Multiband Imagery Balancing via Band Equalization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional digital imaging devices struggle with exposure and color balance errors, particularly in remotely sensed and aerial multiband imagery, due to atmospheric effects and device-specific spectral sensitivities, leading to sub-standard image quality.

Innovation Solution

The technique preprocesses imagery using band equalization to distinguish between illuminant and scene content, eliminating the need for additional look-up table operations, and applies channel balance gains calculated from a color separation space to achieve proper image balancing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional scene balance algorithms are applied to remotely sensed and aerial imagery, then the processing method can be used, but the algorithms produce sub-standard imagery because they were developed for hand-held digital cameras and do not account for atmospheric effects

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to remotely sensed and aerial imageryVSAvoidimage quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameters of the scene balance algorithm by introducing atmospheric correction models and adjusting the balancing coefficients to account for atmospheric effects. This allows the algorithm to adapt to remotely sensed and aerial imagery while maintaining high image quality, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and manufacturing precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If a look-up table is applied to prepare imagery for balance gains, then the processing can be completed, but the additional look-up table operation yields inferior results

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing completionVSAvoidimage quality

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the unnecessary look-up table operation from the processing pipeline. By eliminating this redundant step, the algorithm achieves both processing completion and superior image quality, as the look-up table was causing inferior results when applied to remotely sensed and aerial imagery.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Manufacturing precision

If band equalization is applied to preprocess imagery, then atmospheric effects can be compensated, but the processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveatmospheric effect compensationVSAvoidprocessing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies band equalization as a preliminary action before the main scene balance processing. This pre-processing step compensates for atmospheric effects and prepares the imagery for more accurate balancing, achieving precise atmospheric compensation while managing processing complexity through structured preprocessing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8750611B1In-scene balancing of remotely sensed and aerial multiband imagery

Publication Date: 2014.06.10 HARRIS CORP

AI summary

Techniques are provided for an image processing device to receive image data from a remotely positioned sensor. Spectral bands within the image data are equalized. High and low resolution images are obtained from the equalized image and are used to ultimately generate a color separation space. The color separation space is used to determine balance positions or spatial locations on the axes of the color separation space. The balance positions are converted to a red-green-blue (RGB) triplet that is used to calculate band or channel balance gains. The channel balance gains are then applied to an original image obtained from the image data.