Abstract: A method for linking front and rear images in a document processing system involves linking the front and rear images by a magnetic ink character code line. The document processing system includes an imaging device and a magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) reader. The method comprises capturing a first image and first MICR waveform for the front side of the document, and capturing a second image and second MICR waveform for the rear side of the document. A forward recognition algorithm is applied to the first waveform to produce a first code line. A reverse recognition algorithm is applied to the second waveform to produce a second code line. The reverse recognition algorithm considers the second waveform as resulting from the document being read from the rear side of the document when processing the second waveform.

Abstract: A method for processing backwards documents in a document processing system involves a reverse recognition algorithm. The document processing system includes a magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) reader. A waveform is determined for a magnetic ink character string on a document. A forward recognition algorithm is applied to compare the determined waveform to a set of known character profiles. In a case where the magnetic ink character string remains unrecognized after application of the forward recognition algorithm, a reverse recognition algorithm is applied to compare the determined waveform to the set of known character profiles. The reverse recognition algorithm considers the determined waveform as resulting from the document being oriented backwards when passing though the magnetic ink character recognition reader when comparing the waveform to the set of known character profiles.

Abstract: A medical image is reproduced after being subjected to image processing appropriate for conversion into an image suitable for interpreting. Selection of a imaging menu item from a imaging menu being displayed is accepted, and the medical image is reproduced after being subjected to the image processing for converting the image into the image appropriate for the reproduction according to the selected imaging menu item. At this time, an index value representing an anatomical characteristic is calculated from the medical image, and the most appropriate imaging menu item to be selected from imaging menu items is judged based on the index value.

Abstract: A personal authentication system using biometrics information, which identifies or authenticates an individual by verifying to-be-verified biometrics characteristic data against previously registered biometrics characteristic data. The system includes a biometrics information inputting section having a function to acquire the to-be-verified biometrics information; a biometrics information converting section converting said to-be-verified biometrics information, acquired through said biometrics information inputting section, into a state to be acquired on a predetermined acquisition condition, said predetermined acquisition condition being a same condition under which the registered biometric information was acquired; and a biometrics characteristic data extracting section extracting to-be-verified biometrics characteristics data from the to-be-verified biometrics information obtained by the conversion in said biometrics information converting section.

Abstract: A method and system for identifying an edge of a crop facilitates guidance of an agricultural machine or other work vehicle along an edge of a crop at an interface between harvested and unharvested portions of a field. A transmitter emits a plurality of a transmitted radiation pattern of one or more generally linear beams spaced apart within a defined spatial zone. A receiver collects an image of the defined spatial zone. A detector detects a presence of crop edge between a harvested and unharvested portion of a field based on an observed illumination radiation pattern on the unharvested portion formed by at least one of the generally linear beams. A data processor identifies coordinate data, in the collected image, associated with the detected crop edge.

Abstract: A method and algorithm for measuring the symmetry (SYM=total symmetry) of N points based on counting the number of “elementary symmetric recognition acts”, or having two distances d(A,B) and d(C,D) be equal within a given tolerance t. The same algorithm can be adapted to measure un-normalized positional entropy deficit (UPED) and positional entropy of N points. These parameters (SYM and UPED) come out almost the same for small occupation numbers (1<=k<=4). Here the occupation number k is the number of equal distances in the figure for a given value d. The algorithm can be incorporated into an imaging device, such as computer graphic programs or cameras, to solve problems of defect detection, say in gems, or object detection.

Abstract: A rate conversion unit determines a frame thinning-out rate to thin out frames on the basis of a recording rate at the time of photographing and a display rate for display on a display apparatus so that a temporal updating interval of a video image between continuous fields becomes constant. After that, a frame is repeatedly inserted so that a frame rate becomes equal to the display rate.

Abstract: A method for detecting a response of each probe zone on a test strip is provided. The present method includes providing a test strip having a color pattern displayed thereon. The color pattern occurs in response to a tested solution contacting with the test strip and including a plurality of color lines displayed in sequence from a bottom portion of the test strip to a top portion thereof. The site of each color line represents a probe zone of the test strip. Capturing a whole image of the test strip and selecting at least one scan line perpendicular to the image of the color lines therefrom. Setting a pixel position of the scan line having a minimum pixel value corresponding to a bottom edge of the test strip and using the pixel position as a reference to identify respective pixel positions of the color lines on the scan line so as to identify the image positions thereof on the whole image.

Abstract: A system for detection of doubles in a stream of flat items such as mail pieces being conveyed on a conveyor includes an electronic imaging camera positioned to receive an image of a side face of conveyed items over a first portion of its field of view, a reflector positioned to reflect an edge view of the items to the imaging camera, which edge view is received by the imaging camera over a second portion of its field of view, and a computer that receives image data from the camera. Program logic used by the computer determines whether the image shows one item, or more than one item.

Abstract: A smoke detection method and system, which uses the effects of the diffusion of light to identify the presence of smoke in a monitored area, are disclosed. This method comprises the steps of: (1) electronically capturing a sequence of images of a light source in the monitored area, (2) transferring these images into an image buffer, (3) scanning these images to identify the chunks of adjacent pixels with brightness values above a prescribed threshold, (4) maintaining the sequence of such chunks obtained from consecutive images in a cluster stack, (5) analyzing the evolution of the features of each of these cluster over a prescribed period of time to identify the patterns that are caused by particle-induced light diffusion, and (6) issuing a prescribed system response in the event such light diffused patterns are identified.

Abstract: Current methods of embedding hidden data in an image inevitably distort the original image by noise. This distortion cannot generally be removed completely because of quantization, bit-replacement, or truncation at the grayscales 0 and 255. The distortion, though often small, may make the original image unacceptable for medical applications, or for military and law enforcement applications where an image must be inspected under unusual viewing conditions (e.g., after filtering or extreme zoom). The present invention provides high-capacity embedding of data that is lossless (or distortion-free) because, after embedded information is extracted from a cover image, we revert to an exact copy of the original image before the embedding took place. This new technique is a powerful tool for a variety of tasks, including lossless robust watermarking, lossless authentication with fragile watermarks, and steganalysis. The technique is applicable to raw, uncompressed formats (e.g., BMP, PCX, PGM, RAS, etc.

Abstract: A system for detecting smoke in a monitored area includes: (a) a video device for capturing a series of successive video images of the monitored area as a series of two-dimensional bitmaps having a specified number of pixels, (b) a processing device having memory capability for storing said series of images and processing capability for analyzing the series of images, and (c) an analysis algorithm that runs on the processing device and has: (i) an identification portion for examining this series of bitmaps to identify indicator areas in successive bitmaps of adjacent pixels that have the potential for being used as indicators for the existence of smoke in the monitored area, (ii) a tracking portion for identifying the trends in the growth and movement of the indicator areas, and (iii) a trend comparison portion for comparing the identified trends to determine which of the trends are consistent with those produced by a smoke cloud.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program for automatic restoration of digital film and video frames, by operation of a sequence of five main interactive computer program blocks, mainly separating moving objects from still objects, separating smooth texture from regions containing edges using the coherency map, and detecting and removing defects to provide restored frames using a pair of frames as reference frames for each processed frame.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system for identifying an individual provided with a portable communication device. In a system for identifying an individual using a portable communication device with a display, the display is a sensor-incorporated display, the sensor-incorporated display reads the biological information of a user, and, based on the read information, identifies an individual.

Abstract: A system and method for automated estimation of average stopped delay at signalized intersections using digitized still image analysis of actual traffic flow is disclosed. The system and method includes digitizing images of an intersection and creating a line of pixels that acts as a virtual sensor in a traffic lane of interest. Background intensities of the pixel line on the traffic lane without vehicles are compared to pixel intensities on images with traffic. Once vehicles are identified, the present method and system provides for three alternative embodiments of methods for determining the stopped delay for an entire image or for a particular vehicle. Once the stopped delay for all relevant images or for all relevant vehicles is determined, the average stopped delay per vehicle is estimated.

Abstract: An image size changing section obtains a size changed image by changing the size of one of two original images captured by a pair of cameras. If an edge of an object has many oblique components, the edge is difficult to detect as a vertical edge but, when the image is horizontally reduced, an oblique edge becomes close to a vertical edge. For this reason, feature end points are extracted with reliability by a feature extracting section and, thereby, an object is recognized and the distance to the object is determined reliably.

Abstract: A system for automatically identifying sperm cells in a smear on a microscope slide, including capturing a first digital color image within an area of interest on the microscope slide. The first digital color image is split into a plurality of component color space images and stored into a plurality of memory spaces. The component color space images are manipulated by mathematical functions, logical functions or a combination of mathematical and logical functions to produce a result image. Thresholding the result image creates a binary result image which is processed with particle (blob) analysis. A set of blob factors is applied to identify probable sperm cells; and a list of universal coordinate system positions of the probable sperm cells is created.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method is provided of processing a substitute check which has been made from an original check. The computer-implemented method comprises (a) reading from the substitute check a printed magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) codeline, (b) reading from the substitute check an imaged MICR codeline, and (c) comparing the printed MICR codeline of step (a) and the imaged MICR codeline of step (b) to determine if the printed MICR codeline and the imaged MICR codeline match.

Abstract: A watermarked signal is pre-filtered based on an analysis of signal characteristics that identify filter parameters that yield better correspondence between the filtered watermarked signal and the digital watermark. The watermark detection method computes signal characteristics of a host digitally watermarked signal, and analyzes the characteristics to determine an extent to which the signal characteristics correspond to characteristics of the digital watermark. The method adapts parameters of digital watermark prediction applied to the watermarked signal based on the extent to which the signal characteristics correspond to the characteristics of the digital watermark. In one embodiment, different filters or filter parameters are selected to match different signal characteristics of the watermarked signal with the characteristics of the digital watermark.

Abstract: A quick, reliable and accurate method and device for measuring an optically reflecting surface, enabling quantifying of the curvatures and/or slopes and raised parts of the optically reflecting surface without risk of deteriorating the measured surface and adapted to measurement of large-dimension surfaces. The system and method for measuring the geometry of an optically reflecting surface to be measured S includes observing with a camera (2) the image of the surface to be measured S set in a measuring space (1), then interpreting the image in quantitative values characterizing at least one geometric quantity of the optically reflecting surface to be measured S.