Abstract: A server fulfills region and time of interest (RTI) requests for images from multiple users. The server includes a receiver for receiving a RTI request from a user, a processor for assembling a compressed image based on the RTI request, and a transmitter for transmitting the compressed image to the user. The processor is configured to extract a first portion of the compressed image from a local storage device. If the first portion is insufficient to fulfill the RTI request, the processor is configured to request a second portion of the compressed image from another server, and combine the first and second portions of the compressed image to fulfill the RTI request from the user. The compressed image includes an image compressed by a JPEG 2000 compressor.

Abstract: In an image enhancement method, computer program product, and system a set of boundary frequencies within a frequency spectrum are defined. The boundary frequencies divide the spectrum into a plurality of different spatial frequency regions. A digital image is then processed with a filter having a plurality of functions. Each function is exclusive to one of the spatial frequency regions. The functions of adjoining regions have equal values at respective boundary frequencies. A set of peak and or valley filter values of the functions at the respective boundary frequencies can be defined.

Abstract: A method and application specific integrated circuit for determining focus for an image capture system using scene content within an image, including the steps of: acquiring, from the image, image data having different focus positions; dividing the image data into sub-images; calculating a sub-image sharpness value for each sub-image; calculating an image sharpness value for each focus position using the sub-image sharpness values; plotting the sharpness values versus the focus position; fitting a curve to the plot of the image sharpness values versus the focus position, wherein the curve has a peak sharpness value; and determining the focus of the image capture system from a point on the curve.

Abstract: A multiple aperture imaging system, that includes: a plurality of imaging elements for capturing light; an optical relay assembly for phasing the captured light; a means for diverting the captured light within the multiple aperture imaging system to produce a plurality of images; and an imaging sensor capable of receiving the captured light from each of the plurality of imaging elements.

Abstract: In a method and system for imaging using multiple apertures, the present invention uses an array of lens elements to form the aperture for a high resolution imaging system. The light from each lens element is properly phased and reduced in volume to form a compact imaging system that captures images with higher resolution possible with each individual element, potentially the resolution will correspond to an aperture equivalent to the size of the lens array.

Abstract: A method of removing streaks from multi-band digital images is presented in which a multi-band image is transformed to an advantageous spectral space, in which a streak removal operation is applied to the image in the advantageous spectral space. The streak removal operation is a method of removing columnar streaks from a multi-band digital image of the type in which it is assumed that pixels in a predetermined spatial and spectral region near a given pixel are strongly related to each other and employing gain and offset values to compute streak removal information, a test is performed for a strong relation between the pixels in a predetermined region spatially and spectrally near a given pixel and streak removal information is computed only if such a strong relationship exists, whereby image content that does not extend the full length of the image in the column direction will not be interpreted as a streak.

Abstract: In a method for imaging using multiple apertures, the present invention uses a wavefront sensor, a phase sensor, and an image processor to construct a high-resolution image without using complex relay optics. A wavefront sensor collects information that allows the wavefront from each aperture to be reconstructed and a phase sensor collects information regarding the relative phase difference between the apertures. An image processor uses the information collected from the phase sensor to correct the phase differences between the apertures, reconstruct the wavefronts from the wavefront sensor data, then coherently sums the wavefronts from each aperture to form a high-resolution image that corresponds to a synthesized aperture that is larger than any of the individual apertures.

Abstract: In a method for imaging using multiple apertures, the present invention uses a wavefront sensor, a phase sensor, and an image processor to construct a high-resolution image without using complex relay optics. A wavefront sensor collects information that allows the wavefront from each aperture to be reconstructed and a phase sensor collects information regarding the relative phase difference between the apertures. An image processor uses the information collected from the phase sensor to correct the phase differences between the apertures, reconstruct the wavefronts from the wavefront sensor data, then coherently sums the wavefronts from each aperture to form a high-resolution image that corresponds to a synthesized aperture that is larger than any of the individual apertures.

Abstract: A multiple aperture imaging system, that includes: a plurality of imaging elements for capturing light; an optical relay assembly for phasing the captured light; a means for diverting the captured light within the multiple aperture imaging system to produce a plurality of images; and an imaging sensor capable of receiving the captured light from each of the plurality of imaging elements.

Abstract: A method and application specific integrated circuit for determining focus for an image capture system using scene content within an image, including the steps of: acquiring, from the image, image data having different focus positions; dividing the image data into sub-images; calculating a sub-image sharpness value for each sub-image; calculating an image sharpness value for each focus position using the sub-image sharpness values; plotting the sharpness values versus the focus position; fitting a curve to the plot of the image sharpness values versus the focus position, wherein the curve has a peak sharpness value; and determining the focus of the image capture system from a point on the curve.

Abstract: A method of removing streaks from multi-band digital images is presented in which a multi-band image is transformed to an advantageous spectral space, in which a streak removal operation is applied to the image in the advantageous spectral space. The streak removal operation is a method of removing columnar streaks from a multi-band digital image of the type in which it is assumed that pixels in a predetermined spatial and spectral region near a given pixel are strongly related to each other and employing gain and offset values to compute streak removal information, a test is performed for a strong relation between the pixels in a predetermined region spatially and spectrally near a given pixel and streak removal information is computed only if such a strong relationship exists, whereby image content that does not extend the full length of the image in the column direction will not be interpreted as a streak.

Abstract: In a method of determining focus in an image capture system of the type having an image sensor, optics for forming an image of a scene on the image sensor, and an image processor for determining the best focus, an image is acquired such that the focus of the image changes continuously, line by line, across the image. A plurality of edges above a predetermined magnitude are detected in the image and the sharpness of the detected edge is measured. The sharpest edge in each line of the image is determined and plotted versus the location of the line in the image. A curve is fit to the plot of sharpness versus location and the best focus of the imaging system is determined from the peak of the curve fit.

Abstract: A method of removing columnar streaks from a digital image of the type in which it is assumed that pixels in a predetermined region near a given pixel are strongly related to each other and employing gain and offset values to compute streak removal information, a test is performed for a strong relation between the pixels in a predetermined region near a given pixel and streak removal information is computed only if such a strong relationship exists, whereby image content that does not extend the full length of the image in the column direction will not be interpreted as a streak.

Abstract: A method for determining a radiation imaging system focus error, that employs a novel focus sensor. In a preferred embodiment, the novel focus sensor comprises two beamsplitters, a spacer, and three detectors comprising CCD arrays. The three detectors are constrained to satisfy radiation path length specifications, with respect to the beamsplitters and spacer. In the method, the focus sensor may be aligned in an unused portion of an imaging system radiation field. The detectors simultaneously image the same scene, sampling it at three different focus positions. The sampling action becomes a basis for generating a parabolic curve; a maximum of the parabolic curve is a measure of the imaging system focus error.