Abstract: An image, eg of an advertising or promotional nature, is depicted in an inverse perspective form on a playing field (10) for a sporting event. The playing field is imaged by means of a video camera (12) whose line of sight (14) corresponds to the line of sight used in transforming the image to its inverse perspective form, and the output of the camera then broadcast or diffused in a television broadcasting or diffusion service.

Abstract: One object of the present invention is to cut out areas of different natures from an image hierarchically. For encoding, an area identifier identifies areas of an input image. A multivalued area is encoded in a multivalued encoding mode. As for a bicolor area, typical-color values are computed and then encoded in a binary encoding mode. For decoding, multivalued coded data is decoded in a multivalued decoding mode. As for binary-coded data, values of pixels of a binary image resulting from binary decoding are transformed into multivalued data using associated typical-color values. The multivalued data is structured according to structural information, wherein areas of the data may be superposed mutually. Thus, an image is reconstructed.

Abstract: A decimation device for digital data sequences includes a multiplexer mounted in cascade with a calculator producing, alternately, during a first calculation cycle, the mean M.sub.i of at least two data sequences representing the pixels P(i,j) and P(i,j+1) in a line L.sub.i, and during a following calculation cycle, the mean M.sub.c. The mean M.sub.c is composed of the mean M.sub.i and of an intermediate sequence previously calculated and stored in a storage register arranged between an output for the calculation stage and at least one of the inputs to the multiplexer. The intermediate sequence represents the mean M.sub.i-1 of at least two data sequences representing pixels P(i-1,j) and P(i-1,j+1) in a line L.sub.i-1, where i varies from 0 to N-1 and j varies from 0 to M-1.

Abstract: An image processing method is for automatically detecting objects of a predetermined type among diffuse objects in an original image, in the form of a two-dimensional matrix of pixels which have digitized intensity values. The method is carried out by a processing chain. A first transformed image (11A, 11B) is formed by a first smoothing (120A, 120B) of the original image (10A) to the resolution of the objects to be detected, in which local intensity optimums (LIST1A, LIST1B) are determined (130A, 140A; 130B, 140B). A second transformed image (13A, 13B) is formed via a second smoothing (220A, 220B) of the original image (10A) to the resolution of diffuse objects, in which homogeneous intensity regions are determined (230A, 230B), local intensity optimums (LIST1A, LIST1B) determined on the basis of the first transformed image are placed (240A, 240B) in the homogeneous regions determined on the basis of the second transformed image.

Abstract: An image representation method for representing an image using triangular mesh which is adaptively formed based on a degree of texture description of the image.

Abstract: A method for making it possible to simply reduce accumulation of integral errors when obtaining a directing measured result by integrating measured values in a measured value group. Integrated values Ye(i) up to each measured value are obtained by means of the partial integrating method by using the even-numberth measured values in a measured value group as the respective reference values, respectively. Integrated values Yo(i) up to each measured value are obtained by means of the partial integrating method by using the odd-numberth measured values in a measured value group as the respective reference values, respectively. An average value of Ye(i) and one of the odd-numberth-reference integrated values Yo(i-1), Yo(i), and Yo(i+1) is taken as a final integrated result Y(i) up to each measured value, where i is a place number in a row of measured values.

Abstract: The invention is a method for generating a still image, comprising the steps of producing a plurality of images, each of the plurality having been produced at a distinct focal length, scaling each of the images to a common focal length and combining each of the scaled images to a final image of a single focal length, portions of which are of a relatively high resolution, as compared to the images of the original sequence. The invention also includes combining a sequence of still images of varying fields of view into a panoramic image of an overall field of view, which overall field of view includes all of the fields of view of the sequence. In addition to combining images generated at different fields of view, the method of the invention can be used to combine images generated with respect to different fields of view of an overall scene, such as a panoramic scene into a combined panoramic field of view. This aspect of the invention may also be combined with the varying focal length aspect.

Abstract: A bi-level dithered image is compressed using knowledge of the particular dither matrix used to generate the dithered image from an original high resolution grey-scale image. A lower resolution grey-scale image is substituted for the original high resolution grey-scale image (which may be further compressed with known compression techniques), such that after the two images (after any required decompression) have been dithered by that same dither matrix, the resultant dithered images are the same (lossless compression) or substantially the same (lossy compression). In a preferred embodiment, the lower resolution encoded multi-tone image is based on variable sized blocks of pixels, with the dither matrix being used to determine an optimal size and intensity of each block in the encoded image such that when the lower resolution image is dithered, it is indistinguishable from the dithered original image.

Abstract: Fixed-pitch, fixed-font characters embedded in a noisy gray-scale image of picture elements (pels) within a complex background can be extracted prior to execution of any recognition operations by first deriving a normalized Boolean-coded image from the gray-scale image. Then, a subset of at least three uncontaminated character triples is formed by filtering the Boolean-coded image. Next, an affine transform is approximated from locations in the Boolean-coded image of at least three noncollinear ones of the uncontaminated character triples. Lastly, the locations in a logical matrix array of all possible character triples are estimated according to the affine transform.

Abstract: Preferably using frame vectors, a reference memory (13) keeps feature vectors of a set as a tree comprising a root node, leaf nodes farthest from the root node, and intermediate nodes with the frame vectors assigned respectively to the leaf nodes. A calculator (17) calculates cluster distances between each feature vector of an input pattern and a subset assigned among the set to each daughter node of a mother node which is first the root node. From the intermediate nodes with the mother node successively selected along each branch of the tree, a selector (19) selects at least one daughter node that gives a shortest possible cluster distance.

Abstract: The method identifies a pixon, a fundamental and indivisible unit of information, and a pixon basis, which represents the smallest number of cells of arbitrary shape or position required to fit the data, representing the minimum degrees of freedom necessary to specify the image. The goodness-of-fit is determined according to the Maximum Residual Likelihood (MRL) statistic or a similar chi-squared statistic.

Abstract: A color detecting apparatus comprises a mechanism for decomposing light from an inspection target object into a plurality of kinds of wavelength components and for inputting the wavelength components as spectrum data, a memory for storing the spectrum data, a mechanism for calculating out a physical characteristic amount of the spectrum data, a memory for storing reference data to be used as reference for the characteristic amount, and a mechanism for comparing the characteristic amount with the reference data, thereby to determine whether or not a color of the inspection target object is a reference color.

Abstract: A baggage security system is disclosed for providing fingerprint identification of all persons checking luggage or cargo to be shipped on airline flights, to enable swift identification of all persons checking or carrying on board luggage or cargo. The security kit preferably includes a first document, such as a passenger ticket, a second document, such as a baggage tag label and a fingerprint coating material. The first document or passenger ticket has a first substrate with a personal information area on a surface thereof bearing the name of the person depositing baggage or cargo for transport. The ticket additionally has a fingerprint identification area on a surface thereof for receiving a fingerprint of the passenger wishing to check luggage.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for efficiently rendering and printing bands of image information defined by a page description language. The invention estimates the print time for each print band sufficiently in advance to control a page-oriented output device print engine. In a first embodiment, the present invention controls the speed of the print engine for each page to be printed, based on a "rendering cost" or rasterization time estimate for some or all of the bands on each page. In a second embodiment, the present invention controls the speed of the print engine for each band to be printed, based on a "rendering cost" or rasterization time estimate for each band. An additional aspect of the present invention is that the print engine can be sped up for empty or sparse pages or bands, thus improving overall print speed.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for orthogonally transforming image information in a block comprising NXN pixels, and creating block information composed of MXM pixels (N.noteq.M) on the basis of the information orthogonally transformed. The created block information is reverse transformed into real spatial information having MXM pixels. The reverse transformation is performed using a basic vector other than a transposed matrix of an orthogonal transformation matrix of MXM pixels.

Abstract: In an image signal processing apparatus and processing method, intermediate gradation is produced by way of a bit expansion to reduce a quantizing noise. The image signal processing apparatus is comprised of: bit expanding means for bit-expanding an n-bit quantized input image signal into an m-bit (symbols "n" and "m" are integers, and own a relationship of n<m); control signal output means for outputting a control signal based upon the input image signal; and a converting unit for adaptively converting the signal from the bit expanding means into an m-bit signal in response to the control signal from the control signal output means. Also, the image signal processing method comprises the steps of: bit-expanding an n-bit quantized input image signal to an m-bit (symbol "n" and "m" are integers and own a relationship of n>m); and adaptively producing lower order (m-n) bits in accordance with an image nature of the input image signal to thereby be converted into an m-bit signal.

Abstract: A facial image picture data is processed by an edge extraction part, which performs edge extraction on the inputted image picture. The processed data is then converted by a binary level conversion part for each preestimated point of facial elements. An image picture arithmetic processing part performs time-to-time arithmetic computation of correlation values between the data of the binary-leveled edged-image picture and the data having been previously stored in the shape data-base part, and issues an output including extracted data of feature points of the facial image picture.

Abstract: Image signals are encoded following a spatial decomposition pattern that is based on a selected location within the image. The resulting sequence of sets of encoded image signals may be transmitted to a remote node for decoding and display. The display of the decoded signals is progressively updated as subsequent sets of encoded image signals are received and decoded. In a preferred embodiment, the first set of encoded image signals comprises DC transformed signals corresponding to the original image, while the subsequent sets of encoded signals comprise AC transformed signals corresponding to the original image.

Abstract: A control channel is searched for call waiting in a mobile station where the power supply for a receiving circuit is turned off during a break time of receiving level measurements, wherein in a first control channel selection mode, all the control channels are divided into a plurality of groups, the receiving levels of the control channels are measured group by group intermittently and sequentially. The intermittent measurement of these groups are repeated until a control channel having a receiving level equal to or greater than a first predetermined value is detected. When a receiving level equal to or greater than the first predetermined value is detected, the receiving levels of all the control channels are measured in a second control channel selection mode.

Abstract: In an image processing apparatus of the present invention, a chromaticity data converting device converts chromaticity data of an original image into chromaticity data which can be outputted from an image output device based on chromaticity data obtained from a color signal of a color sample stored in a first storage device and chromaticity data obtained from a color signal of an input image stored in an original data storage device. Then, a second color converting device converts the chromaticity data converted by the chromaticity data converting device into a signal which can be outputted from the image output device based on data stored in a third storage device. As a result, the chromaticity data of a color signal is converted for each input image individually, thereby making it possible to reproduce colors faithfully to the original image.