SAR and FLIR image registration method
US6795590B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 22, 2000 |
| Grant date | Sep 21, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 23, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06V10/753
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
There is disclosed herein, a method used to associate or correspond synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and forward looking infrared (FLIR) images. Based on feature points detectable from both images, a two stage approach is taken to address the issue of SAR and FLIR image registration: an initial registration stage where feature points detected from the FLIR image are transformed into the SAR image coordinates; and a residual registration stage where the SAR and FLIR feature points undergo a “Generalized Hough Transform” from which a maximal subset of matching feature points is obtained and the registration transformation can be derived. These two stages are separated into five steps which comprise the SAR and FLIR Image Registration Method: (1) extracting feature points from said SAR and FLIR images; (2) creating an initial registration of the FLIR image; (3) creating a two-dimensional residual registration utilizing a generalized Hough transform; (4) estimating the registration transformation; and, (5) verifying the registration. This method allows the residual registration to be done in a two-dimensional (rather than six) Hough transform, which results in fast and robust…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.