Abstract: A system and method for mapping facial expressions. Facial expressions exhibit not only facial feature motions, but also subtle changes in illumination and appearance (e.g., facial creases and wrinkles). These details are important visual cues, but they are difficult to synthesize. Traditional expression mapping techniques consider feature motions while the details in illumination changes are ignored. A novel technique for facial expression mapping is presented. The illumination change of one person's expression is captured in what is called expression ratio image (ERI). Together with geometric warping, an ERI is mapped to any other person's face image to generate more expressive facial expressions.

Abstract: A system and method for optimizing the performance of a graphics intensive software program for graphics acceleration hardware. This system and method encompasses a procedure that validates the different functions of a 3D acceleration capable video card, decides whether to use the acceleration hardware and optimizes the software application to selectively use the functions that work on the specific video acceleration card. Functions checked include sub-pixel positioning, opacity, color replacement and fog. If these tests are successful, then the graphics acceleration is used by the software application. However, if the tests are not successful the decision is made not to use graphics accelerator. Those with ordinary skill in the art will realize that it is not necessary to perform all of the tests in a specific order.

Abstract: A system and method for adjusting exposure in a mosaiced or stitched image. A stitched composite image is typically represented by a set of images and a set of associated transformations. Each transformation corresponds to one image in the input image sequence and represents the mapping between image pixels in each image and a three-dimensional coordinate system. Every triplet of images in the mosaiced image, having a first, center and third image, is input into the system and method according to the present invention. Before exposure adjustment can be performed, the regions of overlap between the input images in the mosaiced image are calculated. Once the areas of overlap associated with the first and third images are found, the areas of overlap associated with these images are warped to the coordinate frame of the center image.

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in a system and method for automatically adjusting gaze and head pose in a videoconferencing environment, where each participant has a camera and display. The images of participants are rendered in a virtual 3D space. Head-pose orientation and eye-gaze direction are corrected so that a participant's image in the 3D space appears to appear to be looking at the person they are looking at on the screen. If a participant is looking at the viewer, their gaze is set toward the “camera”, which gives the perception of eye-contact.

Abstract: A threaded text discussion or chat system includes a client graphical user interface that is rendered on display screens of user computers. In one implementation, the user interface includes a threaded discussion message pane and a social accounting pane that are rendered simultaneously adjacent each other on the display screen. Within the threaded discussion message pane, messages or turns are rendered or listed in a threaded or tree structure. The social accounting pane displays identifying information about each past and current member of a discussion.

Abstract: A system and process according to the present invention involves tagging prescribed portions of the data of each layer in a layered multicast or layered presentation with an indicator of the importance or utility that the data provides to the receiver. Additionally, the data is tagged with a cost factor involved with sending the data. The aforementioned portions of the data can be an entire data stream of a layer, or some part thereof all the way down to the individual packets making up the stream. The invention also involves determining the optimized scenario for sending the data from the sender to the receiver based on the data tags.

Abstract: A system and method for turning a regular computer monitor screen into a touch screen using an ordinary camera. It includes an image-screen mapping procedure to correct for the non-flatness of the computer screen. It also includes a segmentation method to distinguish the foreground, for example an indicator such as a finger, from the background of a computer screen. Additionally, this system and method includes a robust technique of finding the tip point location of the indicator (such as the finger tip). The screen coordinates of the tip point are then used to control the position of the system indicator.

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in a system and method for automatically estimating the orientation or pose of an object, such as a human head, from any viewpoint and includes training and pose estimation modules. The training module uses known head poses for generating observations of the different types of head poses and the pose estimation module receives actual head poses of a subject and uses the training observations to estimate the actual head pose. Namely, the training module receives training data and extracts unique features of the data, projects the features onto corresponding points of a model and determines a probability density function estimation for each model point to produce a trained model.

Abstract: A face detection system and process capable of detecting a person depicted in an input image and identifying their face pose. Prepared training images are used to train a 2-stage classifier which includes a bank of Support Vector Machines (SVMs) as an initial pre-classifier layer, and a neural network forming a subsequent decision classifier layer. Once the SVMs and the neural network are trained, input image regions are prepared and input into the system. An output is produced from the neural network which indicates first whether the region under consideration depicts a face, and secondly, if a face is present, into what pose range the pose of the face falls.

Abstract: A probe adapted for use with a time domain reflectrometry device in primarily measuring the moisture content in soils and other mediums. This probe can however be used in may differing measurement applications involving materials of specific dielectric constants as well as apparent dielectric constants that are derived from a matrix of several differing dielectrics. In the probe according to the present invention, the inner core of the probe is composed of an inner conductive element, a conductor that is used to transmit a broadband pulse. A dielectric liquid, solid or gel surrounds this inner conductive core, and assists in retaining broadband signal strength. The dielectric material is then encased in a metallic outer shell that serves as a protective housing for the probe. This outer shell is electronically transparent to the electromagnetic pulse transmitted by the active inner conductive core and surrounding dielectric.

Abstract: A pop up writing implement that includes a pump handle, an outer sleeve, an inner pen casing, a spring, a pen cartridge and a connector, which in one embodiment is U-shaped. The pen is expandable and contractible, making it small enough to easily carry in any typical pocket. The design of the pen protects against inadvertent markings, making it unnecessary for it to have a detached pen cap. The pen of the present invention also incorporates no screws, making it immune to screw loosening problems.

Abstract: A vision-based gesture interface system, which employs an arbitrary quadrangle-shaped panel and a pointer tip like a fingertip as an intuitive input device. Taking advantage of the panel, the system can fulfill many tasks such as controlling a remote and large display, and simulating a physical keyboard. Users can naturally use their fingers and other pointer tips to issue commands and type texts. The system is facilitated by accurately and reliably tracking the panel and the pointer tip and detecting clicking and dragging actions.

Abstract: A system and method for interactively modeling a room using camera images. Images of the room are input. The floor is marked with calibration markers placed at known (x,y) locations. The user runs a program that lets him “click” on these points to establish a correspondence between their absolute (x,y) coordinates on the floor and their image coordinates in each view. These correspondences are used to compute a “homography” for each image which in turn is used to compute a warped version of each image, showing what the room would look like if viewed from above. These warped images are each rendered with respect to the same origin and are used as guides in a drawing program to drag drawings of objects to place them on top of the corresponding objects in the warped images. The warped images are then deleted, leaving behind the room's objects in their correct locations.

Abstract: A model for cloth, which allows for substantially real-time animation of the cloth, is disclosed. The latitudinal (vertical) nodes of the model are decoupled from the longitudinal (horizontal) nodes in one embodiment. In one embodiment, the latitudinal nodes are modeled as physical splines, and the longitudinal nodes are modeled as stiff multi-section rods between adjacent latitudinal nodes. The model is then rendered.

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in a system and method for performing spectral analysis of a digital signal having a discrete duration by spectrally decomposing the digital signal at predefined frequencies uniformly distributed over a sampling frequency interval into complex frequency coefficients so that magnitude and phase information at each frequency is immediately available to produce a modulated complex lapped transform (MCLT). The present invention includes a MCLT processor, an acoustic echo cancellation device and a noise reducer integrated with an encoder/decoder device.

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in a system and method for performing spectral analysis of a digital signal having a discrete duration by spectrally decomposing the digital signal at predefined frequencies uniformly distributed over a sampling frequency interval into complex frequency coefficients so that magnitude and phase information at each frequency is immediately available to produce a modulated complex lapped transform (MCLT). The system includes real and imaginary window processors and real and imaginary transform processors. The real and imaginary window processors receive the input signal and apply and compute butterfly coefficients for the real and imaginary parts of the signal to produce resulting real and imaginary vectors, respectively. The real and imaginary transform processors compute spatial transforms on the real and imaginary vectors to produce real and imaginary transform coefficient of the MCLT, respectively.

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in a system and method for performing spectral analysis of a digital signal having a discrete duration by spectrally decomposing the digital signal at predefined frequencies uniformly distributed over a sampling frequency interval into complex frequency coefficients so that magnitude and phase information at each frequency is immediately available to produce a modulated complex lapped transform (MCLT). The system includes real and imaginary window processors and real and imaginary transform processors. The real and imaginary window processors receive the input signal and apply and compute butterfly coefficients for the real and imaginary parts of the signal to produce resulting real and imaginary vectors, respectively. The real and imaginary transform processors compute spatial transforms on the real and imaginary vectors to produce real and imaginary transform coefficient of the MCLT, respectively.

Abstract: A projection onto convex sets (POCS)-based method for consistent reconstruction of a signal from a subset of quantized coefficients received from an N×K overcomplete transform. By choosing a frame operator F to be the concatenization of two or more K×K invertible transforms, the POCS projections are calculated in RK space using only the K×K transforms and their inverses, rather than the larger RN space using pseudo inverse transforms. Practical reconstructions are enabled based on, for example, wavelet, subband, or lapped transforms of an entire image. In one embodiment, unequal error protection for multiple description source coding is provided. In particular, given a bit-plane representation of the coefficients in an overcomplete representation of the source, one embodiment of the present invention provides coding the most significant bits with the highest redundancy and the least significant bits with the lowest redundancy.

Abstract: A projection onto convex sets (POCS)-based method for consistent reconstruction of a signal from a subset of quantized coefficients received from an N×K overcomplete transform. By choosing a frame operator F to be the concatenization of two or more K×K invertible transforms, the POCS projections are calculated in RK space using only the K×K transforms and their inverses, rather than the larger RN space using pseudo inverse transforms. Practical reconstructions are enabled based on, for example, wavelet, subband, or lapped transforms of an entire image. In one embodiment, unequal error protection for multiple description source coding is provided. In particular, given a bit-plane representation of the coefficients in an overcomplete representation of the source, one embodiment of the present invention provides coding the most significant bits with the highest redundancy and the least significant bits with the lowest redundancy.

Abstract: A fin assembly for securing a fin to a water craft in a desired angular position relative to a longitudinally oriented axis of the water craft, i.e. the roll angle, is provided in the form of a fin mounting mechanism incorporated in the bottom surface of the water craft and a detachable fin. The attachment mechanism includes a fin mounting box with an elongated channel defined in part by a pair of spaced longitudinal extending side walls. A rotating bar is inserted within the elongated channel of the mounting box and two end caps are affixed to the fin mounting box to hold the rotating bar into the fin mounting box. The end caps when loosened allow the rotating bar to rotate freely and when tightened hold the rotating bar fixedly in place. In this way the detachable fin's roll angle can be easily and accurately selected, fixed and adjusted.