Patents Examined by Frederick Bailey
  • Patent number: 9584824
    Abstract: A motion vector estimation method in video encoding: First, a feature point is detected in a video frame. Next, motion estimation is performed on the feature point to obtain a motion vector of the feature point. Next, the feature point is mapped to a feature image block, and the motion vector of the feature point is used as an initial motion vector of the feature image block. Finally, a distance between each image block and the feature image block is calculated, motion estimation is performed on the image blocks in an ascending order of the distances between the image blocks and the feature image block, and an obtained motion vector of an image block is used as an initial motion vector of an image block that is adjacent to the image block and has not undergone motion estimation, until motion estimation is completed for the image blocks in the entire video frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School
    Inventors: Ronggang Wang, Chengzhou Tang, Wen Gao
  • Patent number: 9581787
    Abstract: A method is provided to generate a 3D image using a light-field camera that includes a main lens, a micro-lens array, a light sensing component, and an image processing module. The micro-lens array forms a plurality of adjacent micro-images at different positions of the light sensing component. Each micro-image includes multiple image zones corresponding to different viewing angles. For each micro-image, the image processing module obtains image pixel values from the image zones, so as to generate camera images corresponding to different viewing angles. The image processing module combines the camera images to generate the 3D image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignees: National Taiwan University, Lite-On Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Jiun-Huei Proty Wu, Zong-Sian Li
  • Patent number: 9584813
    Abstract: Methods and systems for improving coding decoding efficiency of video by providing a syntax modeler, a buffer, and a decoder. The syntax modeler may associate a first sequence of symbols with syntax elements. The buffer may store tables, each represented by a symbol in the first sequence, and each used to associate a respective symbol in a second sequence of symbols with encoded data. The decoder decodes the data into a bitstream using the second sequence retrieved from a table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Yeping Su, Christopher A. Segall
  • Patent number: 9578327
    Abstract: An encoding apparatus for encoding video data captured by a plurality of imaging units by a predetermined data unit, includes an encoding unit configured to refer to a first data unit included in video data captured by a first imaging unit to encode a second data unit included in the video data captured by the first imaging unit, and refer to a third data unit included in video data captured by a second imaging unit to encode a fourth data unit included in the video data captured by the first imaging unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shun Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 9561387
    Abstract: An ambiguity-free optical tracking system (100) includes a position sensor unit (104), a control box (106), a computer (110) and software. The position sensor unit includes two cameras (121 and 122) that track a plurality of individual infra-red reflecting markers (160) affixed on a patient's skin. Coordinates of the cameras in a coordinate system of the cameras are determined as part of a system calibration process by intentionally creating ambiguous markers with two true markers. Using this information, an ambiguity elimination algorithm automatically identifies and eliminates ambiguous markers. A recursive backtracking algorithm builds a one-to-one correspondence between reference markers and markers optically observed during treatment. By utilizing a concept of null markers, the backtracking algorithm deals with missing, misplaced and occluded markers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Unitversity of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Guanghua Yan, Bo Lu, Chihray Liu, Jonathan G. Li
  • Patent number: 9565453
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for encoding and decoding image information and to an apparatus using same, and the method for encoding the image information, according to the present invention, comprises the steps of: generating a recovery block; applying a deblocking filter to the recovery block; applying a sample adaptive offset (SAO) to the recovery block to which the deblocking filter is applied; and transmitting the image information including information on the SAO which is applied, wherein in the step of transmitting, information for specifying bands that cover a scope of a pixel value, to which a band off set is applied, is transmitted when the band offset is applied during the step of applying the SAO.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Seungwook Park, Jungsun Kim, Yongjoon Jeon, Joonyoung Park, Byeongmoon Jeon, Jaehyun Lim
  • Patent number: 9560350
    Abstract: This invention predicts that intra mode prediction is more effective for the macro blocks where motion estimation in inter mode prediction fails. This failure is indicated by a large value of the inter mode SAD. This invention performs intra mode prediction for only macro blocks have larger inter mode SADs. The definition of a large inter mode SAD differs for different content. This invention compares the inter mode SAD of a current macroblock with an adaptive threshold. This adaptive threshold depends on the average and variance of the SADs of the previous predicted frame. An adaptive threshold is calculated for each new predictive frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Soyeb Nagori, Manu Mathew, Pramod Kumar Swami
  • Patent number: 9560342
    Abstract: An autostereoscopic multi-view image display apparatus includes an image panel including pixels arranged in rows and columns, a backlight unit configured to provide light to the image panel, and a viewing zone separator disposed in front of the image panel and configured to provide different viewpoints according to viewing zones. A processor is configured to control multi-view images included into one image frame to be divided into two groups, and to control two sub-frames including multi-view images included in the divided groups to be sequentially displayed. The lights of different directions are provided to the image panel at points of time when the two sub-frames are displayed, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hyun-seung Cho, Ki-hyung Kang
  • Patent number: 9554083
    Abstract: A method of operating an image processing according to an example embodiment includes generating a plurality of encoded bitstreams having different resolutions using an original image output from a video source, generating a plurality of restored images corresponding to the plurality of encoded bitstreams, respectively, the plurality of restored images having a same resolution as a first resolution of the original image, and outputting one of the plurality of encoded bitstreams, based on the plurality of restored images and the original image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jun Shik Jeon, Sung Ho Roh, Tae-Hyun Kim
  • Patent number: 9554079
    Abstract: A vehicle-mounted electronic device according to the present invention is provided with a sensor 15 that detects illumination 17 from a following vehicle 16, in at least one of a display unit 9 and a main body case 7, and is configured such that a control unit 11 rotates the display unit 9 by means of a drive unit 10 when the sensor 15 detects the illumination 17 from the following vehicle 16. Thereby, the illumination 17 from the following vehicle 16 does not reflect on the display unit 9 toward a viewer, as a result of which, the influence by illumination from the following vehicle 16 can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tomohiro Yamada
  • Patent number: 9549177
    Abstract: A method determines a value for a first flag that controls whether a temporal motion vector is used for a slice. If the value of the first flag is a first value, the method performs: evaluating a first condition to determine whether to encode or decode a second flag; if the first condition indicates the second flag should be used, encoding or decoding the second flag in encoding or decoding the slice; evaluating a second condition to determine whether to encode or decode position information that indicates a position that contains the collocated reference picture; and if the second condition indicates the position information should be used, encoding or decoding the position information in encoding or decoding the slice. If the first flag is a second value, the method does not encode or decode the second flag and the position information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: GOOGLE TECHNOLOGY HOLDINGS LLC
    Inventors: Yue Yu, Jian Lou, Limin Wang
  • Patent number: 9549156
    Abstract: Video transaction machines (VTMs) facilitate communications and transactions between customers of a financial institution and video transaction resources, such as video agents, by establishing a video session between a VTM and a video agent workstation. After a computing device of the financial institution receives information identifying the customer, VTM, or VTM location requesting the services of a video agent, the computing device may place the customer in one or more virtual queues based on an overall visit time at the VTM location. In order to maintain a visit time at the VTM location below a predetermined visit time threshold, the controller may prioritize transactions at VTMs with longer visit times over transactions at VTMs with shorter visit times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Bank of America Corporation
    Inventors: James David Freedman, Tyler R. Johnson
  • Patent number: 9542613
    Abstract: A apparatus and method are provided for processing images. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes an image sensor configured to capture real time images from an environment of a user. The apparatus also includes a mobile power source, and at least one processor device configured to process, at an initial resolution, images to determine existence of a trigger, and access rules associating image context with image capture resolution to enable images of a first context to be processed at a lower capture resolution than images of a second context. The processor device analyzes at least one first image, selects a first image capture resolution rule, and applies the first image capture resolution rule to a subsequent captured image. The processor device analyzes at least one second image, selects a second image capture resolution rule, and applies the second image capture resolution rule to a second subsequent captured image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: OrCam Technologies Ltd.
    Inventors: Yonatan Wexler, Amnon Shashua
  • Patent number: 9544605
    Abstract: Methods and systems for improving coding decoding efficiency of video by providing a syntax modeler, a buffer, and a decoder. The syntax modeler may associate a first sequence of symbols with syntax elements. The buffer may store tables, each represented by a symbol in the first sequence, and each used to associate a respective symbol in a second sequence of symbols with encoded data. The decoder decodes the data into a bitstream using the second sequence retrieved from a table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Yeping Su, Christopher A. Segall
  • Patent number: 9538144
    Abstract: A system and method for providing lane sensing on a vehicle by detecting roadway lane-markers, where the system employs multiple cameras providing images around the vehicle. The method includes detecting left-side and right-side lane boundary lines in the camera images, and then determining whether the lane boundary lines in the images are aligned from one image frame to a next image frame and are aligned from image to image. If the boundary lines are not aligned, then calibration of one or more of the cameras is performed, and if the lines are aligned, then a model fitting process is used to specifically identify the location of the boundary lines on the roadway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Wende Zhang, Bakhtiar Brian Litkouhi, Kent S. Lybecker
  • Patent number: 9532015
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method, the method comprises exposing an image frame of an object to be monitored by an area image sensor, transmitting a part of the exposed image frame to an image data processing device, analyzing the part and if the part is detected to comprise a predefined event, said image data processing device is arranged to transmit a trigger signal for triggering said area image sensor so that said area image sensor transmits a bigger part of at least one further image frame to said image data processing device for further analysis, and if not the area image sensor continues to expose at least one further image frame and to transmit a part of said at least one exposed further image frame. The invention further relates to a machine vision system for performing the method and a computer program product comprising instructions to perform the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: Procemex OY
    Inventor: Jari Ritoniemi
  • Patent number: 9532052
    Abstract: In one example, a video coder is configured to code a value for a syntax element indicating whether at least a portion of a picture order count (POC) value of a picture is to be reset to a value of zero, when the value for the syntax element indicates that the portion of the POC value is to be reset to the value of zero, reset at least the portion of the POC value such that the portion of the POC value is equal to zero, and code video data using the reset POC value. Coding video data using the reset POC value may include inter-predicting a block of a subsequent picture relative to the picture, where the block may include a motion parameter that identifies the picture using the reset POC value. The block may be coded using temporal inter-prediction or inter-layer prediction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Ying Chen, Ye-Kui Wang, Adarsh Krishnan Ramasubramonian
  • Patent number: 9532066
    Abstract: A method of coding video data includes determining a candidate motion vector for each of one or more candidate portions of a video frame and determining a current motion vector for a current portion of a current frame. The current motion vector identifies a portion of a reference frame that at least partially matches the current portion of the current frame. The method also includes calculating a motion vector difference between the current motion vector and each of the candidate motion vectors, selecting one of the candidate motion vectors based on the calculated motion vector differences, signaling an index identifying the candidate portion having the selected one of the candidate motion vectors, and signaling the corresponding motion vector difference calculated with respect to the selected one of the candidate motion vectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Wei-Jung Chien, Peisong Chen, Marta Karczewicz
  • Patent number: 9530213
    Abstract: Hardware and software methodology are described for three-dimensional imaging in connection with a single sensor. A plurality of images is captured at different degrees of focus without focus change of an objective lens between such images. Depth information is extracted by comparing image blur between the images captured on the single sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Morteza Gharib, David Jeon
  • Patent number: 9532029
    Abstract: Systems and methods generate a 3D model of a surface of an object immersed in a transparent liquid within a stationary cylindrical transparent tank. First and second laser line projectors and a camera are rotated around a central axis of the cylindrical tank. The first and second laser line projectors each generate a laser line perpendicular to a plane or rotation and aligned with the center of rotation. The camera images the object. An image from the camera is captured at each of several angular positions of the camera relative to a reference position of the stationary cylindrical tank. The captured images are processed to determine, for each laser line within each image, a plurality of 3D positions where the laser line is incident upon a surface of the object. In embodiments, images are corrected with ray tracing or image warping and registration functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: THE TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
    Inventors: Matthew Pallone, Paul M. Meaney, Keith D. Paulsen