The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 12, 1998
Filed:
Jan. 29, 1996
Mark Robert Bolin, Tucson, AZ (US);
Gregory Tad Kishi, Oro Valley, AZ (US);
Michael Philip McIntosh, Tucson, AZ (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
In an image acquisition system, which produces at least one image, each of which is scorable with reference to at least one image quality criterion, a control system is provided for optimizing the image quality criterion. Typically, the image quality criterion is at least in-part established by an exposure parameter. When considered as an apparatus, the present invention includes a number of components which cooperate together to automatically and continually adjust the value of the exposure parameter to optimize the image quality criterion. An image acquisition means is provided to obtain one or more acquired images under selected exposure characteristics. A transform system is provided for receiving the one or more acquired images and developing an energy distribution map, or histogram, of at least a portion of the one or more acquired images. A neural network means is provided for maintaining a learned relationship between the image quality criterion and the exposure parameter, and for receiving the energy distribution map of the one or more acquired images, and for automatically providing a corrected exposure parameter, so that subsequent acquired images will be obtained under optimal settings of the exposure parameter. A controller member is provided for supplying corrected exposure parameters, which are the output of the neural network means, to the image acquisition means.