HDR (High Dynamic Range) Imaging, and other mathematical brakthroughs

1. Invention title: HDR (High Dynamic Range) Imaging and other mathematical breakthroughs.
2. Summary explanation -- how it works:
   Most cameras have less dynamic range than the human eye, so photographs often fail to capture everything you see in a picture. HDR, invented by S. Mann, works by combining multiple exposures of the same subject matter. The camera captures multiple pictures in rapid sucession, and a mathematical tranformation combines them into a true measurement of the actual quantity of light in space.

   Mann's invention is used in nearly every commercial camera, including the Apple iPhone. However, some recent improvements are yet to be commercialized. These improvements allow for HDR video to be computationally efficient, useful for example in live streaming applications.

   Video frames are captured in rapid succession and the result computed, efficiently, in real-time.

3. Example commercial applications:
   Image processing, image compression, image analysis, computer vision, signal processing, etc..

   Video conferencing, multimedia, video cameras, surveillance cameras, sousveillance cameras, welding helmets, etc..

4. Link to technical papers associated with the invention: COMPARAMETRIC IMAGE COMPOSITING: COMPUTATIONALLY EFFICIENT HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGING. See also, Comparametric Equations with Practical Applications in Quantigraphic Image Processing. A one-page overview is available here (http://wearcam.org/hdr.pdf). A popular-press article giving a general overview: Quantigraphic camera promises HDR eyesight from Father of AR.
5. Patent applications filed or issued: Althrough HDR has been in existence for more than 22 years, when Mann invented it in the 1990s, there are some exciting new developments. Various improvements to this work are ongoing, and a patent was recently filed: US 20120180180, Title: Seeing aid or other sensory aid or interface for activities such as electric arc welding, Filed: December 16, 2011 Published: July 19, 2012. Collaborator: Ali; Mir Adnan; (London, CA). Additional patent documents are in the works.
6. Prototypes constructed: A number of working prototypes have been constructed and are available for use.
7. Further notes: Mir Adnan Ali, an expert on Comparametric Camera Response Functions, should be brought in to collaborate on this project.

Related invention: MannGlas welding helmet:

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