Abstract: A method and apparatus for observing vehicles on a road or in a parking lot comprises a pair of cameras directed toward a predetermined observation position simultaneously take pictures. A characteristic portion in each of the respective pictures is extracted. The extracted characteristic portions of the respective pictures are corresponded to the pictures, and the corresponded characteristic portion is measured in three-dimensions to extract the three-dimensional coordinates of the characteristic portions. The three-dimensional coordinates of the extracted characteristic portions are projected on a virtual perpendicular plane, and the projected data is compared with pre-determined two dimensional model data to discriminate the object.

Abstract: The effects of noise in a video processing system are reduced, resulting in improved image quality. A digital video signal containing a luminance component in Y color space is processed by increasing the amplitude of the luminance data in accordance with a nonlinear transfer function. As a result, low-amplitude components of the luminance signal are reduced. Subsequent quantization errors in transform coefficients produced by a spatial compression routine in a video encoder are consequently reduced. Inverse operations are performed at a video decoder to recover the original luminance data. The invention reduces quantization noise which is manifested particularly as dust-like variations in luminance intensity in an otherwise darkened region of a video image. A decoder apparatus is also presented.

Abstract: In a CRT display and a television set having the same, horizontal/vertical synchronizing signals are separated from a video synchronizing signal in a synchronizing separation circuit, and position information S of a vertical frame is generated on the basis of the horizontal/vertical synchronizing signals in a count-down processor and then converted to corrected vertical frame information W in a function circuit to output a vertical deflection waveform signal and a horizontal deflection correcting waveform signal. Further, the corrected vertical frame information W is compared with predetermined voltages in comparators to detect an effective frame range in the vertical direction.

Abstract: A door mountable security system including a first fiber optic image conduit, a video camera having a lens visually coupled to one end of the fiber optic image conduit and a first video output; a miniature video recorder operable from a battery power source, the miniature video recorder having a video input in connection with the video output of the video camera and an electrically activated record control input; a battery pack in power supply connection with the miniature video recorder and having sufficient power output to power the miniature video recorder; a motion detecting device including a pendulum switch having an electrically conductive plumb-bob pendulum contact and an electrically conductive metal ring contact; and a timer output device having a timed control output in electrical connection with the electrically activated record control input of the miniature video recorder and an electrical control input in electrical connection with the pendulum switch in a manner such that electrical contact be

Abstract: A client-server system which improves efficiency of each server by distributing loads to a plurality of servers having a plurality of storages for sequentially storing data which are distributed in each of the plurality of storages; a plurality of servers, each of which is connected to the plurality of storages, for accessing the data distributed and stored in each of the plurality of storages; an administration apparatus which is connected to the plurality of servers for administrating the data sequentially stored in the plurality of storages, and the plurality of servers; and a client which is connected to both the administration apparatus and the plurality of servers, the clients specifies a server which is connected to a storage where a head block of the data is stored by inquiring to the administration apparatus, and accesses the data in the plurality of servers according to the order of the data storage sequence from the specified server.

Abstract: To realize a multi-eye image pickup apparatus which can perform proper exposure for each of a plurality of image pickup devices, the multi-eye image pickup apparatus having a plurality of image pickup devices is arranged to have an exposure amount controlling device provided for each of the image pickup devices, for controlling an exposure amount, and a control unit for determining an exposure amount of each exposure amount controlling device, based on photometric values of pickup images obtained by the plurality of image pickup devices or based on photometric values of split images obtained by splitting each of the pickup images into a plurality of zones.

Abstract: A method of adaptively performing motion compensation in a video processing apparatus is provided. The video processing apparatus processes macroblocks of compressed video information. Some of these macroblocks have motion vectors associated therewith. The method is conveniently implemented on a general purpose computer in one embodiment. In accordance with the disclosed method, the performance of the processor in the computer is monitored and a measurement of this performance is made. A threshold dependent on the measured processor performance is then set. For those macroblocks which have motion vectors associated therewith, the magnitude of the motion vector is determined. If the magnitude of the motion vector of a particular macroblock exceeds the threshold, then motion compensation is performed on that macroblock. However, if the magnitude of the motion vectors or motion vectors associated with a particular macroblock do not exceed the threshold, then no motion compensation is performed.

Abstract: An image signal generating device has a Y-memory, an R-Y-memory and a B-Y-memory, in which a luminance signal and R-Y and B-Y color differential signals are stored, respectively. When the luminance signal and the color differential signals are recorded on a magnetic disk, the signals are read out from the memories in such a manner that an upper half of the frame is read in a first order and a lower half of the frame is read in a second order which is the inverse of the first order. The first order corresponds to a direction from the upper side of the frame to the middle portion of the frame. The second order corresponds to a direction from the lower side of the frame to the middle portion of the frame.

Abstract: A signal is quantized, and a quantized signal is thereby obtained. The quantized signal is separated into a binary signal, which represents whether the signal values of the quantized signal are equal to zero or are other than zero, and a sign and intensity signal, which is constituted of a sign and intensity with respect to signal components of the quantized signal having signal values other than zero. The binary signal is converted such that the information of the binary signal, which represents N number of picture elements, may be converted into a signal, which represents a single picture element and is composed of Nnumber of bits. The converted binary signal, which has been obtained from the conversion, the sign and intensity signal are then encoded. The encoding efficiency is thereby enhanced, and the amount of the signal after being encoded is kept small.

Abstract: A frame size regulating circuit provides high picture quality to a viewer by regulating a frame width according to a picture brightness signal and pulsewidth modulation signals. The circuit includes a microprocessor for generating pulsewidth modulation signals for respectively regulating horizontal and vertical sizes of the frame according to horizontal and vertical sync signals from the external, and a horizontal-size control signal generator part for generating a horizontal size control signal for regulating the horizontal size according to the first pulsewidth modulation signal of the microprocessor and a picture brightness signal from a flyback transformer.

Abstract: In a telecommunications network, a method and apparatus for allocating channels makes signal quality measurements for channels that are in use or available for use and for channels that may become available for use. Already selected channels (i.e., channels in use or available for use) that exhibit poor signal quality characteristics are exchanged with candidate channels (i.e., channels that may become available for use) that exhibit better signal quality characteristics to thereby improve the overall signal quality of the network.

Abstract: A digital signal multiplexing method in which plural bitstreams can be multiplexed without buffer rupture at the time of decoding. At a step S1, the time of extracting each accessing unit AU, which is a processing unit prescribed from one bitstream to another, from a buffer to an associated decoder, from input plural bitstreams, is computed. At the next step S2, the constraint time concerning the delivery start time to the buffer of each accessing unit, is back-computed by processing proceeding in a temporally retrogressive direction, using the data of the extraction time of the accessing units AU, and by reading charging of the accessing units to the decoder buffers for the extraction of the accessing units from the decoder buffers. At the next step S3, the schedule of packetizing the accessing units is determined on the basis of the constraint time as found at step S2, by way of performing the scheduling. The plural bitstreams are multiplexed in accordance with the schedule.

Abstract: An endoscope system comprises a plurality of endoscope components including at least one endoscope light source apparatus for supplying illumination light to an endoscope and at least one video signal processing unit for processing video signals provided by the endoscope, a main control unit for controlling the plurality of endoscope system components, and a main operational instruction unit connected to the main control unit and used to operate the plurality of endoscope system components. The main operational instruction unit includes a display capable of selectively displaying operational instruction input screens associated with functions possessed by the plurality of endoscope system components.

Abstract: A remote data collection system, which may be used in a vehicle such as an aircraft or a ground vehicle, includes a directional sensor, such as one or more cameras, for sensing a characteristic of interest and providing sensor data. The system further includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for providing GPS data representative of the position of the sensor, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for providing IMU data representative of the attitude of the sensor, a processing unit and a storage unit. The processing unit determines geographic data referenced to the sensor data in response to the GPS data and the IMU data. The processing unit may utilize an error model to determine IMU errors which may be used in determining the geographic data with high accuracy. The sensor data and the geographic data are stored in the data storage unit for subsequent use. The system may include a stabilized platform on which the sensor and the IMU are mounted.

Abstract: Colorwiping and dynamic positioning of subtitles is achieved by encoding and decoding the subtitles separately from the video image. At the encoder, subtitles are generated for each respective video image. Colorwiping is performed by changing the color of the subtitles at a certain location in the video image. At the decoder, a buffer stores the subtitles along with subtitle decoding information. A controller precisely times a reading operation of the buffer to read out the subtitles during a real time display of the respective video image; and colorwiping is performed by changing the color of a portion of the subtitles at a location indicated by the subtitle decoding information. Dynamic positioning of the subtitles is achieved by delaying the time the controller executes the read operation. When the decoding technique is repeated for a number of frames, the viewer senses motion as the colorwiping and positioning gradually changes.

Abstract: In a television receiver, shading correction is carried out without deteriorating the S/N ratio. In a television receiver including a CRT, and a shading corrector for supplying an image signal to a cathode of the CRT (cathode-ray tube) and for correcting brightness inequalities of an image formed on a fluorescent screen by way of electron beams which are increased/decreased in response to a change in the potentials applied to a first grid of the CRT, the shading corrector supplies a shading correction signal to the first grid.

Abstract: In a stereoscopic video transmission system, video pictures of lower and enhancement layers are transmitted in a particular order such that the number of pictures which must be temporarily stored prior to presentation is minimized. Furthermore, a decode time stamp (DTS) and presentation time stamp (PTS) for each picture can be determined to provide synchronization between the lower layer and enhancement layer pictures. Decoding may occur either sequentially or in parallel. In particular, a method is presented where the enhancement layer includes disparity-predicted pictures which are predicted using corresponding lower layer pictures. The video pictures are ordered such that the disparity-predicted enhancement layer pictures are transmitted after the corresponding respective lower layer pictures. The scheme is illustrated with a number of different specific examples.

Abstract: A video encoder optimized so as to be implemented using general purpose DSPs or as software executable on a general purpose microprocessor includes a modified motion detector module (50) which classifies blocks in the currently processing image as moving or stationary. Blocks classified as moving are then processed by an modified motion compensation module (52) which uses a center-biased orthogonal searching procedure to match the block with a previously processed image. A zero block detector module (54) determines whether the block will generate a zero-valued block after being processed by a transform module 18 and a quantization module 20. If a zero-valued block is predicted, the transformation module 18 and the quantization module 20 are bypassed.

Abstract: In a coding system, an input picture is split into regions with adaptive configurations to a reference picture, a selected region with precedence data is detected of its configuration and of its relative motion to a corresponding region of the reference picture, a prediction region is generated from the corresponding region of the reference picture and the relative motion, a difference region is determined between the selected region and the prediction region, and the precedence data, detected configuration, relative motion and difference ergion are coded. In a decoding system, a decoded prediction region is generated from a decoded relative motion and a corresponding region of a reference picture selected by a decoded precedence data, and a decoded difference region is added to the decoded prediction region to obtain a decoded picture region, which is configuration-corrected by a decoded configuratrion data, before synthesizing a plurality of decoded picture regions to obtain a synthesized picture region.

Abstract: A video encoding apparatus is provided with a resolution converting section, an encoding section, and a transmitting section. The resolution converting section enlarges or reduces a binary picture which represents the shape of an object. The encoding section encodes a binary picture reduced by the resolution converting section. The reduction ratio used by the resolution converting section is encoded, and the transmitting section transmits this encoded reduction ratio along with encoded data on the binary picture. The amount of encoded data produced from the encoding section is controlled by changing the enlargement/reduction ratio used by the resolution converting section.