Patents Represented by Attorney Mark P. Watson
  • Patent number: 8253985
    Abstract: An off page condition or invalid sensors position data is detected by checking the errors from an initial transformation parameter estimation. If an abnormally large error is encountered, a sensor's reading (position data) may be invalid or the sensor was off page. Then the invalid sensor data will be identified and removed. Finally the transformation parameters will be re-estimated using valid sensor position data only. A weighted least-square minimization is used by considering the sensor lift situation. If a sensor is lifted, the weight for the error related to the sensor will be set to a small weight or zero. Also considered are the geometric properties of sensor locations in weighting the sensor error. A confidence measurement of the sensor data and associated error is performed. The confidence measurement is derived from an error ellipse at 95% confidence level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Guoyi Fu, Mikhail Brusnitsyn
  • Patent number: 8254755
    Abstract: A number of cameras capture a scene and send corresponding video sub-streams to an acquisition PC. Each sub-stream is made up of a plurality of sub-frames. The acquisition PC sends the sub-streams over a network to a playback PC. The playback PC stores each sub-frame in a queue corresponding to an associated sub-stream. For each sub-stream the playback PC calculates a sub-stream average period to produce a plurality of sub-stream average periods. It then calculates a composite average period by averaging the plurality of sub-stream average periods, and calculates a playback frame rate as a reciprocal of the composite average period. The playback PC then reads the sub-frames from their corresponding queue in synchronism with the calculated playback frame rate to display the plurality of sub-streams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Sean Miceli
  • Patent number: 8237873
    Abstract: Three or more projectors project their respective images to form a composite image. In some cases all three projected images overlap. In order to compensate for distortions in this overlap, blending values are assigned to the projector pixels that contribute to the overlap regions. Pixels that contribute to the overlap of two projectors are assigned a blending value associated with this projector pair. Pixels that contribute to the overlap of three projectors are assigned a blending value that is the greater of the two blending values associated with the two projector pairs, after such blending value has been scaled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Steve Nelson
  • Patent number: 8233354
    Abstract: A radio-controlled timepiece that receives a standard time signal containing a time code and adjusts internal time data, the radio-controlled timepiece including a reception unit that receives the standard time signal, and a control unit that controls the reception unit. The reception unit has an amplifier circuit that amplifies a reception signal of the standard time signal, and an analog/digital conversion circuit that digitizes the amplified reception signal and acquires a time code. The control unit sets the reception mode of the reception unit to a normal reception mode or to a high sensitivity reception mode that improves reception performance compared with the normal reception mode, sets the reception mode to the high sensitivity reception mode for a specific period that is set based on the time code of the standard time signal after establishing at least second synchronization with the time code of the standard time signal, and otherwise sets the reception mode to the normal reception mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Teruhiko Fujisawa
  • Patent number: 8224042
    Abstract: Automatic face recognition. In a first example embodiment, a method for automatic face recognition includes several acts. First, a face pattern and two eye patterns are detected. Then, the face pattern is normalized. Next, the normalized face pattern is transformed into a normalized face feature vector of Gabor feature representations. Then, a difference image vector is calculated. Next, the difference image vector is projected to a lower-dimensional intra-subject subspace extracted from a pre-collected training face database. Then, a square function is applied to each component of the projection. Next, a weighted summation of the squared projection is calculated. Then, the previous four acts are repeated for each normalized gallery image feature vector. Finally, the face pattern in the probe digital image is classified as belonging to the gallery image with the highest calculated weighted summation where the highest calculated weighted summation is above a predefined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Jie Wang
  • Patent number: 8212945
    Abstract: A calibration image including dots and scale points is projected at first and second display surfaces. A location of a scale point may be modified. A location for a registration point is determined and the registration point is added to the calibration image. The projected calibration image is captured. A location of the captured registration point and locations captured scale points are identified. Captured dots that are projected onto the first display surface and their locations are identified. Each of the captured dots identified as being projected onto the first display surface are mapped to a corresponding dot of the calibration image. Dots of the calibration image that are not projected onto the first display surface are identified, locations of each of the identified dots are determined, and a synthetic dot is added to the captured image for each identified dot. The captured image may be provided as input to a process for determining one or more inverse offsets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Doug McFadyen, George Lyons, Tatiana Pavlovna Kadantseva
  • Patent number: 8203527
    Abstract: A method includes receiving first touch point data from a sensor, generating first data pixels corresponding with the received first touch point data, and updating first display pixels of a display device with the first data pixels using a first drive scheme. The display pixels of the display device may have multiple stable display states and the first data pixels may be generated by a first unit. The method may further include receiving second touch point data from the sensor, generating second data pixels corresponding with the received second touch point data, and updating second display pixels of the display device with the second data pixels using a second drive scheme. The first and second drive schemes may be different drive schemes. The second data pixels may be generated by the first unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yun Shon Low, Jimmy Kwok Lap Lai
  • Patent number: 8184110
    Abstract: Device, apparatus and methods for implementing a direct address mode to directly access registers by passing an indirect interface includes a display controller. A plurality of direct access registers for bypassing indirect interface is defined within the display controller. The display controller includes a bus interface having a first pin that is configured to activate the direct address mode and a second pin that configured to identify one of the direct access registers. The first pin in conjunction with the second pin provides a direct address mode through which the non-direct access registers may be directly accessed bypassing the indirect interface so that register index cycle, when accessing memory, may be avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Raymond Chow, Yun Shon Low
  • Patent number: 8167481
    Abstract: A timepiece wheel train includes a rotating body with a shaft unit, a bearing unit that rotatably supports the shaft unit of the rotating body, and a lubricating oil in which powder from a diamond-like carbon film is dispersed disposed between the shaft unit and the bearing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masao Takeuchi, Masami Murai, Shigeaki Seki, Tomokazu Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8167425
    Abstract: A method of printing an indication of defective printing can print a defective printing mark indicating that printing was not completed normally on a printout containing unprinted or missing dots. When printing one page of print data on recording paper is completed but before a paper discharge command indicating a page break (step ST3) is executed, the operation printing the one page of print data is interrupted and whether or not ink droplets are being discharged normally from the ink nozzles of the inkjet head is detected. If the ink droplets are not being discharged normally, the recording paper is conveyed in reverse direction and print data for the defective printing mark is printed on the recording paper as part of the interrupt process. Therefore, if the recording paper contains unprinted (missing) dots, a defective printing mark is printed on the recording paper and printing the one page of print data then ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Motohiro Nakamaki, Tomohiro Kodama, Sohei Yagisawa
  • Patent number: 8170332
    Abstract: Automatic red-eye object classification in digital images using a boosting-based framework. In a first example embodiment, a method for classifying a candidate red-eye object in a digital photographic image includes several acts. First, a candidate red-eye object in a digital photographic image is selected. Next, a search scale set and a search region for the candidate red-eye object where an eye object may reside is determined. Then, the number of subwindows that satisfy an AdaBoost classifier is determined. This number is denoted as a vote. Next, the maximum size of the subwindows that satisfy the AdaBoost classifier is determined. Then, a normalized threshold is calculated by multiplying a predetermined constant threshold by the calculated maximum size. Next, the vote is compared with the normalized threshold. Finally, the candidate red-eye object is transformed into a true red-eye object if the vote is greater than the normalized threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Jie Wang, Rastislav Lukac
  • Patent number: 8139093
    Abstract: A thermal printer enables both duplex printing and simplex printing. A double-sided thermal printer 1 has a first arm 31 and a second arm 32 that opens and closes in conjunction with the first arm 31. A first platen roller 21 is mounted on the first arm 31, a second thermal print head 12 is mounted on the second arm 32, and a first thermal print head 11 and second platen roller 22 are disposed on the printer frame 30 side. When the operating cover 3 closes, the second thermal print head 12 on the second arm 32 is pressed against the second platen roller 22, the first platen roller 21 on the first arm 31 is pressed to the first thermal print head 11, and the double-sided thermal paper 6 can be set with no slack. For simplex printing, the paper transportation load can be reduced by pressing only the first platen roller 21 on the first arm to the first thermal print head 11.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Koyabu, Toru Takami, Sadao Murata, Hitoshi Ishino
  • Patent number: 8134720
    Abstract: A multiple font management system and method in a printing device for activating multiple fonts is provided for enabling base font localization and font patching for print jobs to reduce the need to upload entire fonts in order to provide localized receipts or to provide corrections to partially-corrupted font tables. A font access level stores locations of activated base, localization and patch fonts and are referenced in an access order during character retrieval so as to apply retrieval priority to patches and localizations. A font storage level maintains multiple tier character indices for referencing character shape data in order to provide faster character searching through each of the multiple activated fonts than a single-level index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Leonard B. Hodder, Alan Pak-Lun Ho, Chunguang Li
  • Patent number: 8130845
    Abstract: A method of estimating and compensating for jitter between two video frames in a digital video sequence comprises comparing a pixel subset in one video frame to candidate matching pixel subsets within a search area in the other video frame to obtain a preliminary matching pixel subset. Based on the location of the preliminary matching pixel subset, an adapted search area is formed and the comparing is continued within the adapted search area to obtain a final matching pixel subset. Motion is calculated between the video frames based on the final match thereby to estimate the jitter. The video frames are then transformed based on the estimated jitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Mikhail Brusnitsyn, Ian Clarke, Hui Zhou
  • Patent number: 8131110
    Abstract: An image processing method that demosaicks a mosaic input image to generate a full color output image. The image processing method calculates both vertical and horizontal luminance-chrominance difference components for each pixel of the mosaic input image. Next, the image processing method calculates an enhanced version of both vertical and horizontal luminance-chrominance difference components for each pixel of the mosaic input image. Then, the image processing method interpolates a G component for each of the original R and B components. Next, the image processing method detects a signal overshoot or undershoot in each interpolated G component and to clamps each interpolated G component with a detected signal overshoot or undershoot to the closest neighboring original G component. Next, the image processing method interpolates missing R and/or B components in each pixel location of the captured image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Rastislav Lukac
  • Patent number: 8131067
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus that receives mosaic image data having settings of only one color component, R, G, or B, in each pixel and subjects the received mosaic image data to a series of image processing to generate color image data with settings of all the three color components, R, G, and B, in each pixel; wherein the mosaic image data has the form of a Bayer color filter array; and the image processing apparatus includes: a vertical-direction color difference component computation module; a horizontal-direction color difference component computation module; an edge direction determination module; a color component interpolation module; an oblique edge pixel detection module; an oblique edge direction determination module; and an oblique edge pixel interpolation correction module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Rastislav Lukac
  • Patent number: 8118505
    Abstract: A label printing apparatus having a label peeling mechanism determines the appropriate time to run a process for setting the paper. Paper having a plurality of labels continuously affixed to a web liner is loaded inside the label printing apparatus when a main cover is open. A peeling mechanism cover is attached and openable from the main cover. When opened, the paper is routed through one path or another to exit the printer from one or another exit depending on whether or not the peeling mechanism is used. A control method for this printer has a step of waiting for a switch to be pressed by an operator after the operator puts the paper inside the label printer and closes the main cover, and a step of executing a paper setup process when the switch is pressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Go Hiroike, Toshihiro Tsukada, Toru Takami
  • Patent number: 8111299
    Abstract: An image processing method that demosaicks a mosaic input image of R, G, and B components to generate a full color output image. The image processing method calculates both vertical and horizontal luminance-chrominance difference components for each pixel of the mosaic input image. Next, the image processing method calculates an enhanced version of both the vertical and horizontal luminance-chrominance difference components for each pixel of the mosaic input image. Next, the image processing method evaluates the variations in the enhanced luminance-chrominance difference components in order to create an edge directional map indicating the direction in which demosaicking should be performed. Then, the image processing method interpolates a G component for each of the pixels with the original R and B components using the edge directional map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Rastislav Lukac
  • Patent number: 8098333
    Abstract: A method and system for displaying frames on a hold-type display to reduce perceived blur are disclosed. One example method includes detecting a parameter associated with an object in an input frame and filtering the input frame to generate at least two filtered sub-frames based on the parameter. The filtered sub-frames are then inserted in place of the input frame in a frame sequence and output to a display. The parameter associated with the object may indicate a magnitude and direction of the object's movement in a sequence of frames including the input frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Eunice Poon
  • Patent number: 8094959
    Abstract: At least two sites in a frame of pixels are specified. The sites are arranged in a particular spatial distribution and correspond with the pixel locations of a block of pixels. Block parameters are calculated for each pixel block of first and second frames. The block parameters may be calculated using fewer than all of the bits of each pixel. A block-pair similarity determination for each pair of spatially-corresponding pixel blocks of the first and second frames is generated by determining whether there is a difference between the respective block parameters which is greater than a particular block-level threshold. A frame similarity determination is generated by combining the block-pair similarity determinations. A user-interface indication may be provided, or a frame may be stored, as a result of the frame similarity determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Barinder Singh Rai