Patent Abstract:
The Remote Mosaic Imaging System having High-Resolution, Wide Field-of-View and Low Bandwidth (“Remote Mosaic System”) uses image frame synchronization and multiplexing to reduce the bandwidth needed to transmit the plurality of images to a remote location. The Remote Mosaic System employs a plurality of remote sensors to create a plurality of images. The use of readily available and inexpensive commercial imaging sensors significantly decreases the cost of the system while greatly increasing the capabilities of the imaging system to cover virtually any target space with virtually any desired resolution.

Full Description:
DEDICATORY CLAUSE 
     The invention described herein may be manufactured, used and licensed by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to us of any royalties thereon. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Remote imaging systems are in use in many applications ranging from convenience store monitoring cameras to sophisticated imaging systems on satellites in space. Such systems typically consist of an imaging sensor comprised of light-gathering optics, a detector array and support electronics that produces an electronic video signal that is transmitted to a remote site for human operator viewing and recording. The imaging sensor is often rotated about one or more axes (usually using a set of gimbals) or translated in space to view an area that is larger than that covered by the sensor&#39;s optical field of view. In many systems the gimbals are controlled by gyroscopes to isolate the base motion of the sensor platform from the image, thus providing a stable image for the operator. Often, the sensor optical system contains a zoom lens or switchable elements that allow the field of view to be changed for greater resolution or for a larger field of view coverage. By these means the operator is able to view different portions of the observable space (commonly called the “target space” or “target area”) at the resolutions needed to detect and recognize items of interest. In most applications, the images received from the remote sensor are recorded on videotape for later viewing and/or processing by observers at different remote sites. 
     Existing remote imaging systems lack the capability to produce much higher resolution and larger field of view combinations without the use of expensive and heavy switchable optical elements and gimbals. Such a combination of concurrent high resolution and large field of view is desired without significant increases in transmission system bandwidth or in degradation of image stability. Further, there is a need to be able to record the images in such a manner that any portion of the imaged target space is viewable almost instantly and can be sent to observers at remote sites. Lastly, all of these needs should be met at a cost that is affordable and scalable, as the application requires. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The Remote Mosaic Imaging System having High-Resolution, Wide Field-of-View and Low-Bandwidth, hereinafter referred to as the “Remote Mosaic System,” utilizes a plurality of remote sensors to create a plurality of images. Readily available and inexpensive commercial imaging sensors, such as the sensors commonly used in hand-held camera recorders (“camcorders”) can be used to create input images without zoom lenses, field of view-changing mechanisms or gimbals. The use of such sensors significantly decreases the cost of the system while greatly increasing the capabilities of the imaging system to cover virtually any target space with virtually any desired resolution. 
     Furthermore, as described in detail below, the “Remote Mosaic System” uses image frame synchronization and multiplexing to reduce the bandwidth needed to transmit the plurality of images to a remote location. Because the sensors can be physically mounted on the same platform, the image relationships from one sensor to an adjacent sensor are accurately fixed, thereby easing the subsequent mosaic-processing burden. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a diagram of a preferred embodiment of the “Remote Mosaic System.” 
     FIG. 2 presents a block diagram of the timing generator. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates the function of multiplexer  12  in detail. 
     FIG. 4 shows the details of workstation  16 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawing wherein like numbers represent like parts in each of the several figures and arrows indicate the direction of signal travel, the following describes in detail the structure and operation of the Remote Mosaic System. 
     The Remote Mosaic System uses to advantage well-known image mosaicing technologies such as that taught by Peter J. Burt et al in U. S. Pat. No. 5,649,032. Mosaicing is the process of taking a plurality of images that partially overlap and combining or “stitching” them together at the overlap points to form a larger composite, seamless image mosaic. 
     To date, sensor systems performing mosaicing have used a single imaging sensor to generate the necessary plurality of images that are then combined into the mosaic image. Although this can indeed result in coverage of the target area with good resolution, total coverage can be time consuming because of the number of sensor passes required to cover the target area completely, each pass collecting one “image strip.” Further, if the imaging sensor is mounted on a moving platform such as an airplane, it may be difficult to aim the sensor with the precision required to ensure that the image strips overlap sufficiently for accurate mosaicing. Even though the Remote Mosaic System uses multiple imaging sensors, in some cases it may still be necessary to make multiple passes in order to cover the entire target space due to a large target area or any existing viewing obstructions or low visibility. However, each pass can result in a much wider image strip, thus requiring fewer passes. In addition, with larger image strips, less precision is required to aim the sensor system to ensure strip overlap. 
     FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the Remote Mosaic System. A pre-selected number, N, of electro-optical imaging sensors  10 , which may be inexpensive commercial imaging sensors, are mounted on a remote sensing platform (not shown in the figure) such that their fields of view of target area  9  overlap by an amount (typically small and shown in the figure as X&#39;s in target area  9 ) that is amenable to the mosaicing process. N may be as small as one or as large as needed to fulfill the requirements of the system. The outputs (video frames of the target area) obtained by the sensors are fed simultaneously into multiplexer  12  which, however, allows only one of the sensor outputs to pass through it at a time. The multiplexer also tags each video frame with the sensor number (typically into the vertical blanking area) to indicate which sensor generated which image. This tagging enables the images to be placed correctly in the subsequently resulting mosaic. Timing generator  11 , coupled between each of the imaging sensors and the multiplexer, synchronizes any necessary scanning activities of the N sensors as well as causing multiplexer  12  to progress to the output of the next sensor during the vertical retrace period of the sensors. This ensures that minimum time is lost waiting for the next sensor&#39;s start-of-frame. Imaging sensors  10 , timing generator  11  and multiplexer  12  are typically located remotely. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 2, timing generator  11  is comprised of oscillator  20 , synchronization signal counter  21 , decoder  22  and sensor counter  23 . In operation, oscillator  20 , which may be a typical stable oscillator made of a quartz crystal, outputs a precise series of pulses at a normal video field rate which defines the start of each image segment by an imaging sensor. These pulses are input to synchronization signal counter  21  which, in response to the pulses, outputs parallel digital word that represents a particular image segment from a particular sensor among imaging sensors  10 . The synchronization signal counter resets itself when oscillator  20  has output enough pulses to account for a complete round of image production from all imaging sensors  10  and restarts the counting process for the next complete round of production of input images from the sensors. Decoder  22  receives the parallel digital word from the synchronization signal counter and produces timing signals that are input to imaging sensors  10  to synchronize the production of input images from the sensors. The decoder also produces end-of-frame pulses that are input to sensor counter  23 . The sensor counter is a synchronous digital counter with reset capability that counts the end-of-frame pulses being input from decoder  22  and, when it has received N pulses, resets itself and restarts the counting process. The current sensor number, produced by the sensor counter in response to input from the decoder, represents the i th sensor and is input to multiplexer  12  to cause the multiplexer to transmit therethrough the image from the i th sensor to video transmitter  13 . 
     FIG. 3 illustrates the function of multiplexer  12  in detail. As shown in FIG. 1, the outputs of the N imaging sensors  10  form the image inputs to Multiplexer  12 , which is composed of electronic switch  30  and mixer  31 . Electronic switch  30  and mixer  31  may be analog devices or digital devices depending on whether the sensor image inputs are analog or digital. Electronic switch  30  and mixer  31  also accept the current sensor number from timing generator  11 . Electronic switch  30  uses the current sensor number to control the position of the switch, thus selecting only one image input to feed into the mixer  31  at any instant of time. The mixer uses the current sensor number to embed a particular signal into the image, thereby tagging the image, prior to transmitting the image to video transmitter  13 . This particular signal can be decoded by image processor  15  to aid the mosaicing process. Because the image from only one imaging sensor is output from multiplexer  12  at any given instant, the system bandwidth is equivalent to that of one of the N imaging sensors  10 . 
     The tagged output of multiplexer  12  feeds the video transmission system which is typically comprised of conventional video transmitter  13  and video receiver  14  with a suitable transmission medium  7  between the transmitter and receiver. Depending on the application of the Remote Mosaic System, transmission medium  7  could be as simple as air for wireless transmission, a wire connecting multiplexer  12  and image processor  15  or as complex as a satellite orbiting in space. In case of wireless transmission, video transmitter  13  and video receiver  14  can be conventional wireless units such as DSX 2427NA video transmitter and DSR-15249-24 video receiver, respectively, made by Dell Star Technologies, Inc. If standard coaxial cable is chosen as transmission medium  7 , a simple analog video cable driver and receiver (such as a Maxim Integrated Products Inc., part number MAX408) may be used. If imaging sensors  10  have digital outputs, either inherently or by the use of a separate analog-to-digital converter, video transmitter  13  and video receiver  14  may consist of conventional digital modems or conventional Local Area Network (LAN) circuits. 
     Bandwidth reduction is achieved for the transmission from transmitter  13  to receiver  14  because the transmitter  13  transmits only one image frame at a time and transmits it at the rate at which it is produced. Image processor  15  receives video frames from video receiver  14  one at a time, decodes the sensor number from each video frame it receives and stitches together the frames to form the mosaic according to well-known mosaicing processes such as that taught by Peter J. Burt et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,032. Because all of the classical elements of currently known mosaicing techniques are utilized in the Remote Mosaic System, the invention retains the inherent capability of such techniques to eliminate image instability due to image system platform motion. It further retains the ability to produce a mosaic that effectively results in a compressed digital image. This compressed digital image is rapidly scrollable to any point and any sub-image may be readily extracted from it for transmission to another remote observer. 
     The output of image processor  15  is input to workstation  16  (a high-performance Windows-based Personal Computer or Unix-based workstation) which contains a high-capacity disk drive. Workstation  16  serves as a temporary storage facility for image processor  15  as the processor builds the mosaic as well as providing the mosaic (both as it is being constructed and post-construction) to display unit  17  which usually is the workstation&#39;s normal console display. Both during and post-construction, the operator can scroll and zoom the mosaic to view the portions he needs at the resolution he wants. Further, since the mosaic is already a digital image in the memory of workstation  16 , any portion of the mosaic image can be selected by the operator and sent digitally to other observers. 
     FIG. 4 shows the details of workstation  16 . Central Processing Unit  40 , when loaded with conventional software, controls the operation of all elements of workstation  16  through computer bus  41 . Graphics board  42  receives mosaic image data from mass storage device  44 , buffers the image in its on-board memory and generates the signals required to drive display unit  17 . Because graphics board  42  contains its own memory, it can cause the mosaic to scroll rapidly through the mosaic image as commanded by the operator through operator interface  45  and central processing unit  40 . Additionally, graphics board  42  can be used to zoom and de-zoom the mosaic image, as the operator requires. Image processor interface board  43  receives mosaic images from image processor  15  and sends them to the mass storage device  44 . In some versions of the invention, it may also be desirable to send portions of a mosaic image from mass storage device  44  to image processor  15 . This may be necessary when processing large mosaic images containing many image strips. Combining a large number of image strips together into a large mosaic often requires a correspondingly large amount of temporary image storage which can be provided economically by mass storage device  44 . In such cases, image processor interface board  43  may transfer these temporary images from mass storage device  44  to image processor  15 . Operator interface  45  may contain a conventional keyboard, mouse, trackball, etc. as required for the operator to interact with workstation  16 . Lastly, display unit  17  may be any conventional video display such as those made by Sony Corporation, ViewSonic Corporation, and others. Because the mosaic image is rapidly scrollable, the resolution of the display need not match the resolution of the mosaic. This allows the use of low cost displays or displays that must be physically small due to weight or size constraints. 
     Although a particular embodiment and form of this invention has been illustrated, it is apparent that various modifications and embodiments of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the foregoing disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the claims appended hereto.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6