Patents Examined by Frank Huang
  • Patent number: 9778741
    Abstract: A method for providing a three dimensional (3D) drawing experience. The method includes capturing a 3D image of a participant and then processing this image to key the participant's image from a background. The keyed participant's image is mixed with a 3D background image such as frames or scenes from a 3D movie, and the mixed 3D image is projected on a projection screen. For example, left and right eye images may be projected from a pair of projectors with polarization films over the lenses, and the projection screen may be a polarization-maintaining surface such as a silver screen. The user moves a drawing instrument in space in front of the projection screen, and spatial tracking performed to generate a locus of 3D positions. These 3D positions are used to create a 3D drawing image that is projected with the 3D background and participant images in real time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
    Inventors: Lanny S. Smoot, Quinn Y. Smithwick, Daniel Reetz, Michael J. Ilardi
  • Patent number: 9762881
    Abstract: A method for three dimensional (3D) image processing is provided that includes receiving an image, wherein each location in the image includes a value indicative of a depth of a pixel in a scene and wherein each value has an associated confidence measure, determining whether each similarity region of a plurality of non-overlapping similarity regions in the image is valid or invalid based on a number of values in the similarity region having sufficiently high confidence measures, wherein a similarity region includes contiguous locations in the image having similar values, and indicating that the values in a similarity region are invalid when the similarity region is determined to be invalid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Peter Charles Barnum
  • Patent number: 9762916
    Abstract: An encoding apparatus includes an encoder configured to classify an image into a regions corresponding to display screen sizes, and encode the image. The encoder classifies the regions into tile region. The encoder adds, to encoded data, information for associating information of a tile region to be decoded when decoding an image corresponding to one of display screen sizes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shigeki Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 9754185
    Abstract: A weight value used for a beamforming process performed on received signals in an ultrasound imaging apparatus is obtained with a small amount of computations and with a high degree of precision, even when a method of adaptive signal processing is employed. Multiple elements 401 receive ultrasound signals from a test subject, and the similarity operator 404 obtains the similarity between the received signals x(n). By using the similarity C(n) between the received signals obtained by the similarity operator 404, the adaptive weight operator 407 computes the adaptive weight w(n) in association with the similarity. The beamforming operator 408 uses the adaptive weight w(n) and the received signal x(n) to generate a beamforming output. The imaging processor 108 uses the beamforming output to generate image data. By way of example, the similarity operator 404 performs computations of the similarity in the time direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Teiichiro Ikeda, Takashi Azuma, Hiroshi Masuzawa
  • Patent number: 9750399
    Abstract: An endoscopic surgical method involves an advancement of an endoscope (20) to a target location within an anatomical region of a body and a generation of a plurality of endoscopic video frames (22) as the endoscope (20) is advanced to the target location with the endoscopic video frames (2) illustrating monocular endoscopic images of the anatomical region. For real-time estimation of a depth of an object within monocular endoscopic images (e.g., depth of a bronchial wall within an monocular endoscopic images of a bronchial tube), the method further involves (S41) a determination of an optical flow of one or more image points within a frame time series of the monocular endoscopic images of the anatomical region, and (S42) an estimation of a depth field indicative of a depth of the object within the monocular endoscopic images as a function of the optical flow of the image point(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventor: Aleksandra Popovic
  • Patent number: 9756346
    Abstract: Edge-selective intra coding may include encoding a first input block, generating a first reconstructed block by decoding the first encoded block, determining a reconstruction error block based on a difference between the first input block and the first reconstructed block, identifying a second input block from the first input frame, and determining a plurality of refined context pixels. Determining a plurality of refined context pixels may include identifying a plurality of context pixels from the reconstruction error block, generating a plurality of encoded context pixels by encoding the plurality of context pixels, generating a plurality of reconstructed context pixels by decoding the plurality of encoded context pixels, and adding at least a portion of the reconstruction error block and the plurality of reconstructed context pixels. The method may include generating a second encoded block by encoding the second input block based on the plurality of refined context pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Qunshan Gu, Yaowu Xu
  • Patent number: 9749541
    Abstract: A method for capturing images using a mobile device that includes a plurality of integrated image capturing devices having a plurality of different fields of view includes displaying a first image of a first field of view associated with a first one of the plurality of image capturing devices on a first region of a display of the mobile device, and displaying a second image of a second field of view associated with a second one of the plurality of image capturing devices on a second region of the display of the mobile device, wherein the first image and the second image are displayed simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Tout Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Cobb, James Martinez, Jeremia Kimelman, Scott Velicer
  • Patent number: 9749616
    Abstract: A three-dimensional image adjustment method includes: displaying a three-dimensional image, which is composed by a first to Nth two-dimensional images with respective different viewing angles and formed by projecting the N two-dimensional images through a first to Nth viewing angles of a three-dimensional display apparatus, respectively, and the D1th to D2th of the N viewing angles are defined to a normal-viewing zone; and shifting the N two-dimensional images in first or second direction according to positions of first and second viewers, the D1th and D2th viewing angles, and projecting the N two-dimensional images through the first to Nth viewing angles, respectively, when the first and second viewers are located at the L1th and L2th of the N viewing angles, respectively, wherein at least one of the L1th and L2th viewing angle is located out of the normal-viewing zone. A three-dimensional display apparatus is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: AU OPTRONICS CORP.
    Inventors: Yi-Ting Yen, Fu-Chuan Tsai, Chia-Pu Ho
  • Patent number: 9743079
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a first storing unit for storing a plurality of prediction parameters used in predictive image generation for a plurality of prediction units corresponding in size to at least one picture; a second storing unit for storing two or more prediction parameters used in predictive image generation for two or more prediction units among the plurality of prediction units; and a transferring unit configured to collectively transfer, for predictive image generation, (i) two or more of the prediction parameters from the first storing unit to the second storing unit or collectively transfer (ii) the two or more prediction parameters used in the predictive image generation for the two or more prediction units from the second storing unit to the first storing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Amano, Takeshi Tanaka, Kenji Oga
  • Patent number: 9743075
    Abstract: An image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: an IR emitter controller for recognizing a pair of 3D glasses connected to the image display apparatus; a video multiplexer for receiving a plurality of displayed video data using a plurality of pairs of 3D glasses, setting a frame rate for the plurality of video data to assign a frame period thereto, and multiplexing the plurality video data according to the frame period assigned at the set frame rate, when the plurality of pairs of 3D glasses is connected to the image data apparatus; and a display unit for frame-sequentially displaying the multiplexed video data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Kook Yeon Kwak, Kwan Suk Kim, Jong Yeul Suh
  • Patent number: 9743062
    Abstract: A method of cropping a 3D content comprising at least a first view and a second view is disclosed that comprises: determining a first saliency map from the first view and a second saliency map from the second view; determining a final cropping window from the first and second saliency maps; and cropping the first view and the second view according to the final cropping window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: THOMPSON LICENSING SA
    Inventors: Christel Chamaret, Fabrice Urban, Thai Quan Huynh-Thu, Jean-Claude Chevet
  • Patent number: 9743081
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for collaborative partition coding for region based filters. An apparatus includes a video encoder (100) for encoding image data for a plurality of regions in a picture. The video encoder (100) includes multiple filters for filtering the image data based on region partition information for the plurality of regions. The region partition information for the plurality of regions is shared between the multiple filters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: THOMSON LICENSING
    Inventors: Joel Sole, Yunfei Zheng, Qian Xu, Peng Yin, Xiaoan Lu
  • Patent number: 9743106
    Abstract: Disclosed are an apparatus, a method, and a system for compressing and transmitting video. The video processing apparatus comprises an overlap area extraction part being provided with at least one input video which is acquired by at least one video acquisition device and real space video data stored in a data base, and extracting overlap areas by matching the input video with the real space video data; and a video compression part compressing, based on the overlap areas, the at least one input video by using at least one reference frame based on information included in the real space video data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Nac Woo Kim, Chie Teuk Ahn, Byung Tak Lee, Young Sun Kim
  • Patent number: 9743070
    Abstract: A three-dimensional image display apparatus is provided. The three-dimensional image display apparatus includes an element image array, a backlight source, and a fly-eye lens array. The element image array is disposed between the backlight source and the fly-eye lens array. Incident angles of lights emitted from different directional light sources with respect to the element image array are different. The image resolution of the three-dimensional image display apparatus is raised by using the backlight source having the multiple directional light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jianhong Chen
  • Patent number: 9736420
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes: a housing configured to house an electronic component; a first housing member comprising a first wall; a second housing member comprising a second wall overlapping the first wall with a gap therebetween; a first connecting structure configured to fix the first wall and the second wall; a second connecting structure positioned closer to an end of the first wall or the second wall than the first connecting structure and configured to connect the first wall and the second wall with play between the first wall and the second wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Minaguchi, Ryosuke Saito
  • Patent number: 9736434
    Abstract: A method and apparatus comprising a view generator. The view generator is configured to identify a position of a mobile display device relative to an exterior of a vehicle. The view generator is further configured to identify image data from a sensor system for the vehicle that corresponds to a field of view of the mobile display device from the position of the mobile display device relative to the vehicle. The view generator is further configured to display an external view for the vehicle on the mobile display device using the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: Ty Larsen, Edwin C. Lim
  • Patent number: 9727790
    Abstract: An embodiment of a Wearable Computer with Natural User Interface apparatus includes a first portable unit for data gathering and communicating feedback and a second portable unit for processing the at least gathered data from the first unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Inventor: Masoud Vaziri
  • Patent number: 9723203
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer readable mediums are provided for generating a panoramic image that includes, in at least some aspects, generating targets that are each associated with a portion of the panoramic image, displaying the targets, shifting the targets when the user device is repositioned, capturing images when the targets are within a threshold distance of the center of the display, and generating the panoramic image from the captured images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventor: Scott Ettinger
  • Patent number: 9723266
    Abstract: Described in an example herein is an apparatus that comprises video quality monitoring logic operable to receive data representative of a video stream that includes one or more frames and to produce data representative of an estimated mean opinion score for the video stream. The video quality monitoring logic is operable to determine a scene complexity and a level of motion for the video stream. The video quality monitoring logic is operable to determine a mean square error for frames belonging to the plurality of frames. The video quality monitoring logic is operable to determine the estimated mean opinion score for the video stream based on compression distortion determined from an average of the mean square error for frames belonging to the one or more frames, the scene complexity, the level of motion, and a frame rate for the video stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Jing Hu
  • Patent number: 9723273
    Abstract: Methods and systems are described for using a video camera. According to at least one embodiment, a camera assembly for recording video footage includes a lens connector with a lens attached to a first end and a camera body connector on a second end. Further, the lens connector has a length that separates the video lens a distance from a camera body when the lens connector is attached to camera body and also housing at least one cable capable of transmitting a video signal recorded by the lens from the lens to the camera body. Also, the camera body has a power module and a communication module to communicate with a remote control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Vivint, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael D. Child