Abstract: A method is provided for rendering 3D voxel data including plural voxel sets, while eliminating artifacts that may result from the plural voxel sets colliding with each other (“voxel interpenetration”). In one aspect, the method involves an extension of the splatting approach, and uses a z-buffer associated with each pixel to indicate the z-depth of a voxel to be painted onto the pixel. According to the method, first, the z-buffer for each pixel is reset (cleared). Next, for each of the plural voxel sets, one voxel set at a time (sequentially), voxels within the voxel set are traversed until an occupied voxel is found. If a z value of the occupied voxel is less than a z value stored in the z-buffer, the z value of the occupied voxel is stored in the z-buffer and the occupied voxel is painted onto an associated pixel. Then, the next occupied voxel is considered.

Abstract: An in-vivo sensing system and a method for creating a summarized graphical presentation of a data stream captured in-vivo. The graphical presentation may be in the form of for example a color bar. The color bar may be a fixed display along side a streaming display of the data stream. A cursor or other indicator may move along the fixed color bar as the data stream is displayed and/or streamed so as to indicate to a health professional what part of the data stream may be currently displayed. The color content in the color bar may map out the data stream and give indication of the location of anatomical sites as well as possible locations of pathology.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to automatically determine the orientation of a newly generated surface, etc. when performing such processing as filling a dropout portion of three dimensional shape data, and to generate more natural three dimensional shape data. The present invention provides a method for generating a grid-patterned surface in three dimensional shape data, and comprises a first step (#11) for detecting the orientation of a polygon in the three dimensional shape data that is located at a periphery of a surface to be fitted, a second step (#12) for determining the orientation of the surface so that a grid orientation of the surface matches the orientation of the detected polygon, and a third step (#13) for fitting the surface onto the three dimensional shape data while maintaining the thus determined orientation.

Abstract: A display system and method are provided for a vehicle that includes a processor and a display. The processor is adapted to receive terrain data and navigation data operable, in response thereto, to supply one or more image rendering display commands. The display device is coupled to receive the image rendering display commands and operable, in response thereto, to simultaneously render (i) a perspective view image representative of the terrain data and the navigation data and (ii) one or more terrain-tracing lines.

Abstract: A boundary macroblock of a video object is padded without significant synchronization overhead between a host processor and an existing coprocessor. The host processor determines horizontal and vertical graphics primitives as a function of shape data stored in a host memory. The shape data determine whether a dot, a line, or a rectangle primitive should be used to pad transparent pixels in the macroblock. The host processor communicates the primitives to a coprocessor, which renders the primitives in an interleaved pipeline fashion to pad transparent pixels of the macroblock based on texture data stored in video memory. The flow of primitives is in one direction from the host processor to the graphics coprocessor, and the texture data is not transferred back and forth between the host processor and coprocessor. This technique is especially useful for enabling acceleration of MPEG-4 video decoding utilizing existing coprocessors capable of accelerating MPEG-1/2 video decoding.

Abstract: An auditory representation of a personal profile of a subject is generated, by first, acquiring a plurality of personal attributes of the subject through an assessment tool. The plurality of personal attributes is stored on a first computer system. The plurality of personal attributes is converted to a plurality of musical elements. The plurality of musical elements is arranged to form an auditory representation of the personal profile of the subject.

Abstract: A method for video processing which provides a scaled image using two different clock frequencies is provided. The method receives source pixel data using a first clock signal and scales the source pixel data to destination pixel data. After that, the destination pixel data is provided using a second clock signal having a second clock frequency and a third clock signal having a third clock frequency during blanking period and active period, respectively.

Abstract: A touch-sensitive display is made by incorporating a pressure dependent resistive polymer composite into the polymer networks, which are components of the electro-optical pixels. Examples are PDLC, electrophoretic displays, polymer dispersed guest/host systems and other polymer dispersed LC devices.

Abstract: Tomographic projection data is segmented spatially by forming segmentation masks over the full outlines of objects appearing in isolation within selected data frame images. Further processing locates the object outlines in other data frames. Predictable effects of attenuation are used to attribute appropriate amounts of intensity to the segmented object space. Separate image reconstructions can be made of the segmented object data and the remaining projection data to independently optimize the reconstructions. Composite images can be made of the separate reconstructions.

Abstract: An image display method is provided, with which a large number of images to be searched can be displayed quickly in a 3D space, with easy to understand image rendering and little strain on the user's eyes.

Abstract: A character object 2001 which stands on a ground in a virtual space is arranged to rise on a land object 1802. Here, the character object 2001 is arranged to look towards a side of a virtual camera 1601. Further, the land object 1802 is arranged so as to be displaced a predetermined distance from its original position along a direction of the orientation of the virtual camera 1601 and in a direction away from the virtual camera 1601. This prevents a character arranged on a ground in a 3D virtual space from being displayed as if a part of the character sank into the ground.

Abstract: A rendering pipeline system for a computer environment uses screen space tiling (SST) to eliminate the memory bandwidth bottleneck due to frame buffer access and performs screen space tiling efficiently, while avoiding the breaking up of primitives. The system also reduces the buffering size required by SST. High quality, full-scene anti-aliasing is easily achieved because only the on-chip multi-sample memory corresponding to a single tile of the screen is needed. The invention uses a double-z scheme that decouples the scan conversion/depth-buffer processing from the more general rasterization and shading processing through a scan/z engine. The scan/z engine externally appears as a fragment generator but internally resolves visibility and allows the rest of the rendering pipeline to perform setup for only visible primitives and shade only visible fragments.

Abstract: A multi user display system having a plurality of individual user terminals and a communal display screen has a server which recovers respective pages for display on the user terminals. The server is also responsive to a command from the user terminals which, when receives, causes the current display on the requesting terminal to be output to the communal display. The server is also responsive to a further command from the user terminals which, when received, causes the current display on the communal browser to become the current display on the requesting terminal.

Abstract: A method for rasterizing an edge includes determining an area projected by the edge in a pixel it touches. The projected area is first set equal to a unit area projected by the edge in one unit step. If a starting point of the edge is located in the pixel, an excessive projected area attributed to the edge before the starting point is subtracted from the projected area. If an end point of the edge is located in the pixel, another excessive projected area attributed to the edge after the end point is subtracted from the unit area from the projected area. If the edge crosses the pixel, then a carryover projected area attributed to the edge in a preceding pixel is added to the projected area.

Abstract: Automatically positioning of typographical features, such as vertical stems or horizontal segments of a character, on high contrast pixel sub-component boundaries as part of a rendering process that uses separately controllable pixel sub-components of pixels to represent different portions of the character. In order to identify the typographical features of the character that are to be aligned with high contrast pixel sub-component boundaries, topology of the character is analyzed at runtime. In display devices having vertical stripes of same-colored pixel sub-components, character legibility is increased when the left edges of stems are aligned with high contrast boundaries between pixel sub-components. Processing time and resources are conserved by performing a partial, rather than a full, topological analysis of the character.

Abstract: A program executing machine generates display image data including data of at least first and second image areas, and changes a display parameter of the second image area in accordance with a characteristic parameter detected in the first image area. The characteristic parameter is, e.g., the mean brightness value of a predetermined area in a dynamic image within the first image area. The brightness of the entire or part of the second image area is changed in accordance with the mean brightness value of the predetermined area. After detecting the mean brightness value of the predetermined area as the characteristic parameter, the program executing machine changes the brightness of a predetermined area within the second image area. A video game with higher reality and higher entertainment is thus realized.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing tessellation lighting operations for video graphics primitives in a video graphics system is presented. When the vertex parameters corresponding to the vertices of a video graphics primitive are received, a tessellation operation is performed such that a number of component primitives are generated. The vertex parameters corresponding to the vertices of the component primitives are then calculated utilizing the vertex parameters for the original video graphics primitive. Such calculation operations include determining a corresponding normal vector for each component primitive vertex. Each of the component primitives is then individually processed. Such processing may include calculating the lighting effects for each component primitive and performing additional processing operations that generate pixel fragments for the primitive.

Abstract: Updating a spatial partitioning data structure during run-time in an efficient manner includes several pre-processing steps. Pre-processing includes generating a first spatial partitioning data structure for a model at a first resolution, generating a second spatial partitioning data structure for the model at a second resolution, analyzing the first and second spatial partitioning data structures to identify differences between spatial partitioning of the model at the first and second resolutions, and storing the differences in a spatial partitioning update data structure. This pre-processing may be repeated for one or more pairs of successive resolutions of the model. Subsequently, during run-time, the model's resolution may be changed from the first resolution to the second resolution. In response, a spatial partitioning data structure corresponding to the first resolution may be updated using the spatial partitioning update data structure to reflect the change in resolution of the model.

Abstract: A method for sharing visual situational information of objects among a number of command and control units. The method includes the steps of providing to each command and control unit a mechanism for storing a digital reference map of a geographical area, receiving by one or more command and control unit an image of a scene which includes one or more object within the geographical area, registration of the received image of the scene to the digital reference map, updating a situational information of the object in the reference map, and transferring the updating of the situational information to one or more other command and control unit.

Abstract: A pixel structure of a transflective LCD disposed between a first data line and a second data line. The pixel structure comprises a reflective cell and a transmission cell. The transistor comprises a gate coupled to a scan line, a source coupled to the first data line, and a drain coupled to the first reflective electrode. The first transistor is covered by the first reflective electrode. The transmission cell comprises a second transistor and a transparent electrode. The second transistor comprises a gate coupled to the scan line, a source coupled to the second data line, and a drain coupled to the transparent electrode. The second transistor is covered by a second reflective electrode.