Blind restoration of images degraded by isotropic blur

1. A system for automatic restoration of isotropic degradations of a digital image, the system comprising:

(a) an image capture assembly; and

(b) a processor, which is coupled to process automatically said digital image so as to derive a restoration of said digital image; wherein said processor includes:

(i) a memory, wherein said memory includes software instructions, wherein said software instructions executing a preprogrammed logic algorithm including the stages of:

A. receiving a blurred image comprising a plurality of pixels;

B. finding automatically a proper step edge by decomposing said pixels into a plurality of pixel chains, weighting said pixel chains according to straightness and homogeneity, and selecting a pixel chain as said step edge according to said weighting;

C. calculating a PSF from the step edge; and

D. restoring said blurred image.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said memory does not store previous knowledge about a point spread function of a disturbance.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said algorithm includes no iterative stage.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said algorithm calculates said PSF from information that can be found in said image.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

(c) an output assembly, wherein said output assembly can receive a restored image from said processor.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said image capture assembly is a digitizing equipment.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said image capture assembly is a CCD camera.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein said image capture assembly is an infrared camera.

9. The system of claim 5 , wherein said output assembly is a display screen.

10. A method for automatic restoration of isotropic degradations of a digital image, the method comprising the stages of:

receiving a blurred image;

automatically finding a proper step edge;

wherein said stage of automatically finding said proper step edge includes:

finding edges in said blurred image;

erasing edge pixels having more than two neighbors;

recognizing an angle among neighbors of each edge pixel;

finding straight and long edges according to said angles;

finding edge pixels with homogenous areas in both sides of the said edges, and with high contrast; and

selecting the most appropriate edge:

calculating a PSF from the step edge; and

restoring said blurred image as a resorted image according to said PSF.

11. The method for automatic restoration of isotropic degradations of a digital image of claim 10 further comprising the stage of:

displaying said restored image.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said stage of calculating the PSF from the step edge includes;

selecting a few vectors of the 2-D edge;

constructing ESF; and

using said vectors for calculating a LSF.

13. A method for automatic restoration of isotropic degradations of a digital image, the method comprising:

receiving a blurred image;

finding edges in said blurred image, said edges having a plurality of edge pixels;

erasing edge pixels having more than two neighbors;

recognizing an angle among neighbors of each edge pixel;

finding straight and long edges according to said angles;

finding edge pixels with homogenous areas in both sides of the said edges, and with high contrast;

selecting the most appropriate edge as a selected step edge;

selecting a few vectors of said selected step edge;

constructing an ESF;

using said vectors for calculating a LSF;

restoring said blurred image as a resorted image; and

displaying said restored image.