Abstract: An apparatus and method for broadcast burst transmission of compressed audio/video programs from a stored library to a multiplicity of subscibers. The stored programs are burst transmitted repeatedly in a predetermined sequence of entire programs or segments thereof to a receiver at each subscriber's location. Each receiver is operative for accessing the predetermined broadcast schedule, inputting a subscriber's order for one or more programs, monitoring the broadcast burst transmissions for the one or more ordered programs, receiving the one or more ordered programs in a burst time period corresponding to the time period of the burst transmission, and storing the one or more ordered programs. The subscriber then enjoys full VCR-like control over playback at his convenience of the ordered, stored programs, that are then decompressed by the receiver for viewing in real time.

Abstract: The invention is a compact multi-camera closed circuit video television system for use in commercial aircraft. The arrangement of the cameras and the construction of the system are arranged to allow installation within either the pressurized or unpressurized portions of the aircraft, and the video cameras are arranged to provide multiple views of the exterior of the aircraft under the control of the flight crew.

Abstract: An apparatus capable of detecting with improved accuracy a motion vector representing an object moved on a picture plane comprises a memory section for storing an input picture signal renewed for every predetermined time interval, a spatial filter section for applying a spatial band limitation to two signal portions of the renewed picture signal stored in the memory, which signal portions corresponding to the different time intervals, and a detecting section including at least one detecting stage for detecting the motion vector in accordance with the gradient method on the basis of the two picture signals and a minute value to be added to a gradient determined from one reference picture signal represented by one of the two picture signals.

Abstract: Device for encoding interlaced-field picture signals, comprising a first variable-length encoding channel (10) and an associated first prediction channel (20), as well as a second variable-length encoding channel (30), arranged in parallel with the first channel and including at its input side a circuit (31) for de-interlacing the fields, an associated second prediction channel (40) including a circuit (45) for re-interlacing the fields and a decision sub-assembly (50) for comparing the signals supplied by coding in the respective first and second encoding channels and selection of the prediction and encoding channels as a function of the result of said comparison.

Abstract: A motion picture coding apparatus for performing predictive coding on a high-resolution picture signal and coding a low-resolution picture signal obtained by converting the high-resolution picture signal. One field is thinned out from one frame of a picture by a field skip circuit, the other field is down-sampled by a down-sampling circuit 29, thereby forming a low-resolution picture. A low-resolution predictive signal, obtained by up-sampling the low-resolution picture by an up-sampling circuit, and a high-resolution predictive signal, which is produced from a high-resolution picture and corresponds to the thinned-out one field, are alternately combined by a predictor to form a predictive signal.

Abstract: Arranged within a measuring-light generating unit of an endoscope apparatus for three dimensional measurement, according to the invention, are measuring means, a lamp for outgoing a normal illuminating light, and a laser for outgoing a measuring light. Connected to the measuring means is a signal line which is connected to a CCD. Further, an illuminating light outgone from the lamp is condensed by a condenser lens, and is incident upon an incident end surface of a light guide. Furthermore, the measuring light outgone from the laser is condensed by the condensing lens, and is incident upon the incident end surface of the image guide. Moreover, the incident end of the image guide is connected to scanning means formed by a piezo-electric element, a speaker (voice coil) or the like through a connecting element. The scanning means is operated whereby the incident end of the image guide is reciprocally moved in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the measuring light.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for encoding video images using motion estimation and decoding encoded video images using motion compensation, where the motion estimation and/or the motion compensation is limited to subimages of the video images as defined by boundaries. Although motion compensation may not be used to estimate pels using data from the previous image frame that lies across the subimage boundaries, motion compensation may be used to estimate a portion of a block of the image frame being decoded using a region from the previous image frame that abuts a subimage boundary and is smaller than the block. The rest of the block may be estimated either by retaining the corresponding pels from the previous image frame or by replicating the pels from the previous image frame that lie along the subimage boundary.

Abstract: A method masks errors in a transmission system of a picture sequence including a first series of pictures that are autonomously coded by pixel blocks (intra coding). Each picture of the first series is followed by several pictures of a second series of pictures that are differentially coded by blocks with respect to at least one reference picture of the first series of pictures (inter coding). The codes of each block of the second picture series comprise at least a motion vector between the pixels of the block and the pixels of the elements of the reference picture. The method provides for adding, to the data corresponding to each block of an intrapicture, data indicating the motion vector of this block with respect to at least one additional picture, and, if a transmission error is detected, the error blocks of the intrapicture are processed like error blocks of an interpicture.

Abstract: A duo-frame normalization technique and system for use in range gate imag to determine a range coded image by use of two image frames. A transmitter emits a modulated energy pulse which is not gated when received by a single gated imaging camera to obtain an integrated first image frame and gated by the same camera when received as an integrated second image frame. The second integrated frame is divided by the first integrated frame to yield a range coded pixel intensity image. Three gated imagining cameras can also be used that share common imaging optics via filters and beam splitters so as to compensate for phenomenological issues that can vary the signals from one frame to another and lead to degraded range images.

Abstract: Compression of blocks of digital data is optimized by optimally selecting between frame and field format compression on a block-by-block basis. Specifically, a set of pixel data presented in a field format is compressed to provide a field compressed image signal. The set of pixel data is also presented in a frame format to provide a frame compressed image signal. The field and the frame compressed image signals are quantified; and the compressed image signal having the lesser amount of bits is then selected. The selection effectively improves the quality of the transmitted signal and reduces the structural complexity and manufacturing cost of the image signal encoding apparatus.

Abstract: A signal processor apparatus is adaptable to electronic endoscopes having different lengths without the need for changing the operation timing when sampling a video signal. A sampling pulse generator incorporating a phase varying means is disposed in the operating portion or the connecting portion (setup board) of an electronic endoscope. A sampling pulse having the timing corresponding to the length of the electronic endoscope is formed by varying the phase of the sampling pulse by the phase varying means. The sampling pulse generator may be disposed together with a sample-and-hold circuit, a driving circuit of a CCD and the like. Since it is possible to sample and hold the video signal by using the sampling pulse which is correspondent with the length of the electronic endoscope, effective picture signal processing by the processor apparatus is enabled.

Abstract: A camera system for taking aerial, still photographs. The system includes a video camera mounted proximate the distal end of a telescoping mast assembly. The mast assembly can be extended, when oriented in a generally-vertical orientation, to effect elevation of the video camera. The video camera mounts a still camera such that lens axes of the video camera and still camera can be made to converge at a desired subject when the video camera has been elevated to a desired height. The system includes controllers for remotely operating motors to effect pan and tilt of the video camera, and to remotely control operation of the still camera.

Abstract: An improved image signal encoding apparatus for processing a digitized image signal for transmission thereof in a compressed form, comprising a horizontal one-dimensional compression path for compressing the digitized image signal utilizing a horizontal correlation therein to provide a first compression signal, a vertical one-dimensional compression path for compressing the digitized image signal utilizing a vertical correlation therein to provide a second compression signal, a two-dimensional compression path for compressing the digitized image signal utilizing the horizontal and the vertical correlations to provide a third compression signal; and a comparator for comparing a first compression error contained in the first compression signal, a second compression error contained in the second compression signal and a third compression error contained in the third compression signal so as to enable the selection of the compression signal having the least error.

Abstract: A method is provided for detecting the color of objects such as bottles to be recycled so as to enable the bottles to be separated by color. The method which is particularly concerned with determining the color of an object (bottle) with a label attached thereto, begins with the storing of a reference image. Next, a determination is made of whether a bottle is present or absent. If a bottle is present, the image of the bottle is then separated into an intensity image representation of the bottle image, a saturation image representation of the bottle image, and a hue image representation of the bottle image. Then, the reference image is subtracted from the intensity image so that a resultant image is produced with the background contribution removed. Next, a logical "AND" operation is performed on the resultant image and the hue image to create a further image which has no background components. A histogram is then performed on the further image to determine the hue with the maximum number of occurrences.

Abstract: A moving image processing method and apparatus for efficient access to a large amount of moving image data. By the hierarchical structure of storage media for storing the compressed moving image data, when reproduction of compressed moving image data is displayed, the data can be transferred with an adjustment of the transfer speed to a predetermined display speed of the moving image. More specifically, the compressed moving image data is transferred from a first storage medium having a large capacity and a slow access speed to a second storage medium having a small capacity and a fast access speed and further transferred from the second storage medium to an expander which expands the data and displays the expanded data. The compressed moving image data and the corresponding administrative information are stored separately in different storage media which are accessible independently of each other.

Abstract: A communication apparatus for monitoring sounds and images at a remote location, such as the entranceway of a dwelling or other building includes a sensor station located at the entranceway, and a monitor station located within the building. A microphone and television camera in the sensor station modulate signals, preferably of radio frequency, emitted by a wireless transmitter in the sensor station. The monitor station includes a transmitter and demodulator for reproducing sounds and visual images received by the sensor station. Preferably, the monitor station contains a microphone and transmitter for transmitting voice signals from the monitor station to the sensor station, in which case, the sensor station contains a receiver and loudspeaker for reproducing the voice signals.

Abstract: In the encoding of a frame (P3) in a digitised motion picture sequence, the frame is divided into blocks (A) of pixels and a motion vector (VA) found to predicts the contents of each block A from a block (A') in a previous frame (I0). Rather than evaluate many thousands of candidate vectors to find the best motion vector (VA), relatively few candidate vectors are evaluated, based on starting vector which is the estimated motion vector for a neighbouring block (LB(A)) in the same frame. To allow parallel processing of several pixel blocks, all the blocks of one row in the current frame are assigned to one processor (DSP), and a starting vector is obtained from a block (LB(A)) previously processed by the same processor. Further starting vectors are obtained if desired from neighbouring blocks (UR(B),DR(B)) in neighbouring frames of the sequence. The candidate vectors based on a starting vector may be very few in number, or may fill an area a few percent of the full search area.

Abstract: In connection with compression-coding of video signals on the basis of inter-frame correlation, a single reference table is used for variable length encoding of inter-frame motion vectors established on the basis of various motion vector value ranges and degrees of accuracy. A reference table is provided for variable length encoding motion vectors based on a particular value range and degree of accuracy. In order to use the same table for motion vectors based on a larger value range than that for which the table was designed, the value of a motion vector to be encoded is divided to form a quotient and a remainder. An addition bit code is formed on the basis of the remainder and is appended to a variable length code which corresponds in the reference table to the quotient so that a variable length code value is formed for the motion vector based on the larger range.

Abstract: A remote endoscopic video camera system is provided which is capable of providing both left and right eye pre-video signals for generating a three-dimensional image. The left and right eye pre-video signals are provided by first and second imagers which are capable of being enclosed in a single camera head, which, in turn, is capable of being coupled to the remaining camera circuitry through a single cable, without causing substantial interference between the two imagers.

Abstract: A signal is encoded by (1) generating a difference signal using a current input signal and a current reference signal, (2) transforming the difference signal to a transform domain, (3) quantizing the transformed signal, and (4) further encoding the quantized signal. The encoded signal is then transmitted, either for storage or for decoding by a remote decoding system. The quantized signal (i.e., without any further encoding) is also dequantized and the resulting dequantized signal is transformed back (i.e., inverse transformed) to the original signal domain as a reference difference signal. The reference difference signal is then added to the current reference signal to generate a next reference signal. The next reference signal may then be used to encode a next input signal. A single transform circuit implements both the forward transform and the inverse transform during encoding by configuring the circuit differently for the forward and inverse transforms.