Abstract: A recognition system which obtains and analyzes images of at least one object in a scene comprising a wide field of view (WFOV) imager which is used to capture an image of the scene and to locate the object and a narrow field of view (NFOV) imager which is responsive to the location information provided by the WFOV imager and which is used to capture an image of the object, the image of the object having a higher resolution than the image captured by the WFOV imager is disclosed. In one embodiment, a system that obtains and analyzes images of the irises of eyes of a human or animal in an image with little or no active involvement by the human or animal is disclosed.

Abstract: A system for automatically generating a mosaic from a plurality of input images. The system sequentially executes an image alignment process, an editing process, and a combining process such that, from a sequence of images, the system automatically produces a seamless mosaic for various applications. Illustrative applications for the mosaic include: (1) a mosaic based display system including an image printing system, (2) a surveillance system and (3) a mosaic based compression system. The mosaic based display system permits a system user to display, manipulate and alter a mosaic. The mosaic based compression system exploits the temporal and spatial redundancy in image sequences and efficiently compresses the image information. The compression system can be used for compressing image information for storage in a storage device or can be used for compressing image information for transmission through a band-limited transmission channel.

Abstract: A method of constructing an image mosaic comprising the steps of selecting source images, aligning the source images, selecting source segments, enhancing the images, and merging the images to form the image mosaic is disclosed. An apparatus for constructing an image mosaic comprising means for selecting source images, means for aligning the source images, means for selecting source image segments, means for enhancing the images, and means for merging the images to form the image mosaic is also disclosed. The process may be performed automatically by the system or may be guided interactively by a human operator. Applications include the construction of photographic quality prints form video and digital camera images.

Abstract: A system for automatically generating a mosaic from a plurality of input images. The system sequentially executes an image alignment process, an editing process, and a combining process such that, from a sequence of images, the system automatically produces a seamless mosaic for various applications. Illustrative applications for the mosaic include: (1) a mosaic based display system including an image printing system, (2) a surveillance system and (3) a mosaic based compression system. The mosaic based display system permits a system user to display, manipulate and alter a mosaic. The mosaic based compression system exploits the temporal and spatial redundancy in image sequences and efficiently compresses the image information. The compression system can be used for compressing image information for storage in a storage device or can be used for compressing image information for transmission through a band-limited transmission channel.

Abstract: A system for automatically generating a mosaic from a plurality of input images. The system sequentially executes an image alignment process, an editing process, and a combining process such that, from a sequence of images, the system automatically produces a seamless mosaic for various applications. Illustrative applications for the mosaic include: (1) a mosaic based display system including an image printing system, (2) a surveillance system and (3) a mosaic based compression system. The mosaic based display system permits a system user to display, manipulate and alter a mosaic. The mosaic based compression system exploits the temporal and spatial redundancy in image sequences and efficiently compresses the image information. The compression system can be used for compressing image information for storage in a storage device or can be used for compressing image information for transmission through a band-limited transmission channel.

Abstract: A system for automatically generating a mosaic from a plurality of input images. The system sequentially executes an image alignment process, an editing process, and a combining process such that, from a sequence of images, the system automatically produces a seamless mosaic for various applications. Illustrative applications for the mosaic include: (1) a mosaic based display system including an image printing system, (2) a surveillance system and (3) a mosaic based compression system. The mosaic based display system permits a system user to display, manipulate and alter a mosaic. The mosaic based compression system exploits the temporal and spatial redundancy in image sequences and efficiently compresses the image information. The compression system can be used for compressing image information for storage in a storage device or can be used for compressing image information for transmission through a band-limited transmission channel.

Abstract: The invention is a system and method for electronic stabilization of a image produced by an electronic imaging device. The input may be any sequence of image frames from an image source, such as a video camera, an IR or X-ray imager, radar, or from a storage medium such as computer disk memory, video tape or a computer graphics generator. The invention can also be used with images from multiple sources when these must be stabilized with respect to one another. The invention uses a feedback loop and second image warp stage to achieve precise image alignment as part of the displacement estimation process. The output of the stabilization system is a modified image sequence in which unwanted components of image motion have been reduced or removed, or in which new motion of a desired form has been introduced.

Abstract: Disclosed is a technique for deriving a composite video image by merging foreground and background video image data supplied from a plurality of separate video signal sources employing pattern-key insertion, rather than prior-art color-key insertion, for this purpose. Pattern-key insertion involves replacing a first pattern in a video scene with a second pattern. This is accomplished by first detecting the first pattern in the video scene and estimating the pose of this detected first pattern with respect to a reference object in the video scene. The second pattern is then geometrically transformed using the pose estimate of the detected first pattern. Finally, the detected first pattern is replaced with the geometrically-transformed second pattern.

Abstract: A method for fusing two or more source images to form a composite image with extended information content which may be color augmented and apparatus for forming the composite image from the source images is disclosed. Each source image is decomposed into a number of source images of varying resolution. The decomposed source images are analyzed using directionally sensitive operators to generate a set of oriented basis functions characteristic of the information content of the original images. The oriented basis functions for the composite image are then selected from those of the different source images and the inverse of the decomposition performed to construct the composite image. Color augmentation provides information as to the relative weighting of the contribution of each source to the composite image.

Abstract: An imaging technique, suitable for surveillance use by a moving robotic vehicle carrying two spatially displaced fixed cameras aligned with the direction of travel or, alternatively, a single camera movable to either of two positions on the vehicle corresponding to the positions occupied by the fixed cameras, is capable in a moving object indicator mode of deriving first image data of a viewed scene at a first time from a first position with respect to the vehicle and of deriving second image data of the viewed scene at a second time from a second position with respect to the vehicle that is spatially displaced a given distance from the first position such that the spatial position with respect to the viewed scene depicted by the second image data at least approximates the spatial position with respect to the viewed scene depicted by the first image data.

Abstract: A method for fusing two or more source images to form a composite image with extended information content and apparatus for forming the composite image from the source images is disclosed. Each source image is decomposed into a number of source images of varying resolution. The decomposed source images are analyzed using directionally sensitive operators to generate a set of oriented basis functions characteristic of the information content of the original images. The oriented basis functions for the composite image are then selected from those of the different source images and the inverse of the decomposition performed to construct the composite image. Apparatus for fusing two or more source images to form a composite image is also disclosed.

Abstract: By processing the highest-resolution graphical data (e.g., image data) pertaining to relevant-objects defined by the graphical data into abstracted multiple-attribute information that is stored in a group of nodes of the lowest level of a hierarchy of data arrays (e.g., the leaf nodes of a complete data tree file), the present invention processes the data of each of these hierarchy of data arrays backward toward a single node of the highest level of the hierarchy of data arrays (e.g., the root node of a complete data tree file), to derive an attribute vector of all the abstracted multiple-attribute information at this single node. The derived attribute vector is then used to guide a search down the hierarchy of data arrays from the single node of its highest level toward at least a selected one of the group of nodes of its lowest level (which, by way of example, may correspond to the location of a likely relevant object).

Abstract: An iterative process, implemented by a feedback loop, responds to all the image data in the respective analysis regions of three consecutive frames of a motion picture, to provide, after a plurality of cycles of operation thereof, an accurate estimation of the motion of either one or both of two differently moving patterns defined by the image data of these respective analysis regions. The analysis region of each frame is preferably large, and may occupy the entire frame area of a frame. The type of differently moving patterns include (1) separation by a motion bounty, (2) overlapping transparent surface in motion, (3) "picket fence" motion (4) masking of a small and/or low-contrast pattern by a dominant pattern, and (5) two-component aperture effects. Also, the operation of this iterative process inherently accurately estimates the motion of image data defining a single moving pattern.

Abstract: A time series of successive relatively high-resolution frames of image data, any frame of which may or may not include a graphical representation of one or more predetermined specific members (e.g., particular known persons) of a given generic class (e.g. human beings), is examined in order to recognize the identity of a specific member if that member's image is included in the time series. The frames of image data may be examined in real time at various resolutions, starting with a relatively low resolution, to detect whether some earlier-occurring frame includes any of a group of image features possessed by an image of a member of the given class.

Abstract: A technique, employing image-processing pyramids, which is capable of combining a plurality of small-area high-resolution sub-images, such as may be derived from an array of television cameras, into a single large-area high-resolution image, with substantially no introduction by such processing of image-artifacts in the combined single image.

Abstract: A technique for transmitting compressed quantized image-data from a transmitter to a receiver over a limited bandwidth communication channel employs temporal differential pulse code modulation incorporating pyramid image processing spectrum analyzers and synthesizers. This technique permits the selective elimination by data-compression of only those portions of the original image information which contribute least to the perception of image quality by a viewer of a synthesized display image at the receiver.