Patents Examined by Francis G Geroleo
-
Patent number: 9106923Abstract: A three-dimensional (3D) compressing method and apparatus is disclosed. The 3D video compressing apparatus determines whether a motion of consecutive frames exists when a depth of a multi-view video is estimated, performs a depth estimation when the motion exists, and compresses the 3D video by using a color video motion vector as a depth video motion vector.Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 2010Date of Patent: August 11, 2015Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventors: Jaejoon Lee, Du-Sik Park, Ho Cheon Wey, Il Soon Lim, Seok Lee, Jin Young Lee
-
Patent number: 9100640Abstract: A monoscopic video camera may capture, via at least one image sensor, two-dimensional video, and may capture, via at least one depth sensor, corresponding depth information for the captured two-dimensional video. The monoscopic video camera may then configure color related processing of video information corresponding to objects in the captured 2D video based on the captured corresponding depth information. Configuring color processing may comprise setting and/or adjusting color information associated with the objects. In this regard, setting and/or adjusting color information may be based on shadow, shade, and/or edge related information associated with the objects, which may be generated and/or modified based on the captured corresponding depth information based on the captured corresponding depth information. Configuring color processing may be based on surrounding regions adjacent to the objects.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2011Date of Patent: August 4, 2015Assignee: Broadcom CorporationInventors: Chris Boross, Nambirajan Seshadri, Jeyhan Karaoguz, Xuemin Chen
-
Patent number: 9092657Abstract: Embodiments described herein can be used to detect holes in a subset of pixels of a depth image that has been specified as corresponding to a user, and to fill such detected holes. Additionally, embodiments described herein can be used to produce a low resolution version of a subset of pixels that has been specified as corresponding to a user, so that when an image including a representation of the user is displayed, the image respects the shape of the user, yet is not a mirror image of the user. Further, embodiments described herein can be used to identify pixels, of a subset of pixels specified as corresponding to the user, that likely correspond to a floor supporting the user. This enables the removal of the pixels, identified as likely corresponding to the floor, from the subset of pixels specified as corresponding to the user.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2013Date of Patent: July 28, 2015Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLCInventors: Anis Ahmad, Jonathan Hoof, Daniel Kennett
-
Patent number: 9082188Abstract: Methods and devices of studying a predefined portion of an object having a feature of interest are disclosed. The feature of interest defines a class of objects that includes the object. Light sources directly illuminate the object from different illumination directions. The light sources are maintained in a stable configuration relative to the object. For each illumination direction, an image is generated from light scattered from the object with a camera maintained in a stable configuration relative to the light sources. A methodology derived from machine learning for the class of objects is applied to filter the generated images are filtered for a characteristic consistent with the feature of interest. Surface gradients are determined from the filtered images and integrated to generate a topography of a surface of the object.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2012Date of Patent: July 14, 2015Assignee: HID GLOBAL CORPORATIONInventors: Horst Arnold Mueller, Ryan Eric Martin, Robert K. Rowe
-
Patent number: 9083977Abstract: A method facilitating random access to segments of compressed data stored in memory includes the steps of receiving a series of data segments, encoding the series of data segments into a series of compressed data segments of variable segment sizes, storing the series of compressed data segments in a memory, and generating a locator for each of the compressed data segments. Each locator is indicative of the location of an associated compressed data segment in the memory. A method for randomly accessing a segment of compressed data includes receiving a request for a compressed data segment, retrieving a locator associated with the requested segment, using the retrieved locator to locate the requested segment in the memory, and retrieving the requested segment from the memory. Thus, compressed data segments can be decoded in a different order than the order they were encoded in. Systems for implementing the methods are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: November 27, 2012Date of Patent: July 14, 2015Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Xuanming Du, Christopher Shane Coffman
-
Patent number: 9077977Abstract: An image sensor includes: a plurality of pixels arranged and formed in a two-dimensional array so that adjacent ones of the pixels constitute paired pixels and entrance pupils of a first pixel and a second pixel constituting the paired pixels are provided eccentrically in opposite directions to each other with respect to centers of the respective pixels; an incident angle of light from a subject in the first pixel is an incident angle ?cA as defined herein; the incident angle in the second pixel is an incident angle ??cB as defined herein; and light sensitivity characteristics of the first pixel and the second pixel with respect to the incident angles of the first pixel and the second pixel are flat characteristics within an incident angle range of the ?cA to the ??cB.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2014Date of Patent: July 7, 2015Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventor: Tomoyuki Kawai
-
Patent number: 9077996Abstract: A video encoder includes an entropy encoder that computes a predicted motion vector (PMV) for each of a plurality of macroblocks in a video frame based on motion vectors of multiple other macroblocks. The video encoder also includes a motion estimator that determines a predicted motion vector for a given macroblock by reusing, as the predicted motion vector for the given macroblock, only the PMV computed by the entropy encoder for a macroblock immediately on top of the given macroblock.Type: GrantFiled: August 17, 2012Date of Patent: July 7, 2015Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATEDInventors: Shyam Jagannathan, Naveen Srinivasamurthy
-
Patent number: 9055294Abstract: A method is provided for encoding at least one image, divided into macroblocks, one macroblock including a set of blocks de pixels. The method includes, for at least one current macroblock of a current image, at least two iterations of the following steps: allocation of a priority level for encoding to at least one pixel of the current macroblock, selection of a pixel with the highest priority level called the priority pixel, prediction of a set of pixels including the priority pixel and a step of encoding a remainder from prediction for a region made up of predicted pixels of the macroblock, called the predicted region, the encoding step being used as and when the predicted region meets a predetermined encoding criterion.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2010Date of Patent: June 9, 2015Assignee: France TelecomInventors: Isabelle Amonou, Matthieu Moinard, Nathalie Cammas
-
Patent number: 9047745Abstract: Systems and methods disclosed herein provide, for some embodiments, infrared cameras and target position acquisition techniques for various applications. For example, in one embodiment, a system may include a portable imaging/viewing subsystem having a target position finder and may also include a fixed mount camera subsystem having a camera and a camera positioner. A communications link may be configured to communicate a signal from the target position finder to the camera positioner. The signal may be representative of a position of a target being imaged/viewed with the portable imaging/viewing subsystem. The camera positioner may aim the camera toward the target in response to the signal. The target may, for example, be a man overboard. Thus, the system may be useful in search and rescue operations.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2012Date of Patent: June 2, 2015Assignee: FLIR Systems, Inc.Inventors: William A. Terre, Jeffrey D. Frank, James T. Woolaway, Austin A. Richards, Patrick B. Richardson, Nicholas Högasten
-
Patent number: 9041773Abstract: Two dimensional data is converted into three dimensional picture data in a method that can provide a real time high quality display during conversion. Pixels of a frame of picture data are segmented to create pixel segments by applying a k-means algorithm. The k-means algorithm groups pixels based on closeness of a combined value that includes luma, chroma, and motion information. By balancing this information the algorithm collects pixels into groups that are assigned relative depths to turn the two-dimensional information into three-dimensional information for display. Another method includes determining a depth map for the different pixel segments by determining an amount of motion of one of the pixel segments between two frames of a video and scaling the three-dimensional depth of one of the pixel segments based on the amount of motion between the two frames.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 2011Date of Patent: May 26, 2015Assignee: Corel CorporationInventors: Caifu Chen, Junhua Zhou
-
Patent number: 9042458Abstract: Multi-threaded implementations of deblock filtering improve encoding and/or decoding efficiency. For example, a video encoder or decoder partitions a video picture into multiple segments. The encoder/decoder selects between multiple different patterns for splitting operations of deblock filtering into multiple passes. The encoder/decoder organizes the deblock filtering as multiple tasks, where a given task includes the operations of one of the passes for one of the segments. The encoder/decoder then performs the tasks with multiple threads. The performance of the tasks is constrained by task dependencies which, in general, are based at least in part on which lines of the picture are in the respective segments and which deblock filtering operations are in the respective passes. The task dependencies can include a cross-pass, cross-segment dependency between a given pass of a given segment and an adjacent pass of an adjacent segment.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2011Date of Patent: May 26, 2015Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Wenfeng Gao, Yongjun Wu, Shyam Sadhwani
-
Patent number: 9036002Abstract: A system for making a panoramic image includes a digital camera (20) for capturing a first image (30) defining a first overlap region (115) and a second image (40) defining a second overlap region (215). Two points (150, 151) in the first overlap region are identified and a first vector (175) overlap region connecting the two points is defined. Two points (250, 251) in the second overlap region which correspond to the two points in the first overlap region are identified and a second vector (275) of the two points is defined. If the points in the first vector match points in the second vector, determine if the first and second vectors are parallel. If the vectors are not parallel, rotate the second vector image until the second vector is parallel to the first vector.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 2012Date of Patent: May 19, 2015Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANYInventors: Donald S. Rimai, Gary P. Lawniczak, Nelson A. Blish
-
Patent number: 9036701Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided to enable the provision of efficient processing in the area of video coding and decoding by employing complexity balanced entropy coding in order to provide a high level of capability with respect to video coding and decoding in a cost effective manner. A method includes categorizing a plurality of syntax elements of video content into first and second categories based on a frequency of occurrence of the syntax elements in the video content. The method also entropy codes symbols that correspond to the first category of syntax elements and that have been subjected to a context update. Further, the method entropy codes symbols that correspond to the second category of syntax elements and that have bypassed context updating. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also provided.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2011Date of Patent: May 19, 2015Assignee: Nokia CorporationInventors: Jani Lainema, Kemal Ugur, Antti Olli Hallapuro
-
Patent number: 9025010Abstract: A light amount adjusting apparatus includes: a two-dimensional (2D) aperture assembly that adjusts an opening area of a via hole through which light is transmitted; a three-dimensional (3D) aperture plate that forms a first opening and a second opening by blocking a part of the via hole, or moving to outside of the via hole to open the via hole; a first shielding plate that is movable to open or close the first opening; and a second shielding plate that is movable so as to close the second opening when the first shielding plate opens the first opening and to open the second opening when the first shielding plate closes the first opening.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 2012Date of Patent: May 5, 2015Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventors: Chi-young Park, Kwang-seok Byon, Jung-soo Kim, Jin-young Bang, Young-jae Hwang
-
Patent number: 9020038Abstract: A system and method for generating compressed video with geographically-anchored-video functionality includes processing frames from a source video sequence by matching image content of the frames to image data from a geographic database to derive the geographic locations of pixels within at least part of the frames. The source video sequence is then compressed by a lossy video compression technique to generate a compressed video sequence, and the compressed video sequence is encoded together with data indicative of the geographic locations of pixels as a composite data stream. Also disclosed are methods for selective video archiving and retrieval based on the geographical footprint of the image content.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2010Date of Patent: April 28, 2015Assignee: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.Inventors: Elon Littwitz, Yehudit Oliker, Idan Adi
-
Patent number: 9013552Abstract: A monoscopic video camera may capture, via at least one image sensor, two-dimensional video, and may capture, via at least one depth sensor, corresponding depth information for the captured two-dimensional video. The monoscopic video camera may then adaptively configure scaling operations applicable to the captured two-dimensional video based on the depth information, which may comprise variably scaling different portions of the two-dimensional video. In this regard, the monoscopic video camera may determine, based on the depth information, a plurality of depth planes. The different portions of the two-dimensional video that are subjected to variable scaling may be determined based on the plurality of depth planes. Configuration of scaling operations may be performed in response to user input, which may comprise a zoom command. In this regard, scaling operations may be configured to focus on one or more of the different portions of the two-dimensional video based on zoom commands.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2011Date of Patent: April 21, 2015Assignee: Broadcom CorporationInventors: Chris Boross, Nambirajan Seshadri, Jeyhan Karaoguz, Xuemin Chen
-
Patent number: 9013565Abstract: An image display system includes an image display apparatus and a shutter device. The image display apparatus includes an image display section, a sync signal sending section which sends a sync signal for synchronizing display timings of the left-eye image and the right-eye image with the shutter device to the shutter device, and a protocol sending section which sends protocol information to the shutter device. The shutter device include a shutter section which transmits the left-eye image and the right-eye image, a shutter drive section which analyzes the sync signal received through a sync signal receiving section using the protocol information stored in a protocol storing section and drives the shutter section on the basis of the analysis result, and a protocol updating section which updates the protocol information stored in the protocol storing section.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2012Date of Patent: April 21, 2015Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Masafumi Oura
-
Patent number: 9001893Abstract: A transfer unit configured to transfer a motion vector of a co-located macroblock corresponding to a w-th macroblock from an external memory to a buffer when a determining unit determines that the motion vector of the co-located macroblock corresponding to the w-th macroblock is necessary for calculating the motion vector for the w-th macroblock. Additionally, the transfer unit does not transfer the motion vector of the co-located macroblock corresponding to the w-th macroblock from the external memory to the buffer when the determining unit determines that the motion vector of the co-located macroblock corresponding to the w-th macroblock is not necessary for calculating the motion vector for the w-th macroblock.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2010Date of Patent: April 7, 2015Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.Inventor: Hiroshi Amano
-
Patent number: 8994806Abstract: A microscope apparatus organizes and stores a plurality of types of image information acquired by a plurality of image acquisition methods at different timings. The microscope apparatus includes a time counting unit for counting time, a plurality of different image acquisition units, and a storage unit for storing image information, when acquired by any one of the image acquisition units, and timing information counted by the time counting unit, by having them associated with each other. Even if the image acquisition units acquire different types of image information at different timings, the timing information can be used to call up the image information stored in the storage unit in a chronological order.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 2010Date of Patent: March 31, 2015Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Mitsuhiro Nakano, Tatsuo Nakata
-
Patent number: 8989277Abstract: An embodiment of a video processing system can include an alignment detector block configured to determine whether a video signal is misaligned and, responsive to determining that the video signal is misaligned, generate notifications indicating misalignment of the video signal. The video processing system also can include an unlock detector block coupled to the alignment detector block that is configured to determine an amount of time that the video signal is misaligned according to the notifications from the alignment detector block. The unlock detector block can be configured to ignore misalignment of the video signal until the video signal is misaligned for an amount of time exceeding a threshold amount of time. Another embodiment of the video processing system can include a buffer, a packetizer block that is coupled to the buffer, and a buffer controller that is coupled to the buffer and the packetizer block.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2011Date of Patent: March 24, 2015Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.Inventors: Venkata V. Dhanikonda, Arun Ananthapadmanaban