Abstract: In order to decode a received digital signal which has been watermarked with a known watermark, at least part of the digital signal is decoded by using a parametrisable iterative decoder, the watermark is extracted from the decoded signal, the extracted watermark is compared with the known watermark, and at least one parameter of the decoder is modified if necessary, according to the result of the comparison.

Abstract: An image coding apparatus includes an image feature extraction means for generating character data which includes character codes corresponding to character images included in a document image and auxiliary information indicating the sizes and positions of the respective character images in the document image based on image data indicating the document image. The image coding apparatus generates a predictive document image for the document image based on the character data, and subjects the document image data to arithmetic coding in which the probability model is changed with reference to predictive document image data. In the image coding apparatus, the probabilities of white pixels and black pixels indicated by the probability model are very close to those in the character image, whereby the coding efficiency for the character image data in the arithmetic encoder is improved.

Abstract: A method and system for encoding an image for providing encoded data for transmission or storage. After the image is decomposed by a transform into sub-bands containing blocks or samples of transformed image data organized in a number of bit-planes, it is adjusted to reduce the number of bit-planes prior to being encoded by a bit-plane coder into encoded data. The reduction of the bit-planes is based on the compression factor of the encoding process, the transmission target bit-rate, the type of sub-band and the resolution level of the transformed image data.

Abstract: In block-based motion or depth estimation, a block is assigned a motion or depth value as a result of minimizing the matching error over a limited set of candidate values. The matching error for each element of the set is obtained by computing the luminosity differences between a block of a first image (10) and an area of a second image (11). It may occur that an object (12) is partially obstructed by another object (15), so that a pixel (14) in the block is not present in the corresponding area, because another pixel (16) overlaps it. The method and system according to the invention determine which pixels are not visible in the second image (11), and compute the matching error over only the visible pixels. An apparatus for adapting a video signal (40) uses the chosen candidate values to create an enhanced version of the video signal (40).

Abstract: A method and system for classifying images between natural pictures and synthetic graphics is provided. In embodiments of the invention, a picture/graphic classification method and system implements edge features for image classification of natural pictures and synthetic graphics. In another embodiment of the invention, a picture/graphic combination classification method and system using edge features, color discreteness features, and SGLD texture features is used to classify images between natural picture and synthetic graphic classes.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus including an image reading section, an amount-of-movement detecting thinning out the transfer data other than particular transfer data, each of successive transfer data pieces at a time, adding the amount of movement, which is contained in the thinned-out transfer data, to the amount of movement, which is contained in the particular transfer data, and generating compressed data composed of the image data in the particular transfer data and the added amount of movement, and a data transferring section for transferring one of the transfer data and the compressed data to a destination. With such image reading apparatus, not only the image is reproduced free from shortage in size in the direction of scanning regardless of the speed of scanning, not only it is possible to reduce an amount of data to be transferred to the destination from the image reading apparatus.

Abstract: A data encoding apparatus, and method and a camera system using the same, improved in speed of processing. The predetermined write addresses in accordance with an input sequence of data are generated corresponding to the data and stored at corresponding addresses of a storage unit, an address the latest in a read sequence from the storage unit among the write addresses of the non-zero data is detected at an EOB (encoding of data block) detection unit, read addresses are sequentially generated, the data is read from the addresses of the storage unit and output to an encoding unit, when the read address and the detection address of the EOB detection unit do not coincide, the data is sequentially encoded at the encoding unit, when they coincide, the data of this address is encoded, a code EOB is generated, and the encoding is terminated.

Abstract: A smoothing method extracts an evaluation window including a target pixel of a multi-value image data in which tone is represented by a multi-value in units of pixels, and judges black and white of the target pixel according to a predetermined rule, and binarizes pixel data within the evaluation window. Further, the smoothing method generates a correction value based on collating binarized pixel data within the evaluation window and a look-up table which stores patterns in vicinities of the target pixel, and outputs a multi-value correction signal in which the correction value is converted into a multi-value.

Abstract: A perspective projection image creation system of the present invention includes: an optical system including a hyperboloidal mirror; an imaging section receiving light so as to create input image data; an image transformation section transforming input image data obtained by the imaging section into image data of a perspective projection; a scale model creation section transforming image data for an object in an object plane into image data for a scale model of the object such that a size of the scale model of the object corresponds to that of the object in a perspective projection image; an image combining section creating combined image data created by combining the perspective projection image data and the image data for the scale model; and a display section displaying the combined image data.

Abstract: As image data have come to be used in large volumes in recent years, statistical calculation processing of restored and sampled image data often suffers a shortage of memory capacity. In acquiring a feature amount of an image to automatically correct image data, where high-speed processing is preferred, it is judged whether the image data contain thumbnail data (step 108) and, when there are thumbnail data, “thumbnail” is set on a sampling flag (step 110) to secure a buffer for developing the thumbnail data (step 116 and step 120), the thumbnail data are developed in the buffer, and all the pixels are subjected to statistical calculation (step 126 through step 132), resulting in faster processing than where the original image data are developed and sampled.

Abstract: Methods for identifying a note with a partial OCR of one or more characters in the note's serial code. The methods record the characters read and associates each character read with its field position in the serial code. The method can use this information or combine the character and field information with positional information of the note within a stack in order to identify a note with a reasonable degree of statistical probability.

Abstract: A method and apparatus electronically correct real image distortions caused by lens defects, designed-in distortions (fish-eye lenses), and angular distortion (due to trigonometry, and present in all lenses). The distorted images is directly detected by a photo-sensor array (e.g. a CCD image pickup) as pixel data representing the distorted image; optionally the lens is scanned over a small CCD array to generate different images. The raw image data is downloaded to a computer, in which special software corrects the distortions and reconfigures each raw image onto a virtual spherical surface. The corrected images are juxtaposed to build up a composite virtual image on the virtual sphere. Data representing the virtual image can be transformed back to a flat display surface for viewing any portion of the composite scene without distortion and without discontinuities between juxtaposed images.

Abstract: A method for encoding an image-representative signal, including the following steps: for shapes of the image, applying a transform to a segment of pixels of the shape to obtain a low pass transform component and a high pass transform component; and for segments with an odd number of pixels, including the odd pixel in the low pass transform component and excluding the odd pixel from the high pass transform component.

Abstract: A method comprising selecting a quantization threshold parameters set based upon available storage in a storage mechanism configured to store quantized image data, and quantizing image data using the selected quantization threshold parameter set, the selecting and quantizing guaranteeing that at minimum number (M) of quantized image data can be stored in the storage mechanism.

Abstract: This invention provides a method and apparatus (100) for detecting small glass particles (12) in bottles (1) filled with beer (10). The beer (10) is caused to rotate with respect to the bottle (1), and successive images are obtained from the bottle by means of a CCD-camera (40) which is arranged such that its optical axis (41) makes an angle &agr; of about 135° with the axis (13) of the bottle (1), which is illuminated from below. The successive images are subtracted from each other to detect refracted light emanating from glass particles. These measurements are repeated a plurality of times. The invention thus offers an improvement in sensitivity and reliability of a detecting method. An apparatus (100) comprises a carousel (103) with a plurality of cameras dedicated to a single bottle. A system is described to reduce costs by having eight cameras share one image processing unit.

Abstract: A server application associated with a document provides a document object with a print interface to support programmatic document printing. A client application interacts with the document object through the print interface to control printing. The print interface supports progress monitoring and print cancellation during printing using a call back interface of the client program. The print interface also supports opaquely conveying document-specific print options, so that the client program can perform subsequent print operations with the same or similar document object using the same print options without the client program manipulating the print options. The document object also has a print preview interface which supports programmatic print previewing.

Abstract: A scanning apparatus providing separate fixed object focal planes for transmissive and reflective original documents to be scanned, wherein a scan carriage containing illumination, sensor, and optical elements is moved together to scan an original document and to obtain a digitized representation thereof. The movable scan carriage has an illumination source disposed between the reflective and transmissive object focal planes, with the object focal plane to be used selected by changing the position of a single optical element within the scan carriage. The illumination source comprises a single lamp disposed for correct illumination of the selected object focal plane. Automatic resolution selection and focusing of the original image can occur using a converging device comprising a first and second focusing lens.

Abstract: A document containing colored text is reproduced in a way to preserve the color intent if the reproduced document is copied on a black-and-white device. For small text, the fact that it is colored, is conveyed by reproducing it bold, and for medium size text, by reproducing it outlined. For large text, both the fact that it is colored and the color used can be conveyed by filling the interior of the characters with patterns that correspond directly to the color.

Abstract: An improved image processor construction is disclosed in which a carrier driving electric motor is located in a housing of the image processor. Generally, a carrier mechanism is driven by an electric motor to scan an original and thereby to read an image on the original. According to the invention, the electric motor is disposed within a housing of the image processor so that any portions projecting outward from the housing can be eliminated and an outer size of the image processor can be correspondingly reduced. More specifically, a housing of the image processor includes a bottom plate having a downward recess and the electric motor is disposed within this downward recess. A loop of driving belt is draped on a driving pulley fixed around an output shaft of the electric motor, on one end, and on the longitudinal middle point of a driving shaft, on the other end, so as to transmit a rotation force of the electric motor to the driving shaft.

Abstract: A method or apparatus for processing an input frame of image data comprising converting the input frame into a plurality of output frames, the spatial frequency spectrum of each of said plurality of output frames being that of a respective predetermined frequency band of the spatial frequency spectrum of the input frame and applying separately to at least one of said plurality of output frames a respective gain.