Irvine Sensors Corporation

Jack L Arnold

Randolph Stuart Carlson

Valentine G Feldmus

A method of processing low resolution input frames containing undersampled views of an optically imaged scene to produce a higher quality, higher resolution output frame. This method operates by obtaining a sequence of low resolution input frames containing different undersampled views of an optically imaged scene. With regard to each new low resolution input frame, the method involves the further steps of measuring a displacement between a previous low resolution input frame and a new low resolution input frame to sub-pixel precision to produce a measured displacement; coarsely registering a high resolution working frame with the new low resolution input frame based on the measured displacement; finely registering the new low resolution input frame with the high resolution working frame by expanding the new low resolution input frame into a new high resolution input frame based on the measured displacement; and merging the new high resolution input frame into the high resolution working frame to produce an output frame.

Method of producing a high quality, high resolution image from a sequence of low quality, low resolution images that are undersampled and subject to jitter

In accordance with the invention a system is described for controllably varying the resolution of an image event to conserve data output by varying the size of the instantaneous IFOV of an array of detectors. The system comprises a multiplicity of individual detectors which produce an electrical signal in response to an image stimulus. The detectors are connected to busing circuitry by a circuit associated with each individual detector and which is in parallel with the circuits from the other detectors. Each parallel circuit includes a switch for making and breaking the parallel circuit to the busing circuit and control means are provided for opening and closing the switches in real time. As the switches are opened and closed the output signals of the detectors are combined into signals representing pixels having various size instantaneous fields of view depending on the number of detectors whose signals are combined. Combining detector output signals reduces the data output and conserves data processing capacity.

Apparatus and system for controllably varying image resolution to reduce

An optical/electronic real time image motion transfer system is disclosed in which voltage output signals from photodetectors in an array are fed through a switching network. This network includes intermediate buses, electronic switching devices between such buses and addresses of the signals from the photodetectors, and electronic switching devices between such buses and addresses of the signals which are fed to the output lines. The output lines preferably receive their multiplexed signals from filters, or bins, which have stored (and thus integrated) successive voltage signals from individual pixels.

Pixel displacement by series- parallel analog switching

A focal plane electronic system is disclosed, in which a two-dimensional array of photo-detectors receives pixel information from a scanned scene. Each pixel is observed by a plurality of detectors, and their signals are summed by time delay and integration (TDI) circuitry. The TDI circuitry comprises parallel capacitors which are charged and discharged under the control MOSFET switches. The discharge timing is such that all the detector signals representing a given pixel arrive simultaneously at a summing node. Means are included for automatically reducing the effect of anomalous detector signals on the summed output. The entire TDI system is included in a Z-type three-dimensional focal plane module.

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Pasadena, CA, United States of America

Jack L Arnold