Patents by Inventor Travis S. Hester

Travis S. Hester 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: 9445011
    Abstract: A vehicle imaging system includes an image capture device capturing an image exterior of a vehicle. The captured image includes at least a portion of a sky scene. A processor generates a virtual image of a virtual sky scene from the portion of the sky scene captured by the image capture device. The processor determines a brightness of the virtual sky scene from the virtual image. The processor dynamically adjusts a brightness of the captured image based the determined brightness of the virtual image. A rear view mirror display device displays the adjusted captured image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Wende Zhang, Jinsong Wang, Kent S. Lybecker, Jeffrey S. Piasecki, James Clem, Charles A. Green, Ryan M. Frakes, Travis S. Hester
  • Patent number: 9405104
    Abstract: An apparatus for capturing an image includes a plurality of lens elements coaxially encompassed within a lens housing. A split-sub-pixel imaging chip includes an IR-pass filter coating applied on selected sub-pixels. The sub-pixels include a long exposure sub-pixel and a short-exposure sub-pixel for each of a plurality of green blue and red pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Wende Zhang, Jinsong Wang, Kent S. Lybecker, Jeffrey S. Piasecki, Ryan M. Frakes, Travis S. Hester
  • Patent number: 9336574
    Abstract: Method for applying super-resolution to images captured by a camera device of a vehicle includes receiving a plurality of image frames captured by the camera device. For each image frame, a region of interest is identified within the image frame requiring resolution related to detail per pixel to be increased. Spatially-implemented super-resolution is applied to the region of interest within each image to enhance image sharpness within the region of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Wende Zhang, Jinsong Wang, Kent S. Lybecker, Jeffrey S. Piasecki, Ryan M. Frakes, Travis S. Hester
  • Patent number: 9304301
    Abstract: An apparatus for capturing an image includes a plurality of lens elements coaxially encompassed within a lens housing. One of the lens elements includes an aspheric lens element having a surface profile configured to enhance a desired region of a captured image. At least one glare-reducing element coaxial with the plurality of lens elements receives light subsequent to the light sequentially passing through each of the lens elements. An imaging chip receives the light subsequent to the light passing through the at least one glare-reducing element. The imaging chip includes a plurality of green, blue and red pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Wende Zhang, Jinsong Wang, Kent S. Lybecker, Jeffrey S. Piasecki, Ryan M. Frakes, Travis S. Hester
  • Patent number: 9307207
    Abstract: A method for generating a glare-reduced image from images captured by a camera device of a subject vehicle includes obtaining a short-exposure image and a long-exposure image and generating a resulting high dynamic range image based on the short-exposure and long-exposure images. Pixel values are monitored within both the short- and long-exposure images. A light source region is identified within both the short- and long-exposure images based on the monitored pixel values. A glaring region is identified based on the identified light source region and one of calculated pixel ratios and calculated pixel differences between the monitored pixel values of the long- and short-exposure images. The identified glaring region upon the resulting high dynamic range image is modified with the identified light source region within the short-exposure image. The glare-reduced image is generated based on the modified identified glaring region upon the resulting HDR image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Wende Zhang, Jinsong Wang, Kent S. Lybecker, Jeffrey S. Piasecki, Ryan M. Frakes, Travis S. Hester
  • Publication number: 20140193032
    Abstract: Method for applying super-resolution to images captured by a camera device of a vehicle includes receiving a plurality of image frames captured by the camera device. For each image frame, a region of interest is identified within the image frame requiring resolution related to detail per pixel to be increased. Spatially-implemented super-resolution is applied to the region of interest within each image to enhance image sharpness within the region of interest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Publication date: July 10, 2014
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: WENDE ZHANG, JINSONG WANG, KENT S. LYBECKER, JEFFREY S. PIASECKI, RYAN M. FRAKES, TRAVIS S. HESTER
  • Publication number: 20140192227
    Abstract: A method for generating a glare-reduced image from images captured by a camera device of a subject vehicle includes obtaining a short-exposure image and a long-exposure image and generating a resulting high dynamic range image based on the short-exposure and long-exposure images. Pixel values are monitored within both the short- and long-exposure images. A light source region is identified within both the short- and long-exposure images based on the monitored pixel values. A glaring region is identified based on the identified light source region and one of calculated pixel ratios and calculated pixel differences between the monitored pixel values of the long- and short-exposure images. The identified glaring region upon the resulting high dynamic range image is modified with the identified light source region within the short-exposure image. The glare-reduced image is generated based on the modified identified glaring region upon the resulting HDR image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Publication date: July 10, 2014
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: WENDE ZHANG, JINSONG WANG, KENT S. LYBECKER, JEFFREY S. PIASECKI, RYAN M. FRAKES, TRAVIS S. HESTER
  • Publication number: 20140176724
    Abstract: An apparatus for capturing an image includes a plurality of lens elements coaxially encompassed within a lens housing. A split-sub-pixel imaging chip includes an IR-pass filter coating applied on selected sub-pixels. The sub-pixels include a long exposure sub-pixel and a short-exposure sub-pixel for each of a plurality of green blue and red pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Wende Zhang, Jinsong Wang, Kent S. Lybecker, Jeffrey S. Piasecki, Ryan M. Frakes, Travis S. Hester
  • Publication number: 20140176781
    Abstract: An apparatus for capturing an image includes a plurality of lens elements coaxially encompassed within a lens housing. One of the lens elements includes an aspheric lens element having a surface profile configured to enhance a desired region of a captured image. At least one glare-reducing element coaxial with the plurality of lens elements receives light subsequent to the light sequentially passing through each of the lens elements. An imaging chip receives the light subsequent to the light passing through the at least one glare-reducing element. The imaging chip includes a plurality of green, blue and red pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: WENDE ZHANG, JINSONG WANG, KENT S. LYBECKER, JEFFREY S. PIASECKI, RYAN M. FRAKES, TRAVIS S. HESTER
  • Publication number: 20140111637
    Abstract: A vehicle imaging system includes an image capture device capturing an image exterior of a vehicle. The captured image includes at least a portion of a sky scene. A processor generates a virtual image of a virtual sky scene from the portion of the sky scene captured by the image capture device. The processor determines a brightness of the virtual sky scene from the virtual image. The processor dynamically adjusts a brightness of the captured image based the determined brightness of the virtual image. A rear view mirror display device displays the adjusted captured image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2013
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicant: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Wende Zhang, Jinsong Wang, Kent S. Lybecker, Jeffrey S. Piasecki, James Clem, Charles A. Green, Ryan M. Frakes, Travis S. Hester
  • Publication number: 20140114534
    Abstract: A method for displaying a captured image on a display device. A scene is captured by at least one vision-based imaging device. A virtual image of the captured scene is generated by a processor using a camera model. A view synthesis technique is applied to the captured image by the processor for generating a de-warped virtual image. A dynamic rearview mirror display mode is actuated for enabling a viewing mode of the de-warped image on the rearview mirror display device. The de-warped image is displayed in the enabled viewing mode on the rearview mirror display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Wende Zhang, Jinsong Wang, Kent S. Lybecker, Jeffrey S. Piasecki, James Clem, Charles A. Green, Ryan M. Frakes, Travis S. Hester