Abstract: In a high-efficiency encoder which performs motion-compensation prediction, an intra-field is set every n fields. The presence of a scene change is detected. When a scene change occurs, a reference picture of motion-compensation prediction is switched, or the field immediately after the scene change is set as an intra-field.

Abstract: Various camera arrangements are disclosed comprising a camera and an optical element. The camera is configured to record an image defined by light rays directed thereto. The optical element is configured to deflect rays from a scene to the camera for recording thereby. The optical element is further configured to deflect the rays such that, if the rays were undeflected, the rays would instead be tangent to a viewing device of predetermined shape, such as a circle. Optical elements may be in the form of curved mirrors or lenses. The camera arrangements are configured to record images in the form of left or right panoramic images of a stereo panoramic image pair, and several stereo panoramic camera arrangements are described, including one or more camera arrangements, for contemporaneously recording both left or right panoramic images of a stereo panoramic image pair.

Abstract: A method of simplifying the arithmetic operation in a global motion compensation process approximates the motion vector field of the whole image without using many parameters. Motion vectors in the global motion compensation are found by the interpolation and/or extrapolation of the motion vectors of a plurality of representative points 602, 603 and 604 having particular features in the spatial distance thereof. Since the shift operation can be substituted for the division for synthesizing a predicted image of global motion compensation, the processing using a computer or a dedicated hardware is simplified.

Abstract: Microscopic motions of a target are measured by illuminating the target, receiving the image of the illuminated target, and controlling illumination with a computer. The real-time image of the illuminated target may be displayed.

Abstract: A system transmitting a motion video image is disclosed which is governed by computer programs that reduce the transmission of all frames but the first of a motion video frame sequence to the transmission of comparison data between each two successive frames in the sequence, and which provides for the reconstruction of the motion video image from the first frame and the comparison data from successive frames.

Abstract: A method and system for fast on-line electro-optical detection of wafer defects featuring illuminating with a short light pulse from a repetitively pulsed laser, a field of view of an electro-optical camera system having microscopy optics, and imaging a moving wafer, on to a focal plane assembly optically forming a surface of photo-detectors at the focal plane of the optical imaging system, formed from six detector ensembles, each ensemble including an array of four two-dimensional CCD matrix photo-detectors, whereby each two-dimensional CCD matrix photo-detector produces an electronic image of a large matrix of two million pixels, such that the simultaneously created images from the different CCD matrix detectors are processed in parallel using conventional image processing techniques, for comparing the imaged field of view with another field of view serving as a reference, in order to find differences in corresponding pixels, indicative of the presence of a wafer die defect.

Abstract: An apparatus for recording and reproducing digitally compressed data in the form of divided data in and from a recording medium. A data processing circuit adds reference time information indicating an output reference time during a reproducing process to each of the divided data in the digitally compressed data. A recording circuit records the divided data with the added reference time information in the recording medium. A reproducing circuit reproduces the divided data with the added reference time information from the recording medium. A rearranging circuit rearranges and outputs the reproduced divided data on a time axis according to the reproduced reference time information such that a time interval between adjacent divided data as outputted from the rearranging circuit is equal to a time interval between respective output reference times of the adjacent divided data.

Abstract: A scene characteristics detection type motion video encoding apparatus is provided for minimizing the degradation of picture quality derived from the point of scene change. The filtering characteristic (namely a filter factor) of a spatiotemporal filter is updated in response to the scene attribute data (a) received from a scene change point detector and the encoding difficulty data (b) received from an encoding difficulty estimator. Accordingly, when the encoding difficulty is high, high frequency components of the input video signal are eliminated. A rate controller determines the target amount of data to be encoded using scene attribute data (a) and the encoding difficulty data (b). When the point of scene change is detected, the target amount of data to be encoded for the input video signal which is distanced by a given distance from the point of scene change is weighted for matching with the encoding difficulty by a weighting factor Wsc (>1.0).

Abstract: A method of simplifying the arithmetic operation in a global motion compensation process approximates the motion vector field of the whole image without using many parameters. Motion vectors in the global motion compensation are found by the interpolation and/or extrapolation of the motion vectors of a plurality of representative points 602, 603 and 604 having particular features in the spatial distance thereof. Since the shift operation can be substituted for the division for synthesizing a predicted image of global motion compensation, the processing using a computer or a dedicated hardware is simplified.

Abstract: The invention concerns a device in particular for inspecting conduits of ventilating or air-conditioning installations, in connection with the cleaning of said conduits. Said device comprises a mobile head (2), designed to be inserted in the conduit (1) or other duct to be inspected. The mobile head (2) contains a video camera (12) connected to external means for displaying (6) and/or recording images from inside the conduit(1). Said mobile head (2) is also connected by a flexible pipe (4) to an external source of compressed air (5), and comprises means for ejecting air jets (18) directed towards the conduit (1) walls, ensuring the lifting and progression of the mobile head (2) inside the conduit (1).

Abstract: For transmitting digital video information over a network such as the Internet, a hybrid coding scheme (FIGS. 9-18) with wavelet I frame coding and H.263 predictive coding produces a robust, low bit rate video coding scheme. A new packetization method analyzes macroblock level dependency structure (FIG. 19) and packetizes the bit stream so as to minimize dependencies between packets and thereby minimize packet loss damage.

Abstract: A motion picture coding and decoding apparatus synthesizes a lower layer frame at a certain time by using first component area information of a lower layer preceding in the time and second component area information of a lower layer succeeding in the time. For an area where the first and second component areas overlapped, or for an area which is neither the first nor the second component area on the lower layer frame, lower layer frames preceding and succeeding in time are subjected to weighted average for synthetisization. For the area corresponding to the first component area only, the lower layer frame succeeding in time is used, and for the area corresponding to the second component area only on the synthesized lower layer frame, the lower layer frame preceding in time is used, for synthesizing the lower layer.

Abstract: Predictive analysis is performed upon encoded digital motion video (such as an MPEG Transport Stream) to facilitate real-time splicing. The predictive analysis includes estimation of upper and lower bounds of the data levels in a decoder's video and audio buffers for splicing in such a way as to prevent buffer overflow and underflow. This enables buffer management techniques including padding or stuffing, micro-restamping, freeze or repeat of frames, skip or drop of frames, alignment of audio with video. The predictive analysis also includes analysis of the structure of the encoded audio including audio access units (AAUs) and compression windows (AFs), prediction in the compressed domain of initial conditions of the decoder buffer levels for every single Elementary Stream (ES) component of a Transport Stream (TS), and identification of valid splicing In Points and Out Points based on the predicted buffer levels without any special encoder.

Abstract: The method involves using multiple aperture multiplexing, with display of image composite in fast sequences such that viewer does not detect changes. The method involves using a screen and an optical closure device in the beam path that can be blocked or made transparent for the segment. The observer is positioned within a defined distance and angular range with respect to the associated device. Perspective views are acquired in real time or non-real time using one or more or one moving image acquisition devices. This provides digital data sets that are converted into suitable image composites and displayed on a screen by a multiplex method. A controller opens one or more closure device apertures to display the image composite, in a sequence so fast that the observer does not detect the changes.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for preparing multimedia data using digital video data compression. Various embodiments of the invention use pre-rendering and encoding techniques that format the video image data into fat macroblocks. The fat macroblocks include header information that identifies the beginning locations of strips of macroblocks representing slices of the image, and of the macroblocks disposed within the strips. The header information enables macroblocks disposed in a strip of fat macroblocks to be individually addressed thereby providing transmission bandwidth, data processing, and data storage advantages for preparing and transmitting data for updating video images including less than full screen motion. The advantages are achieved in part because updates only require that the first macroblock of each strip of macroblocks be transmitted.

Abstract: A processor array includes element processors which are arranged in a matrix in correspondence to respective pixels of a template block, which is a current picture image pixel block. Each element processor stores pixel data of a search window block, which is a corresponding reference picture image pixel block, and obtains an evaluation function value component with respect to the template block pixel data. A summing part sorts the evaluation function components received from the respective element processors of the processor array in accordance with a plurality of predictive modes and sums up the components for the respective sorts, for forming evaluation function values for the respective predictive modes. A comparison part compares the evaluation function values received from the summing part for each predictive mode, to decide a displacement vector providing the best similarity as a motion vector for each predictive mode.

Abstract: This electric mask generating apparatus reads mask bit string generation data, which has a configuration of one pixel per bit and is set in ROM, by a microcomputer, develops the mask bit string generation data in RAM, and thereafter writes the mask bit string generation data in mask generation memory. This electric mask generating apparatus reads a mask signal in this mask generation memory by a microcomputer, and mixes an image signal of an object with the above-described mask signal by using a shift register or the like in a mask-mixing circuit. According to the mask signal having this configuration of one pixel per bit, since it is possible to write the mask signal in the above-described mask generation memory during the time that is one-eighth of conventional write time, it becomes possible to quickly display an image to which a normal mask or a scaled mask is given.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an encoding system for encoding input video data and a decoding system for decoding the encoded streams. More particularly, it proposes a system and method for sending the ancillary data added to video data and the information inherent to the video data together with encoded streams in such a way that they will not be lost even if MPEG encoding and MPEG decoding are repeated. The MPEG encoder extracts the ancillary data from the video data, inserts the extracted ancillary data into encoded streams as Ancillary_data, and thereby sends the ancillary data together with the encoded streams. The MPEG decoder extracts ancillary data from the encoded streams and adds the extracted ancillary data to the base-band video data generated by MPEG decoding.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for improving the quality of images generated by reduced resolution video decoders and new and improved video decoders which produce reduced resolution images are described. Methods and apparatus for identifying conditions within an image which may significantly degrade image quality if particular portions of the image are used by a reduced resolution decoder as reference data are described. One specific embodiment is directed to a new video decoder which decodes portions of a single image, e.g., frame, at different resolutions. Areas of the image along high contrast vertical or horizontal edges are decoded at full resolution while other portions of the same image are decoded at reduced resolution. By decoding and storing portions of reduced resolution images at full resolution for reference purposes, the risk of prediction errors resulting from the use of downsampling on reference frames is reduced.

Abstract: Systems are provided for converting high definition pictures or data to lower definition images using wavelet transforms. In the preferred embodiments, the wavelet transforms are be used in either the transmission/coding or reception/decoding phase for enabling a more efficient conversion of the signal and providing a more robust and accurate output. The wavelet transforms may be applied to conventional systems to enhance performance or entire transmission and reception systems may be designed where the wavelet transforms are applied to the data for coding, decoding and decimation operations.