Abstract: When an output unit is capable of operation at a frame rate F and a resolution of x×y pixels, an imaging unit or an image input unit converts an image into an imaged frame in an internal data format having the frame rate F and a resolution of ix×jy pixels. An image converter converts the resolution of the imaged frame supplied from the imaging unit or the image input unit into a resolution that can be represented by the output unit, generating an output frame having x×y pixels. At this time, the image converter carries out predetermined resolution conversion based on a moving velocity of the image by blocks each having a predetermined size. Thus, such visual effect that an observer of the image of the output frame perceives the image at a resolution exceeding the actual resolution of the output frame is achieved.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus for detecting a specific object in an input image includes a specific object detection module for performing a specific object detecting process of setting the input image or a reduced image of the input image as a target image, and of determining whether or not the specific object exists in a determination region while scanning the determination region in an edge feature image of the target image. The specific object detection module includes a determination module for determining whether the specific object exists in the determination region, based on an edge feature amount of the edge feature image corresponding to the determination region, and a previously determined relationship between an edge feature amount and a weight indicating object likelihood for each predetermined feature pixel in an image having the same size as the determination region.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a decoding unit for performing a decoding process on coded data of a moving picture on a frame-by-frame basis, and a controller for controlling the decoding unit. The controller designates a first decoding condition using multiple attributes, such as resolution level, precinct, component, or layer, for each frame, and causes the decoding unit to perform the decoding process on those code streams that satisfy the first decoding condition among the coded data. If a decoding time required to perform the decoding process under the first condition is equal to or longer than a prescribed time period, the controller allows the decoding unit to finish the decoding process for a current frame. If the coding time is shorter than the prescribed time period, the controller designates a second condition as to the attributes for the current frame to cause the decoding unit to perform the decoding process on those codes streams that satisfy the second condition.

Abstract: An automated method (1) for the automatic extraction of a pulmonary vessel tree from a 3D medical image, such as multi-slice CT data, is disclosed. A segmented pulmonary vessel is identified as either an artery or a vein by determining a measure for arterialness for the vessel. The measure is based on a relation of the orientation of a local bronchus to the orientation of the segmented pulmonary vessel of the local bronchus. When a vessel is identified as a pulmonary artery, it is added to the pulmonary artery tree. Radii of the pulmonary artery and bronchus are measured automatically and positions where a ratio of these radii exhibits unusual values are presented in a display, preferably for suggesting further assessment by a radiologist, which for instance is useful for pulmonary embolism detection.

Abstract: Assets of raw geo-located imagery can be divided into tiles and coverage masks can be generated for each tile. For each tile, fragments of pixels from coverage masks of neighboring tiles can be extracted and tagged. The fragments can be sorted and stored in a data structure so that fragments having the same tag can be grouped together in the data structure. The fragments can be used to feather the coverage mask of the tile to produce a blend mask. Multi-resolution imagery and mask pyramids can be generated by extracting fragments from tiles and minified (e.g., down-sampled). The minified fragments can be tagged (e.g., by ancestor tile name), sorted and stored in a data structure, so that fragments having like tags can be stored together in the data structure. The fragments can be assembled into fully minified tiles for each level in the pyramid. Input tiles in a first projection are re-projected into a second projection using techniques that minimize distortion in the re-projected imagery.

Abstract: The invention aims at separating a background area of an image using a plurality of cameras by utilizing a method of estimating a background in combination with a stereo method. Data on input images, synchronous with one another, which are obtained by photographing images of a subject from different points of sight using at least two cameras is stored in a frame memory. A background area estimation processing unit performs global image superimposition for the input images, synchronous with one another, the data on which is stored in the frame memory on the assumption that a background area is in the distance and has a flat surface. Then, the background area estimation processing unit estimates the background area based on a degree of local similarity. A distance image generation processing unit performs distance measurement with respect to points other than those in the estimated background area by utilizing a stereo method to generate distance images.

Abstract: A method for supporting diagnostic workflow from a medical imaging apparatus. A set of at least two images are obtained from a patient and displayed according to a user-specified image display layout selected from a plurality of image display layouts. One or more markers are associated with a region of interest in the displayed images. A list of regions of interest is generated, each having an entry for each associated marker. A classification is assigned to each entry in the list of regions of interest according to health risk.

Abstract: A first embodiment of the invention relates to a method for evaluating the quality of structures on an integrated circuit wafer. Test structures formed on either on the integrated or on a test wafer are exposed to an electron beam and an electron-beam activated chemical etch. The electron-beam activated etching gas or vapor etches the test structures, which are analyzed after etching to determine a measure of quality of the test structures. The measure of quality may be used in a statistical process control to adjust the parameters used to form device structures on the integrated circuit wafer. The test structures are formed on an integrated circuit wafer having two or more die. Each die has one or more integrated circuit structures. The test structures are formed on scribe lines between two or more adjacent die. Each test structure may correspond in dimensions and/or composition to one or more of the integrated circuit structures.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for using digital imaging and networked communications in clinical hematology. An Area of Interest (AOI) on a slide is determined. A high resolution image of the AOI is analyzed for sample integrity and adjusted and rescanned based on programmable parameters. Sensitive HIPAA information is removed from the AOI image stored on a server. The server includes Web 2.0 software applications. A remote user reviews the image and adds metadata to the server. The server manages the work flow between the stored AOI images and the available users. A technician accesses information about a particular image file, as well as other topics, through knowledge management and social network applications. Lab reports are generated based on the metadata. The quality of the metadata is subject to quality control processes. The stored images and associated metadata can be mined for subsequent medical research.

Abstract: A non-invasive method is described for identifying contours with complex structures having an error recognition rate tending towards zero, which method can be used to distinguish and identify features of a slaughtered animal body with respect to each other, said method being utilized on the basis of a characteristic piece in particular to determine, by means of image processing, data for calculating the muscle-meat percentage, the trade classification and the associated trade value and market value, and also to rate the quality of slaughtered animal bodies, taking into account legal requirements.

Abstract: The present invention disclose an iris recognition method, which utilizes a matching pursuit algorithm to simplify the extraction and reconstruction of iris features and reduce the memory space required by each iris feature vector without the penalty of recognition accuracy. The iris recognition method of the present invention comprises an iris-localization component and a pattern matching component. The iris-localization component locates the iris region via the color difference between different portions of the eyeball. The primary iris features are extracted from iris information and transformed into a sequence of iris feature vectors by a matching pursuit algorithm. Thus, the iris image can be represented by a sequence of atoms, and each atom contains base, amplitude and location. Then, the comparison between the feature vectors of two irises is performed to determine whether the two irises match.

Abstract: This invention provides a system and method for image signal contrast extension and overflow compensation. The system includes contrast extension and overflow compensation look-up tables, an image gray level boundary determining unit, a contrast extension unit, an overflow judging unit, and an overflow compensation unit. The image gray level boundary determining unit defines a maximum and a minimum among the gray levels of the pixels of an image signal and calculates the difference. The contrast extension unit selects corresponding parameter from the contrast extension table for contrast extension of a given image pixel. The overflow judging unit judges whether the pixels are overflowed. The overflow compensation unit compensates the pixel. When a pixel is overflowed, the overflow compensation unit selects, according to the gray level of the pixel, a corresponding overflow compensation parameter to reduce the gray level to overcome the problem of overflow.

Abstract: There are provided selective prediction encoding and decoding methods and selective prediction encoding and decoding devices. The selective prediction encoding device selects and performs one of an AC/DC prediction encoding method and an intra prediction encoding method which corresponds to the smaller of code amount from AC/DC prediction and an amount of AVC intra coding, records information indicating the selected encoding method in a header of a bit stream, and transmits the bit stream to the selective prediction decoding device. The selective prediction decoding device decodes the transmitted bit stream by the use of a decoding process corresponding to the information recorded in the header. Accordingly, it is possible to improve compression ratio and image quality by using the selective prediction encoding and decoding methods.

Abstract: A system and method for toboggan-based object detection in cutting planes are provided. A method for detecting an object in an image includes: determining a region of interest (ROI) in the image; determining a toboggan potential for each image element in the ROI; extracting a plurality of cutting planes from the ROI; and performing a tobogganing in the cutting planes to form a toboggan cluster to determine a location of the object, wherein image elements inside the toboggan cluster are stored in a cluster-member list, image elements on an outer-border of the toboggan cluster are stored in an outer-border list and image elements on an inner-border of the toboggan cluster are stored in an inner-border list.

Abstract: A method of transferring a code of a structured document including background and at least one set of foreground and mask, to an image reproducing unit which reproduces the structured document code into a document image, includes, for each set of the foreground and mask, performing control to give priority to code of the mask over code of the foreground.

Abstract: A system for autonomous object tracking with static camera arrangements. Each camera arrangement may minimally have a pan-tilt-zoom camera and a range or depth sensor. Imaging may provide coordinates and depth information of a tracked object. Measurements of an image centroid position and width may be obtained with processing. Maintaining an image at the center of a camera screen may be attained at a pixel width of the image. Estimation and prediction of object size and position may be processed for providing pan, tilt and zoom rates for the camera. Pan, tilt and zoom latency may be accounted for in the system. There may be a number of camera arrangements where tracking of the object may be handed off by one camera arrangement to another.

Abstract: A signal related to input moving pictures of plural different types is quantized in response to a variable quantization scale factor before being encoded. An actual complexity of each past encoded picture originating from one of the input moving pictures is calculated. A complexity of a next encoded picture is estimated in response to the actual complexity of a past encoded picture same in type as the next encoded picture in cases where the next encoded picture does not correspond to a scene change. A complexity of the next encoded picture is estimated in response to the actual complexity of a past encoded picture different in type from the next encoded picture in cases where the next encoded picture corresponds to a scene change. A value of the quantization scale factor used for the quantization is decided in response to the estimated complexity.

Abstract: This invention consists of processes that cause the accurate simulation of a target image, pattern, or color by either averaging the colors of text with its adjacent background or by averaging layers of color. In the former, text and the background around or adjacent to the text are selectively colorized such that, when viewed from a distance, the text and background optically blend and average together to accurately simulate the colors and grayscale values of an image. For the latter, this invention demonstrates how the perceived effects of shadows or highlights on a surface are counteracted by applying calculated antidote colors to those effects. It also demonstrates how a starting surface's color can be changed to a target surface's color by applying layers of transparent primary colors to that surface.

Abstract: A biometric locking system, including a biometric validation module for receiving a biometric profile and asserting a control signal responsive to a biometric evaluation of the biometric profile; an outer cylindrical housing; an inner housing, telescopingly coupled to the outer cylindrical housing, for operating in both an operational mode and a storage mode, the operational mode having the inner housing telescoped out from the outer cylindrical housing and the storage mode having the inner housing telescoped into the outer cylindrical housing wherein the operational mode reveals a biometric scanner coupled to the biometric validation module for creation of the biometric profile by a user and wherein the storage mode covers the biometric scanner.

Abstract: A CPU 200 selects one or multiple image data GD to be pasted on ornamental image data among plurality of input image data GD and gains image processing control information GI related to the selected image data GD. The CPU 200 selects desired ornamental image data FD and gains layout control information LI related to the selected ornamental image data FD. The CPU 200 also reads image quality adjustment information GC included in the layout control information LI. The CPU 200 executes image quality adjustment of each of the selected image data GD with the image processing control information GI and the image quality adjustment information GC. The CPU 200 pastes the respective image data GD, which have gone through the image quality adjustment, on the ornamental image data FD according to the layout control information LI to generate resulting output image data.