Abstract: A 3D image capture device according to an embodiment includes: a light transmitting section 1 with a transmitting area 1a, of which the spectral transmittance characteristic varies in a first direction; an image sensor 2a which is arranged to receive light that has been transmitted through the light transmitting section 1 and which outputs a photoelectrically converted signal representing the light received; and an image processing section which extracts an edge of a subject in the first direction, which is included in an image that has been generated based on the photoelectrically converted signal supplied from the image sensor 2a, and which estimates information about the depth of the subject based on a lightness or hue pattern of a background in the vicinity of the edge extracted.

Abstract: A rotation angle detecting apparatus comprises a bearing holder, a rotation shaft rotatably supported by the bearing holder, a shaft portion space formed in the rotation shaft, a bearing holder space formed in the bearing holder, an angle detection pattern in the shaft portion space, a reference pattern and an image sensor in the bearing holder space, an optical system which exists across the shaft portion space and the bearing holder space and forms a projection image of the angle detection pattern and a projection image of the reference pattern on the image sensor, a photodetection switching means for selectively projecting the projection images of the angle detection pattern and the reference pattern onto the image sensor, and an arithmetic device for calculating a rotation angle of the rotation shaft based on a deviation between the reference pattern and the angle detection pattern received by the image sensor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for encoding and decoding a video are provided. The method of encoding the video includes: determining whether a unidirectional motion estimation mode and a bidirectional motion estimation mode are to be used based on a size of a current prediction unit to be encoded, performing the motion estimation and the motion compensation on the current prediction unit according to the determining of whether the unidirectional motion estimation mode and the bidirectional motion estimation mode are to be used, determining an optimum motion estimation mode of the current prediction unit based on an encoding cost of the current prediction unit obtained through the performing of the motion estimation and the motion compensation, and encoding information indicating the determined optimum motion estimation mode based on the size of the current prediction unit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for encoding and decoding a video are provided. The method of encoding the video includes: determining whether a unidirectional motion estimation mode and a bidirectional motion estimation mode are to be used based on a size of a current prediction unit to be encoded, performing the motion estimation and the motion compensation on the current prediction unit according to the determining of whether the unidirectional motion estimation mode and the bidirectional motion estimation mode are to be used, determining an optimum motion estimation mode of the current prediction unit based on an encoding cost of the current prediction unit obtained through the performing of the motion estimation and the motion compensation, and encoding information indicating the determined optimum motion estimation mode based on the size of the current prediction unit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for encoding and decoding a video are provided. The method of encoding the video includes: determining whether a unidirectional motion estimation mode and a bidirectional motion estimation mode are to be used based on a size of a current prediction unit to be encoded, performing the motion estimation and the motion compensation on the current prediction unit according to the determining of whether the unidirectional motion estimation mode and the bidirectional motion estimation mode are to be used, determining an optimum motion estimation mode of the current prediction unit based on an encoding cost of the current prediction unit obtained through the performing of the motion estimation and the motion compensation, and encoding information indicating the determined optimum motion estimation mode based on the size of the current prediction unit.

Abstract: When an image of a marker existing in a real space is taken by using an outer camera, an image of a plurality of virtual characters which is taken by a virtual camera is displayed on an upper LCD so as to be superimposed on a taken real image of the real space. The virtual characters are located in a marker coordinate system based on the marker, and when a button operation is performed by a user on a game apparatus, the position and the orientation of each virtual character are changed. Then, when a button operation indicating a photographing instruction is provided by the user, an image being displayed is stored in a storage means.

Abstract: Dense field imagers are disclosed which are configured to provide combined, aggregated, fused, and/or stitched light field data for a scene. A dense field imager can include a plurality of imaging elements configured to be joined into image blocks or facets that each provides light field data about a scene. The dense field imager can include a plurality of facets in a fixed or modular fashion such that the dense field imager is configured to combine, aggregate, fuse and/or stitch light field data from the plurality of facets. The facets can be mounted such that one or more facets are non-coplanar with other facets. The facets can be configured to provide a representation of the light field with overlapping fields of view. Accordingly, the dense field imager can provide dense field data over a field of view covered by the plurality of facets.

Abstract: A computer program product and method for performing position control on device members that have been identified as defective. The method may include providing a storage medium that stores data and programs used in processing images and a processing unit that processes the images, receiving, by the processing unit from an image capture device coupled to the processing unit, a set of images of a plurality of members inside of a device, detecting, by the processing unit, a defect in a first member of the plurality of members, and providing instructions to move the first member to an inspection position in the device. The device may be an engine and the members may be blades within the engine.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for recognizing a parking space line marking for a vehicle. In particular, a corner capturing process is configured to capture an angled corner in an image including the parking space line marking, and a cross capturing process is configured to capture a cross point by combining adjacent corners among the captured corners. A space capturing process captures a space which is an end periphery of the parking space line marking by combining the captured cross points. As a result of the above processes, a type selecting process can then select a type of the parking space line marking from the captured space, and a final selection process may select a final space based on the selected type.

Abstract: A demodulation image sensor, such as used in time of flight (TOF) cameras, extracts all storage- and post-processing-related steps from the pixels to another array of storage and processing elements (proxels) on the chip. The pixel array has the task of photo-detection, first processing and intermediate storage, while the array of storage and processing elements provides further processing and enhanced storage capabilities for each pixel individually. The architecture can be used to address problems due to the down-scaling of the pixel size. Typically, either the photo-sensitivity or the signal storage capacitance suffers significantly. Both a lower sensitivity and smaller storage capacitances have negative influence on the image quality. The disclosed architecture allows for keeping the storage capacitance unaffected by the pixel down-scaling. In addition to that, it provides a high degree of flexibility in integrating more intelligence into the image sensor design already on the level of the pixel array.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for facilitating motion estimation in video processing are provided. In one embodiment, search block is defined within one frame. A relative location of a corresponding block in another frame with respect to the search block is determined based on comparative searching at a predetermined granularity to produce a motion vector for the search block with a first precision. Correlation values are determined with respect to the search block for the corresponding block and for one block or more blocks defined at relative locations of less than the predetermined granularity with respect to the corresponding block in different directions. A refined motion vector for the search block with a second higher precision is determined based on the relative location of the block having a selected correlation value that is selected from among the determined correlation values.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for four-path tree structured vector quantization, comprising: (a) placing codebook vectors where magnitudes of vectors are arranged in order at lowermost nodes; (b) configuring upper nodes by averaging vector values of the lowermost adjacent four nodes; (c) calculating mean square errors to paths of the upper nodes (A, B, C, and D) corresponding to four paths from an input vector ‘X’; (d) presetting a threshold between 0 and 1 after the ‘(c)’; (e) calculating thresholds between the input vector ‘X’ and four paths ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’, based on the mean square errors; and (f) comparing the thresholds calculated in the ‘(d)’ with the preset threshold to select a path having a threshold greater than the preset threshold, in which dynamic four-path tree structured vector quantization is used instead of conventional dynamic two-path tree structured vector quantization, thereby more efficiently and quickly searching a codebook.

Abstract: A method for mapping a sensor pixel array to an illumination pixel array according to a surface forms a group mapping by assigning each pixel to a corresponding group, each group with p adjacent pixels on the illumination array and each ordered set having k groups, by projecting and recording a sequence of group index images. Each group index image has, in at least two of the groups, no illuminated pixels and in fewer than (k?1) groups, from 2 to (p?1) adjacent illuminated pixels. The sequence of group index images uses pixels from each of the k groups. At least p multiline images are projected and recorded, wherein each multiline image projects a line within each group. Lines in the multiline images are correlated according to the group mapping and the correlation stored in memory. Integers k and p are greater than or equal to 3.

Abstract: A method and systems of stabilizing a sequence of infrared (IR) images captured using an infrared (IR) imaging system, includes: generating edge information representations of selected captured IR images in said sequence; for each generated edge information representation, generating a second representation having a reduced amount of information compared to the edge information representation; determining displacements between captured IR images in relation to previous IR images in said sequence based on a comparison between said second representations; generating a stabilized sequence of IR images by shifting said captured IR images based on said determined displacements.

Abstract: A method for mapping a sensor pixel array to an illumination pixel array according to a surface forms a group map by assigning each pixel on the sensor array to a corresponding group of an ordered set of groups, each group defined by a set of p adjacent pixels on the illumination pixel array by projecting and recording at least n projected images from a first set of n binary patterns, with transitions between pixels in each of the n binary patterns only at group boundaries. At least m images from a second set of m binary patterns are projected and recorded, with one or more transitions between pixels in each of the m binary pattern offset from group boundaries. At least p multiline images are projected and recorded. Lines in the recorded multiline images are correlated with lines in the multiline images according to the group map.

Abstract: A marker present in a real space is detected from each of a real image for a left eye and a real image for a right eye. The position and the orientation of each of imaging sections relative to the marker are calculated. A left virtual camera and a right virtual camera are set in accordance with the positions and the orientations of the imaging sections. A virtual model having a planar shape is placed in a marker coordinate system, and areas in the real image for a left eye and the real image for a right eye that correspond to the virtual model are set as a left texture area and a right texture area, respectively. Each of images included in a left texture area and a right texture area is applied, as a texture, to a deformation object into which the virtual model is deformed.

Abstract: A three-dimensional image capture apparatus includes a single lens module, an X-cube beam-splitting prism, two image sensors and a parallax processor. The beam-splitting prism includes a first transflective surface and a second transflective obliquely intersecting the first transflective surface. The first transflective surface is configured for reflecting light from a first viewing angle of an object through the lens module toward a first direction. The second transflective surface is configured for reflecting light from a second viewing angle of an object through the lens module toward an opposite second direction. The image sensors are configured for respectively detecting the light reflected by the first and second transflective surfaces, and generating parallax image signals. The parallax processor is configured for processing the parallax image signals from the image sensors to generate a 3D image.

Abstract: In a method to measure widths of measured parts placed on a platform, a computing device connects to one or more charge coupled device (CCD) cameras. The method controls each of the CCD cameras to capture a digital image from a measured part that is placed near the CCD cameras, obtains the digital image of the measured part from each of the CCD cameras in a predefined order, and obtains a binary expression from the digital image of the measured part. When the measured part is placed in a correct position on the platform, the method further obtains three points from an upper boundary of the measured part in the binary expression and another three points from a lower boundary of the measured part in the binary expression, and calculates width of the measured part according to the obtained six points.

Abstract: An imaging system and method are disclosed. In one aspect, the system includes an edge-detecting module detecting edge coordinates in a first image; first and second disparity-estimating modules respectively configured to obtain a first and second estimated disparity map, a cross-checking module configured to cross check the first estimated disparity map using the second estimated disparity map to identify occlusion pixels in the first estimated disparity map, an occlusion-refining module configured to refine the occlusion pixels by identifying at least a pixel under refinement on the first estimated disparity map as occluded based on the number of occlusion pixels in a refining base region, and a hole-filling module configured to fill the refined set of occlusion pixels. The imaging system improves the quality of a disparity map and controls the complexity of stereo-matching.

Abstract: A method of assessing the condition of a component through a thermal window, the method including storing information on a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with the component or the thermal window and taking a thermal image of the component through the thermal window using a thermal imaging device. The method also including retrieving the information on the RFID tag using a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader on the thermal imaging device. Also, a thermal imaging system comprising a thermal imaging device including a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader, and a thermal window having a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with the thermal window. The RFID reader may be adapted to access information on the RFID tag.