Abstract: An efficient compressed-domain-based algorithm that works by combining the IDCT and pixel-domain averaging into a single compressed domain operation, where a part of the cost of even this simplified operation can be absorbed into the de-quantization process. The original image need not be decompressed fully, only to the point of extracting the transform coefficients. Compressed-domain scaling for all scales k/8 for 1?k?8, including ?, ?, ¾, ?, is provided. By chaining multiple operations, any scale factors of the form k1k2 . . . kl/8l for integers ki's in the range [1,7] can be achieved.

Abstract: Visible watermarking techniques for digital images and video operate on decoded transform coefficients and maintain the watermarked data in the same compressed format as the original so that the watermarked data can be viewed with standard tools and applications. Moreover, for most of the techniques presented, the watermarked data has exactly the same compressed size as the original. The watermark can be inserted and removed using a key for applications requiring content protection. The watermark insertion and removal algorithms are very efficient and exploit some features of compressed data formats (such as JPEG and MPEG) which allow most of the work to be done in the compressed domain.

Abstract: Nozzle scheduling algorithms that provide a unified approach to designing nozzle firing algorithms that incorporate a variety of specifiable nozzle-firing constraints such as print head (nozzle) geometry, nozzle spacing, number of nozzles, head movement (number of passes), ink-media interaction, etc. Such constraints are provided as design rules for a given printer/output medium, and the result is an appropriate nozzle firing algorithm. The design algorithms may be used to generate nozzle firing sequences in a halftone-dependent or halftone-independent manner.

Abstract: A starter which applies a mechanical rotating force to a rotor of an electromagnetic converter, such as a power generator, for startup of the rotor. The starter includes a startup spring (60) having an engaging portion (63) engageable with a 6th pinion (11a) of a wheel train coupled to the power generator. In interlock with the operation of pulling out a crown, a reset lever (70) is operated to bias the startup spring for engagement with the 6th pinion. Thereafter, the startup spring is released from the biased state in interlock with the operation of pushing in the crown. The startup spring is returned to the original position due to its own spring force, whereupon a mechanical rotating force is applied to the pinion. Since the rotating force can be set by a resilient force of only the startup spring, a stable rotating force is applied to the rotor (12).

Abstract: A technique to reduce ringing artifacts in highly compressed block-based image/video coding is applied to each reconstructed frame output from the decoder. For each pixel block of a reconstructed frame, low-pass filtering is then adaptively applied according certain calculated differences between adjacent pixel values. For each pixel, a determination is made as to what type of horizontal filter, if any, is to be applied. Depending on the results of that determination, the pixel may remain unfiltered or may have a 2- or 3-tap horizontal filter applied to it. A similar process is undertaken to determine what type of vertical filter, if any, is to be applied, no filter, a 2-tap or a 3-tap vertical filter.

Abstract: An electronic device able to accurately receive external wireless information, a reception controller for the electronic device, and a reception control program for the electronic device. A radio-controlled timepiece has a stepping motor unit and an external wireless information reception unit for receiving a carrier wave with time information. The stepping motor unit has a magnetic field evaluation unit for detecting whether or not an external magnetic field is present and outputting a signal indicative of whether or not such an external magnetic field is present. The external wireless information reception unit has an antenna for receiving external wireless information and a receiving circuit for processing external wireless information received from the antenna. A reception controller controls the external wireless information reception unit according to the external-magnetic-field-detection signal output from the magnetic field evaluation unit.

Abstract: A character reading system efficiently and quickly applies an optical verification process to detect magnetic ink character misreads. In the system, a magnetic ink character reading device reads magnetic ink characters on a processed medium and generates magnetic ink character data, an image reading device scans an image of the processed medium and generates image data, and a position calculator calculates positions of magnetic ink characters on the processed medium and generates magnetic ink character position information. A communication controller sends the magnetic ink character data, image data, and magnetic ink character position information to a host device which includes an optical recognition device that optically recognizes select magnetic ink characters from the image data based on the character position information. By selectively applying optical verification (e.g.

Abstract: A print media processing apparatus having scanner feed rollers for holding and transporting print media against an image scanner appropriately controls the scanner feed roller position. The scanner feed rollers are opposite the image scanner, which is disposed along a vertical segment of a transportation path along which a check or form is transported. A roller retraction mechanism moves the scanner feed rollers between a closed position in which the rollers press against the scanning surface, and an open position in which the rollers are retracted therefrom. The scanner feed rollers retract to the open position a specific time after scanning ends. By delaying retraction of the rollers in this manner, the present invention solves the problem of a check or other print media, after having been processed and transported to the exit side of the rollers, from slipping down between the rollers and the image scanner into the vertical transportation path because the rollers opened as soon as scanning ends.

Abstract: A technique to reduce blocking and ringing artifacts in low bit-rate block-based video coding is applied to each reconstructed frame output from the decoder. For each pixel block of a reconstructed frame, its DC value and DC values of the surrounding eight neighbor blocks are exploited to predict AC coefficients which might be lost in the quantization stage in the encoding process. The predicted AC coefficients are used to classify each reconstructed block as either a low-activity or a high-activity block. Low-pass filtering is then adaptively applied according to the classification of the block. Strong low-pass filtering is applied in low-activity blocks where the blocking artifacts are most noticeable, whereas weak low-pass filtering is applied in high-activity blocks where ringing noise as well as blocking artifacts may exist. The adaptive filtering reduces ringing noise as well as blocking artifacts without introducing undesired blur.

Abstract: A power-scalable hybrid technique to reduce blocking and ringing artifacts in low bit-rate block-based video coding is employed in connection with a modified decoder structure. Fast inverse motion compensation is applied directly in the compressed domain, so that the transform (e.g., DCT) coefficients of the current frame can be reconstructed from those of the previous frame. The spatial characteristics of each block is calculated from the DCT coefficients, and each block is classified as either low-activity or high-activity. For each low-activity block, its DC coefficient value and the DC coefficient values of the surrounding eight neighbor blocks are exploited to predict low frequency AC coefficients which reflect the original coefficients before quantization in the encoding stage. The predicted AC coefficients are inserted into the low activity blocks where blocking artifacts are most noticeable.

Abstract: A fast text/graphics resolution improvement algorithm is based on boundary parameterization and uses chain-code table look-up. Given an input representation containing text/graphics objects, the boundary of each object is traced, parameterized, smoothed, and subsequently rendered. Instructions for the critical operations are stored in one or more pre-computed look-up tables (LUTs) which is/are accessed during on-line operation, resulting in an algorithm that is fast and computationally inexpensive with low memory requirements. A very flexible framework is presented which can be utilized in a variety of applications requiring resolution improvement.

Abstract: A compressed-domain-based algorithm reduces a source image to a given target size using a combination of downscaling, cropping, and region-of-interest identification. The source image is partitioned into a plurality of macroblocks, each macroblock containing a plurality of chrominance and luminance blocks, each chrominance block and each luminance block containing a DC coefficient and AC coefficients. To each macroblock, a first rule is applied based on values of the DC coefficient of the chrominance blocks in that macroblock to identify a particular type of texture in the image. Also to each macroblock, a second rule is applied based on select values of the AC coefficient of luminance blocks in that macroblock to identify edges in the image. The macroblocks within the image are then searched to find an area containing an area of interest based on the results of applying the first and second rules.

Abstract: Complex control procedures employ direct memory access by a first DMA processing unit 54 to send control data to a first controller by means of DMA channels 54-1 to 54-n, and by a second DMA processing unit 56 to send control data to a second controller 36 by means of DMA channels 56-1 to 56-m. The first DMA processing unit 54 also has a branching controller 52 as a DMA channel for transferring timing data to a second timer 40. When a time specified by the received timing data passes, the second timer 40 sends an activation signal to DMA channel 56-1 of the second DMA processing unit 56, and the DMA channels 56-1 to 56-m are thereafter sequentially activated.

Abstract: A diaphragm 10 is fixed to a base plate 102 by a screw 13. A lever 20 has a spring member 23, a rotor-fixing member 25, and an insertion hole 22 formed therein. By passing a shaft 21 through the insertion hole 22, the lever 20 is turnably supported so as to turn about its own axis. In a state in which the spring member 23 abuts against an eccentric pressure-adjusting cam 26, a pressing force for urging the diaphragm 10 via the rotor 100 is adjusted by turning the pressure-adjusting cam 26 so as to change an elastic force of the spring member 23.

Abstract: A bar code or similar symbol can be printed accurately within a specified printing area by a printer for printing such symbols. The printer has a symbol image generator for converting display data to a symbol and has hardware or software for reporting the size of the converted symbol to a host device. The host sends specific commands and text data for representation in the printed symbol to the printer for printing. As a result, the host can confirm whether printing within the specific area is possible.

Abstract: A technique is provided that identifies screen and non-screen regions of a projected or displayed image to smooth and selectively remove moiré from the screen regions while maintaining sharpness in the non-screen regions. Each pixel in the image is classified as a screen or non-screen pixel and then pixels in a predetermined surrounding area of each pixel are examined to check the classification of that pixel. A low pass filter is applied to pixels in the image, such that, when the low pass filter is applied, one or more pixels covered by the low pass filter are respectively replaced by one or more other pixels covered by the low pass filter based on the examination.

Abstract: A package cushion member includes an upper pad 10 and a lower pad 20 from which a plurality of upper-pad hollow projections 15 and a plurality of lower-pad hollow projections 25 project so as to surround a storage space for a projector 50, and also adopts a reinforcing pad 30 having bottom-protecting hollow projections 31 which are in contact with recesses 22 of the lower pad 20, and side-reinforcing hollow projections 35 which are inserted halfway into the lower-pad hollow projections 25, when the reinforcing pad 30 is placed under the lower pad 20. This makes it possible to reliably prevent an outer case of a packed object from being broken even when the outer case is easily distorted at the center portion in the thickness direction.

Abstract: A technique is provided that identifies screen and non-screen regions of a projected or displayed image to smooth and selectively remove moiré from the screen regions while maintaining sharpness in the non-screen regions. Each pixel in the image is classified as a screen or non-screen pixel and then pixels in a predetermined surrounding area of each pixel are examined to check the classification of that pixel. A low pass filter is applied to pixels in the image, such that, when the low pass filter is applied, a center of the low pass filter is selectively shifted relative to a current pixel based on the examination.

Abstract: Techniques for removing from scanned film regions of “missing data” which may include date regions, or may be the result of spots, scratches or folds on the film. Such techniques are particularly designed to handle larger regions of missing data, such as “thick” scratches. The techniques of the present invention segment missing data regions (which may include characters in a date field) and perform component filtering which involves determining the area/perimeter ratio of each segmented missing data region. Only those regions whose area/perimeter ratio is less than a certain threshold are kept for closest-to-radial-based-function (CRBF) filtering to estimate colors from neighboring pixels to fill in the missing data regions.

Abstract: A stepping motor, head, or other drive mechanism is driven with high precision without using a high speed CPU or dedicated hardware. Timing data controlling the timing at which drive mechanism operation changes, and plural control data controlling drive mechanism operation at each timing change, are stored to memory. After a drive command from the CPU is received, timing data is read from memory by a direct memory access (DMA), and sent to a timer. Based on a time-up signal from the timer, the drive control data is read sequentially from memory by DMA for each of plural control data types and sent to a drive control unit. Afterward, the next timing data is sent to the timer and the operation repeated. The drive control unit drives the drive mechanism based on the control data.