Abstract: A method and apparatus for adjusting the contrast of an image, in which each pixel in the image has an initial brightness level that is within a range of brightness levels between a minimum brightness level and a maximum brightness level. For each brightness level within the range, the number of pixels that have the same initial brightness level is counted. The pixels are divided into at least two types by identifying the or each set of pixels having initial brightness levels in which each of a plurality of adjacent ones of said brightness levels has more pixels than a threshold number. The pixels of the plurality of adjacent ones of said brightness levels are treated as a first type. The remaining pixels are treated as a second type. For the or each set of pixels of the first type, contrast enhancement is carried out separately on those pixels.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for obtaining interpolation filters for use in a method or apparatus for enhancing the spatial resolution of a digital image. In the method or apparatus for enhancing the spatial resolution, input pixels from a low resolution image are classified and interpolated using the interpolation filters to form a high resolution image. The method for obtaining the interpolation filters includes obtaining a low resolution image from a high resolution source image. A plurality of pixels in the low resolution image are classified with respect to interpolation filters so that each of the plurality of pixels in the low resolution image is allocated to a respective interpolation filter. The interpolation filters are updated. The classifying and updating steps are repeated until a convergence criterion is met.

Abstract: A system is provided for that improves video quality and resolution. The system include a processor configured with logic to estimate an image from at least one observed image to produce an estimated image, the observed image having a lower spatial resolution than the estimated image. The processor is further configured with logic to simulate steps of an imaging process and compression process and update the estimated image with statistical and/or deterministic information if further optimization is needed, otherwise designate the estimated image as a solution.

Abstract: A system and method for estimating motion between images performs correlation of candidate image blocks of a target digital image with potential image blocks of a reference digital image, in which pixel values of the images have been quantized, to estimate displacements of the candidate image blocks between the reference and target digital images. The correlation process may include a technique for counting the number of particular type bits in binary words. The counting technique involves performing bit-wise AND operations using a pair of masking binary words to derive first and second resulting binary words, shifting the second resulting binary word by a predefined number of bits and summing the first resulting binary word and the shifted binary word.

Abstract: The embodiments of the present invention provide methods, devices, and systems wherein a server is able to transmit streaming content elements of a source content via a first wireless channel and a second wireless channel. The transmission via these two channels may be performed simultaneously with each other or performed alternating with each other. The first wireless channel and the second wireless channel are different from each other.

Abstract: Methods and systems for streaming data in a network. Whether the network is experiencing high packet loss may be determined by a rate control module. If high packet loss is experienced, data is encoded into multiple streams by a coder using temporal domain partitioning. If high packet loss is not experienced, then data may is encoded by using frequency domain partitioning. Unequal error protection is applied to each of the streams so more important bit planes in a bit of a stream are provided with more error protection than less important bit planes. The streams are transmitted along, respectively, independent paths to a decoder. The streams are decoded, and errors in the decoded streams are corrected by using information from one or more of the other decoded streams. The decoded corrected streams are reconstructed into the data.

Abstract: Embodiments of a coding system and method are disclosed. One method embodiment includes determining a Cauchy-based probability density function fit to a statistical distribution of coefficients generated from a transformed image frame block that are to be quantized, and estimating rate and distortion of quantized coefficients based on the Cauchy-based probability density function.

Abstract: An imaging system includes a camera for capturing image frames, a frame pre-screen unit for pre-screening the captured image frames, a frame store unit for storing the pre-screened frames, and a refined frame mosaicing unit for generating a refined mosaic from the pre-screened image frames that are stored in the frame store unit. The frame pre-screen unit may include a coarse align unit for generating a coarse image mosaic from the pre-screened image frames, and a display for displaying the coarse image mosaic. In an embodiment, the coarse image mosaic is generated and displayed in real-time relative to the image frames that are captured by the camera. In an embodiment of the imaging system, the display is located within the camera and in another embodiment, the frame pre-screen unit and the frame store unit are located within the camera.

Abstract: The disclosed invention is a enhancement to the Video Encoder component of the MPEG standard to improve both the efficiency and quality of the video presentation at the display device. The inventions described below pertain to the enhancement of video compression technology. In general, they are compatible with MPEG video standards (as in current art), but represent novel enhancements thereof. The above inventions apply to several transmission media and networks including cable, DSL, wireless, satellite and IP networks. Another category of invention in this disclosure enhances networking performance by recognizing that the transmitted information is video, rather than data. This invention can be scaled to other classes of multimedia data such as speech or audio or images.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for a video system. In a first exemplary embodiment, the video system comprises a video processing circuit that receives a picture and provides video compression by using an optimal macroblock mode of operation, the optimal macroblock mode of operation being identified by processing at least one macroblock of the picture, the processing being performed independent of other macroblocks contained in the picture. Additionally, the video processing circuit comprises a mode selection circuit that identifies the optimal macroblock mode of operation by using a rate-distortion model. The rate-distortion model incorporates an overall macroblock mode distortion D that is defined as the sum of DAC a distortion due to AC coefficients, and DDC a distortion due to DC coefficients.

Abstract: A system and method for estimating motion between images performs correlation of candidate image blocks of a target digital image with potential image blocks of a reference digital image, in which pixel values of the images have been quantized, to estimate displacements of the candidate image blocks between the reference and target digital images. The correlation process may include a technique for counting the number of particular type bits in binary words. The counting technique involves performing bit-wise AND operations using a pair of masking binary words to derive first and second resulting binary words, shifting the second resulting binary word by a predefined number of bits and summing the first resulting binary word and the shifted binary word.

Abstract: Methods and systems for streaming data in a network. Whether the network is experiencing high packet loss may be determined by a rate control module. If high packet loss is experienced, data is encoded into multiple streams by a coder using temporal domain partitioning. If high packet loss is not experienced, then data may is encoded by using frequency domain partitioning. Unequal error protection is applied to each of the streams so more important bit planes in a bit of a stream are provided with more error protection than less important bit planes. The streams are transmitted along, respectively, independent paths to a decoder. The streams are decoded, and errors in the decoded streams are corrected by using information from one or more of the other decoded streams. The decoded corrected streams are reconstructed into the data.

Abstract: Distortion correction in an imaging system using parametric motion estimation. Parametric motion estimation is used to correct for geometric lens distortion and illumination changes. Models for geometric lens distortion and different illumination models are presented, as is a method for an iterative linearising method of solving the resulting sets of nonlinear equations.

Abstract: A system is provided for that improves video quality and resolution. The system include a processor configured with logic to estimate an image from at least one observed image to produce an estimated image, the observed image having a lower spatial resolution than the estimated image. The processor is further configured with logic to simulate steps of an imaging process and compression process and update the estimated image with statistical and/or deterministic information if further optimization is needed, otherwise designate the estimated image as a solution.

Abstract: Hardware resolution of a scanner is increased without improving the quality of the scanner's sensor array or imaging optics. A first low-resolution representation of an image is generated during a first scan and a second low-resolution representation of the image is generated during a second scan. The scanner is configured to intentionally induce a motion error in either the first or second representation. A composite representation of the first and second representations is generated from the first and second representations, and a super resolution technique is used to generate a third representation of the image from the composite representation. The third representation has a higher resolution than the first and second representations.

Abstract: An optical waveguide and a shutter are used to guide light from multiple illuminated pixels on a document being scanned onto a single photosensor element. Various methods are disclosed for selecting one pixel at a time for projection onto a single sensor element. Multiple scans are required to capture all the image pixels. The data from multiple scans are then combined to form a single scanned image that has a higher optical sampling rate than the native optical sampling rate of the sensor array. Superresolution image analysis techniques developed for reconstruction of one image from a set of lower resolution images may be applied to provide a diffraction-limited high-resolution image. The waveguide as described also provides an ability to reduce scanning time for lower resolution images. In a first example embodiment, a rotating rod lens with a pattern of black and white areas is used to block/unblock optical waveguide array elements.

Abstract: A system for detecting shot boundary in a compressed video data without decompression includes a difference detector that detects content difference between frames. When the difference detector determines that a first content difference between a current frame of the current group of frames and a previous frame of a first previous group of frames is greater than a first threshold, a sharp shot boundary detector detects a sharp shot boundary within the current group of frames. When the difference detector determines that the first content difference is not greater than the first threshold but a second content difference between the current frame and a previous frame of a second previous group of frames is greater than a second threshold, a gradual shot boundary detector detects a gradual shot boundary within the current group of frames.

Abstract: A method and system for object-based video retrieval and indexing include a configuration detection processor for deriving quantitative attribute information for video frames in a compressed video stream. The quantitative attribute information includes object data for a video frame, including the number of objects and their orientation within the video frame and the size, shape, texture, and motion of each object. A configuration comparison processor compares object data from first and second frames to determine differences between first frame video objects and second frame video objects. The configuration comparison processor has a shot boundary detection mode in which it cooperates with a shot boundary detector to identify shot boundaries within a video sequence. In a key frame selection mode, the configuration comparison processor cooperates with a key frame selector to select key frames from the video sequence.

Abstract: Hardware resolution of a scanner is increased without improving the quality of the scanner's sensor array or imaging optics. A first low-resolution representation of an image is generated during a first scan and a second low-resolution representation of the image is generated during a second scan. The scanner is configured to intentionally induce a motion error in either the first or second representation. A composite representation of the first and second representations is generated from the first and second representations, and a super resolution technique is used to generate a third representation of the image from the composite representation. The third representation has a higher resolution than the first and second representations.

Abstract: In a temporal sequence of digitized image frames of video signals, the spatial and temporal image gradients and the pixel-to-pixel motion vectors (dense motion vectors) are obtained between two consecutive image frames. A shape-adaptive triangular patch mesh model overlay is provided on the first image frame such that the location of node points of each patch is determined by the spatial image gradients of the first frame and the pixel-to-pixel motion vectors. A priority ranking of patches is established before determining the node point motion vectors. The node point motion vectors, representing the motion of each of the node points of the triangular mesh patches, are estimated by a linear least-squares solution to an affine transformation of the mesh overlay on the first frame into the second frame. Failure regions are identified and are revised in accordance with a data bit budget. All data are coded prior to transmission at a constant data bit rate by a sending unit to a receiving unit over a data link.