SFI have filed patents but don't have any granted yet.
From their announcements, the patents they've applied for cover the items below. These are
PCT patents meaning the patents will be filed in many other countries simultaneously.
* Innovative dynamic motion camera and optics system that can capture hundreds of photos per second (rather than static cameras). It is more compact and can use larger optics.
LINK.
* Core Spookfish camera system technology and advanced stabilisation capabilities.
LINK.
* Image stabilisation technology and allows a camera system to be attached to a high speed aircraft flying at extreme altitudes able to capture sub-5cm pixel imagery.
LINK.
Here's an abstract from
NEA's patent 8,675,068:
For me, the key phrase here is 'arrays of image capturing devices' which is the more traditional method used to capture aerial images - tying a bunch of cameras together so that they all capture a patchwork of photos that can be stitched together later.
Remember, SFI is using a
single dynamic motion camera, so the two technologies are distinct from each-other. There are other details in the patent link above, but I'll let you read through it.
Of note is that that Spookfish have a patent for image stabilisation to reduce image/pixel blur at high speed and extreme altitudes. NEA have no such patent. I don't know how much blurring will affect NEA's system, or how they're rectifying it.
In a nutshell - SFI have designed a new geo-spatial image capture system from scratch in order to overcome limitations with existing systems. NEA are using existing technologies/methods and trying to adapt it to high/fast image capture.
