Abstract: An image processing method is provided. The image processing method includes the following steps: detecting an input sequence of image frames captured using an image capturing device to generate a detection result; referring to the detection result to selectively perform frame interpolation on the input sequence of image frames to generate a to-be-encoded sequence of image frames; and encoding the to-be-encoded sequence of image frames to generate an encoded video signal.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed. The method may include determining a histogram of intensity values for pixels in image sensor data in which the histogram is bimodal. The method may include determining a breakpoint between the two modes. The histogram may include a first distribution of intensity values below the breakpoint and a second distribution of intensity values above the breakpoint. The method may include generating output intensity values. Generating output intensity values may include compressing the first distribution of intensity values of the pixels with intensity values below the breakpoint, stretching the second distribution of intensity values of the pixels with intensity values above the breakpoint, and generating an output image based on the output intensity values.

Abstract: A unified image processing algorithm results in better post-processing quality for combined images that are made up of multiple single-capture images. To ensure that each single-capture image is processed in the context of the entire combined image, the combined image is analyzed to determine portions of the image (referred to as “zones”) that should be processed with the same parameters for various image processing algorithms. These zones may be determined based on the content of the combined image. Alternatively, these zones may be determined based on the position of each single-capture image with respect to the entire combined image or the other single-capture images. Once zones and their corresponding image processing parameters are determined for the combined image, they are translated to corresponding zones each of the single-capture images. Finally, the image processing algorithms are applied to each of the single-capture images using the zone-specified parameters.

Abstract: A display management processor receives an input image with enhanced dynamic range to be displayed on a target display which has a different dynamic range than a reference display. The input image is first transformed into a perceptually-quantized (PQ) color space, preferably the IPT-PQ color space. A color volume mapping function, which includes an adaptive tone-mapping function and an adaptive gamut mapping function, generates a mapped image. A detail-preservation step is applied to the intensity component of the mapped image to generate a final mapped image with a filtered tone-mapped intensity image. The final mapped image is then translated back to the display's preferred color space. Examples of the adaptive tone mapping and gamut mapping functions are provided.

Abstract: Methods for characterizing atmospheric turbulence along an optical path from a laser transmitter to a laser receiver can include the steps of counting the number of laser speckles at the receiver imaging plane, and then finding Fried's parameter r0 using the counting result to characterize the turbulence along the path. Before counting speckles, images at the receiver image plane can be preprocessed by capturing the images. The captured images at the image plane can then be blurred and a threshold can be chosen so that only certain pixels in the image are further processed. The thresholding can be via Otsu's methods or via variants of a Gaussian fit. Kostelec's method can then be used to count speckles in the portions of the image that have made it through the thresholding step. Other counting methods could be used. Fried's can then be found using the speckle count.

Abstract: The present invention describes a method for marking an object (18), the object (18) having a surface of a conductive material. The method comprises a step of applying an electric spark to the surface such that the material is at least one of partially melted and partially ablated by the electric spark, thereby forming a pattern on the object (18). Further, the present application relates to a marking system (10) for marking an object (18) using a spark generator (12) having a counter electrode (14) and a connector (16) for electrically connecting the spark generator (12) to the surface of the object (18) to be marked. Further, the present application relates to an authenticating system for authenticating or identifying an object (18) marked by the above described method for marking the object (18).

Abstract: The method comprises segmenting lines into regions of saturated pixels, and, for each of these saturated regions, selecting at least one color channel that is not saturated, then, for each pixel of said region, adding to the color information provided by the saturated color channel for said pixel a difference between the color information provided by the selected non-saturated color channel for said pixel and a baseline color value computed for the region of this pixel.

Abstract: A processor performs pattern matching on a search target image using a reference image. The processor uses the reference image to calculate a model pyramid, which has model edges and different layers, and uses the search target image to calculate the search target pyramid, which has search target edges and layers having size reduction factors which are the same as those of the model pyramid. The processor performs pattern matching on the search target pyramid using the model pyramid. Calculation of the model pyramid includes (i) extracting and calculating sizes of edges from the reference image, (ii) obtaining maximum size reduction factors of the individual edges, and (iii) setting an edge (a) which has a size reduction factor equal to or larger than a target layer size reduction factor and (b) which has been subjected to size reduction as a model edge of the target layer.

Abstract: A telecommunication device includes an image capture system that captures an image of a local participant in a telecommunication session, the image comprising foreground and background images defined by plural pixels, each of the pixels having a pixel magnitude related to a sample of the image at a spatial location of the respective pixel and a background modifier that segments plural pixels of the captured image into foreground and background sets of pixels based on spatial coordinates of the pixels, replaces the background set of pixels with a template set of pixels to form a new background set of pixels, each selected pixel in the template set of pixels having a different magnitude than a magnitude of the corresponding pixel in the background set of pixels replaced by the selected pixel, and combines the new background set of pixels with the foreground set of pixels to form modified image information for transmission to a remote endpoint.

Abstract: An inspection system that may include a processor and a memory module; wherein the memory module is configured to store a first image of an area of an object and a second image of the area of the object; wherein the processor is configured to generate a synthetic image of the area of the object, and to compare the synthetic image to the second image to provide defect detection results.

Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides a method of analyzing an image of a user to determine whether the image is authentic, where a first image of a user's face is received with a camera. Four or more two-dimensional feature points can be located that do not lie on the same two-dimensional plane. Additional images of the user's face can be received; and, the at least four two-dimensional feature points can be located on each additional image with the image processor. The image processor can identify displacements between the two-dimensional feature points on the additional image and the two-dimensional feature points on the first image for each additional image. A processor can determine whether the displacements conform to a three-dimensional surface model. The processor can determine whether to authenticate the user based on the determination of whether the displacements conform to the three-dimensional surface model.

Abstract: A method for removing a mark in a document image includes: extracting connected components from a binary image corresponding to the document image; clustering the connected components based on grayscale features of the connected components to obtain one clustering center; searching, within numerical ranges of a clustering radius R and a grayscale threshold T, for a combination (R, T) which causes an evaluation value based on the grayscale features of the connected components to be higher than a first evaluation threshold; and removing the mark in the document image based on the grayscale threshold in the combination. The method and an apparatus according to the invention can remove a mark in a document image effectively and accurately.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a computer-implemented method for partitioning an image. The method comprises displaying an image that comprises a border; drawing a curve over the image; computing all closed areas delimited by the curve and the border of the image, each closed area being independent from the other computed closed areas and individually selectable.

Abstract: A device includes a coder or a codec configured for interleaved image data utilizing diamond shaped blocks for motion estimation and/or motion compensation and utilizing square or orthogonal transforms of residual data. In various embodiments, the decoder may be configured, among others, to perform de-blocking on edges of the diamond shaped blocks and/or data padding at boundaries of the image data.

Abstract: A method for generating a navigation map of an environment in which a plurality of robots will navigate, includes obtaining an image of the environment defined by a plurality of pixels, each having a cost value. The environment includes an image of a fixed object having a set of pixels corresponding to its location and having a first defined cost value. The method includes obtaining a planned path image for the robots, which include a first set of pixels corresponding to the location of each robot in the environment and a second set of pixels adjacent to the first set of pixels and extending along a planned path of travel toward a destination. The first set of pixels of each robot having the first defined cost value and the second set of pixels having a second defined cost value. The second defined cost value is less than the first defined cost value.

Abstract: In implementations of the subject matter described herein, the feature maps are obtained by convoluting an input image using a plurality of layers of convolution filters. The feature maps record semantic information for respective regions on the image and only need to be computed once. Segment features of the image are extracted from the convolutional feature maps. Particularly, the binary masks may be obtained from a set of candidate segments of the image. The binary masks are used to mask the feature maps instead of the raw image. The masked feature maps define the segment features. The semantic segmentation of the image is done by determining a semantic category for each pixel in the image at least in part based on the resulting segment features.

Abstract: Apparatuses, systems and methods associated with infrared image based facial analysis are disclosed herein. In embodiments, an apparatus may include one or more processors and facial analysis circuitry to be operated by the one or more processors. The facial analysis circuitry may receive an infrared image of a subject from an infrared capture device and may identify a plurality of analysis regions of the infrared image, wherein the plurality of analysis regions correspond to portions of a face of the subject. The facial analysis circuitry may further determine respective mean temperatures of the plurality of analysis regions and determine a skin tone of the subject based, at least in part, on the respective mean temperatures of the plurality of analysis regions.

Abstract: A method and a non-transitory computer readable medium for decompressing an image including one or more regions are presented. A region of the image is selected to be decoded. The region and metadata associated with the region are decoded, the metadata including transformation and quantization settings used to compress the region. A reconstruction transformation is applied to the region using the transformation and quantization settings.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an image information decoding apparatus adapted for performing infra-image decoding based on resolution of color components and color space of an input image signal. An intra prediction unit serves to adaptively change block size in generating a prediction image based on a chroma format signal indicating whether resolution of color components is one of 4:2:0 format, 4:2:2 format, and 4:4:4 format, and a color space signal indicating whether color space is one of YCbCr, RGB, and XYZ. An inverse orthogonal transform unit and an inverse quantization unit serve to also change orthogonal transform technique and quantization technique in accordance with the chroma format signal and the color space signal. A decoding unit decodes the chroma format signal and the color space signal to generate a prediction image corresponding to the chroma format signal and the color space signal.

Abstract: Data analytics engines and methods of incident scene focus area determination. The method includes receiving a plurality of directional inputs from a plurality of sources. The method also includes assigning weighting factors to the plurality of directional inputs. The method further includes generating weighted position vectors for each of the plurality of sources based on the plurality of directional inputs and the weighting factors. The method also includes determining when the weighted position vectors for at least two sources of the plurality of sources intersect. The method further includes determining an intersection location and a confidence level based on the weighted position vectors of the at least two sources. The method also includes identifying an incident scene focus area based on the intersection location and the confidence level.