Abstract: The invention relates to the improvement of the resolution of regularly sampled multi-dimensional signals, where a single low-resolution signal is available. These methods are generically referred to as example-based super-resolution or single-image super-resolution. The method for super-resolving a single image comprises three stages. First, an interpolation-based up-scaling of the input image is performed, followed by an equivalent low-pass filtering operation on the low-resolution image. The second stage comprises a search for low-frequency matches between an inspected patch in the high-resolution image and patches in a local neighborhood in the low-resolution low-frequency image, including partly overlapping patches, and accumulating the high-frequency contribution obtained from the low-resolution image. The third stage comprises adding the contributions of the low-frequency band of the high-resolution image and the extrapolated high-frequency band.

Abstract: A data compression apparatus 100 and method suitable for image data 50 assembles pixel values 52 into at least one group 55 with a positional index 56. An encoding unit 130 sets a maximum bit plane according to a highest value in the group, and encodes the data values sequentially along the group using iteratively reduced bit plane levels until reaching a lowest bit plane or exhausting the data values in the group, including recording the positional index where the bit plane level is changed, to provide a compressed dataset.

Abstract: A method for testing an organic pattern including: forming an organic pattern on a test substrate through a mask; acquiring a test image by photographing a predetermined test area of the test substrate; and checking whether an edge of the organic pattern displayed to the test image goes over an edge of a virtual test figure.

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. Additionally a method is proposed in which at least one of a transform and quantization process to be applied to de-multiplexed data is modified. One application is to combine left and right stereoscopic images, interleaved in a checkerboard manner.

Abstract: Providing access to digitally published data includes creating a note having at least a portion that is handwritten by a first user, converting handwriting of the note into a content access identifier that varies according to the portion that is handwritten by the first user, associating the content access identifier with the digitally published data, and making the digitally published data available to a second user by making the note available to the second user. The digitally published data may be written to a public database and/or a private database. A portion of the note may be pre-printed. A pre-printed distinguishing pattern on the note may indicate that handwritten content corresponds to a content access identifier. The pre-printed portion may be a regular dotted pattern. The note may have a known identifiable color and size.

Abstract: A method of operating an electronic device for image interpolation is provided. The method includes estimating a direction of pixels using a plurality of filters respectively corresponding to a plurality of angles, correcting the direction of the pixels using a direction of neighboring pixels, determining whether the direction estimation has an error according to a direction distribution of the neighboring pixels, and when the direction estimation is determined to have error, correcting the error in the direction estimation.

Abstract: Detecting text using stroke width based text detection. As a part of the text detection, a representation of an image is generated that includes pixels that are associated with the stroke widths of components of the image. Connected components of the image are identified by filtering out portions of the pixels using metrics related to stroke width. Text is detected in the image based on the identified connected components.

Abstract: High quality upscaling and denoising are required in mobile imaging devices that do not contain high quality lenses. Such is also required in order to scale up standard-definition video content for display in high-definition television screens. The disclosed method uses contextual information obtained during upscaling and/or denoising of frames. Relevant correspondences between patches within a frame and between frames, are detected, managed and exploited. The correspondence information is simultaneously used and updated while video frames are being processed. Two approaches may be used: 1. keeping, searching for and updating a database of useful patches, by adding frequently visible similar patches, aggregating high-frequency, low-noise information associated with the similar patches, and removing less-observed patches; 2.

Abstract: Methods are provided to perform area summation of various subsections of data values in a regular input array of one or several dimensions and varying sizes. The summation is achieved by adding up values from a ripmap of partial sums, where the partial sums are computed from the input array using a binary reduction method. According to such embodiments, the generation of the ripmap of partial sums will employ several binary reduction stages. Within each stage, a reduction operator is used that adds two elements along the respective direction. This is repeated until the output is only one element wide in the respective direction. The addresses of partial sums in the ripmap may subsequently be computed using a binary analysis of the target subsections in order to choose those partial sum values for a desired area that results in the desired area sum using an optimal number of data fetches.

Abstract: Provided are an apparatus and method for enhancing an image using a color channel. A pre-processing unit generates an inverted image by inverting a luminance component estimated from a red (R) channel among color channels of a red, green, and blue (RGB) color space of an input image. A channel merging unit generates a merged luminance (L) channel by merging an L channel of an International Commission on Illumination (CIE) L*a*b* (CIELab) color space of the input image and the inverted image. A contrast enhancement unit enhances contrast by expanding a histogram of the merged L channel. A color restoration unit combines the merged L channel whose contrast has been enhanced and chromaticity components of the input image, and converts a resultant color image to the RGB color space, thereby generating a restored image.

Abstract: A device may calculate a normalized value for each of a number of pixels in a frame of a video stream, by obtaining a first color from one of the pixels and a second color, by obtaining color components of the first color and the second color, by, for each of the color components, determining a distance between the first color and the second color, and by adding the distances of the color components to obtain the normalized value. In addition, the device may compute an accumulation of the normalized values, compare the accumulation to a threshold to determine whether a first image that includes the pixels matches a second image that includes the second color, and display a result of determining whether the first image matches the second image via a graphical user interface (GUI).

Abstract: Implementations generally relate to providing image parameters in a social network system. In some implementations, a method includes receiving a plurality of reference images associated with a target user in a social network system. The method also includes determining one or more image parameter values based on social activity of the target user. The method also includes modifying one or more target images based on the one or more determined image parameter values.

Abstract: The image processing apparatus inpaints a part of an image displayed on the display unit. The control unit determines a removal patch including a removal region and a first non-removal region that is a region that does not include the removal region in the image, and replace pixel values of pixels included in the removal region with pixel values of pixels outside the removal patch. The control unit calculates a distance from the removal region for pixels included in the first non-removal region, blends pixel values of the pixels included in at least a portion of the first non-removal region with the pixel values of the pixels outside the removal patch based on the calculated distance to obtain blended pixel values, and replaces the pixel values of the pixels included in the at least a portion of the first non-removal region with the blended pixel values.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a non-transitory processor-readable medium stores code representing instructions to cause a processor to smooth a current image of a scene to produce a smoothed image and subtract pixel values of a background image of the scene from corresponding pixel values of the smoothed image to produce an altitude difference image. Pixel values of the altitude difference image are weighted to produce a weighted difference image. The weighted difference image is convolved to produce a convoluted difference image. A threshold is applied to each pixel of the convoluted difference image to produce a thresholded difference image. Pixels having a value less than the threshold are removed from the thresholded difference image and classified as background pixels. Foreground pixels are determined based on the thresholded difference image.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products to obtain a color image from a color filter array, such as, for example, a color filter array comprising a Bayer pattern. A method of image processing includes, for each pixel location (i,j) and for each color channel in a color image, determining a warped location (i?,j?) in a color filter array, and determining a color value of the color channel at location (i?,j?) in the color filter array. The method may further include storing the determined color value. The determining of the color value may include interpolating the color value of the color channel at location (i?,j?) in the color filter array. In this manner, a single interpolation operation set may be needed and an intermediate image may be avoided, saving memory, reducing processing time, minimizing artifacts, and reducing cost.

Abstract: A computer system for creating artifact-free aerial images of a region of interest. A computer system receives one or more input aerial images that are obtained at different times. A false-color image is created by applying two or more of the input aerial images to different color channel inputs of the false-color image. Based on the color of the pixels in the false-color image, pixels in the two or more input aerial images are classified as representing clear, cloud or shadow areas. An output image is created by combining pixels that are classified as representing clear areas from two or more of the input aerial images.

Abstract: A method of decoding an image includes the steps of restoring a residual value by performing inverse quantization and inverse transform on the residual value by entropy decoding a received bit stream, generating a prediction unit by performing intra prediction selectively using one of a plurality of prediction modes on a prediction unit split by conducting at least one of asymmetric partitioning and geometrical partitioning, and restoring an image by adding the residual value to the prediction unit. It may be possible to enhance encoding efficiency of high-resolution images having a resolution of HD or higher by performing intra prediction on the asymmetric partitioning and/or geometrical partitioning.

Abstract: A method of decoding an image includes the steps of restoring a residual value by performing inverse quantization and inverse transform on the residual value by entropy decoding a received bit stream, generating a prediction unit by performing intra prediction selectively using one of a plurality of prediction modes on a prediction unit split by conducting at least one of asymmetric partitioning and geometrical partitioning, and restoring an image by adding the residual value to the prediction unit. It may be possible to enhance encoding efficiency of high-resolution images having a resolution of HD or higher by performing intra prediction on the asymmetric partitioning and/or geometrical partitioning.

Abstract: A method for in-image periodic noise pixel inpainting is provided. It is determined whether a current frame includes periodic noise pixels, and locations of periodic noise pixels are identified. Non-periodic-noise pixels in a reference frame are utilized to inpaint the periodic noise pixels in the current frame.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing an image for enhancing an image quality captured in a low illumination environment is disclosed. The method for processing the image may include estimating motion information based on a base frame among input frames captured using a short exposure time and high ISO sensitivity conditions, removing noise of the base frame using the motion information, and enhancing an image quality of the base frame from which the noise has been removed using a reference frame captured under a long exposure condition.