Patents Examined by Ayman A Abaza
  • Patent number: 10257516
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, an encoding device includes a deriving unit and an encoding unit. The deriving unit is configured to derive a first reference value based on fixed point precision representing roughness of a weighting factor that is used for multiplying a reference image. The encoding unit is configured to encode a first difference value that is a difference value between the weighting factor and the first reference value and the fixed point precision. The weighting factor is included in a first range of predetermined bit precision having the first reference value at approximate center. The first difference value is in the predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Akiyuki Tanizawa, Takeshi Chujoh
  • Patent number: 10250815
    Abstract: Component mounter includes a transfer inspection device that inspects the transfer state of solder by imaging the bottom surface of a component, and a transfer inspection data creation device that creates transfer inspection data. The transfer inspection data creation device performs imaging of the bottom surface of a pre-transfer component with a camera at multiple shutter speeds, acquires the multiple pre-transfer images of different shutter speeds, obtains pre-transfer bump portion pixel values, performs imaging of the bottom surface of a post-transfer component with the camera at the same multiple shutter speeds, acquires the multiple post-transfer images of different shutter speeds, obtains post-transfer bump portion pixel values, and determines the shutter speed to be used when performing transfer inspection based on the post-transfer bump portion pixel values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: FUJI CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tatsuji Nozawa
  • Patent number: 10210615
    Abstract: Various aspects of a system and a method for extrinsic camera parameters calibration by use of a three dimensional (3D) calibration are disclosed herein. In accordance with an embodiment, the system includes an electronic device, which receives an image, which includes the 3D calibration object with a plurality of unique identifiers. One or more appearance parameters of the 3D calibration object and/or a plurality of intrinsic camera parameters of an image-capturing device that captured the received image, are further received. A positional probability is computed for each of the plurality of unique identifiers distributed in the received image. The plurality of unique identifiers of the 3D calibration object are located in the received image to calibrate the extrinsic camera parameters based on the computed positional probability, the received one or more appearance parameters of the 3D calibration object, and the plurality of intrinsic camera parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cheng-Yi Liu, Alexander Berestov
  • Patent number: 10145776
    Abstract: A system for analyzing fluid includes a housing having first and second opposing surfaces spaced to form a fluid chamber, a light source disposed to direct light at the first surface of the housing; and a digital imaging circuit disposed to detect light at the second surface of the housing. The digital imaging circuit includes a pixel array configured to capture one or more digital images of an illuminated fluid. The system also includes a processor configured to: capture multiple digital images of the fluid at different camera exposure levels, calculate a net radiant energy value at a plurality of different integration times within at least two images, calculate a slope of the net radiant energy value with respect to integration time in a selected image, and determine size distribution and volume fraction of particles within the fluid based on the calculated slope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Pranay Jain, Sanjay E. Sarma
  • Patent number: 10148958
    Abstract: At least one of the present embodiments generally relates to a method for encoding a HDR picture and a first LDR picture, the method comprising obtaining a second LDR picture responsive to a ratio between the HDR picture and a backlight picture and encoding the first LDR picture and the second LDR picture by predicting one of the first and second LDR pictures by the other one of the first and second LDR pictures. The method wherein it further comprises, before encoding, adjusting the first LDR picture responsive to the backlight picture. The disclosure relates also to a method and device for decoding an LDR picture providing a lower dynamic range depiction of the picture content of an HDR picture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: INTERDIGITAL VC HOLDINGS, INC.
    Inventors: Yannick Olivier, David Touze, Catherine Serre
  • Patent number: 10147005
    Abstract: A sign information output apparatus includes an output instructor for instructing an information output section to stop output of sign information if a traveled distance measured in response to the detection of a sign exceeds a threshold value, and a threshold value changer for changing a threshold value depending on at least one of interval information with respect to an interval at which signs of one type are placed, speed limit information with respect to a speed limit of the road, and a speed of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaru Otsuki, Yutaka Tokunaga, Izumi Takatsudo, Shinnosuke Saito, Yuji Yokochi, Yasuhiko Fujita
  • Patent number: 10136147
    Abstract: An intermediate bitstream generated by a first-stage transcoding system from an initial transmission package is received. The intermediate bitstream comprises base layer (BL) and enhancement layer (EL) signals. The combination of the BL and EL signals of the intermediate bitstream represents compressed wide dynamic range images. The BL signal of the intermediate bitstream alone represents compressed standard dynamic range images. A targeted transmission package is generated based on the intermediate bitstream. The targeted transmission package comprises BL and EL signals. The BL signal of the targeted transmission package may be directly transcoded from the BL signal of the intermediate bitstream alone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Guan-Ming Su, Tao Chen
  • Patent number: 10126252
    Abstract: A system for sensing a three-dimensional topology of a circuit board is provided. An illumination source generates patterned illumination from a first point of view. At least one camera acquires an image of the patterned illumination from a second point of view. A controller is coupled to the source, and to the at least one camera. The controller generates a height topology of the circuit board based on images acquired from first and second image detectors of the patterned illumination. The characteristics of the pattern illumination are modified based on knowledge of the circuit board to enhance the dynamic range of the sensor and to reject image defects caused by multipath reflections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: CyberOptics Corporation
    Inventor: Paul R. Haugen
  • Patent number: 10122974
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for generating an alarm are provided. The apparatus includes at least one processor configured to implement: a determination unit analyzing at least one of an image, which includes an object, and a sound related to the object, and, as a result of the analysis, determining a type of the object; and an alarm generation unit controlling an alarm generator to generate an alarm according to a result of the determination performed by the determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Hanwha Techwin Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung Bong Cho, Dooman Kim
  • Patent number: 10119808
    Abstract: Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention estimate depth from projected texture using camera arrays that includes at least two two-dimensional arrays of cameras each several cameras; an illumination system configured to illuminate a scene with a projected texture; a processor; and memory containing an image processing pipeline application and an illumination system controller application. In addition, the illumination system controller application directs the processor to control the illumination system to illuminate a scene with a projected texture. Furthermore, the image processing pipeline application directs the processor to: utilize the illumination system controller application to control the illumination system to illuminate a scene with a projected texture capture a set of images of the scene illuminated with the projected texture; determining depth estimates for pixel locations in an image from a reference viewpoint using at least a subset of the set of images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: FotoNation Limited
    Inventors: Kartik Venkataraman, Jacques Duparré
  • Patent number: 10110926
    Abstract: Presented herein are techniques for filtering pixels during video coding and decoding operations. Similar operations are performed at a video encoder and a video decoder. For a target pixel in a block of a video frame represented by the encoded bit-stream, a value of the target pixel is compared with neighboring pixels to produce a plurality of comparison results. A particular offset value for the target pixel is derived based on the plurality of comparison results. The target pixel is filtered using the particular offset value. This process is performed for some or all of the pixels of blocks of a video frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Steinar Midtskogen
  • Patent number: 10097828
    Abstract: Systems and methods for determining a target number of bits (target bitrate) for encoding a frame of video that will satisfy a buffer constraint in a parallel video encoder. The quantization parameter (QP) for a given encoding process may be determined for the frame based on the target bitrate to maintain a suitable average bitrate. In some embodiments, the bitrate used for one or more prior frame is estimated. In some embodiments, a buffer fullness update is made based on an estimated bitrate. In some embodiments, a bitrate to target for each frame is determined based on the frame type, estimated bitrate of a prior frame(s), and the updated buffer fullness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Ximin Zhang, Sang-Hee Lee
  • Patent number: 10080019
    Abstract: Systems, apparatus and methods are described including operations for performing, via a frame division module, frame division of video frames into sections to form a first frame section stream and a second frame section stream; and/or encoding, via a first and a second encoder, the first frame section stream via the first encoder and the second frame section stream via the second encoder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Yaniv Frishman
  • Patent number: 10068483
    Abstract: A parking assistance device includes: a ground object detection unit configured to, in a predetermined detection region set in advance in at least a portion of the vehicle periphery, perform detection of a ground object defining a parking stall in which garage parking is to be performed; an end portion specification unit configured to specify an end portion of the ground object detected by the ground object detection unit, the end portion being located on an entrance side of the parking stall; and a target parking stall setting unit configured to set, based on the end portion on the entrance side specified by the end portion specification unit, a corner portion of a rectangular parking frame that defines a target parking stall in which the vehicle is to be parked, and set the parking frame to extend from the corner portion in the depth direction of the parking stall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignees: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masanori Torii, Jun Kadowaki, Hiroki Inagaki, Katsuhiro Sakai
  • Patent number: 10034005
    Abstract: A system and method for facilitating inhibiting banding in video data, in part by anticipating when banding may occur given certain encoder parameters. An example method includes receiving an input stream of video data; extracting feature information characterizing the stream of video data; using a feed-forward neural network to process the feature information to estimate when a particular block of the stream of video data will exhibit an artifact when encoded using certain Quantization Parameters (QPs); incorporating the indication into metadata associated with the stream of video data; and transferring the stream of video data and metadata to a video encoder. In a more specific embodiment, the feature information includes color information and texture information, and the neural network includes a feed-forward neural network that includes a classifier with a sigmoid activation function, and which has been trained using a cross-entropy cost function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Xun Xu, Peng Ye
  • Patent number: 10019793
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, A test system includes: a moving unit configured to move a test object, the test object including a first surface, a mark being printed on the first surface; a first imaging device configured to photograph the first surface of test object to obtain a first image; a cutter configured to scratch the first surface; a first unit configured to attach a tape to the first surface; a second unit configured to detach the tape from the first surface; a second imaging device configured to photograph the first surface after detaching the tape to obtain a second image; and a controller configured to compare the first image and the second image to output a comparison result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Iizuka, Kohei Noma
  • Patent number: 10003804
    Abstract: The quantization unit calculates the number of bits of location information determined based on the location of a coefficient level to be significant first in order of transmission and included in the image block, calculates the number of value information bits of a coefficient level to be significant, and sets a coefficient level to be significant in which the number of location information bits and the number of value information bits meet a predetermined condition to 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenta Tokumitsu, Keiichi Chono
  • Patent number: 9986232
    Abstract: A method for distance calibration of machine vision optical targets and associated observing imaging sensors using separation distances between discrete surface measurement points. First, a spatial position for each surface point is established from a series of observations by the associated observing imaging sensor of the optical targets mounted to a calibration fixture. Second, measures of a linear separation distance between particular pairs of surface points are identified independently from the machine vision observations. All resulting spatial positions and measurements are conveyed to a processing system configured with a set of software instructions for carrying out distance calibration calculations to establish a set of refined distance calibration parameters associated with each combination of optical target and observing imaging sensor. During subsequent use of the machine vision vehicle service system, the parameters are retrieved and utilized to improve vehicle measurement precision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Hunter Engineering Company
    Inventor: Mark S. Shylanski
  • Patent number: 9942468
    Abstract: Technologies are generally described for automatically optimizing an efficiency of camera placement, numbers, and resolution in multi-camera monitoring and surveillance applications. In some examples, a fraction of a total area may be monitored at a higher resolution than the rest. Employing techniques such as combinatorial state Viterbi technique or combinatorial state trellis technique, a minimum number of cameras that provide the coverage at the needed resolution may be selected. Similarly, a number of points may be covered with at least a predefined number of cameras. For example, a subject of interest may be tracked in a public area, where specific camera(s) may be used to image the subject's face at a higher resolution than the background.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: McMaster University
    Inventors: Shahram Shirani, Shadrokh Samavi, Sayedmohammadreza Soroushmehr, Hamed Sadeghi
  • Patent number: 9919723
    Abstract: An aerial system and method use a distance sensor to measure spatial distances between the distance sensor and plural vehicles in a vehicle system formed from the vehicles operably coupled with each other during relative movement between the distance sensor and the vehicle system. The spatial distances measured by the distance sensor are used to determine a size parameter of the vehicle system based on the spatial distances that are measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Aadeesh Shivkant Bhagwatkar, Sharon DSouza, Krishna Chaitanya Narra, Brad Thomas Costa, Seneca Snyder, Jerry Duncan, Mark Bradshaw Kraeling, Michael Scott Miner, Shannon Joseph Clouse, Anwarul Azam, Matthew Lawrence Blair, Nidhi Naithani, Dattaraj Jagdish Rao, Anju Bind, Sreyashi Dey Chaki, Scott Daniel Nelson, Nikhil Uday Naphade, Wing Yeung Chung, Daniel Malachi Ballesty, Glenn Robert Shaffer, Jeffrey James Kisak, Dale Martin DiDomenico