IMPS III - Core Control Modules

At the core of Shaw Inspections Systems IMage Processing Software (IMPS) III. are a number of core modules:

• File Control
• Display Control
• Image Control
• Analysis Control
• Correction Control

File Control

The IMPS III File control provides the basic functionality to import, open and save individual digital images in a variety of common file formats, including TIFF, JPEG, BMP, and more specialist formats such as FITS, DICOM and DICONDE. In addition a number of manufacturer specific formats are also supported (ITEX, HIS, etc). The File Control also allows the import and export of image data sets such as profiles, projections, and histograms, and other types of data such as convolution kernels.

The File Control also allows sequences of images to be opened and replayed. Such sequences may result from a high speed radiography, real time radiography, or may simply be a set of images, such as projection images from a CT scan. The sequence can be replayed at different frame rates, of stepped through frame by frame. The File Control also includes tools for animating sequences of frames into AVI videos.

Display Control

The display tool allows the image display to be panned, scrolled and zoomed. For very large images this process is assisted by an image map which indicates which part of the image is currently being displayed. The image display contrast and brightness can be adjusted through Look Up Tables. At the simplest level these allow the image to be quickly flipped between negative and positive display. At the most complex level they allow virtually infinite adjustment revealing subtle contrast details for the full range of the image grey scale. Other tools allow the image to be sharpened, smoothed, embossed, of for edges to be detected. Images can also be false coloured for dramatic effect.

Image Control

While the Display Control manipulates the display of a digital image without making any changes to the image, the Image Control allows the image itself to be manipulated. The image can be rotated (by any angle), scaled, mirrored (or flipped) it can be filtered using one of more of a large number of inbuilt filters, or using custom convolution kernels. The image can also be processed using a comprehensive array of text book image processing functions. Specialist functions can also be used to reduce noise in a set of duplicate images.

Analysis Control

The Analysis Control includes a range of tools that can be used to measure features in an image of to assist in the measurement and analysis of such features. If the image does not already include any embedded real world scaling the Analysis Control provides tools to assist in setting the world scale of the image. Point analysis tools provide pixel position and value, while line and area tools provide grey level pixel profiles, projections and histograms. Measurement tools include point to point, circular, and rectangular area, and angle measurement. The Analysis Tool also includes overlays such as location grids, rulers and graticules. Finally the annotation tool allows feature in the image to be labeled. All the analysis tools are fully configurable (colour, line style, font etc).

Correction Control

The Correction Control, allows a number of different image corrections that can be used to pre-process images. Commonly a two point (or multi point) gain offset correction can be used to remove any (fixed pattern) irregularities in detector response. A bad pixel map correction can be used to determine the location of any 'bad' pixels in the image, and interpolate new values from the neighbouring pixels. For images with significant optical distortion, for example from Image Intensifiers or some optical systems the geometric correction allows the removal of 'S', pincushion, barrel, and other distortions. Other corrections provide line clamping, flux normalisation, Look Up Table, and attenuation correction.