Patents Examined by David N. Werner
  • Patent number: 10999602
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for coding video data predictively based on predictions made from spherical-domain projections of input pictures to be coded and reference pictures that are prediction candidates. Spherical projection of an input picture and the candidate reference pictures may be generated. Thereafter, a search may be conducted for a match between the spherical-domain representation of a pixel block to be coded and a spherical-domain representation of the reference picture. On a match, an offset may be determined between the spherical-domain representation of the pixel block to a matching portion of the of the reference picture in the spherical-domain representation. The spherical-domain offset may be transformed to a motion vector in a source-domain representation of the input picture, and the pixel block may be coded predictively with reference to a source-domain representation of the matching portion of the reference picture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jae Hoon Kim, Xiaosong Zhou, Dazhong Zhang, Hang Yuan, Jiefu Zhai, Chris Y. Chung, Hsi-Jung Wu
  • Patent number: 10981519
    Abstract: A driving assistance apparatus installed in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising an image capturing unit configured to capture an image of a left-rearward area and a right-rearward area of the vehicle, a display unit configured to display an image capturing result from the image capturing unit as an image, and a control unit configured to control the driving of the display unit, wherein the control unit causes an icon for communicating predetermined information to a driver to be displayed over the image capturing result, at a position of a corner part corresponding to an upper part on a vehicle body side of the image displayed by the display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshimasa Hayashida, Makoto Sawada, Masaru Aoki
  • Patent number: 10972748
    Abstract: Provided are methods and apparatus for encoding and decoding motion information. The method of encoding motion information includes: obtaining a motion information candidate by using motion information of prediction units that are temporally or spatially related to a current prediction unit; adding, when the number of motion information included in the motion information candidate is smaller than a predetermined number n, alternative motion information to the motion information candidate so that the number of motion information included in the motion information candidate reaches the predetermined number n; determining motion information with respect to the current prediction unit from among the n motion information candidates; and encoding index information indicating the determined motion information as motion information of the current prediction unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tammy Lee, Jianle Chen
  • Patent number: 10964022
    Abstract: In an image processing method (18), for images (9) in a image sequence (8), in each case a position indication (23) of a center (24) of the image content (10) of individual images (9) is calculated in a completely computer-implemented and/or hardware-implemented, statistical evaluation method (20). The center (24) is defined by a circle section (62) which is described or characterized by a separation line (12) between the image content (10) and a periphery (11) which is supplementary to the image content (10) in the image (9) or complementary therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: SCHOLLY FIBEROPTIC GMBH
    Inventors: Nicole Giessler, Sebastien Weitbruch
  • Patent number: 10955235
    Abstract: A distance measurement apparatus includes: a control unit that makes an imaging unit acquire a plurality of first captured images corresponding to light patterns when making an optical system set the focal length to a first focal length, and that makes the imaging unit acquire second captured images corresponding to the light patterns when making the optical system set the focal length to a second focal length; a first distance measurement unit that determines presence or absence of an image blur and acquires a first distance to a subject from an image blur index value indicating an extent of the image blur; a second distance measurement unit that acquires a second distance to the subject based on triangulation; and a measurement result synthesis unit that outputs the first distance for a pixel with the image blur and that outputs the second distance for a pixel with no image blur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeo Fujita, Koichi Yamashita, Narihiro Matoba
  • Patent number: 10924750
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for improving efficiency of an encoder performance in the HEVC palette mode by limiting the number of colors to be used in the current palette to be no more than the size of coding unit or the prediction unit, and by avoiding duplicate colors in the current palette. The encoder may signal a binary vector indicating previous elements from a palette predictor list to be reused in a current palette, determine a number of the previous elements based on the binary vector, determine a sample size of the current palette, determine a maximum number of new elements to be used in the current palette based on the number of the previous elements and the sample size, determine a set of new elements corresponding to the maximum number of new elements, and signal the set of new elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Limited
    Inventors: Yu-Chen Sun, Jian Lou
  • Patent number: 10924753
    Abstract: An apparatus may include a memory to receive an image frame to encode; and a modular motion estimation engine to process the image frame. The modular motion estimation engine includes modular motion estimation circuitry comprising a multiplicity of motion estimation circuits, and a motion estimation kernel for execution on the modular motion estimation circuitry to send the image frame through one or more configurable execution pipelines that each execute motion estimation over one or more of the motion estimation circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: INTEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: James M. Holland, Atthar H. Mohammed, Srinivasan Embar Raghukrishnan
  • Patent number: 10906453
    Abstract: A vehicular detection device configured to be mounted to at least one of a right or a left side of a vehicle body includes a detection unit configured to detect an object. An outermost part of the vehicular detection device in a right and left direction is flush with or more inward than an outer surface of a side surface part of the vehicle body in the right and left direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tatara, Toshihiro Okamura
  • Patent number: 10911779
    Abstract: A moving image encoding/decoding apparatus that performs encoding/decoding while predicting a multiview moving image including moving images of a plurality of different views includes: a corresponding region setting unit that sets a corresponding region on a depth map for an encoding/decoding target region; a region dividing unit that sets a prediction region that is one of regions obtained by dividing the encoding/decoding target region; a disparity vector generation unit that generates, for the prediction region, a disparity vector for a reference view using depth information for a region within the corresponding region that corresponds to the prediction region; a motion information generation unit that generates motion information in the prediction region from the reference view motion information based on the disparity vector for the reference view; and a prediction image generation unit that generates a prediction image for the prediction region using the motion information in the prediction region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinya Shimizu, Shiori Sugimoto, Akira Kojima
  • Patent number: 10890521
    Abstract: For tracking a plurality of objects in a three-dimensional space two-dimensional pictures objects are recorded with two black and white cameras out of two different imaging directions. Both first pictures and second pictures of the two cameras are simultaneously exposed at two points in time in equal ways, a point in time at which the second pictures are exposed for a first time following to a point in time at which the first pictures are exposed for a last time at a much shorter interval than the two points in time of exposure of both the first and second pictures. First and second distributions of real positions of the individual objects are determined from their images in the first and second pictures, respectively; and temporally resolved trajectories of the individual objects in the three-dimensional space are determined from the first and second distributions of real positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: LAVISION GMBH
    Inventors: Bernhard Wieneke, Andreas Schröder, Arne Henning, Matteo Novara, Daniel Schanz
  • Patent number: 10883649
    Abstract: Various embodiments include a monitor of a camera-monitor system in a motor vehicle comprising: a display mounted in a field of vision of a driver of the motor vehicle; wherein the monitor is height-adjustable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Silja Sautter, Werner Miethig, Rajesh Ningaraju, Axel Hügle
  • Patent number: 10881956
    Abstract: Techniques related to the render and encode of graphics frames representative of 3D video games are discussed. Such techniques include translating one or more of a transparency map, a depth map, a color compression map, or a motion field used to encode a graphics frame to encode parameters and encoding the first graphics frame using the encode parameters to generate a bitstream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Tomasz Madajczak, Jason Tanner, Jill Boyce, Changliang Wang, Maciej Oleksy, James Varga, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10880585
    Abstract: Techniques enabled by the present disclosure enable media content to be split into sections that can be encoded by multiple video encoders. The disclosed techniques further enable the separately encoded sections to be stitched back together using coordination logic that does not require bi-directional communication between encoding processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Benjamin Franklin Waggoner, Sitaraman Ganapathy, Deepthi Nandakumar, Srikanth Kiran Kotagiri
  • Patent number: 10868948
    Abstract: System and method for improving the shaving experience by providing improved visibility of the skin shaving area. A digital camera is integrated with the electric shaver for close image capturing of shaving area, and displaying it on a display unit. The display unit can be integral part of the electric shaver casing, or housed in a separated device which receives the image via a communication channel. The communication channel can be wireless (using radio, audio or light) or wired, such as dedicated cabling or using powerline communication. A light source is used to better illuminate the shaving area. Video compression and digital image processing techniques are used for providing for improved shaving results. The wired communication medium can simultaneously be used also for carrying power from the electric shaver assembly to the display unit, or from the display unit to the electric shaver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: May Patents Ltd.
    Inventor: Yehuda Binder
  • Patent number: 10867496
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments include a computing system with a display, processor(s), and memory. The computing system displays a video monitoring user interface. The user interface includes a first region for displaying live and/or recorded video from a video camera of a smart home environment, and a second region for displaying an event timeline. The event timeline includes event indicators corresponding to respective events detected within the smart home environment. The video monitoring user interface includes a live video affordance for displaying live video from the video camera. In response to a user selection of an event indicator, the computing system: (1) requests a video feed of the corresponding detected event; and (2) displays the requested video feed in the first region. In response to a user selection of the live video affordance, the computing system: (1) requests the live video; and (2) displays the live video in the first region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Jason N. Laska, Greg R. Nelson, Greg Duffy
  • Patent number: 10861304
    Abstract: An image signal processing DSP subjects an image captured by an imaging element having a zoom lens to image processing for identifying a tracking target. In accordance with zoom information generated by the image signal processing DSP, the main CPU controls the zoom lens and controls a turn table that moves the imaging element in panning and tilting directions in accordance with pan and tilt information, to track the tracking target. During tracking of the tracking target, a determination is made, from information about movements of the tracking target generated by the image signal processing DSP, as to whether or not the target to be tracked has intruded the inside of the area from the outside. In a case where the target has intruded the inside of a preset area from the outside, an alarm command is produced when the target continually remains in the area for; e.g., one second.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC I-PRO SENSING SOLUTIONS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuichiro Mori, Yasuji Nakamura, Kazutaka Higuchi, Satoru Ooyabu
  • Patent number: 10850595
    Abstract: A sensing system for a vehicle includes a sensor disposed at a vehicle and a control that includes a processor for processing sensor data captured by the sensor. A first polarizer is disposed in a light emitting path of at least one light source of the vehicle and a second polarizer is disposed in a light receiving path of the sensor. The second polarizer has an opposite-handed polarization configuration relative to the first polarizer. Some of the polarized light as polarized by the first polarizer impinges precipitation present in the field of sensing of the sensor and returns toward the sensor as refracted-reflected light. The second polarizer attenuates the refracted-reflected light and allows light reflected from objects present in the sensor's field of sensing to pass through to the sensor. The control, responsive to processing of captured sensor data, detects objects in the field of sensing of the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Traian Miu, Gabriele W. Sabatini
  • Patent number: 10855983
    Abstract: An example system includes a processor to execute an intra search first stage on a video frame to generate intra candidates. The processor is to execute an intra search second stage on the intra candidates to generate a final intra candidate and residuals. The processor is to also execute a final mode decision and generate reconstructed pixels based on the final intra candidate and the residuals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: James M. Holland, Srinivasan Embar Raghukrishnan, Zhijun Lei, Dmitry E. Ryzhov, Lidong Xu, Satya N. Yedidi
  • Patent number: 10841610
    Abstract: A device implementing the subject video coding system may include a processor that encodes an N×M block using an x-tap filter for horizontal interpolation and a y-tap filter for vertical interpolation, where x is proportional to N and y is proportional to M. The processor may use a current block size to select an interpolation filter with a first length or a second length for a current block, use an overlapped block size to select an interpolation filter with a first length or a second length for overlapped areas, and, when a neighboring block uses a long interpolation filter and a short interpolation filter is selected for the overlapped area, maps the long interpolation filter to a short interpolation filter of a selected type. The processor may calculate a reference block size based on a scaling factor and use the reference block size to select a filter length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte. Limited
    Inventors: Zhijie Yang, Timothy Moore Hellman
  • Patent number: 10839537
    Abstract: A camera module with a fixed near field focus is configured to capture a single image. That single image is segmented by an image divider a number of regions. A focus metric determiner then determines a focus metric for each of the regions. A depth map generator maps the focus metric into a depth value for each of the regions and combines the depth values to generate a depth map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Research & Development) Limited
    Inventor: Duncan Hall