Abstract: Infrared radiation from a light source such as a laser diode illuminates the field of view of a surveillance camera. The amount of illumination is varied in intervals, which may for example, be about 3/4 of a second, by varying the power applied to the light source. The radiation may emanate from optical fibers surrounding a camera lens, or through other ports. The power to the laser diode may be altered in response to background light sensed by a photo cell.

Abstract: Picture signals are encoded so that one of a frame-based orthogonal transformation or a field-based orthogonal transformation is selected as a function of frame-based orthogonal-transformation coefficients and field-based orthogonal transformation coefficients. The coefficients representing the smallest quantity of data are selected and encoded for transmission. Alternatively, a picture signal is encoded so that one of intra-frame coding and inter-frame coding, as well as either a frame-based or field-based orthogonal transformation, are selected as a function of the respective orthogonal transformation coefficients.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope apparatus which is used in combination with another medical diagnosis apparatus for medical diagnosis, includes a monitor for displaying the image based on a video signal from the endoscope or displaying both of the image based on a video signal from the endoscope and the image based on a video signal from the other medical diagnosis apparatus on the same screen, and a display switching controller for receiving the video signal from the other medical diagnosis apparatus and selectively switching the video signal to be displayed on the screen between the video signal from the endoscope and both of the video signals from the endoscope and the other medical diagnosis apparatus to display the image based on the selected video signal.

Abstract: A video bit rate control method. SUBGOPs are defined as sets of two to four frames in a GOP. For example, if the GOP comprises IBBPBBPBBPBB frames, each of the SUBGOPs is defined as a set of the IBBP or BBP frames. Before bit assignment is performed with respect to frames to be coded, it is checked whether a scene change is present with respect to frames in successive ones of the SUBGOPs. If it is checked that the scene change is not present, a bit rate is controlled in a conventional manner. In the case where the scene change is present, a smaller bits than that in the conventional manner is assigned to frames with no scene change and a relatively large bit amount is assigned to a frame with the scene change. Therefore, according to the present invention, the video bit rate control method has the effect of preventing a degradation in a picture quality due to the scene change.

Abstract: Motion vectors between a current frame and its preceding frame of video signals are optimally determined to a half-pixel accuracy by finding a plurality of full-pixel resolution motion vectors corresponding to a plurality of best matching blocks in a search region; and, thereafter, deriving a half-pixel resolution motion vector by selecting an half-pixel resolution block which yields the minimum error functions out of all possible half-pixel resolution candidate blocks included in half-pixel resolution search regions, each of which corresponding to one of the full-pixel motion vectors.

Abstract: A moving picture decoding device in which picture data is read from a picture memory responsive to a motion vector to perform decoding the motion-compensated moving picture and in which the picture data is also read in a pre-set sequence for display. With the present moving picture decoding device, the combination of data, that is a word format, for a word simultaneously read from four memory devices (DRAMs), is set so as to be different for the motion compensation and for display. That is, during motion compensation, simultaneous reading of a word consisting of luminance (Y) signal component data D0, D1, D2 and D3 is time-divisionally changed over to simultaneous reading of a word consisting of chroma (C.sub.b and C.sub.r) signal component data D2, D3, D0 and D1. During display, two luminance data D0 and D1 (or D2 and D3) are read out simultaneously with the chroma (C.sub.b and C.sub.r) signal component data D2, D3 (or D0 and D1).

Abstract: A display control system provided between a computer and a display device includes a plurality of display control LSI's for data transfer and also displays image data stored in a plurality of image memories having planes on the display device by controlling plane groups which include one or more planes. Each display control LSI includes an enable generator for generating a synchronization enabling signal in accordance with LSI designation information and an input/output buffer for outputting a synchronization signal in response to the enabling signal. A synchronization signal from one of the plurality of display control LSI's designated by the LSI designation information is supplied to the plurality of display control LSI's inclusive of the designated display control LSI through a signal line to allow the plurality of display control LSI's to operate with each other, thereby making it possible to produce and display data to be simultaneously on the display device.

Abstract: A motion detection circuit and method using spatial information obtains spatial correlation information in various directions of a frame and compares the spatial correlation information with a value corresponding to a previous frame to thereby effectively use a frame memory to accurately detect motion. The motion detection circuit uses a number of line memories and delays to delay an input signal and transform the delayed signal into samples necessary for extracting spatial correlation information. Subsequently, the motion detection circuit obtains a subtraction value of the sample, compares the subtraction value with a reference value, and extracts spatial correlation information. Also, the motion detection circuit uses a comparator to compare proper bit spatial correlation information with a pixel value corresponding to a previous frame stored in a frame memory and to determine whether the input signal is in a moving area or a stationary area.

Abstract: A video compression system and method for compressing video data for transmission or storage by reducing the temporal redundancy in the video data is described. A frame of video data is divided into a variable number of blocks of pixel data of varying size, and each block of data is compared to a window of pixel data in a reference frame of pixel data, typically the previous frame. A best matched block of pixel data is selected from the window of pixel data in the reference frame, and a displacement vector is assigned to describe the selected block location in the reference frame relative to the current block of pixel data. The number and size of the blocks of pixel data are permitted to vary, in order to adapt to motion discontinuities in the sequential frames of pixel data.

Abstract: A driving method for an electooptical device is disclosed. A plurality of nonlinear resistance elements are arranged in units of pixel electrodes, and two adjacent operating electrodes are coupled through independent nonlinear resistance elements which are controlled by the pair of operating electrodes so as to provide a stable operation against variation in characteristics of the nonlinear resistance elements and to prevent deterioration of display over time. Data signals are applied to signal electrodes and are set in reference to nonselected scan signals applied to the scan electrodes during a nonselected period. Thus, the data input to one pixel is not affected by data input to the other pixels and is not affected during the period between a first frame scanning and a next frame scanning.

Abstract: In a target tracking system being capable of tracking a target object certainly, color change by illumination is absorbed through color judgment from R-Y and B-Y with forecast coefficients, not hue, and is forcibly switched the forecast coefficient of the luminance signal, so that a black and white target can be tracked certainly. Further, the evaluation is performed without the effect from small object in the image, and the center of gravity of the alteration amount is evaluated, so that the position can be detected even when the television camera is moving, and improving the tracking efficiency of target object.

Abstract: An area subdividing unit subdivides a reference image, producing sub-areas. An inter-frame difference calculating device determines inter-frame differences between the reference image and an input image. A moving area detecting unit designates, by reference to the inter-frame differences, moving areas from a plurality of sub-areas. An area integrating device integrates the detected moving areas according to information of the reference image to create a plurality of moving object areas. A motion estimating device estimates motion between the input and reference images for each moving object area to attain motion parameters. A motion compensating unit compensates motion for each moving object area based on the motion parameters to generate a motion compensated prediction image. A motion compensating apparatus is capable of achieving complete and exact motion compensation using area information and a reduced number of encoding operations.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for motion compensated coding of interlaced digital video signals. A first prediction error signal is obtained indicative of the difference between a current portion from a field of a current video frame and a similarly situated first portion in the same field of a prior video frame. A second prediction error signal is obtained indicative of the difference between the current portion and a similarly situated second portion in an opposite field of the prior video frame. A third prediction error signal is obtained indicative of the difference between the current portion and an average of the first and second portions. One of the first, second and third prediction error signals is selected to represent the current portion. Motion vector information is provided to enable the current frame portion to which the selected prediction error signal corresponds to be reproduced by a decoder.

Abstract: An inter-frame predicted error signal generation unit generates an inter-frame predicted error signal for selectively performing prediction between an input image signal of the current frame and a decoded image signal of the previous frame, and between the input image signal of the current frame and the image signal of the previous frame. A coding unit selectively codes the inter-frame predicted error signal generated by the inter-frame predicted error signal generation unit and the input image signal with high-efficiency compression. A statistical amount calculation unit calculates a statistical amount of the inter-frame predicted error signal generated by the inter-frame predicted error signal generation unit. Based on the statistical amount of the inter-frame predicted error signal calculated by the statistical amount calculation unit, a discrimination unit discriminates whether or not coding by the coding unit is to be performed.

Abstract: In a video signal processor including a motion compensated predictive coding data compression system, three adjacent image frames (1, 2, 3) are analyzed to detect a luminance gradient such as is typically associated with image fading. The frames are similarly divided into several segments (A . . . L). The sum of the absolute pixel value differences between corresponding segments from adjacent frames is obtained for each of two pairs adjacent frame segments (DIFF.sub.1-2 ; DIFF.sub.2-3). The ratio of the two frame differences (S) is obtained for each segment. Fading is indicated if the ratio remains substantially constant for all or a predetermined number of regions. If fading is detected, any motion vectors generated by the motion coder are assigned a zero value and are not coded.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting motion vectors between a current frame and a previous frame of video signals based on a block matching motion estimation approach comprises a variable block formation section for defining a variable search block from the current frame, the variable search block is extended from a selected search block which is a plain picture block without having an edge of an object within the current frame; and a motion-estimation section for estimating the variable search block with respect to each of candidate blocks included in the previous frame to provide a number motion vector and an error function corresponding thereto, the motion vector representing the displacement of pixels between the search block and a candidate block which yield a minimum error function.

Abstract: Video frames to be encoded are divided into regions, which are then classified into different classes of regions. One or more different filters are then applied to the regions of different classes to generate pre-filtered video frames which are then further encoded to generate an encoded bit stream. In a preferred embodiment, the regions are classified into substantially changed regions and substantially unchanged regions. The pre-filtered video frames are generated by applying a temporal filter to the substantially unchanged regions and by applying a spatial filter to the substantially changed regions.

Abstract: A distance measuring apparatus sets a plurality of sub-windows in a picture plane so that the size of each sub-window having a contrast higher than a predetermined value is as small as possible but is greater than a minimum size. Therefore, it is possible to recognize the shape of an object and to measure a distance thereto with high resolution and high precision. For high speed processing, the sub-windows are successively updated in a predetermined cycle in such a manner that only those sub-windows which exist in a region in which a deviation of an image of the object last sensed relative to a previous image thereof is greater than a prescribed value are updated.

Abstract: A system which allows for the generation of grayscale video signals from color graphics images to grayscaling display devices receiving digital signals. The system is implemented advantageously in packed pixel color graphics modes of a video graphics array sysem utilized in a personal computer. The system is preferably implemented in a software program to decrease the number of hardware components, save circuit board space, consume less power and reduce complexity in the circuitry in the personal computer.

Abstract: Method of estimating motion of objects, applied to two-dimensional blocks which are successively scanned in an image, including the steps of determining a set of error data and a motion vector for each current block, and of creating "regions" formed from one block or from several adjacent blocks each having a single motion vector.