Abstract: An imaging system is provided for imaging a scene to produce a sequence of image frames of the scene at a frame rate, R, of at least about 25 image frames per second. The system includes an optical input port, a charge-coupled imaging device, an analog signal processor, and an analog-to-digital processor (A/D). The A/D digitizes the amplified pixel signal to produce a digital image signal formatted as a sequence of image frames each of a plurality of digital pixel values and having a dynamic range of digital pixel values represented by a number of digital bits, B, where B is greater than 8. A digital image processor is provided for processing digital pixel values in the sequence of image frames to produce an output image frame sequence at the frame rate, R, representative of the imaged scene, with a latency of no more than about 1/R and a dynamic range of image frame pixel values represented by a number of digital bits, D, where D is less than B.

Abstract: An imaging system is provided for imaging a scene to produce a sequence of image frames of the scene at a frame rate, R, of at least about 25 image frames per second. The system includes an optical input port, a charge-coupled imaging device, an analog signal processor, and an analog-to-digital processor (A/D). The A/D digitizes the amplified pixel signal to produce a digital image signal formatted as a sequence of image frames each of a plurality of digital pixel values and having a dynamic range of digital pixel values represented by a number of digital bits, B, where B is greater than 8. A digital image processor is provided for processing digital pixel values in the sequence of image frames to produce an output image frame sequence at the frame rate, R, representative of the imaged scene, with a latency of no more than about 1/R and a dynamic range of image frame pixel values represented by a number of digital bits, D, where D is less than B.

Abstract: A method and system for processing two input digital image signals, each being representative of a different two dimensional view of the same scene, to produce three processed image signals. A center-surround shunt processor transforms each input image signal to produce a respective processed image signal. Another center-surround shunt processor produces the third processed image signal from the first two processed image signals. In the latter processor, one of the first two processed image signals is selected as a center image and the other is selected as a surround image. The processor performs a computation associated with each pixel in the center image with data selected from the center image to form a central element for the computation and data selected from the surround image to form a surround element for the computation. The result of each computation is a pixel of the third processed image signal. The three processed image signals may be applied to the respective RGB inputs of an RGB display device.