Martin Marietta Corporation

Lockheed Martin Corporation

William A Pearson

John D Lofgren

Richard W Benton, Sr

Gene D Tener

G Edward Newberg

John R Booth

Eric F Schildwachter

Harvey J Montgomery

Jeffrey L Cole

John J Donahue

Bhikhubbai L Patel

Ward D Robertson

Helmuth Bauer

Brien J Housand

Susan J Jesse

John F Weaver

Timothy A Hill

John F Deceased Weaver

Bhikhubhai L Patel

John JG Donahue

Edward G Newberg

John G Donahue

In a FLIR/laser based targeting and imaging system, the ability to recognize, detect, locate, and/or track targets in an area of interest is significantly improved by reducing the fixed and dynamic alignment errors between the IR LOS and the laser LOS. Fixed alignment errors are reduced with an improved internal boresight module and corresponding boresight method. Dynamic alignment errors are reduced with an opto-electric subsystem that employs a single pitch bearing and a common pitch/yaw afocal for both the laser energy and the IR energy. A segmented window in the system housing includes a circular EMI grid pattern which significantly reduces the amount of off-axis EMI entering the optical pathways, and improved signal processing techniques are employed to enhance the quality of the IR image after the image has been digitized.

Combined laser/FLIR optics system

A digital signal processing system which uses an input image including a plurality of pixels to establish boundaries of objects in the input image. Each of the pixels has a gradient value and the object includes a centroid. Using a segmentation process, the digital signal processing system decides on a perimeter surrounding the object in the input image and then repeatedly searches for a pixel having the highest gradient value and marks that pixel having the highest gradient value as an edge pixel of the object.

Methods and apparatus for centroid based object segmentation in object

Growing community of inventors

Orlando, FL, United States of America

William A Pearson