EP0600742A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Sensor system having nonuniformity suppression with image preservation
Assignee: Raytheon Co
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Filing: 1993-12-03
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2013-12-03
Abstract
Abstract A sensor system includes a sensor (20) having an array (22) of detector elements (24), a movable sensor positioner (32) in which the sensor (20) is mounted, a signal processor (30) that progressively corrects the intensities of the pixels of a sensor output array for detector element nonuniformity, an electronic scene position corrector (40), and a motion controller (36) that provides a movement command (34) to the sensor positioner (32), and transmits the substance of the movement command to the scene position corrector (40). An image array signal is furnished from the sensor (20) to the signal processor (30), while the sensor positioner (32) is controllably moved under command of the motion controller (36). A nonuniformity-compensated output signal (38) of the signal processor (30) is provided to the scene position corrector (40), wherein the position of the image is corrected for the motion of the sensor positioner (32). The resulting sensor output signal (44) has sensor element nonuniformity selectively compensated, but objects in the field of view of the sensor (20) are not suppressed.
Inventors
- 👤 Franklin J. Meyers
- 👤 W. Scott Johnston
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 14:03
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N25/00; H04N25/48; H04N25/60; H04N25/68; H04N25/683
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
89 words
Apparatus for processing an image produced by a sensor having an array of sensor elements, comprising: controller means for providing a movement command to a sensor positioner to cause a sensor to physically move; compensation means for correcting for detector element nonuniformity in an image array of pixels produced by the sensor, to form a nonuniformity-compensated image; and repositioning means for electronically correcting the indicated position of the nonuniformity-compensated image for the movement of the sensor, responsive to an inverse of the movement command received from the controller means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
14 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the compensation means includes a scene-based nonuniformity calculator.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller means provides the movement command to the compensation means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the compensation means provides the movement command to the controller means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The apparatus of claim 1, further including a sensor positioner and a sensor supported therein.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the sensor positioner includes a gimbal in which the sensor is mounted.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the sensor is an infrared sensor formed of a plurality of detector elements.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
98 words
A method of producing a sensor output signal, comprising the steps of: furnishing an image array signal from a sensor having an array of detector elements mounted in a physically movable sensor positioner; controllably moving the sensor positioner; processing the image array signal to progressively correct pixel intensities of the signal for detector element nonuniformity; and electronically correcting the indicated position of the processed image array signal for the movement of the sensor positioner to provide a sensor output signal having sensor element nonuniformity selectively compensated but objects in the field of view of the sensor not suppressed.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 8, wherein the step of processing is accomplished by a scene-based nonuniformity compensator.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 8, wherein the steps of controllably moving, processing, and electronically correcting all function responsive to a movement command.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 8, wherein the sensor positioner includes a gimbal in which the sensor is mounted.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 8, wherein the sensor is an infrared sensor formed of a plurality of infrared detector elements.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 8, wherein the step of electronically correcting includes the step of determining the movement of the sensor positioner from a motion command sent to the sensor positioner.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 8, wherein the step of electronically correcting includes the step of determining the movement of the sensor positioner from a measurement of the movement of the sensor.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
160 words
A method of producing a sensor output signal, comprising the steps of: providing a sensor having an array of detector elements, a movable sensor positioner in which the sensor is mounted, a signal processor that progressively corrects the intensities of the pixels of a sensor output array for detector element nonuniformity, an electronic scene position corrector, and a motion controller that provides a movement command to the sensor positioner, and transmits the substance of the movement command to the scene position corrector; furnishing an image array signal from the sensor to the signal processor, while controllably moving the sensor positioner under command of the motion controller; and furnishing a nonuniformity-compensated output signal of the signal processor to the scene position corrector, wherein the position of the image is corrected for the motion of the sensor positioner to provide a sensor output signal having sensor element nonuniformity selectively compensated but objects in the field of view of the sensor not suppressed.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 15, wherein the signal processor includes a scene-based nonuniformity calculator.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 15, wherein the motion controller provides the movement command to the signal processor.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 15, wherein the signal processor provides the movement command to the controller.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 15, wherein the sensor is an infrared sensor formed of a plurality of infrared detector elements.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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