Abstract: An electronic seal stamp and an electronic sheet are used. The electronic seal stamp has a stamp surface, and has a storing function and output function for electronic information. The electronic sheet is of a sheet shape, has a surface capable of being impressed, and has a storing function and input function for electronic information. When the electronic seal stamp is impressed on the electronic sheet, a seal image on the stamp surface of the electronic seal stamp is transferred to the surface of the electronic sheet. At the same time, the electronic information stored in the storing function of the electronic seal stamp is transferred to the storing function of the electronic sheet, through the output function of the electronic seal stamp and the input function of the electronic sheet. Thus, an electronic seal stamp system, in which both impression of the stamp surface and electronic sealing are possible, is realized.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for detecting geological discontinuity in an environment using an optical flow. The method includes the steps of selecting in the seismic block a section containing at least one discontinuity. The section constitutes a seismic image. The method includes computing a rough optical flow on the seismic image to obtain a first representation of an optical flow wherein the discontinuity constitutes a moving front. The method also includes smoothing, by a non-supervised dynamic cluster process, the optical flow representation so as to obtain a second optical flow representation wherein the discontinuity shows accentuated contrasts.

Abstract: A ray tracing method based on a directional coherence map comprises partitioning image data into blocks of pixels, with each block including edge pixels and interior pixels. The blocks are individually processed by first computing a discrepancy for each of a plurality of directions of the block. For a given direction, the discrepancy corresponds to a sum of differences of opposing edge pixels oriented along the direction. The direction having a least discrepancy is then selected as an edge direction for the block. Next, a bilinear interpolation is performed along the edge direction to compute the remaining pixels of the block. The approximate image is produced when all of the blocks have been processed.

Abstract: An image reproducing apparatus that includes a display device for displaying a plurality of frames of read images, a specifying device for specifying a group of images having a same or similar scene among the plurality of displayed frames, a calculation device for calculating image reproducing conditions under which the specified group is processes, so that the specified group are reproduced as same or similar images; and a device for redisplaying the specified group with corrections on the display device. The apparatus is capable of printing uniformly finished photo prints for similar frames on an identical film simply, so as to reduce the burden on the operator.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling a dynamic range of a medical diagnostic image provided by a medical diagnostic system. A target dynamic range is identified independent of a dynamic range of an original medical image. A presentation map is generated defining a relation between the dynamic range of the original medical image representative of a patient and the target dynamic range. A gray level-optical density model may define the relation between gray levels of the original medical image and target optical densities of the presentation map, the gray level-optical density model being calculated based on film characteristics, selected optical densities for anatomical structure or on a measured dynamic range. A presentation image is created having the target dynamic range based on a the presentation map and original medical image.

Abstract: An information code converting apparatus converts object information acquired with respect to an object into a registered information code in association with the object, and transmits or outputs the information code in combination with a configuration code. A reproduced information converting apparatus converts the information code transmitted or inputted from the information code converting apparatus into registered reproduced object information in association with the information code, configuring and reproducing an image of the object. The information code converting apparatus has a parts warehouse database storing object data generated in association various objects, and the reproduced information converting apparatus has a reproduced parts warehouse database storing object data generated in association with the various objects.

Abstract: A visual image system is constructed as including: a three-dimensional visual image reproducer for transmitting a three-dimensional video signal; a parallax quantity detecting section for detecting a parallax quantity in the three-dimensional video signal from the three-dimensional visual image reproducer; a fatigue measure estimating section for estimating the degree of fatigue based on the detected parallax quantity and outputting an image switching signal correspondingly to a fatigue measure estimating quantity; a 3D/2D image switching section for providing an output by switching between three-dimensional and two-dimensional images based on the image switching signal; and an image display section for displaying a three-dimensional image or a two-dimensional image. The visual image system thereby fulfills the capability of suitably controlling the degree of three-dimensionality of stereoscopic images by inferring from the inputted video signal the degree of effects likely to be produced on the observer.

Abstract: The invention, in one embodiment, is a method for correcting errors in the correlation of a first constituent image and a second constituent image transferred into a composite image at a first and a second correlation offset, respectively. The method includes identifying the first and second constituent images; ascertaining the correlation offset of at least one of the first and second images; and manually correcting the ascertained correlation offset to eliminate the error.

Abstract: An image format converting method and apparatus are provided. The image format converter includes a pre-filter for pre-filtering the input image and for outputting a pre-filtered signal, and a format converter for bi-linear interpolating the pre-filtered signal, according to a predetermined aspect ratio, and for outputting a format converted signal. Therefore, the image format converter can have simple structure by adding the pre-filter, before the format converter using simple bi-linear interpolation, so that the image can be enlarged or reduced while remaining distinct and without aliasing.

Abstract: An image quality analysis system is provided that can determine various aspects of image quality easily and with minimal user involvement and minimal user expertise. The system uses a scanner, either a stand-alone or part of a multi-function printer/scanner/copier, to scan a printed test pattern, and then perform a series of analyses on the scanned image using an image quality analysis module that may be built into the image output device being tested, or provided as a stand-alone component that can receive the output from the scanner. There are often a number of different test patterns that would be used depending on which print quality issues are being tested. By encoding each test pattern with a coded identification label, not only can the particular test pattern be identified, but the analysis to be performed can also be determined from the corresponding script when the printed test pattern is scanned and subsequently decoded. Particularly suitable decoders are OCR and barcode readers.

Abstract: A method for detecting a synchronous signal contained in an input image signal is provided. In the method, horizontal and vertical periods are established during which horizontal and vertical synchronous signal pulses contained in the input image signal are counted, respectively. Then, minimum and maximum horizontal values which correspond to the horizontal synchronous signal pulses contained in the horizontal period are established, and minimum and maximum vertical values which correspond the vertical synchronous signal pulses contained in the vertical period are established. Afterwards, the horizontal and vertical synchronous signal pulses are counted during the horizontal and vertical periods to respectively obtain first and second counted values.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus to determine a similarity measure between first and second patterns. First and second storages store first and second feature vectors which represent the first and second patterns, respectively. A similarity estimator is coupled to the first and second storages to compute a similarity probability of the first and second feature vectors using a piecewise linear probability density function (PDF). The similarity probability corresponds to the similarity measure.

Abstract: A system for spacing, storing and recognizing electronic representations of handwriting and printing comprises a central processing unit that couples with a display device, an input device, and a memory. The memory includes means for spacing ink stroke representations, means for recognizing outline elements, means for performing deferred recognition, means for highlighting drawing areas and means for storing and displaying ink stroke representations. These means operate together to provide a pen-based or graphics oriented computer system with improved performance and added functionality for manipulating the space between ink stroke representations.

Abstract: A method of determining whether a test sample belongs to the same individual as a plurality of reference samples. The method includes providing respective values of one or more identifying features from the test sample and the plurality of reference samples, representing the test and reference samples by respective points having coordinates in a multi-dimensional space indicative of the respective feature values, and deciding whether the test sample belongs to the same individual as the plurality of reference samples based on a geometrical property of the points.

Abstract: An apparatus for pattern matching encoding includes a pattern extracting unit for extracting patterns in input binary or multi-level image data, an accumulating/match-checking unit for accumulating each extracted pattern and executing a match-check thereof with patterns that have been accumulated, a line segment checking unit for checking each pixel in the match pattern or the extracted pattern as to which line segment in directions the pixel is positioned on, and an encoding unit for encoding the extracted pattern by selecting a template having an optimum form according to the result of the line segment checking. The codes in pattern matching encoding are reduced, and the efficiency of code transmission and code accumulation is improved.

Abstract: A handwriting recognition system and method whereby various character sequences (which are typically “slurred” together when handwritten) are each modelled as a single character (“compound character model”) so as to provide increased decoding accuracy for slurred handwritten character sequences. In one aspect of the present invention, a method for generating a handwriting recognition system having compound character models comprises the steps of: providing an initial handwriting recognition system having individual character models; collecting and labelling a set of handwriting data; aligning the labelled set of handwriting data; generating compound character data using the aligned handwriting data; and retraining the initial recognition system with the compound character data to generate a new recognition system having compound character models.

Abstract: Image data and their image feature amounts are managed in correspondence with each other using an image storage unit and an information management DB. A desired one of query conditions each of which is defined by image feature amounts set with ambiguity levels is designated by an input unit. A matching unit matches the image feature amounts that define the designated query condition, with corresponding managed image data. Image data as search results are output to a display on the basis of the matching results.

Abstract: Stroke information from pen-down to pen-up being one unit is grouped automatically so that editing thereafter can be performed efficiently. Grouping of stroke information is determined in accordance with a predetermined rule of grouping each time stroke information is input or with timing indicated by a user. Strokes input within a predetermined time interval and stroke information input at a position within a predetermined distance interval are assumed to be the same group, and in the editing thereafter, a collective pointing and processing on a plurality of grouped strokes becomes possible.

Abstract: A device for detecting a wavefront that is defined by a plurality of contiguous light beams includes an array of lenslets for isolating the individual light beams and focusing each individual light beam to a focal point in an x-y plane. The device also has a plurality of clusters which are positioned in the x-y plane, and each cluster includes a plurality of pixels that are arranged in rows aligned in an x-direction, and columns aligned in a y-direction. Additionally, each pixel of a cluster includes both a first photocell for generating an x-signal and a second photocell for generating a y-signal, respectively, in response to an illumination of the pixel by a light beam. Further, the device includes circuitry for converting the x and y signals to digital signals and then using the digital signals to determine an x-y position for the focal point of the particular light beam that is incident on the cluster.

Abstract: An embodiment of the invention is directed to a method of building an electronic file, using an electronic camera such as a digital camera, that captures 3-dimensional objects. A number of image data tiles that represent the images are generated by the camera. A number of text data tiles each containing text recognized in a corresponding one of the image data tiles is generated. The method includes searching for overlapping text in the text tiles, and pasting the text tiles in proper alignment into an electronic file.