Abstract: A Wireless Underwater Video System for obtaining live video/audio data to profile a designated area of an ocean bottom is described. The system includes a video camera enclosed in a water tight housing which produces video and audio signals which are transmitted to a transmitting buoy having a power source, electronics for conditioning the video/audio signals and a position stablizer. The conditioned video signals are then transmitted from the buoy to an observer on a platform over a radio frequency link.

Abstract: Oil and gas industry employs a large quantity of hardware in its operations. They require periodic repair, maintenance and modification. Many of these hardware are located beyond direct human access and in inhospitable environment. The traditional solution methods are handicapped, in most cases, by inevitable guesses as to the nature of problems; solutions tend to be less efficient and cost effective due to lack of direct, real time control. The present invention, consisting of a combined system and process, alleviates those problems by extending a remote operator's visual contact and operations control to work area. It combines the principles of oil field operations, coiled tubing, robotics and video technologies. A working tool, 22, is conveyed to work area at the end of a coiled tubing, 20. The working tool, 22, is operated remotely from command center, 12, by operator. Working tool, 22, contains cameras, grinder, wire brush, welder, mounted on teleoperators and servomechanism to control them.

Abstract: An integrated digital video system is configured to implement picture-in-picture merging of video signals from two or more video sources, as well as selective overlaying of on-screen display graphics onto the resultant merged signal. The picture-in-picture signal is produced for display by a television system otherwise lacking picture-in-picture capability. The digital video system can be implemented, for example, as an integrated decode system within a digital video set-top box or a digital video disc player. In one implementation, a decompressed digital video signal is downscaled and merged with an uncompressed video signal to produce the multi-screen display. The uncompressed video signal can comprise either analog or digital video. OSD graphics can be combined within the integrated system with the resultant multi-screen display or only with a received uncompressed analog video signal.

Abstract: In decoding code data encoded in object units, decoders corresponding to the number of objects are needed. However, it is impossible to always provide a sufficient number of decoder. Accordingly, when code data 8 is decoded, an object combiner 43 refers to the number s of objects included in the code data 8, detected by an object counter 41, and the number d of object decoders, detected by an object decoder counter 42. If s>d holds, the object combiner 43 regulates the number of the objects of the input code data 8 to d.

Abstract: In compressed video signals, lost or erroneous information in a current image signal received at the receiving end of a transmission channel is concealed by identifying a motion compensated equivalent region in a previously transmitted image and substituting the equivalent region as a prediction of the lost or erroneous information in the current image.

Abstract: The receiver and transmitter/receiver in accordance with the present invention comprises a common input terminal for inputting digital data including uncompressed video data or compressed video data, a receiving circuit for carrying out serial-parallel conversion processing for the digital data from the above-mentioned common input terminal and for carrying output, an SDI decoder and an SDTI decoder for inputting data from the above-mentioned receiving circuit and for taking out the digital data including the uncompressed video data and compressed video data, respectively, a distinguishing circuit for distinguishing the transmission format of the input digital data and the presence or absence of the compression of the video data, and a selection switch for selecting data from the SDI decoder or the SDTI decoder on the basis of the result of the distinguishing of the distinguishing circuit.

Abstract: A downsampling apparatus converts a received DCT coefficient macroblock to a reconstructed pixel block and includes an IDCT module that performs an inverse DCT on the received DCT coefficient macroblock to produce a first intermediate block. A horizontal downsampler horizontally downsamples the first intermediate block to produce a second intermediate block. A calculation module calculates first and second errors. The first and second errors are calculated based upon a difference between the first intermediate block and first and second downsampled/upsampled versions of the first intermediate block derived from corresponding first and second vertical downsampling filters. A filtering module vertically downsamples the second intermediate block using the first or second vertical downsampling filter depending upon whether the first or second error is smaller. A motion compensator adds prediction reference pixels to the horizontally and vertically downsampled block, as appropriate, to form reconstructed pixels.

Abstract: A system, method and apparatus for collecting an distributing real-time, high resolution images of the Earth from GEO include an electro-optical sensor based on multi-megapixel two-dimensional charge coupled device (CCD) arrays mounted on a geostationary platform. At least four, three-axis stabilized satellites in Geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) provide worldwide coverage, excluding the poles. Image data that is collected at approximately 1 frame/sec, is broadcast over high-capacity communication links (roughly 15 MHZ bandwidth) providing real-time global coverage of the Earth at sub-kilometer resolutions directly to end users. This data may be distributed globally from each satellite through a system of space and ground telecommunication links.

Abstract: A device generates a database suited for maintenance of construction and civil engineering works, particularly very long and narrow bridges, roads, and slope faces. A device also displays the database. The database generator comprises a video camera which moves in the direction of the length of said object to successively capture images of an object, a position measuring unit which outputs data relating to the capturing position, a video recorder which records the output from said image input unit in synchronism with the positional information output from said position measuring unit, an image synthesis unit which, when the information recorded by said video recorder is reproduced, refers to said positional information and synthesizes the reproduced plurality of images into one image, and a memory for storing the synthesized image. The generated image database is posted on an Internet server and displayed via a browser.

Abstract: A method comprising receiving media data in a compressed, digital domain, analyzing motion vectors associated with the received media content while in the compressed digital domain and identifying one or more objects in the received media data based, at least in part, on the motion vector analysis.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for compressing digital data of a sequence of synthesis images describing a scene which is the subject of a script, comprising a processing step for modelling the scene on the basis of mathematical data, a step of image rendering for creating a synthesis image from this modelling and a partitioning of this synthesis image into image blocks, differential coding of the current image block on the basis of a block of at least one synthesis image, this block being defined on the basis of at least one motion vector, so as to provide a residual block, characterized in that the motion vector is calculated from mathematical data emanating from the synthesis script and defining the apparent motion of the various objects constituting the scene which is the subject of the sequence. Applications are image synthesis in production. For video games, these are for example interactivity or virtual reality applications.

Abstract: Device for generating multiple quality level bit-rates in a video encoder having a motion estimator providing a predicted block for each predefined block based upon estimating the motion between the predefined block of the current image and the corresponding block in the previous image, a transformer for transforming a prediction error resulting from the difference between the predicted block and the predefined block into the frequency domain, and a quantizer for quantizing the coefficients of the prediction error and providing the quantized coefficients to a video multiplex coding unit.

Abstract: An automatic detector for starting security cameras comprises a detection module disposed on a video camera and the detection module includes a regulator circuit, a light-sensitive circuit, a switch circuit, and a passive infrared sensor circuit, and a recorder control circuit. The passive infrared sensor circuit is connected to the main body of security cameras, the switch circuit is connected to a light and the recorder control circuit is connected to a video camera recorder. In accordance with the structure mentioned above, the main body of the security cameras and the video camera recorder is started by the passive infrared sensor circuit to detect the infrared energy emitted from human bodies. If the illumination of the environment is insufficient, the light-sensitive circuit makes the switch circuit work to switch the light on so that the light is enough to make the pictures clearly.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for controlling the transmission of enhancement layer video data for use in a video encoder containing a base layer encoder and an enhancement layer encoder. The base layer encoder receives input video frames and generates compressed base layer video frames suitable for transmission at a base layer bit rate to a streaming video receiver. The enhancement layer encoder compares the input video frames and a processed version of the compressed base layer video frames and generates enhancement layer video data suitable for transmission at a modifiable enhancement layer bit rate to the streaming video receiver. The apparatus comprises a base layer parameter monitor for receiving at least one base layer parameter and, in response thereto, modifying an allocation of the enhancement layer video data among corresponding ones of the compressed base layer video frames.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for forming stereoscopic images. The images are formed through the arrangement of a viewpoint position detection sensor for emitting visible or infrared light to an observer. Reflected light is then detected from the observer, where controls perform follow-up control on a portion of the apparatus by using the signal obtained by the viewpoint position detection sensor. The signal, along with other desired signals, are then properly set to accurately detect the viewpoint position of the observer with a simplified arrangement that easily allows a stereoscopic view region to follow-up at high speeds.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method and apparatus for detecting motion by a video encoder. The method starts with dividing a target block whose motion is to be detected into blocks at different pixel positions. A reference image block is extracted from a reference image. The degrees of similarity of the blocks to the reference image block are simultaneously calculated by a calculating unit. A block having the highest degree of similarity is determined, based on their degrees of similarity. A vector corresponding to the determined block is taken as a motion vector representing the block.

Abstract: An MPEG decoder in a high definition television receiver decodes and decompresses MPEG coded data to produce decompressed image pixel blocks, and includes a motion compensation network coupled to a frame memory to produce finally decoded pixel data for display. The decompressed MPEG data is recompressed by plural parallel recompressors prior to storage in frame memory. Each recompressor receives a datastream of interleaved pixel data, and predicts and compresses interleaved pixel values during each clock cycle, respectively. One of the recompressors is de-energized in a reduced data processing mode when pixel data is subsampled prior to recompression. Subsampled data is re-ordered prior to recompression. Multiple parallel decompressors coupled to the frame memory provide pixel data to the motion processing network. A control unit insures an uninterrupted interleaved data flow to the decompressors by repeating last valid data when source data is interrupted.

Abstract: An MPEG downdecoder which eliminates picture quality deterioration ascribable to motion compensation. A decimating inverse discrete cosine transform unit 14 performs 4×4 decimating IDCT if the DCT mode is the field mode. If the DCT mode is the frame mode, a decimating IDCT unit for frame mode 15 applies IDCT to the totality of the coefficients of the DCT block and separates the DCT block into two pixel blocks in order to cope with the interlaced scanning. Each of the separated pixel blocks is processed with DCT. To reference picture data, pixels are interpolated using orthogonal transform by motion compensation units 18, 19 to generate virtual upper-order picture data of high resolution, which is processed with motion compensation. The motion-compensated virtual upper-order picture data is orthogonal transformed to decimate pixels to generate reference picture data used for addition.

Abstract: In a picture coding apparatus, even though conditions such as a bit rate are changed, a burden of overhead information arranged in a picture signal is reduced, and the picture signal is coded according to an optimum coding mode without lowering a coding efficiency. A coding mode judging unit 2 has two coding mode tables A and B including identification numbers of coding modes selectable for a picture-to-be-coded, one of the coding mode tables 1 and 2 is selected according to coding mode table selection information, a coding mode corresponding to a better coding efficiency is selected from a plurality of coding modes of the selected coding mode table, and a coded picture signal is obtained.

Abstract: A compressed bitstream is scaled down to a reduced rate bitstream by first demultiplexing a compressed input bitstream to extract video objects as elementary input bitstreams having a first bit rate. A transcoder converts each elementary input bitstream to an elementary output bitstream having a second bit rate. The first bit rate is less than the second bit rate. A transcoding control unit, coupled to the transcoder, supplies control information for the transcoder. A multiplexer composes the elementary output bitstreams into a compressed output bitstream having the second bit rate.