with a histogram-equalized version of the image, creating an image that contains both local detail as well as retaining some amount of global intensity. Retaining global intensity coherency allows for easier target acquisition when compared to fully local forms of contrast enhancement.

Median based frequency separation local area contrast enhancement

A system for suppressing sight blooming in an infrared sight includes determining an n&#xd7;n grid size; creating a grid of n&#xd7;n averages; calculating a mean; determining if a heat source is detected; detecting a heat source radius; calculating the average of the outside boxes; estimating the average of the inside boxes; setting the source to zero; smoothing the boxes; subtracting the mean of the outside from the mean of the inside; feeding back the result into history; up-sampling the offset; subtracting the offsets; and displaying the image.

Suppression of iron sight blooming in infrared weapon sights

A system reducing pixel-based spatial noise for an uncooled infrared imager includes a first step of subtracting the historical scene-based NUC offsets for each selected pixel calculated from the previous frame. A filtered image for output module output is calculated using an edge preserving smoothing filter. The edge preserving smoothing function consists of a plus-shaped median kernel in which selected pixels that differ from the center pixel by greater than a specified threshold are replaced with the center pixel. The result is subtracted from the center pixel forming a high pass, edge ignoring, version of the frame which is dominated by system noise. A low pass version of the noise frame is created with a 5&#xd7;5 mean filter. This is subtracted from the initial noise frame to improve scene rejection. This high pass version of the image/noise frame is attenuated by a configurable value.

Edge rejecting scene based non-uniformity correction for uncooled infrared

A system for two color image fusion blending co-registered low light level images in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum with thermal infrared images maximizes the information content of the scene by detecting in which of the two image types, IR and visible, there is more structural information and increasing the weight of the pixels in the image type having the most structural information. Additionally, situational awareness is increased by categorizing image information as 'scene' or 'target' and colorizing the target images to highlight target features when raw IR values are above a predetermined threshold. The system utilizes Red, Green and Blue (RGB) planes to convey different information such that for targets the Red plane is used to colorize regions when raw IR exceeds the predetermined threshold. For scene images, the Green plane provides improved situational awareness due to the above weighted blend of the two image types.

Contrast based image fusion

A system and method for situational awareness and target cueing for use in military applications is disclosed. In extreme low light situations where the LLL sensor cannot provide SA information, the system allocates thermal information to the green SA channel to maintain the supply of contextual information to the user and thus situational awareness (SA) never drops below the native resolution of the thermal sensor. This improved SA capability, surpasses any existing LLL sensor technology in a single channel (stand-alone) application in overcast star light and below conditions.

System and method for situational awareness and target cueing

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Acton, MA, United States of America

Derek T Robison