Abstract: A method of clustering using a novel template to define a region of influence. Using neighboring approximation methods, computation times can be significantly reduced. The template and method are applicable and improve pattern recognition techniques.

Abstract: A process and associated apparatus can automatically read a dot matrix code marking on an article even when the marking has been partly obscured or damaged in some way. The process comprises capturing a video image of the dot matrix code and correlating points on the captured image with a mask of expected dot appearance, using a known two-dimensional correlation technique. However, the correlation is performed in accordance with certain thresholding and mask adjustment criteria to improve read reliability and map the possible dot pattern in preparation for an attempt at reading the code. After automatically reorientating the map of possible dots to a read orientation if necessary, decoding of the pattern of possible dots is then attempted by comparing it with a datum grid representing rows and columns of valid dot matrix codes. The process can output a signal affirming that a valid code has been found.

Abstract: An automated method and apparatus are disclosed for detecting the irradiation field of a radiographic image, wherein digital image data is acquired and subjected to multiple phases of digital imaging processes. The image is first acquired by a radiation image recording apparatus through a landmark-synthesizing device that generates landmark patterns on the acquired image. These patterns are indicative of where the irradiation field is located, and are subsequently detected by digital image processing techniques. Next, the irradiation field is robustly and efficiently identified through these landmark patterns. An irradiation map is then created that functions as a template for any further image processing to be done on the irradiation field. Once the irradiation field is identified, the landmark patterns are removed from the acquired image using digital image processing techniques if desired.

Abstract: A radiation image which has been recorded using an irradiation field stop and has an irradiation field is read out and an image representing the radiation image is obtained. The irradiation field is recognized and the values of the image signal components corresponding to the picture elements recognized to be outside the irradiation field out of the image signal components which make up an image signal for reproducing the radiation image as a visible image are converted according to the following formula,g(x,y)=h(t).multidot.f(x,y)+{1-h(t)}.multidot.f.sub.maxwherein f(x,y) and g(x,y) respectively represent the values of a picture element in a position (x,y) before and after the conversion, f.sub.max represents a maximum density and h(t) represents a continuous differentiable function.

Abstract: A method of compressing color source image data includes forming a quantization table with a "supra-threshold" term. This method includes a step of selecting a set of target images, where each target image includes one or more image elements such as text. These image elements are then analyzed to identify those that are more important for visual quality. These "supra-threshold" terms are then selected that gives a larger weight to the quantization table elements that correspond to important image elements and a smaller weight to the table elements that correspond to less important image elements. This process selectively weights the characteristics of each DCT basis vectors. By giving larger weights to the table elements that correspond to the "up-downness" of the image, i.e., the vertical attributes of the image elements, and the "left-rightness" of the image, i.e.

Abstract: An apparatus enables the blind and the severely visually handicapped to recognize images by way of the tongue. Optical image information, in the form of video images, is processed electronically and transferred as an image representation to flat monitor matrix which is worn in the oral cavity in the tactile region of the tongue. Electrical current density, temperature or relief images are used to create the representations, whereby the images can be scanned by the tongue and recognized. High image resolution is attainable over the matrix region, and the tip of the tongue can be concentrated on any image detail, thus approximating sharp vision perceived by the normal eye.

Abstract: An encoding apparatus uses a vector quantization encoding method for encoding indexes of codewords, which supply a scalar quantized code of a maximum scalar product value of each code word in a code book, and its maximum scalar product value to a vector component of an input image inputted from an image sensor, so as to output the encoded indexes. A scalar product value calculating circuit in the encoding apparatus has scalar product value calculating sections, which are composed of an analog circuit having a code component capacitor corresponding to each code component, a differential amplifier and a feedback capacitor, corresponding to each codeword, and the scalar product values of the input vectors are calculated in parallel by the scalar product value calculating sections. In such a manner, when the analog calculation is made, the scale of the circuit can be decreased and the power consumption can be lowered.

Abstract: A method of processing digital angiographic images which enables automatic detection of stenoses includes a tracking step for the identification of pixels or points situated on the central lines of vessels, and a step for the detection of stenoses by measurement of the intensity of pixels along the central lines of the vessels. The stenoses detection step includes a sub-step for deciding whether a pixel zone is a potential stenosis zone when the intensity of its pixels exhibits a local variation so as to assume an intermediate value between the intensity of the pixels to both sides of this zone and the intensity of the pixels of the image background, a sub-step for defining an icon around potential stenosis zones, and a sub-step for the extraction of the pixels of edges of the vessel segments in the icons.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the position, size and/or shape of a ball formed on a pad of a semiconductor chip when a wire is bonded between the pad and a lead of a lead frame. The ball is detected in at least three directions from the center of the ball towards the edge of the ball.

Abstract: A system and method for detecting and warning of an impaired operator, such as a drowsy vehicle/machine operator or air traffic controller. The system and method employ an imaging apparatus which produces consecutive digital images including the face and eyes of an operator. There is an eye finding unit which determines the location of the operator's eyes within each digital image, and generates correlation coefficients corresponding to each eye which quantify the degree of correspondence between pixels associated with the location of the operator's eye in an immediately preceding image in comparison to pixels associated with the location of the operator's eye in a current image. An impaired operator detection unit is used to average the first N consecutive correlation coefficients generated to generate a first average correlation coefficient.

Abstract: A bi-level image coder for providing reduced bit rate arithmetic codes is disclosed, wherein each page of image to be coded is divided into a plurality of areas such as line groups, or blocks, and an arithmetic coder codes each of input pixels (the pixel S.sub.i) by using a predicted value of MPS (most probable symbol) and a predicted probability of LPS (least probable symbol) occurrence which are generated with a template and a LPS predicted probability table. The pixel attribute of the pixel S.sub.i is determined to one of a character image attribute, a dither/dot image attribute and a halftoned image attribute based on statistical properties of the area of the pixel S.sub.i. One of predetermined LPS predicted probability tables and one of predetermined templates are selected for each of the areas in operation. The coder may be so arranged as to following the JBIG standard.

Abstract: A system for processing images includes an image file subsystem providing a source signal representing an input image; a color transformation subsystem coupled to the image file subsystem and accepting as input the source signal and producing a target signal therefrom, and an image forming subsystem coupled to the color transformation subsystem and forming a physical manifestation of the input image in response to the target signal, the color transformation subsystem being configured to establish a memory "cube" area representative of possible source signals, to define a sub-cube portion of the memory area as representative of the source signal; to determine possible target signals corresponding to the sub-cube portion; and to determine the target signal responsive to the possible target signals. If interpolation is found to be accurate for a mini-cube portion of the sub-cube, truncation or interpolation are used to derive the target signal; otherwise, the target signal is determined directly.

Abstract: With a constellation of low-earth orbiting satellites, instantaneous photographs of all large cities can be made available in real-time or near real-time. Those photographs can be downloaded to ground stations, and there photographically interpreted to determine traffic conditions. The use of high and low photographic resolution permit making distinctions between different causes of traffic conditions. A color-coded map may be generated showing all major roads and their current status, showing such conditions as light traffic, medium traffic, heavy traffic and traffic accidents or jams, for example. These color-coded maps or color-coded alphabetized lists of streets may be broadcast to subscribers (broadcast stations, companies or individuals). From the color-coded traffic report, the subscribers are updated about which routes to avoid and what the best detours are around the more congested areas.

Abstract: A bilinear decimator converts an input data sequence representing a high resolution image formed by N horizontal pixel lines to an output data sequence representing a lower resolution image formed by P horizontal pixel lines where N>P. The decimation ratio P/N can be any rational fraction. When the decimation ratio reduces to the form 1-(1/n), the decimator computes the each output sequence data value as a simple weighted average of pixel data values for two vertically adjacent high resolution image pixels. When the decimation ratio is other than of the form 1-(1/n), the decimator adds additional terms to the computation of output pixel data values when necessary to compensate for aliasing errors.

Abstract: An image compression device comprises an image smoothing device which produces a smooth image by performing a smoothing process on an original image, an edge detection device which produces an edge image by subtracting said smoothed image from said original image, a fractal encoding device which encodes said smoothed image by fractal image compression, a reversible encoding device which encodes said edge image by reversible image compression, and an output device which combines the output of said fractal encoding means and the output of said reversible encoding means, and outputs said data as compressed data of the original image.

Abstract: Methods are provided for carrying out a selection step and a blending step of a process of photorealistically reconstructing and manipulating a portion of a photograph or digital image, such as a segment or a layer, in order to minimize transition discontinuities and to provide optimum speed in the segmenting of the image, which is a function of increasing importance in a production environment. In the selection step, an image is classified into foreground and background states and regions, which could be limited to a selected layer of a final image. A vector is constructed which maps separation distances in a specialty space such as HSV space between the background region in a background state and the foreground region in a new foreground state. Difference vectors between the old and new foreground states are used to facilitate the mapping via a transition path which occupies the portion of specialty space where all the edge pixels between the foreground and the background parameters are located.

Abstract: A flaw detection apparatus detects a flaw formed on an object's surface based on a digital image data indicative of said object's surface as a group of plural pixels utilizing the image processing technique. An image processor is provided for detecting a direction in which each of group extends to combine a plurality of groups extending in substantially the same direction. The image processor further produces a flaw signal indicating sizes of thus combined groups.

Abstract: A video telephone system includes a camera that produces video images. Processing circuitry performs vector quantization on the video images to represent the video images with a relatively small amount of data for transmission to a remote location or memory. The video images are represented by frames which may be further divided into a blocks. A current block is the block that is being considered at a given time. A conditional previous block occupies the position in a previous frame that the current block occupies in the current frame. A motion previous block is a block of the previous frame containing data like that of the current block. To further reduce the amount of data needed to represent the video images, the processing circuitry determines what if any quantization is needed with respect to the current block.

Abstract: A method and apparatus using the discrete cosine transform (DCT) to resize an image. To reduce an image, the method and apparatus exploits the convolution-multiplication property of the DCT to implement the anti-aliasing filter in the DCT domain, then the filtered coefficients are operated on to produce DCT coefficients of the reduced-size image. To increase an image, the DCT coefficients of the original image are operated on to produce coefficients of the larger image, then the convolution-multiplication property of the DCT is used to implement an anti-imaging filter. These DCT operations can be applied to the image as a whole or can be applied to non-overlapping blocks of the image.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and apparatus for encoding video pictures of a sequence of video pictures, wherein each picture is defined by one picture type of a plurality of picture types and each picture has a complexity. According to a preferred embodiment, the complexity of each picture type is estimated to provide a complexity estimate for each picture type. Encoding a picture at an average quantization level produces an encoded bit stream having a codesize related to the complexity of the picture, and each picture type is associated with a target codesize. An average quantization level is determined for the first picture of each picture type in accordance with the target codesize and complexity estimate of each of the first pictures, respectively. The first picture of each picture type is then encoded at its respective average quantization level.