Abstract: A method for operating on images is described for interest point detection and/or description working under different scales and with different rotations, e.g. for scale-invariant and rotation-invariant interest point detection and/or description.

Abstract: A movable body spectrum measuring apparatus includes a spectrum sensor mounted in a movable body to measure spectrum data containing information including wavelength information and optical intensity information of a measuring object, a processor mounted in the movable body to discriminate the measuring object by processing the measured spectrum data, and a signal transmission path for transmitting the measured spectrum data from the spectrum sensor to the processor. The movable body spectrum measuring apparatus further includes a data transfer device which acquires reconfigured spectrum data by reconfiguring the measured spectrum data so that selected information as predetermined information is selected from the information contained in the measured spectrum data. The data transfer device transfers the reconfigured spectrum data to the processor via the signal transmission path.

Abstract: Disclosed is a movable body spectrum measuring apparatus, which is capable of discriminating an object being measured highly precisely by the photographic data regarding a spectrum sensor and is capable of processing the photographic data in real time. The movable body spectrum measuring apparatus discriminates the object being measured based on the spectrum data relating to the observation light detected by a spectrum sensor. The movable body spectrum measuring apparatus comprises a dictionary data storing unit for storing the spectrum data containing the wavelength information and the light intensity information of the object being measured, and a limitation information storing unit for storing limitation information to regulate the wavelength information into partial wavelength information.

Abstract: A motion estimating device first detects mobile objects Oi and Oi? in continuous image frames T and T?, and acquires image areas Ri and Ri? corresponding to the mobile objects Oi and Oi?. Then, the motion estimating device removes the image areas Ri and Ri? corresponding to the mobile objects Oi and Oi? in the image frames T and T?, extracts corresponding point pairs Pj of feature points between the image frames T and T? from the image areas having removed the image areas Ri and Ri?, and carries out the motion estimation of the autonomous mobile machine between the image frames T and T? on the basis of the positional relationship of the corresponding point pairs Pj of feature points.

Abstract: Disclosed is a mover spectrum measuring apparatus, which is able to discriminate an object being measured more reliably by relieving the influences of an environmental light on photographic data by a spectrum sensor mounted on a mover such as a vehicle. A spectrum sensor capable of measuring wavelength information and optical intensity information is mounted on a vehicle, so that an object being measured around the vehicle is discriminated on the basis of the spectrum data relating to the observation light detected by the spectrum sensor. The mover spectrum measuring apparatus comprises an illumination device for making variable the featuring quantity of at least either the wavelength range of the observation light or the optical intensity of each wavelength, and controls the featuring quantity varying mode by the illumination device through an illumination controller on the basis of the control value according to an environmental element.

Abstract: Provided is a moveable spectrum measuring apparatus capable of improving discrimination precision of a measuring object on the basis of observation data from a spectrum sensor mounted on a movable apparatus such as a vehicle. A measuring object and a reference body are irradiated with ambient light. A spectrum acquiring device acquires measuring object data indicating the spectrum of the measuring object, and reference body data indicating the spectrum of the reference body to become a reference at the time when the spectrum of the measuring object is corrected. A spectrum converting device has reference body reflectivity data indicating the surface reflectivity of the reference body, and creates ambient light data indicating the spectrum of the ambient light, on the basis of the reference body reflectivity data and the reference body data.

Abstract: Provided is a movable body spectrum measuring apparatus, which can discriminate a measuring object with high precision by photographic data from a spectrum sensor mounted on a movable body such as a vehicle and can process the photographic data in real time. A movable body spectrum measuring apparatus discriminates the measuring object around a vehicle on the basis of the spectrum data from an observation light. A spectrum sensor can measure wavelength information and light intensity information. The movable body spectrum measuring apparatus comprises a dictionary data storing unit storing, as dictionary data, the spectrum data containing the wavelength information and the light intensity information regarding a plurality of predetermined measuring objects, and an arithmetic device for discriminating the measuring object on the basis of comparison computation to compare the spectrum data of the observation light and the spectrum data stored in the dictionary data storing unit.

Abstract: Disclosed is a spectrum measuring apparatus for shortening such a measurement time period for an object being measured including two or more mutually different measurement portions as is required for the spectrum measurements of the lights from individual measurement portions. The spectrum measuring apparatus comprises a slit group having two or more slits, a spectroscope for separating the lights extracted by the slit group, for the individual slits, and a measuring unit for measuring the intensities of the individual components, which are separated by the spectroscope, for the slits. The individual slits extract such ones of the lights coming from an object being measured including two or more mutually different measurement portions, as come from the individual measurement portions.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for operating on images are described, in particular methods and apparatus for interest point detection and/or description working under different scales and with different rotations, e.g. for scale-invariant and rotation-invariant interest point detection and/or description. The present invention can provide improved or alternative apparatus and methods for matching interest points either in the same image or in a different image. The present invention can provide alternative or improved software for implementing any of the methods of the invention. The present invention can provide alternative or improved data structures created by multiple filtering operations to generate a plurality of filtered images as well as data structures for storing the filtered images themselves, e.g. as stored in memory or transmitted through a network. The present invention can provide alternative or improved data structures including descriptors of interest points in images, e.g.

Abstract: A light with a known spectrum is emitted from a light source toward a road surface, a first reflected light that is a reflected light of the known light reflected from the road surface is received by a first light receiver, and a reflectance spectrum of the light of the road surface is calculated from a spectrum of the first reflected light received by the first light receiver and the spectrum of the known light stored in the storage unit. A second reflected light that is reflected light of an environmental light reflected from the road surface is received by a second light receiver, and a spectrum of the environmental light is calculated from a spectrum of the second reflected light received by the second light receiver and the calculated reflectance spectrum of the light of the road surface.

Abstract: A visibility support apparatus includes a light receiving unit receiving reflected light from an object to generate a signal for an image for each of wavelength bands, a wavelength selecting unit to set, in the image for at least one wavelength band, a set of those of pixels with comparable signal intensities which define the largest occupied area to be a reference area and to compare, for each of identification target pixels not included in the reference area, a value of the pixel in the image for each wavelength band with a pixel value of the reference area to select at least two wavelength bands which are effective for detecting the object, and a display unit to group the identification target pixels based on a wavelength band combination selected for each identification target pixel and display an image in which the object is distinguishably shown based on the grouping.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus is an apparatus for determining a gaze from a motion picture of a face taken by a monocular camera, and is configured to define a 3D structure of a center of a pupil on the facial picture by a static parameter and a dynamic parameter, and to determine the gaze by estimating the static parameter and the dynamic parameter. Another image processing apparatus is an apparatus for determining a motion of a 3D object from a motion picture thereof taken by a monocular camera, and is configured to define a 3D structure of the 3D object on the picture by a rigid parameter and a non-rigid parameter, and to determine the motion of the 3D object by estimating the rigid parameter and the non-rigid parameter.

Abstract: A method (100) and system (300) is described for processing video data comprising a plurality of images. The method (100) comprising obtaining (104, 106), for each of the plurality of images, a segmentation in a plurality of regions and a set of keypoints, and tracking (108) at least one region between a first image and a subsequent image resulting in a matched region in the subsequent image taking into account a matching between keypoints in the first image and the subsequent image. The latter results in accurate tracking of regions. Furthermore the method may optionally also perform label propagation taking into account keypoint tracking.

Abstract: To provide a quantum motor capable of reliably carrying out rotation. A quantum motor includes a rotor containing a functional material of which quantum characteristic is externally controllable, an N pole permanent magnet and an S pole permanent magnet applying magnetic field to the rotor, and a light source varying the quantum characteristic of the rotor. The light source varies the quantum characteristic of the rotor, so that rotation force is generated in the rotor and the rotor rotates.

Abstract: A motion estimating device first detects mobile objects Oi and Oi? in continuous image frames T and T?, and acquires image areas Ri and Ri? corresponding to the mobile objects Oi and Oi?. Then, the motion estimating device removes the image areas Ri and Ri? corresponding to the mobile objects Oi and Oi? in the image frames T and T?, extracts corresponding point pairs Pj of feature points between the image frames T and T? from the image areas having removed the image areas Ri and Ri?, and carries out the motion estimation of the autonomous mobile machine between the image frames T and T? on the basis of the positional relationship of the corresponding point pairs Pj of feature points.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for operating on images are described, in particular methods and apparatus for interest point detection and/or description working under different scales and with different rotations, e.g. for scale-invariant and rotation-invariant interest point detection and/or description. The present invention can provide improved or alternative apparatus and methods for matching interest points either in the same image or in a different image. The present invention can provide alternative or improved software for implementing any of the methods of the invention. The present invention can provide alternative or improved data structures created by multiple filtering operations to generate a plurality of filtered images as well as data structures for storing the filtered images themselves, e.g. as stored in memory or transmitted through a network. The present invention can provide alternative or improved data structures including descriptors of interest points in images, e.g.

Abstract: We describe methods of characterising a set of images to determine their respective illumination, for example for recovering the 3D shape of an illuminated object. The method comprises: inputting a first set of images of the object captured from different positions; determining frontier point data from the images, this defining a plurality of frontier points on the object and for each said frontier point a direction of a normal to the surface of the object at the frontier point, and determining data defining the image capture positions; inputting a second set of images of said object, having substantially the same viewpoint and different illumination conditions; and characterising the second set of images said frontier point data to determine data comprising object reflectance parameter data (?) and, for each image of said second set, illumination data (L) comprising data defining an illumination direction and illumination intensity for the image.

Abstract: A change information recognition apparatus comprises a series information storing device for storing series information about a recognition object (a motion picture taken by an image taking device, or the like), and a basic change information storing device for preliminarily storing basic change information corresponding to changes of the series information. The series information storing device feeds the series information to a change state comparing device, and the basic change information storing device feeds the basic change information to the change state comparing device. The change state comparing device compares the change information with the basic change information thus fed, to recognize a change state of the recognition object.

Abstract: A change information recognition apparatus comprises a series information storing device for storing series information about a recognition object (a motion picture taken by an image taking device, or the like), and a basic change information storing device for preliminarily storing basic change information corresponding to changes of the series information. The series information storing device feeds the series information to a change state comparing device, and the basic change information storing device feeds the basic change information to the change state comparing device. The change state comparing device compares the change information with the basic change information thus fed, to recognize a change state of the recognition object.

Abstract: A change information recognition apparatus comprises a series information storing device for storing series information about a recognition object (a motion picture taken by an image taking device, or the like), and a basic change information storing device for preliminarily storing basic change information corresponding to changes of the series information. The series information storing device feeds the series information to a change state comparing device, and the basic change information storing device feeds the basic change information to the change state comparing device. The change state comparing device compares the change information with the basic change information thus fed, to recognize a change state of the recognition object.