SBIR-STTR Award

An imaging automatic gain control system is developed that uses a combination of the best of linear, homomorphic, and nonlinear image estimation in a package that can be implemented in real-time hardware. The. system is evaluated using a system model and simulation to predict results and aide in the design. The system will provide stable images based on image content/context The system will have high market potential in machine vision, industrial inspection, and imaging security systems. Industrial applications as a high speed image acquisition aide are useful in steel fabrication and other high speed industrial formation process lines

Keywords:
image automatic gain control invariant image formation nonlinear image estimation

An Image Automatic Gain Control system is developed that stabilizes target signatures on target information, and increases target signal to noise and signal to clutter ratios. Based on information theoretic methodology, the Automatic Gain Control for Image Enhancement (AGCIE) process is a multilayer approach to real-time gain control. Information enhancement is adaptive and utilizes a priori knowledge by a decision logic that optimizes signal to noise with minimal or no information loss at the output. Application to product inspection, medical imaging, military AIR, surveillance systems, and communications are anticipated.