Patents by Inventor Klaus Zimmermann

Klaus Zimmermann has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8537238
    Abstract: The present invention proposes a digital camera and a corresponding method for capturing and deblurring images which remove several disadvantages of the prior art. In particular, the hardware limitation as well as the motion restriction of the known conventional MIP approach have been overcome. According to the proposed approach, image frames are electronically moved by an electronic frame shifting means. This allows a frame shifting in any type or fashion, wherein no complicated hardware arrangement is needed, as this has been required according to the known conventional MIP approach. The proposed deblurring approach is not limited to any type of frame shifting pattern, and it is furthermore not limited to a one-dimensional motion of the frames, as it also works for the case of a two-dimensional frame motion. Similar as in the conventional Motion Invariant Photography approach, the frame shifting results in a motion-invariant blurred image which can be deconvoluted by a single deconvolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Muhammad Siddiqui, Haroon Farooq Qureshi, Klaus Zimmermann
  • Patent number: 8482622
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for reducing motion blur. According to the method, at least two image frames are captured. A sequence of values is provided. All captured frames are processed by subsequently associating one sequence value with each captured frame. The processed captured frames are accumulated and a deconvolution is applied to the accumulated frame. The present invention further relates to system for reducing motion blur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Muhammad Siddiqui, Haroon Farooq Qureshi, Klaus Zimmermann
  • Publication number: 20130018502
    Abstract: A method for controlling the movement of a component or machine element inhibited by friction, an adaptive pilot control being carried out, in which a variable pilot control value is applied to the manipulated variable to compensate for a friction influence, the change of the pilot control value being determined as a function of an actual value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Inventors: Martin Silberbauer, Gerald Zimmermann, Klaus Zimmermann, Robert Neuburger
  • Patent number: 8228392
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention relates to a method for High Dynamic Range (HDR) image creation by generating a mean difference curve for use in aligning the images of a sequence of images taken with different exposures, wherein the difference in exposure might derive from a difference in exposure time or a difference in aperture size. A further embodiment of the invention relates to a method for HDR image creation by generating images with different exposures from a single image. A further embodiment of the invention relates to a method for HDR video creation by generating frames with different exposures from a single frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Muhammad Siddiqui, Muhammad Atif, Klaus Zimmermann
  • Publication number: 20120176476
    Abstract: 3D time-of-flight camera and a corresponding method for acquiring information about a scene. To increase the frame rate, the proposed camera comprises a radiation source, a radiation detector comprising one or more pixels, wherein a pixel comprises two or more detection units each detecting samples of a sample set of two or more samples and an evaluation unit that evaluates said sample sets of said two or more detection units and generates scene-related information from said sample sets. Said evaluation unit comprises a rectification unit that rectifies a subset of samples of said sample sets by use of a predetermined rectification operator defining a correlation between samples detected by two different detection units of a particular pixel, and an information value calculator that determines an information value of said scene-related information from said subset of rectified samples and the remaining samples of the sample sets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2012
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Mirko SCHMIDT, Klaus ZIMMERMANN
  • Patent number: 8208045
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for reducing noise in image data, comprising the steps of performing (S4, S7, S10) a spatial noise reduction on the image data and applying (S12) a gamma correction on the spatial noise reduced image data. The present invention further relates to a system for noise reduction in image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Muhammad Siddiqui, Klaus Zimmermann
  • Publication number: 20120098935
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a 3D time-of-flight camera for acquiring information about a scene, in particular for acquiring depth images of a scene, information about phase shifts of a scene or environmental information about the scene. The proposed camera particularly compensates motion artifacts by real-time identification of affected pixels and, preferably, corrects its data before actually calculating the desired scene-related information values from the raw data values obtained from radiation reflected by the scene.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2011
    Publication date: April 26, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Mirko SCHMIDT, Klaus Zimmermann
  • Patent number: 8045812
    Abstract: A method for tracking a moving object in a sequence of images is provided, comprising: partitioning each of said images of said sequence into blocks, identifying blocks which have moved between consecutive images of said sequence, grouping adjacent blocks, which have moved in a same direction by a same distance, into a first group of blocks, initializing an initial template for said moving object with said first group of blocks and tracking said template in said sequence of images. A corresponding system for tracking moving objects is presented as well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Fabian Friedrichs, Muhammad Siddiqui, Klaus Zimmermann
  • Publication number: 20110254983
    Abstract: The present invention proposes a digital camera and a corresponding method for capturing and deblurring images which remove several disadvantages of the prior art. In particular, the hardware limitation as well as the motion restriction of the known conventional MIP approach have been overcome. According to the proposed approach, image frames are electronically moved by an electronic frame shifting means. This allows a frame shifting in any type or fashion, wherein no complicated hardware arrangement is needed, as this has been required according to the known conventional MIP approach. The proposed deblurring approach is not limited to any type of frame shifting pattern, and it is furthermore not limited to a one-dimensional motion of the frames, as it also works for the case of a two-dimensional frame motion. Similar as in the conventional Motion Invariant Photography approach, the frame shifting results in a motion-invariant blurred image which can be deconvoluted by a single deconvolution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2011
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Muhammad SIDDIQUI, Haroon Farooq Qureshi, Klaus Zimmermann
  • Patent number: 8040227
    Abstract: A method for detecting moving objects in a blind spot of vehicle is provided, comprising: taking a sequence of images of said blind spot region, partitioning each of said images of said sequence into blocks, identifying moving blocks which have moved between consecutive images of said sequence, determining a direction and a distance of said movement of said moving blocks; grouping adjacent moving blocks, for which directions within a predetermined direction interval and distances within a predetermined distance interval have been determined, and determining said moving objects based on said step of grouping. A corresponding blind spot detection device is provided as well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Fabian Friedrichs, Muhammad Siddiqui, Klaus Zimmermann
  • Publication number: 20110199492
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for obtaining a point spread function for deblurring image data captured by an imaging device comprising a motion sensor. First, motion path values indicating the motion of the imaging device during the exposure time are acquired. The motion path values of the imaging device are then projected onto the sensor plane and for each sensor pixel the projected motion path values are integrated over time. Said integrated value represents for each sensor pixel an initial estimate of the point spread function. Optionally, the size of the point spread function can also be estimated based on the distance of the focused object and taken into account during the projecting step.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2011
    Publication date: August 18, 2011
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel KAUKER, Muhammad Siddiqui, Klaus Zimmermann
  • Publication number: 20110085743
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for reducing ringing artifacts of image deconvolution. A deconvolution is applied to the original blurred image and edges are detected within the deconvolved image. Then edge tapering on the original blurred image is performed based on the detected edges. The present invention further relates to a system and a computer program product for reducing ringing artifacts of image deconvolution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2010
    Publication date: April 14, 2011
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Zhichun Lei, Klaus Zimmermann
  • Patent number: 7910094
    Abstract: The invention relates to vWF cleaving entities having a molecular weight of 180 kD, 170 kD, 160 kD, 120 kD or 110 kD and an N-terminal amino acid sequence of AAGGILHLELLV, vWF cleaving complexes and methods for their production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Baxter Innovations GmbH
    Inventors: Bernhard Laemmle, Helena Elisabeth Schaller-Gerritsen, Miha Furlan, Peter Turecek, Hans-Peter Schwarz, Friedrich Scheiflinger, Gerhard Antoine, Randolf Kerschbaumer, Luigina Tagliavacca, Klaus Zimmermann
  • Publication number: 20110050920
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for reducing motion blur. According to the method, at least two image frames are captured. A sequence of values is provided. All captured frames are processed by subsequently associating one sequence value with each captured frame. The processed captured frames are accumulated and a deconvolution is applied to the accumulated frame. The present invention further relates to system for reducing motion blur.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Muhammad SIDDIQUI, Haroon Farooq Qureshi, Klaus Zimmermann
  • Patent number: 7898822
    Abstract: A holder holds an electrical component having wire ends that act as electrical connections. The holder includes a body having a center part. The center part has a recess for holding the component. Side walls of the recess have slots for guiding wire ends of the component. The recess and the slots are open at a same side of the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: EPCOS AG
    Inventors: Günter Feist, Klaus Zimmermann
  • Patent number: 7831065
    Abstract: A method for motion estimation of sequences of images is proposed, wherein for consecutive frames (f1, f2) respective corresponding consecutive Fourier transformed frames (F1, F2) are determined, and wherein motion parameters for translation, rotation and/or for scaling are derived based on a phase relationship between said respective corresponding consecutive Fourier transformed frames (F1, F2), and in particular based on translational, rotational and/or scaling properties of the Fourier transforming process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Klaus Zimmermann, Muhammad Siddiqui
  • Publication number: 20100245613
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention relates to a method for High Dynamic Range (HDR) image creation by generating a mean difference curve for use in aligning the images of a sequence of images taken with different exposures, wherein the difference in exposure might derive from a difference in exposure time or a difference in aperture size. A further embodiment of the invention relates to a method for HDR image creation by generating images with different exposures from a single image. A further embodiment of the invention relates to a method for HDR video creation by generating frames with different exposures from a single frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Muhammad Siddiqui, Muhammad Atif, Klaus Zimmermann
  • Publication number: 20100158122
    Abstract: A method and a device for approximating a DC coefficient of a first block of pixels of a first frame are proposed. The method comprises: calculating a luminance DC average value based on DC coefficients of first frame's macro-blocks without an approximation error; and determining the DC coefficient of the first block based on the DC coefficient of a second block, wherein the second block is a part of a second frame, which is a reference frame of the first frame, the second block overlapping with a reference block of the first block and having the closest DC coefficient to the luminance DC average value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2009
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Francisco Merlos FERNANDEZ, Klaus Zimmermann, Markus Veltman
  • Patent number: 7718592
    Abstract: Coated sodium percarbonate particles, having an inner shell layer which comprises at least one inorganic, hydrate-forming salt as the main constituent, and an outer shell layer which comprises an alkali metal thiosulfate, an alkaline earth metal thiosulfate and/or an ammonium thiosulfate, are stable to storage and have an improved storage stability in detergents and cleaning agents. Detergents and cleaning agents which comprise such sodium percarbonate particles show a reduced oxidative attack on oxidation-sensitive constituents of the composition during storage. Machine dishwashing agents in the form of tablets which comprise such sodium percarbonate particles and a corrosion protection agent for silver show a reduced yellowing of the tablets during storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Degussa, GmbH
    Inventors: Klaus Zimmermann, Harald Jakob
  • Publication number: 20100118956
    Abstract: A method and a device for extracting a mean luminance value from a inter-coded frame is proposed, wherein the inter-coded frame is a part of a sequence of video frames, the method comprising: approximating DC coefficients for macro-blocks of the inter-coded frame based on DC coefficients of intra-coded macro-blocks surrounding reference blocks in a reference frame of the sequence, the reference blocks being pointed to by motion vectors of the macro-blocks of the inter-coded frame; and calculating the mean luminance value based on the approximated DC coefficients.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2009
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Francisco Merlos Fernandez, Klaus Zimmermann, Markus Veltman