Abstract: The invention relates to a system and an imaging method for visualizing areas (2) in a moving environment within the body of a patient (1), wherein the position of one or more markers, which are connected to an interventional device (4), is determined and used to determine the position of the areas (2) and/or of the interventional device (4) in images (6) which are recorded of the areas (2) and of their environment. According to the invention, the markers used are active locators which independently of the method used to record the images (6) generate data or signals for determining their position. Such an imaging method, which preferably uses electromagnetic locators, allows a considerably more robust representation of the visualized areas (2), with elimination of movements, than is possible using passive markers.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for segmenting contours of objects in an image is disclosed. It particularly applies to the segmentation of body organs or parts depicted in medical images. An input image containing at least one object comprises pixel data sets of at least two dimensions. An edge-detected image is obtained from the input image. Markers are selected in the edge-detected image, and assigned respective fixed electrical potential values. An electrical potential map is generated as a solution to an electrostatic problem in a resistive medium having a resistivity dependent on the edge-detected image, with the markers defining electrodes at the respective fixed potential values. Object contours are estimated, for example by thresholding, from the generated potential map.

Abstract: A weight management system comprises a cash register (CRS), a user client (UC) and a weight management module (WM), coupled via a wide area network (WAN). A user has a personal card (PC) with a code, the code identifying the user to the cash register and being related to a user ID. The cash register system (CRS) is arranged for sending, when the user pays the food item, corresponding food intake information and the user ID to the weight management module (WM). The weight management module (WM) comprises a food information system, a calorie intake component and a calorie balance component. The food information system stores a respective calorie content for a plurality of food items. The calorie intake component is coupled to the food information system and calculates an amount of calories taken by the user based on the received food intake information.

Abstract: An image processing system comprising 3D image data processing means of automatic mapping a 3-D Surface Model onto the surface of an object of interest in a 3-D image, for estimating a model-based 3-D segmentation surface, comprising visualizing means and further comprising means of interactive adaptation of the segmentation surface to the actual surface of the object of interest including means of interactive selection of a 2D data plane (DP) that intersects the 3-D segmentation surface along a 2-D Model Curve (MC), said Data Plane having a user-selected orientation with respect to said surface, which is appropriate for the user to visualize a 2-D portion called Aberrant Curve (AC) of said Model Curve to be modified; means of interactive definition of a Guiding Curve (GC) in the 2-D Data Plane; means of interactive adaptation of said Aberrant Curve (AC) to said Guiding Curve (GC); and means of further automatically adapting the 3D segmentation surface within a neighborhood of the interactively adapted Aberra

Abstract: An electrode arrangement (10) comprises a knitted electrically conductive electrode portion (12) containing electrically conductive yarn and at least one portion (14) of moisture impermeable electrically conductive material attached to the electrode portion (12). During use the electrode portion (12) and portion of material (14) are applied to a wearers skin. The moisture impermeable material portion (14) is of silicon loaded with carbon black. The moisture impermeable portion (14) encourages perspiration of a user and the perspiration trapped between the skin and moisture impermeable portion (14) reduces skin to electrode contact resistance to increase efficiency of detection of user heart rate or other electrical signals generated by a user.

Abstract: Disclosed is medical equipment, the surface of which being at least partially provided with a coating which is provided by means of a sol-gel process. By applying such coating staining of the medical equipment by iodine-containing agents is prevented. The sol-gel coating can be cured at a curing temperature of 80° C. or lower. The medical equipment can, for example, comprise a tabletop of a diagnostic system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for adding in a device 1, which comprises a camera component 2, metadata to pictures. In order to extend the collection of metadata for such pictures, the method comprises in a first step taking a picture of an object by means of the camera component 2. In a next step, signals comprising information on the object are received via a wireless connection from a communication unit 6 which is associated to the object. In a last step, the received information is stored as metadata together with the data of the picture in a memory 5. The invention relates equally to an electronic device 1 comprising for realizing the proposed method and to a system comprising such a device 1 and moreover a communication unit 6 transmitting information on a device to which it is associated.

Abstract: A given video segment is configured to include links to one or more other video segments or information sources. The given video segment is processed in a video processing system to determine an association between an object, entity, characterization or other feature of the segment and at least one additional information source containing the same feature. The association is then utilized to access information from the additional information source, such that the accessed information can be displayed to a user in conjunction with or in place of the original video segment. A set of associations for the video segment can be stored in a database or other memory of the processing system, or incorporated into the video segment itself, e.g., in a transport stream of the video segment. The additional information source may be, e.g., an additional video segment which includes the designated feature, or a source of audio, text or other information containing the designated feature.

Abstract: Comprehensive multimedia content re-purposing relating to wireless communications employs content constructs that are compact representations of the content information. For video content, the constructs are content operators that represent 2D image regions and/or 3D volumetric regions for objects within the sequence and characterized by various visual attributes, and are extracted from the video sequence by segmentation utilizing video processing techniques. The constructs are employed for intra- and inter-modality transformation to accommodate resource constraints of the mobile device.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for transmitting a plurality of data items from a transmitter to one or more receivers. Each data item (Di) is identified by a unique number (i) within a given range. According to the invention, a field (F) comprising both ends (k1,k2) of said range is also transmitted. This allows a receiver to check whether all data items have been received and to check which data item(s) is (are) missing, if any. The invention may generally be used in systems delivering data items to multimedia stations. The invention is particularly suitable for transmitting electronic programme guide information in a television broadcast system.

Abstract: A system and method for automatically controlling systems and devices in a local environment, such as a home. The system comprises a control unit that receives images associated with one or more regions of the local environment. The one or more regions are each serviced by one or more servicing components. The control unit processes the images to identify, from a group of known persons associated with the local environment, any one or more known persons located in the regions. For the regions in which one or more known person is identified, the control unit automatically generates a control signal for at least one of the servicing components associated with the region, the control signal reflecting a preference of at least one of the known persons located in the respective region.

Abstract: A portable color sampling device (10) facilitates comparison of a color sampled from an object using an optical sensor (11) with a database (30,42,43,44) of stored colors. The database (30,42,43,44) of stored colors includes a merchandise database of articles for sale, and an indication of the location of those articles, including an indication of some or all of retailer identity, store location, in-store location, article description or product ID, class of article and the like. A user points the color sampling device at an article to be sampled, and a color definition data file is generated for transmission to a database of articles. The database returns to the sampling device a list of merchandise that matches the sampled color or colors and any other matching criteria such as class of article, product code, and geographic proximity.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system for supporting a plurality of activities which includes a plurality of terminals for interacting with said activities. The system allows the user to relocate activities from one terminal to another. The relocation can be simplified by means of a physical token representing the activity to be relocated. Terminals are coupled to receptacles for receiving the physical tokens. If a token is removed from a receptacle, the activity is associated with the token. If the token is inserted into another receptacle, the activity is resumed at the terminal coupled to the other receptacle.

Abstract: A method for selecting a chapter boundary for a digital video recording is provided that includes examining cut-rates for the recording. A determination is made regarding whether a default chapter length has passed. A determination is made regarding whether the cut-rate for the recording at the default chapter length is low. The chapter boundary is selected at the default chapter length when the cut-rate for the recording at the default chapter length is low.

Abstract: A processing module converts an input signal, which is generated in a computer system device, into a digital output signal at a video output. The digital output signal is adapted to be visualized by a display device. The processing module includes a scaler for scaling a resolution of the output signal to match a resolution of the display device. The processing module can be combined with a display adapter which incorporates a graphical processor and memory. Furthermore, the processing module may include a selector for selecting a resolution for the output signal, corresponding to a resolution of the display device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for modeling patterns of behavior of humans or other animate objects and detecting a violation of a repetitive pattern of behavior. The behavior of one or more persons is observed over time and features of the behavior are recorded in a multi-dimensional space. Over time, the multi-dimensional data provides an indication of patterns of human behavior. Activities that are repetitive in terms of time, location and activity, such as sleeping and eating, would appear as a Gaussian distribution or cluster in the multi-dimensional data. Probability distribution functions can be analyzed using known Gaussian or clustering techniques to identify repetitive patterns of behavior and characteristics thereof, such as a mean and variance. Deviations from repetitive patterns of behavior can be detected and an alarm can be triggered, if appropriate.

Abstract: A threaded interpreter executes a program having a series of program instructions stored in a memory. For the execution of a program instruction the threaded interpreter includes a preparatory unit for executing a plurality of preparatory steps making th program instruction available in the threaded interpreter, and an execution unit with one or more machine instructions emulating the program instruction. The threaded interpreter is designed such that during the execution on an instruction-level parallel processor of the series of program instructions. Machine instructions implement a first one of the preparatory steps for execution in parallel with machine instructions implementing a second one of the preparatory steps for respective ones of the series of program instructions.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a system for identifying an item (1) to which a radio frequency tag is attached by means of a radio frequency tag detector (101), wherein radio frequency contact is established between the tag and the detector (101) and information associated with the item (1) and being stored by the tag is received by the detector (101) The invention is based on the idea that the data stored by the tag is mapped against a unique item identifier. This unique item identifier is then presented for a user of the detector (101). By employing the present invention, it is possible to identify an item (1) by attaching a small tag to it. This is particularly advantageous in the case where the item (1) to which the tag is attached is very small, such that it is practically difficult to write information on the item (1) itself or on the item casing.

Abstract: An interactive system in which information read from two or more tags (10, 12 or 10, 12?) jointly determines a process to be carried out. One of the tags may identify a user by for example his/her store loyalty card number or by a personal identifying tag (or card) in a cordless RF terminal and the other of the tags may be a RF-ID tag storing details of an action to be performed such as the number of credit points to be given to the loyalty card in response to a transaction or provide promotional information to the user. The process may comprise issuing a command to an action server (28, 30) to provide, or instruct the sending of, output information to a user, by for example over a radio link to a cellular telephone apparatus (18, 34, 36) or PDA, or displayed to the user on a video display unit (38).

Abstract: A method for reacquiring a target in an automated video tracking system is provided. The method includes the steps of: selecting a desired target to be tracked; switching the automated video tracking system to an automatic mode to initiate a tracking sequence to automatically track the selected desired target; switching the automated video tracking system from an automatic mode to a manual mode if the automated video tracking system encounters a period of difficulty in tracking the desired target; reacquiring the desired target in manual mode; and switching the automated video tracking system to the automatic mode for automatic tracking of the reacquired desired target without initiating a new tracking sequence. An apparatus and automated video tracking system for carrying out the methods of the present invention are also provided.