Patent Document ID: 5535291
Application ID: 08198288
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A superresolution processor for generating a restored image from an input image, comprising: means for inputting the input image as an initial image space domain image; a processor that is responsive to control signals for processing dam in accordance therewith; and control means for generating control signals, including: (a) means for generating first control signals that cause the processor to combine the initial image space domain image with a predetermined image space domain image to generate a first nonconstrained estimate of the restored image; (b) means for generating second control signals that cause the processor to generate a constrained image space domain image from the first nonconstrained estimate of the restored image; (c) means for generating third control signals that cause the processor to use the constrained image space domain image to generate a next predetermined image space domain image; (d) means for generating fourth control signals that cause the processor to combine the next predetermined image space domain image with the initial image space domain image to generate a next nonconstrained estimate of the restored image for use as the first nonconstrained estimate of the restored image during a next iteration; and (e) means for repeating the generation of tile second, third and fourth control signals until the constrained image space domain image converges to the restored image, wherein the means for inputting the input image as an initial image space domain image comprises: means for receiving the input image as a first registered image from a sensor that includes a sensor focal plane; means for adjusting the sensor to cause the input image to shift to a new position on the sensor focal plane, and receiving from the sensor a shifted input image; and means in the processor for re-registering the shifted input image so that pixels in the shifted input image coincide with corresponding pixels in the first registered image, and then combining the re-registered input image with the first registered image to produce the initial image space domain image.