Relative focus map estimation using blind deconvolution

An automatic focus map extraction method is presented that uses a modification of blind deconvolution for estimation of localized blurring functions. We use these local blurring functions [so-called point-spread functions (PSFs)] for extraction of focus areas on ordinary images. In this inverse task our goal is not image reconstruction but the estimation of localized PSFs and the relative focus map. Thus the method is less sensitive than general deconvolution is to noise and ill-posed deconvolution problems. The focus areas can be estimated without any knowledge of the shooting conditions or of the optical system used.     

Wave field synthesis of a sound field described by spherical harmonics expansion coefficients

Near-field compensated higher order Ambisonics (NFC-HOA) and wave field synthesis (WFS) constitute the two best-known analytic sound field synthesis methods. While WFS is typically used for the synthesis of virtual sound scenes, NFC-HOA is typically employed in order to synthesize sound fields that have been captured with appropriate microphone arrays. Such recorded sound fields are essentially represented by the coefficients of the underlying surface spherical harmonics expansion. A sound field described by such coefficients cannot be straightforwardly synthesized in WFS. This is a consequence of the fact that, unlike in NFC-HOA, it is critical in WFS to carefully select those loudspeakers that contribute to the synthesis of a given sound source in a sound field under consideration. In order to enable such a secondary source selection, it is proposed to employ the well-known concept of decomposing the sound field under consideration into a continuum of plane waves, for which the secondary source selection is straightforward. The plane wave representation is projected onto the horizontal plane and a closed form expression of the secondary source driving signals for horizontal WFS systems of arbitrary convex shape is derived.     

Sharpness Matching between Digital Image Display Devices

A method is presented for matching apparent sharpness between digital image display devices with different characteristics. The sharpness is most precisely described by the point spread function (PSF) as opposed to dot density such as DPI (dot per inch). The difference between devices is expressed as difference between transfer functions obtained from the PSFs. In the presented method, spatial frequency filtering for one digital image is carried out where the ratio of the transfer functions or its modified version is used as filter. The modification is introduced as a clipping operation to reduce excessive enhancement when the ratio of the transfer functions has a high pass characteristic with large gain. Through computer simulation including a subjective evaluation experiment and numerical evaluation, the effectiveness of filtering operation for sharpness matching is demonstrated.     

A hybrid optical-digital processor for image deblurring

A hybrid optical-digital image processing system is developed for deblurring out-of-focus pictures. The optical part is a dual-channel non-coherent processor which implements the Wiener filter for deblurring through appropriate pupil functions. The methods of implementing the bipolar PSF in a non-coherent processor are described, as are the methods of determining the pupil functions from the given PSFs. The digital part of the processor subtracts or demodulates the outputs from the dual-channel optical processor to give the final deblurred picture. The pupil functions are experimentally realized and the deblurred outputs are presented.     

Multi-frame blind deconvolution using sparse priors

In this paper, we propose a method for multi-frame blind deconvolution. Two sparse priors, i.e., the natural image gradient prior and an l₁-norm based prior are used to regularize the latent image and point spread functions (PSFs) respectively. An alternating minimization approach is adopted to solve the resulted optimization problem. We use both gray scale blurred frames from a data set and some colored ones which are captured by a digital camera to verify the robustness of our approach. Experimental results show that the proposed method can accurately reconstruct PSFs with complex structures and the restored images are of high quality.     

Identification of modal parameters including unmeasured forces and transient effects

In this paper, a frequency-domain method to estimate modal parameters from short data records with known input (measured) forces and unknown input forces is presented. The method can be used for an experimental modal analysis, an operational modal analysis (output-only data) and the combination of both. A traditional experimental and operational modal analysis in the frequency domain starts respectively, from frequency response functions and spectral density functions. To estimate these functions accurately sufficient data have to be available. The technique developed in this paper estimates the modal parameters directly from the Fourier spectra of the outputs and the known input. Instead of using Hanning windows on these short data records the transient effects are estimated simultaneously with the modal parameters. The method is illustrated, tested and validated by Monte Carlo simulations and experiments. The presented method to process short data sequences leads to unbiased estimates with a small variance in comparison to the more traditional approaches.     

Depth from diffracted rotation

The accuracy of depth estimation based on defocus effects has been essentially limited by the depth of field of the imaging system. We show that depth estimation can be improved significantly relative to classical methods by exploiting three-dimensional diffraction effects. We formulate the problem by using information theory analysis and present, to the best of our knowledge, a new paradigm for depth estimation based on spatially rotating point-spread functions (PSFs). Such PSFs are fundamentally more sensitive to defocus thanks to their first-order axial variation. Our system acquires a frame by using a rotating PSF and jointly processes it with an image acquired by using a standard PSF to recover depth information. Analytical, numerical, and experimental evidence suggest that the approach is suitable for applications such as microscopy and machine vision.     

Blind restoration of real turbulence-degraded image with complicated backgrounds using anisotropic regularization

This paper proposes a novel blind image restoration method based on estimating the point-spread functions by using two real turbulence-degraded images as input. The non-negative constraint and the spatial correlation are transformed mathematically into the penalty terms and added to the objective function. An anisotropic and nonlinear regularization function is proposed to adequately punish the differences of the point spread functions (PSFs) in the process of optimization estimation. Some definitions of weighted second-order differences are given and a fast method to construct the matrix of second-order weighted gradient operator is derived. The PSF values can be quickly estimated. With the estimated PSFs, the true images can be recovered by non-blind restoration methods. Experiment results for the restoration of real turbulence-degraded images with complicated backgrounds support the effectiveness of this proposed method.     

Multi-domain spectral method for modal analysis of optical waveguide

A multi-domain spectral method for scalar optical modal analysis is developed and presented. The method is mesh-free and is applicable to three-dimensional optical waveguide structures that are invariant in one direction. The mode profile is represented as a superposition of one-dimensional preselected basis functions with variable coefficients. As common to spectral methods, the presented method is inherently fast and efficient. Different optical waveguides are analyzed for comparison purpose to exhibit the validity and accuracy of the presented method.     

Compact multireference wavefront sensor design

We present a compact optical design for a multireference Shack-Hartmann-based wavefront sensor (WFS) for multiconjugate adaptive optical systems. The key component of this WFS design is a field lenslet array that separates the exit pupil images in the sensing plane for all reference sources. An analytical method for WFS optical design is presented, and the optimal strategy for selecting optical components from a discrete set is outlined. The feasibility of the WFS design has been demonstrated for a prototype WFS system in a laboratory setup with five reference sources and two deformable mirrors representing a wavefront-distorting medium.     

Diagnosing unknown aberrations in an adaptive optics system by use of phase diversity

We outline a novel method for estimating a fixed aberration that is in the image path but not in the wave-front-sensor (WFS) path of an adaptive optics (AO) imaging system. We accomplish this through a nontraditional application of the Gonsalves [Proc. SPIE 207, 32 (1997)] least-squares phase-diversity technique, using an ensemble of images and WFS data. The diversity phases required for this technique are provided by the temporal differences in WFS residual phase measurements for different members of the ensemble. We demonstrate the technique by using actual observations from an operational AO system exhibiting such an aberration. An estimate of this aberration was obtained by the proposed algorithm that agrees reasonably well with the observed point-spread function.     

Parametric blur estimation for blind restoration of atmospherically degraded images: Class G

Iterative methods are typically utilized for blind image restoration (BIR); however, they are relatively slow, uncertain, and occasionally ill-behaved. This study presents a non-iterative algorithm to estimate the parameters of point spread functions (PSFs), particularly, Class G. We propose a curve model to approximate the normalized spectrum amplitude of the original image in accordance with the decay law of the natural image spectrum. The blur PSF is estimated by comparing the original image spectrum with the degraded one. Then, the image is restored by applying the estimated PSF and the Wiener filter. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can obtain a more accurate PSF and reduce ringing artifacts compared with the existing algorithms. The quality of the restored images is enhanced significantly.     

柱体表面圆环阵稳健高增益波束形成的模态域直接优化方法研究

以无限长刚性柱体表面圆环阵为研究对象,提出了一种直接模态域稳健高增益波束形成方法,并将其应用到更实际的有限长刚性柱体表面圆环阵。该方法运用相位模态理论将波束响应表示成特征波束与模态系数的乘积后求和的形式,并结合散射理论求解了其模态域的噪声互谱矩阵。与已有的模态域稳健高增益方法需利用阵元域权值间接求取近似模态权系数不同的是,该方法利用二阶锥规划,在满足相关约束条件下直接给出了最优的模态权系数。仿真结果表明,直接模态域方法不仅能通过白噪声增益约束提高稳健性,在低频段还能通过改变模态阶数更灵活地在阵增益和稳健性之间折中,同时对旁瓣级等其它性能指标也能很好地控制,可用以有效设计实用的稳健高增益波束形成器。      

On direct optimization in mode space for robust supergain beamforming of circular array mounted on a cylinder

A direct robust supergain method in mode space for the circular array mounted on an infinite rigid cylinder was proposed,and then it was also applied to the circular array mounted on a finite rigid cylinder which is more practical.According to the concept of phase modes,the beam pattern is expanded into a series of eigen-beams multiplying by modal coefficients. The modal noise cross spectral matrix is calculated from sound scattering theory.In the original modal robust supergain method,the coefficient vector in mode space is transformed indirectly from the weighting vector in sensor space.The method presented here gives the most suitable modal coefficient vector directly under the related constraint conditions based on the second-order cone programming.The results of simulation show that the direct modal robust supergain method can not only improve robustness using the white noise gain constraint, but also change the mode orders to provide compromise between array gain and robustness in low frequencies.Beam performance measures such as sidelobe level can be optimized as well as array gain,so this method can give more effective schemes for designing practical robust supergain beamformers.     

Signal displacement in spiral-in acquisitions: simulations and implications for imaging in SFG regions

Susceptibility field gradients (SFGs) cause problems for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in regions like the orbital frontal lobes, leading to signal loss and image artifacts (signal displacement and "pile-up"). Pulse sequences with spiral-in k-space trajectories are often used when acquiring fMRI in SFG regions such as inferior/medial temporal cortex because it is believed that they have improved signal recovery and decreased signal displacement properties. Previously postulated theories explain differing reasons why spiral-in appears to perform better than spiral-out; however it is clear that multiple mechanisms are occurring in parallel. This study explores differences in spiral-in and spiral-out images using human and phantom empirical data, as well as simulations consistent with the phantom model. Using image simulations, the displacement of signal was characterized using point spread functions (PSFs) and target maps, the latter of which are conceptually inverse PSFs describing which spatial locations contribute signal to a particular voxel. The magnitude of both PSFs and target maps was found to be identical for spiral-out and spiral-in acquisitions, with signal in target maps being displaced from distant regions in both cases. However, differences in the phase of the signal displacement patterns that consequently lead to changes in the intervoxel phase coherence were found to be a significant mechanism explaining differences between the spiral sequences. The results demonstrate that spiral-in trajectories do preserve more total signal in SFG regions than spiral-out; however, spiral-in does not in fact exhibit decreased signal displacement. Given that this signal can be displaced by significant distances, its recovery may not be preferable for all fMRI applications.     

Use of the Hilbert transform in modal analysis of linear and non-linear structures

An initial study into the application of the Hilbert transform in modal analysis procedures is presented. It is shown that typical structural non-linearities such as non-linear damping and stiffness can be detected and identified directly without the need to generate explicit models. No assumptions regarding the degree of non-linearity are made, which is a restriction in the classical methods for dealing with non-linearities. The properties of the Hilbert transform are discussed with respect to linear and non-linear dynamical systems, and a discrete transform, developed from the continuous functions, is derived in the frequency domain and adapted to modal analysis data in the form of mobility transfer functions. Truncation effects arising from limited frequency ranges of the mobility transfer functions are accounted for by employing correction terms in the frequency domain. Several examples are studied of single and multi-mode systems with non-linearities such as friction, clearance and non-linear stiffness. These examples indicate that the Hilbert transform offers a new method for extending modal analysis to the domains of non-linear systems.     

Attenuation and scattering of axisymmetrical modes in a fluid-filled round pipe with internally rough walls

The attenuation of axisymmetric eigenmodes in a cylindrical, elastic, fluid-filled waveguide with a statistically rough elastic wall is studied. It is shown that small perturbation theory can be used to relate explicitly the statistical characteristics of the internal wall surface roughness of an elastic pipe to the attenuation and scattering coefficients of the acoustic modes in the filling fluid. Analytical expressions for modal attenuation coefficients are obtained. The analysis of the frequency dependent attenuation coefficients and the ratio between the roughness correlation length and the inner radius of the pipe is made for different correlation functions of the roughness. It is shown that two scale parameters control the overall behavior of the modal attenuation coefficients. These are the ratios of the roughness correlation length and the inner pipe radius to the acoustic wavelength. The numerical results for sound propagation in a pipe and in a borehole with statistically rough, elastic walls are obtained and discussed.     

USING THE CROSS-CORRELATION TECHNIQUE TO EXTRACT MODAL PARAMETERS ON RESPONSE-ONLY DATA

Modal parameter identification is used to identify those parameters of the model which describe the dynamic properties of a vibration system. Classical modal parameter extractions usually require measurements of both the input force and the resulting response in laboratory conditions. However, when large-scale operational structures are subjected to random and unmeasured forces such as wind, waves, or aerodynamics, modal parameters estimation must base itself on response-only data. Over the past years, many time-domain modal parameter identification techniques from output-only have been proposed. Among them, the natural excitation technique (NExT) has been a very powerful tool for the modal analysis of structures excited in operating environment. This issue reviews the theoretical development of natural excitation technique (NExT), which uses the cross-correlation functions of measured responses coupling with conventional time-domain parameter extraction under the assumption of white-noise random inputs. Then a frequency-domain poly reference modal identification scheme by coupling the cross-correlation technique with conventional frequency-domain poly reference modal parameter extraction is presented. It uses cross-power spectral density functions instead of frequency response functions and auto- and cross-correlation functions instead of impulse response functions to estimate modal parameters from response-only data. An experiment using an airplane model is performed to investigate the effectiveness of the cross-correlation technique coupled with frequency-domain poly reference modal identification scheme.     

Quadratic cross-sections in the multiple scattering by a pair of liquid cylinders insonified by arbitrary-shaped acoustical sheets

Stemming from the law of energy conservation applied to scattering, generalized exact partial-wave series expressions are derived for the extrinsic and intrinsic acoustic scattering, extinction and absorption cross-sections for a pair of fluid/liquid-like (viscous) cylinders of arbitrary radii. The incident insonifying field is of arbitrary shape such that any structured wavefront in two-dimensions is accomodated by this formalism, in contrast with the case of plane waves. The modal expansion method in combination with the translational addition theorem for cylindrical wave functions are used to derive the exact analytical expressions for the quadratic (nonlinear) cross-sections, and numerical computations for a non-paraxial focused Gaussian acoustical sheet chosen as an example illustrate the analysis. The results clearly show the difference between the behavior of the extrinsic and intrinsic cross-sections. The formalism presented here is generalized for any acoustical sheet such that Airy, Hermite-Gaussian and other wavefronts (in 2D) can be considered provided the appropriate beam-shape coefficients are used. The analogy with the optical counterpart is also noted.