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Air Force Research Lab Munitions Directorate (AFRL/RW)
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The Air Force Research Lab Munitions Directorate (AFRL/RW) has developed a coordinate system which allows data obtained from hexagonally arranged image sensors to be processed in an efficient and effective manner. Modern image sensors typically use arrays of rectangular pixels even though it has been known since the 1960s that rectangular sampling produces less-than-optimal image data. The current invention utilizes a hexagonal array to improve image quality by up to 13% while maintaining or reducing the computational power needed to process and store the image in digital format. The coordinate system can be utilized in commercial off-the-shelf devices such as cameras or phones, however, it will require the physical sensor arrays to be reconstructed in a hexagonal format.
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The Air Force Research Lab Munitions Directorate (AFRL/RW) has developed a coordinate system which allows data obtained from hexagonally arranged image sensors to be processed in an efficient and effective manner. Modern image sensors typically use arrays of rectangular pixels even though it has been known since the 1960s that rectangular sampling produces less-than-optimal image data. The current invention utilizes a hexagonal array to improve image quality by up to 13% while maintaining or reducing the computational power needed to process and store the image in digital format. The coordinate system can be utilized in commercial off-the-shelf devices such as cameras or phones, however, it will require the physical sensor arrays to be reconstructed in a hexagonal format. |
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Modern image sensors, such as typical charge
-
coupled device
(CCD) and complementary metal
-
oxide semiconductor (CMOS)
sensors found in cameras, use arrays of rectangular pixels. It has
been known since the early
1960’
s that rectangular sampling
produces less
-
than
-
optimal image data. Hexagonal sampling is
the optimal sampling approach providing a 13.4% improvement
over rectangular sampling. Despite this and other advantages of
hexagonal sampling, the lack of an efficient coordinate system for
hexagonal grids has prevented its utilization in the imaging
market.Researchers at AFRL developed a new method for
addressing hexagonally arranged image sensors, producing an
output which can be efficiently manipulated in digital systems. The
patented coordinate system utilizes Array Set Addressing
(ASA), a
novel method for capturing data from a hexagonal grid of image
sensor pixels for image processing. The primary concept behind
ASA is that a hexagonal grid of sensors can be represented as
a
set of two rectangular arrays distinguished by a single binary
coordinate. This technology can be used for any hexagonal grid
of senor data to enable more efficient computational
manipulation and sampling data processing.The new addressing
method can
be straightforwardly implemented in conventional
electronic hardware and digital processing systems. ASA supports
efficient linear algebra and other image processing manipulation.
This results in improved image processing efficiency and reduced
computational power. Utilizing the hexagonal sensor grid enables
greater angular resolution, equidistant spacing, and a higher
degree of symmetry than rectangular grids. Finally, since all
neighboring pixels in a hexagonal grid share a side, there is no
connectivity ambiguity as in rectangular grids, leading to more efficient algorithm dealing with connectivity. |
Military Applications The technology was developed by
inventors working at the Nature-Inspired Research Facility (NIRF) on Eglin AFB.
The principal investigator was inspired by the hexagonal units which form the
surface of insects’ compound eyes and utilized this principle to allow machines
to process their surroundings more effectively and thus improve navigation and
targeting capabilities. Commercial Applications § Law Enforcement/Security § Medical: Enhanced imaging capabilities for diagnostics. § Smartphone Cameras § Astrophotography/Astronomical Imaging Access Patent information on wikipedia HERE!
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