Patents by Inventor Robin Atkins

Robin Atkins 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: 11412154
    Abstract: An auto exposure method for a spatially-multiplexed-exposure (SME) high-dynamic-range (HDR) image sensor includes (a) retrieving raw image data from an exposure of the spatially-multiplexed-exposure high-dynamic-range image sensor, (b) preprocessing long-exposure pixel values and short-exposure pixel values of the raw image data to remove therefrom long-exposure pixel values and short-exposure pixel values failing to meet one or more quality requirements, (c) synthesizing, into an high-dynamic-range histogram, the long-exposure pixel values remaining after the step of preprocessing and the short-exposure pixel values remaining after the step of preprocessing, (d) deriving a goodness metric from the high-dynamic-range histogram, (e) adjusting at least one of the long exposure time and the short exposure time, based at least in part upon the goodness metric, and (f) outputting the at least one of the long exposure time and the short exposure time, as adjusted, to the spatially-multiplexed-exposure high-dynamic-
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Jon S. McElvain, Walter C. Gish, Jonathan Robert Miller, Gregory John Ward, Robin Atkins
  • Publication number: 20220198625
    Abstract: A method for generating a high-dynamic-range (HDR) image includes (a) denoising a short-exposure-time image, wherein the denoising comprises applying a first guided filter to the short-exposure-time image, the guided filter utilizing a long exposure-time-image as its guide, (b) after the step of denoising, scaling at least one of the short-exposure-time image and the long-exposure-time image to place the short-exposure-time image and the long-exposure-time image on a common radiance scale, and (c) after the step of scaling, merging the short-exposure-time image with the long-exposure-time image to generate the HDR image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2020
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Jon S. McElvain, Walter C. Gish, Gregory John Ward, Robin Atkins
  • Publication number: 20220166991
    Abstract: Methods and systems for frame rate scalability are described. Support is provided for input and output video sequences with variable frame rate and variable shutter angle across scenes, or for input video sequences with fixed input frame rate and input shutter angle, but allowing a decoder to generate a video output at a different output frame rate and shutter angle than the corresponding input values. Techniques allowing a decoder to decode more computationally-efficiently a specific backward compatible target frame rate and shutter angle among those allowed are also presented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2022
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Robin Atkins, Peng YIN, Taoran LU, Fangjun PU, Sean Thomas MCCARTHY, Walter J. HUSAK, Tao CHEN, Guan-Ming SU
  • Publication number: 20220164931
    Abstract: Methods and systems for the display management of HDR video signals are presented. The mapping is based on tone mapping and color volume mapping which map an input signal with an input dynamic range and color volume to a target display with a target dynamic range and color volume. Both a global tone-mapping and precision-mapping methods using pyramid filtering are presented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Robin ATKINS, Jaclyn Anne PYTLARZ, Elizabeth G. PIERI
  • Patent number: 11336895
    Abstract: A method for generating metadata for use by a video decoder for displaying video content encoded by a video encoder includes: (1) accessing a target tone mapping curve; (2) accessing a decoder tone curve corresponding to a tone curve used by the video decoder for tone mapping the video content; (3) generating a plurality of parameters of a trim-pass function used by the video decoder to apply after applying the decoder tone curve to the video content, wherein the parameters of the trim-pass function are generated to approximate the target tone curve with the combination of the trim-pass function and the decoder tone curve, and (4) generating the metadata for use by the video decoder, including said plurality of parameters of the trim-pass function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Anustup Kumar Atanu Choudhury, Robin Atkins, Thaddeus Beier, Ali Zandifar, Ian Godin
  • Patent number: 11323728
    Abstract: Methods and systems for frame rate scalability are described. Support is provided for input and output video sequences with variable frame rate and variable shutter angle across scenes, or for input video sequences with fixed input frame rate and input shutter angle, but allowing a decoder to generate a video output at a different output frame rate and shutter angle than the corresponding input values. Techniques allowing a decoder to decode more computationally-efficiently a specific backward compatible target frame rate and shutter angle among those allowed are also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Robin Atkins, Peng Yin, Taoran Lu, Fangjun Pu, Sean Thomas McCarthy, Walter J. Husak, Tao Chen, Guan-Ming Su
  • Publication number: 20220114928
    Abstract: A display apparatus, a display management module and a method for ambient light compensation are described. The display management module is configured to receive an input video signal comprising a sequence of video frames and to determine whether a current video frame of the sequence of video frames immediately follows a scene change. The display management module is further configured to adjust ambient light compensation applied to the input signal in dependence on the signal indicative of intensity of ambient light only in response to determining that the current video frame of the sequence of video frames immediately follows a scene change.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2020
    Publication date: April 14, 2022
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Robin ATKINS, Craig TODD, Jaclyn Anne PYTLARZ, Timo KUNKEL
  • Patent number: 11301972
    Abstract: A method for adjusting color saturation can determine a saturation adjustment from metadata that specifies an adjustment of color saturation based on a first display and from precomputed data, such as data in one or more look-up tables, that specifies a relationship between image data in a first color space and image data in a second color space. An input image in the first color space is converted into an image in the second color space, and the color saturation is adjusted while the image data is in the second color space, which can be a geometrically non-symmetrical color space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander Partin, Kimball Darr Thurston, III, Robin Atkins
  • Publication number: 20220086467
    Abstract: Several embodiments of scalable image processing systems and methods are disclosed herein whereby color management processing of source image data to be displayed on a target display is changed according to varying levels of metadata.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Inventors: Neil W. Messmer, Robin Atkins, Steve Margerm, Peter W. Longhurst
  • Patent number: 11277543
    Abstract: In a method for dithering image data, a processor receives an input image in a first color space and a first bit depth larger than 8 bits. The processor converts the input image into a first image in a perceptually uniform color space, such as the BT. 2100 ICtCp color space, with pixel values scaled to be within a target bit depth, it quantizes the first image to generate a quantized image, it generates an error image between the first image and the quantized image, and using a random threshold, it generates a dithered image based on the random threshold, the error image, and the quantized image, allowing to reduce the bit-depth representation for visually consistent reproduction by two bits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Robin Atkins, Jaclyn Anne Pytlarz, Robert Wanat
  • Patent number: 11258957
    Abstract: An auto exposure method for an image sensor includes (a) evaluating variance, for each of a plurality of histograms of the pixel values from a respective plurality of individual exposures of the image sensor at respective exposure 5 time settings, of contribution from individual bins of the histogram to total entropy of the histogram, to determine an optimal exposure time for the image sensor corresponding to a minimum value of the variance, and (b) outputting the optimal exposure time to the image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Jon S. McElvain, Walter C. Gish, Jonathan Robert Miller, Gregory John Ward, Robin Atkins
  • Patent number: 11252401
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a display device is disclosed to optically communicating display parameters. The device receives input image data. Embedded in the input image data is a code value identifying a request for a portion of a display parameter of the display device. The device decodes the embedded code value. The device generates an optical image based on the request and transmits the generated optical image to an output of the display device to communicate the requested portion of the requested display parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Timo Kunkel, Robin Atkins, Tao Chen
  • Publication number: 20220038723
    Abstract: Methods and systems for frame rate scalability are described. Support is provided for input and output video sequences with variable frame rate and variable shutter angle across scenes, or for input video sequences with fixed input frame rate and input shutter angle, but allowing a decoder to generate a video output at a different output frame rate and shutter angle than the corresponding input values. Techniques allowing a decoder to decode more computationally-efficiently a specific backward compatible target frame rate and shutter angle among those allowed are also presented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Robin Atkins, Peng Yin, Taoran Lu, Fangjun Pu, Sean Thomas McCarthy, Walter J. Husak, Tao Chen, Guan-Ming Su
  • Patent number: 11218709
    Abstract: Several embodiments of scalable image processing systems and methods are disclosed herein whereby color management processing of source image data to be displayed on a target display is changed according to varying levels of metadata.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Neil W. Messmer, Robin Atkins, Steve Margerm, Peter W. Longhurst
  • Patent number: 11186476
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a dual modulator display systems and methods for rendering target image data upon the dual modulator display system are disclosed where the display system receives target image data, possible HDR image data and first calculates display control signals and then calculates backlight control signals from the display control signals. This order of calculating display signals and then backlight control signals later as a function of the display systems may tend to reduce clipping artifacts. In other embodiments, it is possible to split the input target HDR image data into a base layer and a detail layer, wherein the base layer is the low spatial resolution image data that may be utilized as for backlight illumination data. The detail layer is higher spatial resolution image data that may be utilized for display control data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Robin Atkins, Rabab K. Ward
  • Patent number: 11183143
    Abstract: A processor receives input video data of a video dynamic range and input dynamic metadata. It also receives: input graphics data of a graphics dynamic range and input static metadata, display identification data from a target display over a video interface, and a blending priority map characterizing a per-pixel priority of output pixels in an image generated by blending the input video data and the input graphics data. A video mapping function and a graphics mapping function which map data from the input video and graphics dynamic ranges to the target dynamic range are generated based on the dynamic and static metadata. Then, the input and graphics data are blended based on the blending priority map and a per-pixel decision to map pixels to the target dynamic range using either the video mapping function or the graphics mapping function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventor: Robin Atkins
  • Publication number: 20210360139
    Abstract: An auto exposure method for an image sensor includes (a) evaluating variance, for each of a plurality of histograms of the pixel values from a respective plurality of individual exposures of the image sensor at respective exposure 5 time settings, of contribution from individual bins of the histogram to total entropy of the histogram, to determine an optimal exposure time for the image sensor corresponding to a minimum value of the variance, and (b) outputting the optimal exposure time to the image sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2019
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jon S. MCELVAIN, Walter C. GISH, Jonathan Robert MILLER, Gregory John WARD, Robin ATKINS
  • Publication number: 20210349384
    Abstract: An angular image of a scene may be displayed using a light field display. The light field display may comprise a plurality of projection units. Each of the projections units may comprise an imaging system and an optical system. The imaging system may illuminate pixels of a planar image of the scene. Light corresponding to each of the pixels may be directed towards the optical system. The optical system may comprise first and second lenses for redirecting each light beam corresponding to a pixel in different directions. In some embodiments the first and second lenses form a globe lens. A diffusion system may conceal the optical systems. Additionally, or alternatively, the diffusion system may produce a uniform distribution of light at a plurality of different viewing angles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2021
    Publication date: November 11, 2021
    Inventors: Lorne Arthur WHITEHEAD, Robin ATKINS
  • Patent number: 11158032
    Abstract: Input scene images are captured from an original scene. The input scene images may be represented in an input color space. The input scene images are converted into color-space-converted scene images in one of an LMS color space, an ICtCp color space, etc. Scene light levels represented in the color-space-converted scene images are mapped, based at least in part on an optical transfer function, to mapped light levels. A tone mapping is applied to the mapped light levels to generate corresponding display light levels to be represented in display images. The display images may be rendered on a target display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Robin Atkins, David Brooks, Jaclyn Anne Pytlarz, Jon S. McElvain, Robert Wanat
  • Publication number: 20210287348
    Abstract: A method for adjusting color saturation can determine a saturation adjustment from metadata that specifies an adjustment of color saturation based on a first display and from precomputed data, such as data in one or more look-up tables, that specifies a relationship between image data in a first color space and image data in a second color space. An input image in the first color space is converted into an image in the second color space, and the color saturation is adjusted while the image data is in the second color space, which can be a geometrically non-symmetrical color space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2018
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Alexander PARTIN, Kimball Darr THURSTON III, Robin ATKINS