Abstract: The image obtaining apparatus realizes a function of detecting the distance, tilt, and/or attitude of an object, irrespective of the distance between the image obtaining apparatus and the object, while reducing the size and the cost of the apparatus. The apparatus includes: an image obtaining camera which obtains an image of an object; a light projecting unit which projects each spotlight parallel or approximately parallel to the optical axis of the image obtaining camera onto the object; a detecting unit which detects the distance between the image obtaining camera and the object based on the position of the spotlight, projected by the light projecting unit, on the object image obtained by the image obtaining camera.

Abstract: A system and method for equalizing an imaging sensor. The system includes at least one image sensor having a plurality of detectors defining a sensor array, each detector being configured to provide an output signal representative of a sensed image. The system further includes an equalization system configured to receive the output signals from the detectors; estimate a distribution for at least one detector based on the respective output signals; compare the distribution for the at least one of the detectors to a given distribution to determine a mapping function for the at least one detector; and apply the respective mapping function of the at least one detector to the output signal of the at least one detector to provide an equalized signal for the at least one detector.

Abstract: A more efficient and less memory-access intensive post-processing architecture to substantially reduce blocking and ringing artifacts from decompressed video image data is provided. The post-processing architecture in accordance with the present invention implements a “pipelined” filtering process wherein a filter buffer, a blocking filter, and a ringing filter are serially connected to each other. The serial connection allows decompressed video image data to be first provided to a blocking filter for substantially reducing blocking artifacts and then the de-blocked video image data can be provided directly to a ringing filter for de-ringing without the need of an extra memory access.

Abstract: A sub-pixel interpolation technique is provided for motion vector estimation during video coding. In one embodiment, this is accomplished by interpolating adjacent pixels at fractional horizontal, vertical, and diagonal locations in a macroblock of (M×N) pixels, such that there are no overlapping interpolations, to generate values for sub-pixels associated with the macroblock of (M×N) pixels.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention introduce a novel technique to analyze and monitor video streams captured from multiple cameras. It highlights the foreground region of the video streams via local alpha blending and displays the videos in an immersive 3-D environment. The spatial arrangement of the displays can be generated by multi-dimensional scaling of the amount of simultaneous motion across different video streams. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.

Abstract: A motion estimation algorithm finds the best match for a given block or macroblock so that the resulting error signal has very low energy level which is computed, for e.g., by the SAD method. The motion estimation algorithm also provides for an optional sub-pixel level estimation and an inter4v search, and allows for restricting the number of searches for a Frame-frame ME (motion estimation) using Top-Top and Bottom-Bottom field MEs. The algorithm provides for a selective early exit and enables selecting a suitable search area with N candidate points (4 to 8) for starting the search. The search is conducted progressively till a minimum error signal (low energy level signal) is reached. The candidate points for search may be in a diamond shaped configuration, and there may be a plurality of successive diamond configurations, the number of which is configurable. The invention has application in MPEG-4 and H.264 standards.

Abstract: Disclosed herein in one embodiment is an adaptive coding threshold algorithm for a videoconference system which alleviates problems due to the erroneous recoding of stationary areas of images caused by image noise. The algorithm, which is preferably implementable on a videoconference encoder, assesses the coding parameters for a current macroblock and the coding parameters for that same macroblock the last time it was coded. If for both macroblocks the coding was non-intra, with a [0,0] motion vector, and with a low quantization parameter, a determination is made that the current macroblock depicts a stationary image. Accordingly, the algorithm increases the coding threshold (T1) for the blocks within that macroblock, so that it becomes more difficult for those particular blocks to be recoded. This renders the block with stationary content less susceptible to erroneous recoding, while preserving system bandwidth and improving image quality.

Abstract: In a method for motion estimation using adaptive patterns in a video sequence compression system, an initial search pattern located at a center of a search window in a block of a video frame is determined. A location of a minimum block distortion measure (BDM) is searched in the initial search pattern. A horizontal search pattern for functioning on the search window is determined in the horizontal direction to search a location of a minimum BDM in the horizontal search pattern. A vertical search pattern for operating on the search window is determined in the vertical direction to search a location of a minimum BDM in the vertical search pattern. The location of the minimum BDM in each pattern is designated to be a motion vector. A search pattern to be used in a subsequent searching stage is determined based on the location of the minimum BDM in each pattern.

Abstract: Method For Implementing A Quantizer In A Multimedia Compression And Encoding System is disclosed. In the Quantizer system of the present invention, several new quantization ideas are disclosed. In one embodiment, adjacent macroblocks are grouped together into macroblock groups. The macroblock groups are then assigned a common quantizer value. The common quantizer value may be selected based upon how the macroblocks are encoded, the type of macroblocks within the macroblock group (intra-blocks or inter-blocks), the history of the motion vectors associated with the macroblocks in the macroblock group, the residuals of the macroblocks in the macroblock group, and the energy of the macroblocks in the macroblock group. The quantizer value may be adjusted in a manner that is dependent on the current quantizer value. Specifically, if the quantizer value is at the low end of the quantizer scale, then only small adjustments are made.

Abstract: Techniques are described for embedding a panoramic image in standard resolution. A panoramic image is received from a panoramic camera and a location of a speaker is determined, either automatically or manually. A portion of the panoramic image is cropped to isolate the speaker and the cropped portion of the image is enlarged to standard video resolution. The panoramic image is combined with the cropped portion and transmitted via a standard video streaming format. In at least one implementation, the panoramic image is normalized so that face sizes of persons in the image appear approximately equal regardless of the distance each person is situated relative to the camera.

Abstract: A method of managing video data storage in a video surveillance system is disclosed. The disclosed methods extend the amount of calendar time for which video and image data can be stored on a storage device. The disclosed methods apply decision criteria, such as rules, configuration data and preferences, to support intelligent automatic reduction of stored surveillance data such that images and video data of most interest are maintained while less important data is deleted, compressed or archived.

Abstract: A video inspection system and method for facilitating inspection of a rail component while traveling on the railroad track. The system includes a light source that provides illumination to a rail of the railroad track, a triggering device for automatically providing a trigger signal, a camera adapted to provide an image of the illuminated rail component, and a computing device adapted to capture the image provided by the camera based on the trigger signal. A method for inspecting rail components is also provided, the method including the steps of illuminating a rail of the railroad track, automatically providing a trigger signal, providing a camera adapted to provide an image of the rail component, and capturing the image of the rail component that is provided by the camera based on the trigger signal.

Abstract: A method for pre-processing block-based digital data that pre-processes each digital pixel based on a respective data filter arrangement or data filter matrix for a respective data pixel within at least one data block and selects, constructs, and/or supplies the data filter arrangements or data filter matrices. The method is based on operations of data shifting and/or register shifting only.

Abstract: A prediction mode for encoding data is selected using a reduced number of rate-distortion cost computations. This reduction in rate-distortion cost computations is caused by filtering the number of potential intra prediction modes based on two criteria. First, the number of potential prediction modes is reduced based on at least one characteristic of a quantization procedure performed during the encoding procedure. Second, the number of potential prediction modes is reduced based on an error value calculated for each of the potential prediction modes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for nonlinear multiple motion model and moving boundary extraction are disclosed. In one embodiment, an input image is received, the input image is partitioned into regions/blocks, and the new multiple motion model is applied to each region to extract the motions and associated moving boundaries.

Abstract: A vector coding apparatus includes a decomposing unit to obtain a sign vector and an initial absolute vector, a sign coding unit to code the sign to obtain a sign code, a multi-level permutation-based coding unit to perform multi-level permutation-based coding to obtain an absolute vector code, a combining unit to combine the sign and absolute vector codes to obtain an initial vector code. A vector decoding apparatus includes a decomposing unit to decompose a code of an initial vector to obtain a sign code and an absolute vector code, a sign decoding unit to decode the sign code to obtain a sign vector, a multi-level permutation-based decoding unit to perform multi-level permutation-based decoding on the absolute vector code to obtain an initial absolute vector, and a combining unit to combine the sign and initial absolute vectors to obtain an initial vector. A media player includes the vector decoding apparatus.

Abstract: An encoding manager facilitates robust single-pass variable bit rate video encoding of a video sequence. Before encoding the video sequence, the encoding manager determines the size of a buffer to use for keeping track of over/under used bits generated during encoding. The encoding manager uses the target bit rate for the video sequence and the length of the video sequence to determine the size of the buffer. After allocating bits to a frame of the sequence, the encoding manager determines the quant to use to encode that frame. The determination of a quant to use to encode a frame is informed by the fullness of the buffer. The encoding manager adjusts the quant to use (and thus the aggressiveness of its encoding) in response to the amount of overflow generated thus far by the encoding of the video sequence.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a prediction compensation device and its method in which the processing efficiency of the overall coding process is enhanced. The address of an object pixel block serving as a pixel block of prediction object among a plurality of pixel blocks is detected, a first search range or a second search range narrower than the first search range is decided as the search range of a motion vector for the object pixel block on the reference frame according to the detected address, and the motion vector is searched for from the decided search range around the predictor of the motion vector based on the surrounding pixel blocks adjacent to the object pixel block.

Abstract: System and method for generating video frames. The system includes a frame generator which generates one or more intermediate frames based upon one base frames. Each of the base frames are comprised of a plurality of macroblocks. Furthermore, one or more of the macroblocks have a motion vector. The macroblocks are comprised of a plurality of pixels. In the frame generation process, the frame generator performs a number of steps such as: (i) determines whether frame generation is appropriate, (ii) examines the first and second base frames to check for the presence of textual characters, (iii) selects a frame generation method based upon information in the first and second frames, (iv) filters the generated frames. In one embodiment, the system includes a server computer having an encoder, a client computer having a decoder, and a network connecting the server computer to the client computer.

Abstract: Techniques to efficiently deliver interactive program guide (IPG) to a number of terminals. Each IPG page can be decomposed into a guide portion that is specific to each IPG page and a background portion that is common for all IPG pages. The background portion can be further decomposed into a time-varying video portion and other static portions. One method includes receiving a viewer selection for imagery, where the imagery includes at least one intracoded slice and at least one predictively coded slice, and each of the intracoded and predictively codes slices are associated with respective bitstreams. Packets from the at least one bitstream corresponding to the at least one intracoded slice of the selected imagery are extracted, and packets from the at least one bitstream corresponding to the at least one predictively coded slice of the selected imagery are also extracted. The payload portions of the extracted packets are then arranged to form the selected imagery.