Patents Examined by Kevin McInnish
  • Patent number: 9769488
    Abstract: The current invention provides methods for 3D content capturing, 3D content coding and packaging at content production side, and 3D content consuming and rendering at display or terminal side, in order to ensure healthy and effective 3D viewing all the time. According to the current invention, maximum disparity and 3D budget, which are scene dependent, are calculated, utilized for coding and embedded in the coded streams or media file, and checked against the allowable values during the content rendering, so to determine if the same 3D content can be shown to the user according to the viewing condition which the user has. In the case where a healthy 3D viewing guideline cannot be met, it is suggested to adjust the 3D content for its new maximum disparity and 3D budget to be within the allowable range, to achieve healthy and effective 3D viewing for that user with his/her viewing condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: SUN PATENT TRUST
    Inventors: Sheng Mei Shen, Pongsak Lasang, Chong Soon Lim, Toshiyasu Sugio, Takahiro Nishi, Hisao Sasai, Youji Shibahara, Kyoko Tanikawa, Toru Matsunobu, Kengo Terada
  • Patent number: 9749659
    Abstract: A specification defining allowable luma and chroma code-values is applied in a region-of-interest encoding method of a mezzanine compression process. The method may include analyzing an input image to determine regions or areas within each image frame that contain code-values that are near allowable limits as specified by the specification. In addition, the region-of-interest method may comprise then compressing those regions with higher precision than the other regions of the image that do not have code-values that are close to the legal limits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Michael Smith, Bradley Collar
  • Patent number: 9749613
    Abstract: Provided are a three-dimensional (3D) image acquisition apparatus, and a method of generating a depth image in the 3D image acquisition apparatus. The method may include sequentially projecting a light transmission signal, which is generated from a light source, to a subject, modulating reflected light, which is reflected by the subject, using a light modulation signal, calculating a phase delay using a combination of a first plurality of images of two groups, from among a second plurality of images of all groups obtained by capturing the modulated reflected light, and generating a depth image based on the phase delay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yong-hwa Park, Sun-kwon Kim, Hee-sun Yoon
  • Patent number: 9749623
    Abstract: A moving picture coding method includes: performing context adaptive binary arithmetic coding in which a variable probability value is used, on first information among multiple types of sample adaptive offset (SAO) information used for SAO that is a process of assigning an offset value to a pixel value of a pixel included in an image generated by coding the input image; and continuously performing bypass arithmetic coding in which a fixed probability value is used, on second information and third information among the multiple types of the SAO information, wherein the coded second and third information are placed after the coded first information in the bit stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: SUN PATENT TRUST
    Inventors: Hisao Sasai, Kengo Terada, Youji Shibahara, Kyoko Tanikawa, Toshiyasu Sugio, Toru Matsunobu
  • Patent number: 9743116
    Abstract: A system utilizes a high throughput coding mode for CABAC in HEVC. The system may include an electronic device configured to obtain a bit stream; determine whether to decode level information of the sub-block of a block from the bit stream by using a first or a second decoding based on a characteristic of the sub-block; if the characteristic of the sub-block satisfies a predetermined condition, decoding level information of the sub-block from the bit stream by using the first decoding, and if the characteristic of the sub-block does not satisfy the predetermined condition, decoding level information of the sub-block from the bit stream by using the second decoding that is different from the first decoding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seung-Hwan Kim, Christopher A. Segall
  • Patent number: 9729877
    Abstract: An image coding method includes: adding, to a candidate list, a first adjacent motion vector as a candidate for a predicted motion vector to be used for coding the current motion vector; selecting the predicted motion vector from the candidate list; and coding the current motion vector, wherein in the adding, the first adjacent motion vector indicating a position in a first reference picture included in a first reference picture list is added to the candidate list for the current motion vector indicating a position in a second reference picture included in a second reference picture list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Sun Patent Trust
    Inventors: Toshiyasu Sugio, Takahiro Nishi, Youji Shibahara, Hisao Sasai
  • Patent number: 9712804
    Abstract: A receiving device and a method for receiving a multiview three-dimensional broadcast signal, including a method for processing multiview three-dimensional broadcast signal having the steps of: receiving a broadcast signal, which includes a three-dimensional broadcast image for a plurality of views and includes signaling data for signaling the three-dimensional broadcast image; parsing three-dimensional broadcast image view information, parsing multiview subtitle stream packet identifier information, and parsing multiview subtitle segment identifier information; and outputting the three-dimensional broadcast image for the plurality of the views including the three-dimensional broadcast image of the particular view, to which the subtitle data is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jongyeul Suh, Jeehyun Choe
  • Patent number: 9712811
    Abstract: Different full screen content is displayed on the same television at the same time from the perspective of the viewer by displaying as the content as two full screen sequential frames. The different full screen content may be provided as a single combined frame signal such as a side-by-side, top-bottom, or checkerboard signal which is then displayed as two sequential full screen frames. Configured glasses such as polarized or shutter are used to view the different content as full screen content where one pair of configured glasses views an initial one of the sequential frames but blocks the subsequent one and another pair of configured glasses blocks the initial one of the sequential frames and views the subsequent one. Shutter glasses have both lenses open during the initial frame and both closed during the subsequent one. For polarized glasses, the initial frame has a polarization matching both lenses of one pair of glasses while the subsequent frame has a polarization that differs from both lenses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Inventor: Jeramie J Keys
  • Patent number: 9706118
    Abstract: There is described a camera setup for capturing omnistereo images using a minimum of three cameras with ultra wide angle lenses and a method for generating a substantially 360 degree view from images taken from the cameras. The field of view covered in stereo may be a dome. The baseline between pairs of cameras defines epipoles which can be used for stitching without any horizontal misalignments due to parallax. The method comprises capturing the images from a plurality of cameras fixed at a baseline height substantially equidistantly about a circle; and stitching together portions of the images from each one of the plurality of cameras along first and second borders corresponding at least in part to lines joining center points of neighboring ones of the plurality of cameras.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: VALORISATION-RECHERCHE, LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
    Inventors: Vincent Chapdelaine-Couture, Sebastien Roy
  • Patent number: 9679211
    Abstract: A display apparatus and a method for operating the same are disclosed. The method for operating a display apparatus includes acquiring biometric information about a user through a camera or a sensor unit, comparing the acquired biometric information with pre-stored authentication information, and switching the display apparatus to a first mode, if the acquired biometric information does not match with the pre-stored authentication information, the first mode restricting access to content predetermined from total content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jinyung Park, Hyunju Kim, Sungeun Kim, Jinhee Lee
  • Patent number: 9674551
    Abstract: A method performed by an apparatus for intra-predicting a current block in the unit of subblocks, comprises: determining an intra prediction mode of the current block among a plurality of intra prediction modes; identifying the subblocks split from the current block; and sequentially reconstructing the identified subblocks using an intra prediction mode identical to the determined intra prediction mode of the current block, wherein a subblock to be reconstructed is predicted using at least one pre-reconstructed neighboring subblock in the current block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: SK TELECOM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hayoon Kim, Joohee Moon, Yunglyul Lee, Haekwang Kim, Byeungwoo Jeon, Dongwon Kim, Mincheol Park
  • Patent number: 9661299
    Abstract: A method and an arrangement for an improved outlier detection for color mapping. Spatial neighborhoods of feature points are used for outlier detection. For this purpose, Geometric Feature Correspondence neighborhoods of an initial color-corrected test-image and a reference image are compared in a neighborhood comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Jürgen Stauder, Hasan Sheik Faridul, Jonathan Kervec
  • Patent number: 9642601
    Abstract: Provided are an ultrasound system and method that can provide improved storage efficiency of a storage unit by storing only some of a plurality of ultrasound images needed to produce a panoramic image in the storage unit. The ultrasound system includes: an ultrasound data acquisition unit for sequentially acquiring ultrasound data corresponding to a living body; a processor for producing a plurality of ultrasound images by using the ultrasound data, setting a region of interest (ROI) on each of the ultrasound images, performing motion estimation between the plurality of ultrasound images to estimate motion of the ROI, and extracting ultrasound images needed for forming a panoramic image from the ultrasound images based on the estimated motion; and a storage unit for storing the extracted ultrasound images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG MEDISON CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Seong-chul Shin, Jae-yoon Shim
  • Patent number: 9635396
    Abstract: A system and method for signaling low-to-high layer switching points in a file format level to enable efficient scalable stream switching in streaming servers and local file playback. The present invention also provides for a system and method for signaling low-to-high layer switching points in video bit stream, e.g., to enable intelligent forwarding of scalability layers in media-aware network elements or computationally scalable decoding in stream recipients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Ye-Kui Wang, Miska M. Hannuksela
  • Patent number: 9618327
    Abstract: In an illustrative embodiment, the free space attenuation of illumination with distance, according to a square law relationship, is used to estimate the distance between a light source and two or more different areas on the surface of a product package. By reference to these distance estimates, the angular pose of the product package is determined. Plural frames of imagery, captured both with and without illumination from the light source, can be processed to mitigate the effects of ambient lighting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
    Inventors: John D. Lord, Alastair M. Reed
  • Patent number: 9538175
    Abstract: A device for coding video data includes a video coder configured to code first significance information for transform coefficients associated with residual data, wherein the first significance information indicates if a first sub-block comprises at least one non-zero coefficient, wherein the first sub-block is a sub-block of an entire transform block; and, code second significance information, wherein the second significance information indicates if a second sub-block comprises at least one non-zero coefficient, wherein the second sub-block is a sub-block of the first sub-block, wherein coding the second significance information comprises performing an arithmetic coding operation on the second significance information, wherein a context for the arithmetic coding operation is determined based on one or more neighboring sub-blocks of a same size as the first sub-block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Marta Karczewicz, Joel Sole Rojals, Liwei Guo
  • Patent number: 9512819
    Abstract: A wind of the type having a tower and a nacelle with a rotor rotatably connected to the nacelle for rotating about a rotor axis and having a plurality of equally spaced blades has the rotor balanced by firstly taking a measurement of torsional vibration and then by using photographic techniques to analyze dynamic imbalance caused by differences in the angle of attack of the blades. The torsional vibration is detected using two sensors at positions mirrored exactly in distance to the left and right of the rotor axis and detecting vibration in the axial direction. The angle of attack is measured by analyzing images of the tip of the blade where, during the analysis, distortion in angles at different locations in the image are corrected, in dependence upon a prior analysis of an image taken by the camera relative to a known image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Inventor: Steffen Bunge
  • Patent number: 9497362
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an imaging device including: a lens case on which a lens is installed; a columnar member having a central axis coincidental with a rotational axis of the lens case and formed on a lateral surface of the lens case, the rotational axis extending in a tilt direction being an in-plane direction perpendicular to a horizontal direction; a base supporting the lens case so as to be turnable in the tilt direction; and a plate spring secured to the base and pressing a circumferential surface of the columnar member toward the base by elastic force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takanori Mukai
  • Patent number: 9497388
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices are disclosed for determining a zooming factor for a camera in a pan, tilt, and zoom (PTZ) camera tracking system to enable a camera to keep an object at a constant size within the camera's viewing area, despite changes in the object's distance from the camera. This provides a complement to a camera's pan and tilt tracking of the moving object. For example, a PTZ camera tracking system that determines an object to track, utilizes information regarding images of the object of interest are used to determine a zooming factor (or other zooming value) for a camera in the PTZ camera tracking system. This information includes variables such as tilt angles of one or more cameras and a reference zooming factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: PELCO, INC.
    Inventor: Chien-Min Huang
  • Patent number: 9497470
    Abstract: An image coding method includes: generating a predicted block; calculating a residual block; calculating quantized coefficients by performing transform and quantization on the residual block; calculating a coded residual block by performing inverse quantization and inverse transform on the quantized coefficients; generating a temporary coded block; determining whether or not an offset process is required, to generate first flag information indicating a result of the determination; executing the offset process on the temporary coded block when it is determined that the offset process is required; and performing variable-length coding on the quantized coefficients and the first flag information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: SUN PATENT TRUST
    Inventors: Toru Matsunobu, Takahiro Nishi, Youji Shibahara, Hisao Sasai, Kyoko Tanikawa, Toshiyasu Sugio