Abstract: A pixel array-based orthogonal projection concealment apparatus applicable for continuously matching a mobile platform to its changing background integrates power means, sensing and inputting means for observer and background data, programmed computational means, and pixel array display means in a single apparatus. In its preferred embodiment the concealment projection image is displayed through a liquid crystal array.

Abstract: A vehicle environment monitoring system for an automotive vehicle is capable of accurately detecting the movement of an object existing in an environment of the vehicle, and determining the possibility of collision between the object and the vehicle, thereby appropriately warning the driver. A relative position of the object to the automotive vehicle is detected from the image obtained by a camera mounted on the vehicle to obtain position data. Positions of the object in a real space are calculated based on a plurality of time series items of the position data detected on the object, and a movement vector of the object is calculated based on the positions in the real space. It is determined based on the movement vector whether or not the object has a high possibility of collision against the automotive vehicle.

Abstract: A method of determining the position of a TV camera relative to a patterned panel being viewed by the TV camera including the steps of: identifying a plurality of edge points of the pattern from the video signal produced by said camera and using these edge points to calculate the perspective of the pattern relative to the camera.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and apparatus for reducing the bandwidth of a multichannel image. In one aspect, the methods and apparatus call for acquiring a multichannel training image representing a training scene. Weighting factors for the respective channels are determined based on the contrast at corresponding locations in that multichannel training image. A reduced bandwidth runtime image is generated from the multichannel runtime images as a function of (i) the weighting factors determined from the training image and (ii) a multichannel image representing the runtime scene.

Abstract: The method uses a three-dimensional face model and a technique called eigenface decomposition to analyze the video at one end. The facial feature locations and eigenface coding of the face image are sent to a decoder. The decoder synthesizes the face image at the receiving end. Eigenface decoding is used to texture map a three-dimensional model warped by detected feature locations.

Abstract: The effects of noise in a video processing system are reduced, resulting in improved image quality. A digital video signal containing a luminance component in Y color space is processed by increasing the amplitude of the luminance data in accordance with a nonlinear transfer function. As a result, low-amplitude components of the luminance signal are reduced. Subsequent quantization errors in transform coefficients produced by a spatial compression routine in a video encoder are consequently reduced. Inverse operations are performed at a video decoder to recover the original luminance data. The invention reduces quantization noise which is manifested particularly as dust-like variations in luminance intensity in an otherwise darkened region of a video image. A decoder apparatus is also presented.

Abstract: Apparatus for merging a video image sequence of a dynamic phenomenon occurring on a natural background into a high resolution background image, the apparatus including a background remover operative to remove the natural background from the video image sequence, and a phenomenon-background merger operative to merge the video image sequence of the dynamic phenomenon, with natural background removed, into the high resolution background image.

Abstract: The present invention is intended to reconstruct or acquire the shape of an object without rotating it. A TV camera with a fish-eye lens is used to conduct the image-sensing of a vehicle as a moving object over a certain section of its path of travel and a background image is subtracted from each captured image to obtain a silhouette of the vehicle. The loci of movement of the vehicle's tires in each image are calculated and used to calculate the positions of the viewpoint of the TV camera and the vehicle relative to each other in each image. The shape of the vehicle is reconstructed by projecting the silhouette for each captured image into a projection space while holding the viewpoint of the TV camera and the vehicle at the calculated relative positions.

Abstract: An identifying procedure and system for identifying a visual object, the object to be identified (1) being marked with a polarizing surface (2) provided in the region of the object. Observation of the object is accomplished by utilizing the lighting prevailing at the object and in its ambience, on the basis of the polarized light (4a) reflected by said polarizing surface.

Abstract: A system for detecting the presence of an energy polarization altering dielectric material, such as ice or snow, on a surface, such as a part of an aircraft, which normally specularly reflects incident energy, such as light, when there is no such dielectric present. The energy is conveyed from a transmitter along a path to the surface and the incident energy is reflected from the surface along a path to a receiver with a dielectric on the surface destroying any polarization, such as circular, of the energy and that reflected from a specular portion maintaining the polarization. An optical system in one or both of the paths operates in an isolator state to produce an image of the dielectric portion having a first intensity level and that of the specular portion passing through the optical system having a different intensity level.

Abstract: Studio camera position and motion may be derived from the camera image by separating out the background and deriving from a background having a number of areas of hue and/or brightness different from adjacent areas estimates of movement from one image to the next. The initial image is used as a reference and amended with predicted motion value. The amended image is compared with incoming images and the result used to derive translation and scale change information. Once the proportion of the reference image contained in an incoming image falls below a threshold a fresh reference image is adopted.

Abstract: Tint detection circuit for automatically selecting a desired tint in a video signal, including a limit signal generator coupled to receive first (R), second (G) and third (R) color signals in order to generate first and second limit signals (CRITR, CRITB); a color-difference generator coupled to receive the first (R), second (G) and third (B) color signals in order to generate first and second color difference signals (G-R, G-B); and a window comparator coupled to the limit signal generator and to the color-difference generator in order to determine whether the first and second color difference signals (G-R, G-B) are within the windows determined by the first and second limit signals (CRITR, CRITB) so as to supply a tint detection signal.

Abstract: A one or two player virtual reality game efficiently detects and tracks a distinctively colored glove. According to the preferred basketball embodiment, a single player equipped with the distinctively colored glove is matched up against a virtual opponent. The object of the game is for the real player to put a virtual basketball into a virtual basketball hoop before his/her virtual opponent steals the ball. Initially, the background site is scanned, and then the operator with the glove is scanned. A table of colors is then established which are unique only to the glove. A player is then scanned against the background to identify which color glove will have the least conflict with colors worn by the player. During play, the player is scanned at 30 frames a second and the information is stored in a frame buffer. A prediction is made of the location of the glove in subsequent frames based upon its previously known location and velocity.

Abstract: A dual waveband signal processing system (DWSPS) is disclosed for differentiating between an primary target signal and background clutter to detect targets and objects with a particularly unique spectral characteristic. The DWSPS is responsive to a plurality of sensors operating on different wavelengths. The output wavebands of the sensors are filtered by either spatial or temporal high-pass filters, and is processed through a network comprising a series of multipliers, dividers, comparators, and subtractors to obtain the weighted correlation functions or "alpha coefficient", which, when compared to the input wavebands, produces a filtered or processed output signal of the detected features.

Abstract: Apparatus which segments visual scenes into discrete objects. The apparatus is able to perceptually group the elements corresponding to a coherent figure, and to segregate them from the background or from another figure. Reentrant signaling among rhythmically active neuronal groups is used to correlate responses along spatially extended contours. The efficacy of the connections is allowed to change on a fast time scale resulting in active reentrant connections which amplify the correlations among neuronal groups and provides the desired segmentation.