Abstract: A fingerprint sensor used for a fingerprint recognition system comprises a first prism or prism array including a first surface which a human finger is placed and a second surface; a lamp for irradiating the finger with light; a second prism or prism array for refracting the light which is reflected from the finger and subsequently passes through the second surface in such a way that the light refracted by the second prism or prism array travels along a path closer to a normal to the first surface of the first optical component than a path of light without refraction by the second prism or prism array; and an image sensor for receiving the light refracted by the second prism or prism array and converting fingerprint information for the finger into an electric signal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a data de-noising system utilizing processors and wavelet denoising techniques. Data is read and displayed in different formats. The data is partitioned into regions and the regions are distributed onto the processors. Communication requirements are determined among the processors according to the wavelet denoising technique and the partitioning of the data. The data is transforming onto different multiresolution levels with the wavelet transform according to the wavelet denoising technique, the communication requirements, and the transformed data containing wavelet coefficients. The denoised data is then transformed into its original reading and displaying data format.

Abstract: A method of digital image enhancement and sharpening (11, 12) which may be applied to restoration of blurred digital images of arbitrary origin. The method uses a specially formulated constraint (15) to reconstruct the original images. In particular, the constraint of the present method minimizes the area where strong image parameter variations and discontinuities occur. This new constraint is called a minimum gradient support (MGS) constraint. The MGS constraint generates a stable sharp solution of the linear ill-posed image restoration equation with an arbitrary blurring operator.

Abstract: A method, system and computer readable medium for a computer-automated method for identifying given image data, including obtaining template image data corresponding to said given image data; calculating correlation values between the given image data and said template image data; and identifying said image data based on the correlation values calculated in the calculating step.

Abstract: A resampling system and method for producing a resampled destination image from a source image by solving coefficients for a cubic polynomial transition model between first and second adjacent source pixels from the sample values of the first and second samples and approximations of the first and second sample gradients at the first and second samples, respectively. Approximations of the first and second color gradients are based on a multiple of first and second color slopes, such as twice the value of the color slope. The first color slope is calculated from the sample values of a previous pixel and the first sample and the second sample slope is calculated from the sample values of a subsequent sample and the second sample. The resulting gradient approximations and sample values are used in the cubic transition model to calculate an output sample value for rendering a resampled destination image.

Abstract: A first unit obtains a gradation conversion characteristic for equalizing a histogram of an input image. A second unit obtains an inverse characteristic of a gradation conversion characteristic for equalizing a histogram of an image to which a predetermined gradation conversion is applied. A third unit composites the gradation conversion characteristic obtained by the first unit and the inverse characteristic obtained by the second unit. A fourth unit performs fitting on the composited characteristic obtained by the third unit with a lower degree function. Gradation of the input image is converted based on the composited characteristic after the processing by the fourth unit.

Abstract: To enable a user to rapidly identify one or more sets of values for parameters of an operation, templates are generated dynamically from sets of values already used for these parameters in content available to the system. Each unique set of values may be extracted from the currently available content. Each of these sets of values may be sorted, for example, by recent modification date, for presentation to a user. The user may then select a set of values from among those displayed for use in the operation.

Abstract: An apparatus for road profile prediction comprises digitization and storage means operable to digitize and store video image data relating to the road ahead of the vehicle and processor means operable to process the video image data to identify lane markings in the road, characterized in that the processor means includes estimator means operable to simultaneously analyze pairs of lines considered to constitute lane markings by a single recursive estimation procedure by finding the best fit to an expression involving left and right offsets, heading angle, lane curvature and horizon offset. A system embodying the invention has the purpose of overriding normal vehicle cruise control when another vehicle is detected in front of the vehicle.

Abstract: A distance measurement apparatus of the present invention outputs image signal from the area sensor to which an optical image is input from a plurality of distance measurement areas two-dimensionally distributed in an area to be shot. A calculation control circuit detects portions changing equally to or more than a predetermined value in positive or negative directions, for the output level of pixel rows arranged on a plurality of straight lines included in the image signal. The distance measurement area is identified, based on the output of this calculation control circuit.

Abstract: A method for deconvolving imaging data obtained in slices using an imaging system. The method includes steps of selecting a target slice sensitivity profile and determining a deconvolution kernel using the target slice sensitivity profile. This method allows an imaging system user to use singular value decomposition to achieve a desired slice sensitivity profile through imaging data deconvolution. Thus sub-millimeter slice thickness and improved image resolution are achieved without hardware modifications to existing imaging systems.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a method of compressing a color image includes the following. The wavelet transform of each of the respective color planes of the color image is computed. One of the respective wavelet transformed color plane frames is encoded. For the other two respective wavelet transformed color plane frames, a prediction coefficient from at least one of subbands of each color plane thereof is computed. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a method of decompressing a compressed color image includes the following. The compressed color image includes at least an encoded frame for one color plane of the color image and prediction coefficients for the other two color plane frames of the color image. The one color plane frame of the color image is reconstructed from the encoded frame. The other two color plane frames of the color image are at least partially reconstructed from the reconstructed one color plane frame and the prediction coefficients.

Abstract: There is disclosed an improved system and method for providing a scalable dynamic objective metric for automatically evaluating the video quality of a video image. The system comprises an objective metric controller that is capable of receiving a plurality of objective metric figures of merit from a plurality of objective metric model units. The system determines a scalable dynamic objective metric from a weighted average of the plurality of objective metric figures of merit. The scalable dynamic objective metric represents the best correlation of objective metric measurements of the video image with subjective measurements of the video image. The weight value of individual objective metric figures of merit may be increased or decreased depending upon the type of video image being evaluated. Individual objective metric figures of merit may be added to the system or deleted from the system.

Abstract: The invention provides an image processing apparatus capable of continuing the image capture operation without correction error, even in the absence of the correcting condition corresponding to the configuration of a sensor unit connected to a control unit. For this purpose, there are provided memory means for storing the ID information for identifying the selected sensor, memory means for storing the correction table corresponding to the ID information, and search means for searching the correction table corresponding to the ID information, and, in the absence of the correcting condition for the configuration of the connected sensor unit, there is searched substitute correcting information and the image processing is executed with the later determined correcting information.

Abstract: A method of inserting additional information, such as a digital signature, in a digital image comprises the following steps: detecting (E10) the points of interest in said image (I); selecting (E11) a subset of points of interest adapted to define a geometric reference frame in said image (I); calculating (E12), for the geometric reference frame, reference information necessary for determining the geometric transformation applied to the image for a class of predetermined geometric transformations; coding (E13) said reference information in a reference key (Kr); and inserting (E16-E19) the additional information in said digital image (I). Use notably for geometrically re-fixing the image before extracting the signature.

Abstract: A method for embedding a watermark signal that contains message data in a digital image sequence having two or more frames, includes the steps of: producing a set of two or more different carrier signals from a single secure key; assigning a carrier signal from the set of carrier signals to each frame in the sequence; and embedding a watermark signal in each frame using the corresponding assigned carrier signal.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for watermarking a digital media object, and for detecting watermarks, are presented. The basic concept underlying the disclosed approach is watermarking/detection in a transform space that allows the same level of watermarking to be applied to all samples. For instance, in one embodiment, a watermarking system first nonlinearly transforms the original signal to a perceptually uniform domain, and then embeds the watermark in this domain without varying the statistical properties of the watermark at each sample. At the watermark detector, a candidate image is transformed to the same perceptually uniform domain, and then correlated with the original watermark sequence. Under such conditions, it is shown that an optimal watermark detector can be derived. This approach is particularly attractive when the original image is unavailable at the detector, as it effectively prevents the image content from biasing the watermark detection score.

Abstract: Optical flow is calculated for each sub-block on the basis of two images, the sub-blocks are then partitioned into a region having low confidence and a region having high confidence depending on the reliability of the optical flow, and the optical flow in the region having low confidence is filled by dilation processing using the optical flow in its surrounding regions.

Abstract: An optical axis direction, a distance measurement accuracy and so on are efficiently performed for quality assurance of a vehicle-mounted camera in cooperation of an image processing unit and a vehicle-mounted navigation control unit. In a vehicle monitoring system for imaging view ahead of the vehicle with the camera (2a, 2b) installed in the vehicle body and for recognizing a running condition with the image processing unit (20), the image processing unit measures an optical axis direction and a distance measurement accuracy to determine whether the camera quality is appropriate or not for quality assurance of the vehicle-mounted camera. The determined result is displayed on a monitor (52) of the vehicle mounted navigation control unit (5) to recommend adjustment of the camera.

Abstract: The coin-type determining device, for determining the presence or absence of inclined notches formed on the circumferential surface of the coin transferred through a coin transfer path, comprises: a plurality of notch detecting devices provided separately from each other with respect to an axis of the coin; a determining device for determining the presence or absence of inclined notches based on the difference between the notch detection results by the notch detecting devices.

Abstract: A Simple Inter Color Lossless Image Coder (SICLIC) for the compression of colored images is provided. The color image is treated as several interlaced gray level images that correspond to respective distinct color planes. The compression scenario utilizes three main steps, such as selection of the predictor, context forming with bias cancellation and coding. SICLIC implements predictors, context forming and encoder techniques that exploit the intra- and inter-color plane correlations in an effective and relatively computationally inexpensive manner. The predictor is selected on the basis of the right selection of the contribution of each color plane between the intra- and inter-plane predictors obtained as a weight average of contribution from different color planes. SICLIC processes the image in two modes—regular mode and run mode. A special care is taken to ensure a proper treatment of joint runs, which occur simultaneously in all color planes.