Abstract: An MPEG2 conforming encoding apparatus and method wherein a control unit adjusts a target number of bits depending on the result of dividing by at least 2 the error between a target number of bits corresponding to the target bit rate and the number of generated bits required for encoding an immediately preceding image segment group, and controls a quantizing parameter for encoding the image segment group in accordance with the adjusted target number of bits.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspecting solder joints are provided. A method for inspecting test solder joints includes the steps of illuminating the test solder joints on a printed circuit board to obtain sample images of the test solder joints by grabbing reflected light with a charge coupled device (CCD) camera, classifying the sample images by an inspector into a number of classes according to the soldering quality, inputting a specific sample image belonging to each class to a neural network to divide the class into a predetermined number of clusters; determining a synaptic weight of each class by learning each cluster, determining a confirmed synaptic weight by adjusting the synaptic weight according to a boundary condition between the clusters belonging to neighboring different classes, and selecting a similar cluster by comparing the similarities between the outputs of the neural network with respect to the test solder joints based on confirmed synaptic weights, and each output of the inspector's class.

Abstract: An address generating and mapping device of a video capture system includes: a microprocessor having a counter counted by being synchronized with a horizontal synchronizing signal of a video signal, an address port for outputting an address to be used when reading from a memory, and a counter port for outputting the counter value and a bank selection signal by using predetermined higher bits among the counter output as the bank selection signal for selecting data banks of the memory; a counter for performing a predetermined operation according to a signal for selecting a mode, when a mode for generating an address necessary for storing the video signal is referred to as an address generating mode and a mode for mapping an address necessary for accessing the memory is referred to as an address mapping mode; multiplexers for outputting a counter value from the microprocessor to higher addresses of the memory when the mode selection signal is the address generating mode and outputting the addresses output from t

Abstract: Rendering is executed under conditions corresponding to the distance of a target object to obtain stereo display data, by preliminarily controlling its conditions such as the position or orientation of two-dimensional image projection planes (A mode). Alternatively, the rendering is executed independently of the distance of the target object, and data thus obtained is subjected to an image conversion process to obtain the stereo display data (B mode).

Abstract: When a selective decision of the field mode/frame mode for orthogonal transform is made for each macroblock composed of a plurality of blocks in a motion picture coding system wherein coding of an interlaced TV signal proceeds in the frame structure and an orthogonal transform is made in the unit of a block, the respective variances of the blocks within the macroblock are calculated, the calculated results are substituted respectively into an monotonously increasing and saturation tending nonlinear function to evaluate the sum of these functional values, and such a decision is made as to select the smaller mode in sum.

Abstract: An electronic system and method for minimizing the loss of image sharpness caused by image motion during the exposure interval of a camera using electro-optical area array image sensors is provided. Differential speed clocking is performed using a set of parallel shift registers to achieve improved image motion compensation ("IMC") performance. A large number of rows and columns contained in a CCD array are arranged in a variable number of row segments. In situations where IMC is needed, a variable frequency clocking method can be applied to these row segments in the CCD array. This method of parallel shift clocking provides for IMC in a reconnaissance system in low light conditions where narrow shutter widths are not practical. An aerial reconnaissance system user utilizing this IMC method can perform forward oblique reconnaissance missions in a straightforward manner. Complexity in CCD design and processing is reduced with this approach, which is utilized in either a small or large array format CCD.

Abstract: A dual-mode display system for 2D viewing and includes an image display device and an LCD panel. The image displaying device is used to show a regular 2D image for 2D viewing and to show an interleaved image composed from a right view and a left view of a scene for 3D viewing. The LCD panel having a plurality of linear sections is used to form a parallax barrier for 3D viewing. The same LCD panel can be turned off so that all the linear sections are clear to transmit light for 2D viewing. The image displaying device can be transmissive type and the LCD panel can be placed behind or in front of the displaying device. Preferably, a large-area illuminator is used to provide illumination to the transmissive displaying device. The image displaying device can also be emissive type and the LCD panel must be placed in front of the displaying device.

Abstract: A method of measuring the motion in video image data for a pixel which uses both field-difference and frame-difference motion values to generate a motion value having increased accuracy. Image data (806) from the same pixel in a prior row of the same field (906) is compared to image data (808) from the same pixel in the prior row of the prior frame (908), and the absolute value of the difference is compared to the absolute value of the difference in image data (802) from the same pixel in a following row of the same field (902) and image data (804) from the same pixel in the following line of the prior frame (904). The minimum of these two values is the minimum frame-difference motion value which is input into a logical mixer. Also input into the logical mixer is the minimum field-difference motion value which may be determined by comparing data (802, 806) from the same pixel of an adjacent line of the same field (902, 906) with image data (810) from the same pixel of the same line of the prior field.

Abstract: An addressable video camera has an ability to be assigned an address, that allows a security monitoring system utilizing a plurality of such addressable video cameras to be connected to the security guard room via a single cable. The addressable video camera includes the following: a video imaging device for generating a video signal; an amplifier for amplifying the output video signal; a switch connected between the amplifier and the input/output port of the addressable video camera; an address setting unit for presetting an address value to the addressable video camera; a sync signal detector which is capable of generating a demodulation enable signal in response to the received video control signal; a demodulator for demodulating the address signal in the video control signal; and a microprocessor capable of comparing the demodulated address data with the preset address value. If these match, the switch is turned to the conducting state and the video-imaging device is switched to active operation.

Abstract: In a sound-picture synchronous compression device, the picture compression process is performed on a designated amount of picture codes. Then, a necessary amount of sound codes is calculated on the basis of a time of the picture compression process and is subjected to sound compression process. Consequently, compressed picture codes and compressed sound codes are transmitted to a sound-picture synchronous reproduction device. Herein, the picture reproduction process is performed on a designated amount of the compressed picture codes. Then, a necessary amount of the compressed sound codes is calculated on the basis of a time of the picture reproduction process and is subjected to sound reproduction process. Thus, the device reproduces the picture codes and sound codes, based on which pictures and sounds are output by the monitor and speaker respectively.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for photographing and recognizing an absorbed component is provided comprising a vacuum nozzle which includes a main body portion having a larger outer size than that of the absorbed component and a tapered surface formed at the lower portion of the nozzle as a light diffusing surface. A plurality of first light sources are situated above the absorbed component at multiple heights are provided for back lighting the absorbed component. The tapered surface is formed in such a manner that the absorbed component is lighted by back lighting from the plurality of first light sources reflected off the tapered surface and selectively turned on according to the up/down movement of the vacuum nozzle, according to the type of the component.

Abstract: In welding optical fiber ribbons [by means of] using an electric arc formed between electrodes the region heated by the electric arc is mapped on CCD-elements in a camera. In the obtained picture the light intensity of those portions of the picture is determined which correspond to the heated fiber portions. This light intensity is used for setting the electric current flowing between the electrodes, so that a desired welding temperature is obtained and so that also a desired, lower temperature is obtained in the fiber ends in a preparatory softening stage, which has a long durability and which is performed before the very welding stage. This determination of temperatures [by means of] using measured light intensities gives reliable values also in the case where ambient conditions like the air pressure are changed, the state of the electrodes is changed owing to contamination, etc.

Abstract: Device for decoding encoded digital signals corresponding to n different types of data, for example audio, video or graphic data. Such decoder includes, upstream of the decoder itself, an input interface which includes a storage sub-assembly composed of n parallel registers for receiving said data. The input interface also includes, between such registers and an external DRAM-type memory of the decoder, a series arrangement of a first buffer memory (43) for storing the contents of a register as soon as one of them is full, and a second buffer memory (44) constituted by n parallel blocks (45a, 45b, . . . ) for storing, per type of data, the contents of the first buffer memory. At the output of such storage blocks, the corresponding requests for access are carried out by a synchronizing clock (47) via an arbiter so as to transmit the contents of the blocks to the external DRAM memory.

Abstract: A video-coding device and a video-decoding device, which are capable of assuring the necessary quality of a video sequence even if a transmission error and/or a loss of information occurs in a transmission line and preventing the propagation of decoding error to subsequent images, and can effectively retransmit the necessary coded information when a transmission error and/or a loss of information occurs in a transmission line. A motion-compensated interframe-predicting portion predicts an input image by using a preceding decoded image stored in a frame memory portion and outputs motion vectors. A difference calculating portion determines a difference between the input image signal and the predicted image signal and outputs the difference as a prediction-error signal to a band-dividing portion which in turn divides the prediction-error signal into n hierarchical layers of frequency-band-components and outputs them to respective coding portions.

Abstract: A method of decoding an MPEG-2 compliant packetized datastream containing transport table sections. The transport table sections include a plurality of table. The table are filtered with table section filters having blocks. Each block has an associated mask pattern to mask bits in a valid pattern and a control word to point to the next block to filter and parse the table sections.

Abstract: An encoder receives a video input that includes initial video data and encodes the initial video data as encoded video data, such that the encoded video data comprises fewer bytes than the initial video data. The encoded video data is transmitted through a computer network to a decoder that receives the encoded video data and reconstructs an image representative of the video input for viewing on a display. A sensor senses at least one of viewer information representative of at least one of a location and movement of a viewer, and display information identifying the display. Viewer data representative of the at least one of the viewer information and the display information is transmitted to the encoder to modify the method of encoding the initial video data.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and device for estimating motion between images forming a sequence of segmented images or partitions composed of I regions R.sub.i identified by labels. The method comprises a step of initializing motion parameters of each region R.sub.i, an intermediate processing step of the images on which the estimation of the motion is performed, and an iterative refining step for the definitive determination of said motion parameters in the form of a vector (D.sub.x, D.sub.y) for all the pixels of each of the regions R.sub.i. This refining step, including a minimizing operation of the prediction errors over each object by means of the minimization of an associated function, allows to select the most representative points and reject the others as outliers. Application: very low bitrate coding, multimedia applications.

Abstract: An apparatus for statistically multiplexing a plurality of video signals is provided with first and second complexity detectors which generate first and second complexity signals which relate to the complexity of first and second video signals, respectively, and first and second encoders for compressing the first and second video signals at variable compression rates to generate a first and second compressed video signals. The apparatus also includes a controller for controlling the variable compression rates of the encoders based on the complexity signal signals and a multiplexer coupled to receive the compressed video signals. The apparatus may be provided in a broadcasting system, such as a satellite is broadcasting system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining an optimal quadtree structure for quadtree-based variable block size (VBS) motion estimation. The method computes the motion vectors for the entire quadtree from the largest block-size to the smallest block-size. Next, the method may optionally select an optimal quantizer scale for each block. The method then compares from "bottom-up" the sum of the distortion from encoding all sub-blocks or sub-nodes (children) as compared to the distortion from encoding the block or node (parent) from which the subnodes are partitioned from. If the sum of the distortion from encoding the children is greater than that of the parent then the node is "merged". Conversely, if the sum of the distortion from encoding the children is less than that of the parent then the node is "split" and the Lagrangian cost for the parent node is set as the sum of the Lagrangian cost of its children.

Abstract: In a gantry crane having a movable grappler adapted for lifting standard containers, a system is provided to aid in positioning the grappler relative to the container. The grappler is equipped with at least two corner video devices located near corners of the grappler for viewing the corner locking holes of a container below. In an embodiment, an additional distal video device is mounted to a side of the grappler opposite the cab to view the relative orientation of a side of the container relative to the side of the grappler. In an embodiment, a plurality of alignment sensors are mounted to respective sides of the grappler to detect the relative position of corresponding sides of the container vertically below. In an embodiment, a pair of height sensors are mounted to the grappler to measure a height of the grappler above the upper surface of the container. Additionally, indicators are provided in the cab to indicate information transmitted from the alignment sensors and/or height sensors.