Patents Assigned to Altek Corporation
  • Patent number: 8279307
    Abstract: A sharpness processing method and system for a digital image are applied to an image capturing device for capturing a raw image. The method includes the steps. An image processing procedure is performed on the raw image to generate a registered image. A first sharpness enhancement table and a second sharpness enhancement table respectively sharpness attenuation at an outer-edge region and a central region of the registered image are loaded, and a range between the outer-edge region and the central region is defined as a plurality of critical regions. A sharpness enhancement weight table is loaded, and weight values of each critical region respectively corresponding to the first sharpness enhancement table and the second sharpness enhancement table are searched, for obtaining a sharpness enhanced value of each critical region. An image sharpness processing procedure is performed on the critical region, for correct the registered image into a digital image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventors: Che-Hung Lin, Chung-Ta Wu
  • Patent number: 8280121
    Abstract: A method of establishing a skin color model includes the following steps. A human face detecting procedure is performed on an input image, and a human face area in the input image is circled through a selecting window. A skin color model is established by using a Gaussian probability distribution function (PDF) according to color information in the selecting window. When the skin color model established in the above step is applied to skin color detection, pixels having the skin color in the input image are detected through the skin color model and a Mahalanobis distance computing procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventors: Chen-Hung Chan, Hong-Long Chou
  • Patent number: 8279265
    Abstract: An automatic capturing method of a panoramic image for a digital camera panoramic image is presented. In the method, a motion vector value of an alignment image selected from a first image captured by the digital camera in a real-time image is continuously tracked, calculated, and accumulated to obtain an accumulated motion vector value. When the accumulated motion vector value reaches a preset threshold value, the digital camera is automatically driven to capture a second image, so as to stitch and blend the first image and the second image into a panoramic image. Through the automatic image capture mode, operations for capturing the panoramic image are simplified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventors: Chia-Chun Tseng, Hong-Long Chou
  • Patent number: 8275252
    Abstract: A camera including a main body, a lens and a flashlight module is provided. The main body has an image capturing unit. The lens is disposed on the main body at a position corresponding to the image capturing unit for guiding lights to the image capturing unit. The flashlight module includes a first light source and second light sources. The first light source is disposed on the main body and has a first emitting area. The second light sources are disposed on the main body and surround the first light source. Each second light source has a second emitting area. The second emitting areas surround the first emitting area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventors: Chung-Pin Lu, Yi-Yu Chen
  • Patent number: 8270715
    Abstract: A method for correcting red-eye is described. Through facial features, at least one facial region is obtained in an image, a nose position in each facial region is obtained by using a nose feature, and at least one eye position is obtained based on a relative position relation between the nose and the eyes. After a color gamut of the image is converted, a red region is obtained from the eye position, and a plurality of edges is formed by using a luminance of the color gamut on the image with the converted color gamut according to the eye feature, so as to exclude the red region out of the plurality of edges, thereby improving accuracy of the red region on the eye position. Then, the red region is covered by an iris color, so as to correct the red-eye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventors: Chung-Fang Chien, Che-Lun Chuang
  • Patent number: 8269856
    Abstract: An automatic focusing system in a low-illumination setting and a method using the same are disclosed. Through a selection of the memory bits and a tone adjustment, an automatic focusing could be precisely achieved. According to one embodiment, a lens module and an image sensor are firstly used for generating the digital image signals. Next, a gain adjustment unit is introduced to adjusting the gain of the signals, so as to reduce the noises. A memory bit retrieving unit is further used to retrieve the data from a plurality of memory bits. Next, a tone adjusting process is performed to raise the signals' contrast.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventors: Peng-Wei Lin, Li-Wen Kuo
  • Publication number: 20120224275
    Abstract: An auto focusing lens module is provided, which includes a casing, a photo interrupter and a lens holder. The casing has a containing space. The photo interrupter is fixedly disposed on the casing and has a light-emitting surface and a light-sensing surface opposite to the light-emitting surface. The lens holder is disposed in the containing space and has a first obstacle and a second obstacle. The space between the first obstacle and the second obstacle keeps a calibrating interval. The lens holder is capable of moving to-and-fro along an axial direction to bring the first obstacle, the calibrating interval or the second obstacle to the space between the light-emitting surface and the light-sensing surface. The invention also provides a calibrating method suitable for the above-mentioned auto focusing lens module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2011
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Applicant: ALTEK CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hong Bin Koh
  • Patent number: 8259217
    Abstract: A fast focusing method for a digital camera is applied in an auto focusing stage for judging whether the digital camera needs to be refocused. The fast focusing method includes recording a system time after a previous focusing (defined as a first time); capturing a system time before a current focusing (defined as a second time); performing a fuzziness detection procedure to acquire a focus value when a difference obtained by subtracting the first time from the second time is greater than a focusing time threshold; setting a focusing focal length range covering a reference focal length when the focus value is between a lower limit focusing threshold and an upper limit focusing threshold; capturing images at different focusing focal lengths respectively in the focusing focal length range; calculating a contrast value of each image; calculating a target focal length from the contrast values through a quadratic curve approximation method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventors: Chan-Min Chou, Chia-Lun Tsai, Chih-Pin Yen
  • Publication number: 20120219238
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a geometric position obtaining unit, an image retrieving unit, and an image rectifying unit. The geometric position obtaining unit receives a geometric transformation parameter, a block size, and a tile size, obtains a plurality of base-point coordinates of the geometric transformation parameter according to the block size and the tile size, and builds a base-point coordinate table according to the base-point coordinates. The image retrieving unit reads the base-point coordinate table, scans the base-point coordinate table according a fixed block size to generate a plurality of reference image ranges, and respectively retrieves a plurality of partial image data of a to-be-processed image data according to each of the reference image ranges. The image rectifying unit rectifies each of the partial image data according to the geometric transformation parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2011
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: ALTEK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chih-Feng Liu, Po-Jung Lin, Da-Ming Chang
  • Publication number: 20120218279
    Abstract: A memory access method for processing images includes reading an image data from a main memory. The image data has display rows. Inner memories are configured to be memory blocks arranged in an order of data storage. First pixel data in an ith display row are written into the memory blocks in the order of data storage, and N dummy data are written into the memory blocks in the order of data storage to form an isolated block. M dummy data are written into the memory blocks after the isolated block in the order of data storage to form a first shifted block. Second pixel data in an (i+1)th display row are written into the memory blocks after the first shifted block in the order of data storage, and O dummy data are written into the memory blocks in the order of data storage to form a second shifted block.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2011
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: ALTEK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Po-Jung Lin, Da-Ming Chang, Chien-Fa Huang
  • Patent number: 8244060
    Abstract: A noise suppression method for a digital image is described, which utilizes an adjacent area of a target pixel in the digital image to conduct a denoising process on the target pixel. The noise suppression method includes the following steps. A feature-weighted processing procedure is performed on each original pixel in the digital image to convert the original pixel into a feature-weighted pixel. According to a position of the target pixel in the digital image, a reference pixel is selected from a corresponding position in the feature-weighted image. Similarities of the reference pixel relative to the other feature-weighted pixels are respectively computed. Through the computed similarities, a feature-weighted pixel for compensation is selected from the feature-weighted pixels other than the reference pixel. Finally, noise suppression is performed on the reference pixel by using the feature-weighted pixel for compensation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventors: Chung-Fang Chien, Che-Hung Lin
  • Publication number: 20120200675
    Abstract: A method of generating image data having disparity (or parallax) using a digital image-capturing device, as well as a digital image-capturing device are disclosed. The feature is to rotate a focus lens of the digital image-capturing device at two opposite directions or to place a refractive sheet having two opposite refractive directions in front of an image sensor of the digital image-capturing device. Also disclosed are a method and a device of generating stereoscopic image using the generated image data having disparity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2012
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Applicant: ALTEK CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hsin-Te Wang
  • Patent number: 8238680
    Abstract: An image compression method is used for processing a plurality of pixels of an image. The image compression method includes the steps of receiving N pixels; analyzing the N pixels and generating a content type corresponding to the N pixels; obtaining a quantization parameter and a coding parameter corresponding to the N pixels according to the content type and a currently available buffer space value; obtaining N quantized differences corresponding to the N pixels through a prediction and quantization way according to values of the N pixels and the quantization parameter; and encoding the N quantized differences according to the N quantized differences and the coding parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventors: Chen-Hung Chan, Hong-Long Chou
  • Patent number: 8235543
    Abstract: A compensation method for alleviating color shading in a digital image is adapted to correct a color shading phenomenon in a digital image that causes luminance differences between regions in the digital image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventors: Che-Lun Chuang, Chung-Ta Wu
  • Publication number: 20120194701
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus and an image correction method thereof are provided. The image capturing apparatus comprises an image capturing module, a sensing module, a storage module, and a processing module. The image capturing module captures an image. The sensing module senses an included angle between the image capturing apparatus and a horizontal plane. The storage module stores a rotation compensation data table containing a plurality of offset angles and a plurality of rotation compensation values for pixels corresponding to each offset angle. According to a difference value between the angle and a preset angle, the processing module finds out the appropriate rotation compensation values in the rotation compensation data table for rotating and correcting the image. A calibrated image is then generated, and the calibrated image matches the image captured by the image capturing device at the preset angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2011
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Applicant: ALTEK CORPORATION
    Inventor: Chan-Min Chou
  • Patent number: 8234454
    Abstract: A method of numerical analysis for continuous data includes: providing a temporary storage block, fetching a plurality of data units sequentially from continuous data to store in the temporary storage block, conducting an analysis step wherein each data unit is analyzed sequentially based on all the data units stored in the temporary storage block, recording the analysis result, performing an OR operation on the analysis result of each of the data units and the corresponding previous analysis result, and determining whether the end of the continuous data has been reached. If so, the method terminates. If not, the first of the data units is removed, the next data unit from the continuous data is fetched, and the analysis step is returned to. The method can be implemented in hardware with less temporary storage space and read/write overheads. A system of numerical analysis for continuous data is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventors: Hsin-Te Wang, Wen-Ben Wang
  • Patent number: 8233787
    Abstract: A photographic device using a focus method includes a zoom lens, an image analyzing module, a focus distance providing module and a processing module. The zoom lens is used for capturing image information of a plurality of positions. The image analyzing module is used for analyzing contrast values of the image information of the plurality of positions. The focus distance providing module is used for providing a non-equivalent and a constant focus distance interval for capturing the image information of the plurality of positions. The processing module is electrically connected with the zoom lens, the image analyzing module, and the focus distance providing module. Whereby, the photographic device acquires the image information of the plurality of positions by the non-equivalent focus distance interval, acquires a coarse focus position, and acquires an accurate focus position by the constant focus distance according to the coarse focus position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventors: Chih-Pin Yen, Chia-Lun Tsai, Li-Wen Kuo
  • Publication number: 20120188438
    Abstract: A method and a system for controlling an external lens, applicable to a main device to control a lens module connected thereto, are provided. The main device provides power and storage medium for the lens module to use. In the present method, the lens module is connected to the main device, and a control program is downloaded from a memory unit of the lens module and installed in the main device. The control program is used to allow the main device to receive a control operation, accordingly control the lens module to execute a camera function, and finally display an execution result of the lens module executing the camera function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2011
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: ALTEK CORPORATION
    Inventor: HongBin Koh
  • Publication number: 20120188407
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus and an image capturing apparatus are provided. The image capturing apparatus comprises an image capturing module and a processing module. The image capturing module captures an image having a plurality of pixels. The processing module looks up a table to process a rotation calibration or a tilt calibration toward the pixels to output a calibrated image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2011
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: ALTEK CORPORATION
    Inventor: Chan-Min Chou
  • Patent number: 8229216
    Abstract: A method for adjusting a skin color of a digital image adjusts the skin color of an input image. The method includes performing a skin color detection process on the input image to generate a skin-color probability plot Sp in a size corresponding to the input image; providing a hue-saturation lookup table named LUT_Color; performing a skin-color reproduction process on the input image to look up the LUT_Color for a chrominance pixel value for each pixel value of the input image to generate a first image, and adjust each pixel value of the first image by using the skin-color probability plot Sp to generate a second image; performing a skin color smoothing process on the second image to generate a third image; and mixing pixel values of the input image and the third image to generate a target image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventors: Chen-Hung Chan, Hong-Long Chou