Patents Examined by Ian Lemieux
  • Patent number: 9811724
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a recognition unit. The recognition unit has image recognition methods of plural types. The recognition unit recognizes, in a case where image data of a first document and image data of a second document are generated by a generation unit that reads a document and generates image data of the document, the type of the first document from the image data of the first document and recognizing the type of the second document from the image data of the second document using an image recognition method corresponding to the type of the first document among the image recognition methods of the plural types, the first document and the second document being included in plural documents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yozo Kashima
  • Patent number: 9811760
    Abstract: An image processing system includes a processing device having a memory device for storing computer-executable instructions. The processing device is programmed to define a first descriptor in a first image, generate a mask from the first descriptor, and define a second descriptor in a second image. The processing device is further programmed to compare the first descriptor to the second descriptor to define a first error vector, determine a second error vector by applying a mask, and compute the total error of the second error vector to determine an error between the first descriptor and the second descriptor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignees: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
    Inventors: Andrew Richardson, Edwin Olson
  • Patent number: 9805448
    Abstract: An apparatus and method of processing cone-beam X-ray projection data using a short-scan method (e.g., filtered back projection and weighting the projection data using the Parker weights for projection angles spanning 180° plus the fan angle) to reconstruct an image. Imaging artifacts in the short-scan image are corrected by combining the short scan image with a correction image. The correction image is obtained by applying an asymmetric filter to the difference between the short-scan image and a full-scan image, the full scan image being obtained using image reconstruction of the full-scan projection data. In one implementation, the asymmetric filter is a low-pass filter that, in the spatial domain, is foreshortened along a center-view axis corresponding to the short scan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Qiulin Tang, Satoru Nakanishi
  • Patent number: 9805460
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system may include a multi-purpose sensor coupled to a machine operating in an industrial environment. The multi-purpose sensor may include a camera that obtains a first and second set of image data including images of the machine and an environment surrounding the machine. The first set of image data is associated with a baseline of the machine and the environment, and the second set of image data is acquired subsequent to when the first set is acquired. The system may include a computing device that may include a processor to receive the first and second set of image data, determine baseline positions of objects in the first set, determine subsequent positions of the objects in the second set, determine whether the subsequent positions vary from the baseline positions, and perform an action when the subsequent positions vary from the baseline positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Jimi R. Michalscheck, Kelly A. Michalscheck, Jessica L. Korpela, Kyle K. Reissner, David A. Vasko, Matthew W. Fordenwalt, John J. Jauquet, Matthew R. Ericsson, Andrew Wilber
  • Patent number: 9798938
    Abstract: To detect a distant object that may become an obstacle to a traveling destination of a moving vehicle or the like more accurately than the conventional, there is provided a detecting device, a program used in the detecting device, and a detecting method using the detecting device, where the detecting device includes: an acquisition section for acquiring two or more images captured in two or more imaging devices provided at different heights; and a detection section for detecting a rising portion of an identical object toward the imaging devices based on a difference between the lengths of the identical object in the height direction in the two or more images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ching-Yung Lin, Masayuki Murata, Shuichi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 9798939
    Abstract: To detect a distant object that may become an obstacle to a traveling destination of a moving vehicle or the like more accurately than the conventional, there is provided a detecting device, a program used in the detecting device, and a detecting method using the detecting device, where the detecting device includes: an acquisition section for acquiring two or more images captured in two or more imaging devices provided at different heights; and a detection section for detecting a rising portion of an identical object toward the imaging devices based on a difference between the lengths of the identical object in the height direction in the two or more images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ching-Yung Lin, Masayuki Murata, Shuichi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 9792689
    Abstract: The present invention aims to estimate a more consistent posture in regard to a multi-joint object. A target range image is first input, a human body region is extracted from the input range image, a target joint position candidate is calculated from the input range image, and a joint position is finally determined based on the calculated joint position candidate and a likelihood of each joint to estimate the posture. At this time, joint position permissible range information concerning inter-joint distance and angle of a human body model previously set by learning is obtained from a human body model storing unit, consistency is evaluated for a relation between the joint position candidates of a certain joint and other joint based on the obtained information, and thus the posture corresponding to the best combination of the joint positions is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromi Shiozaki, Yuki Saito, Atsushi Nogami, Masakazu Matsugu, Kenji Tsukamoto
  • Patent number: 9786069
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for refined data reconstruction. In accordance with one aspect, the framework performs a first four-dimensional reconstruction of time-varying data to generate a four-dimensional Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) dataset of an object of interest. The framework extracts a volume of interest from the four-dimensional DSA dataset to generate a volume array. The volume of interest may be refined based on the volume array to generate a refined dataset. A second four-dimensional reconstruction may then be performed based on the refined dataset to generate a zoomed-in four-dimensional representation of the volume of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventors: Sebastian Schafer, Markus Kowarschik, Sonja Gehrisch, Kevin Royalty, Christopher Rohkohl
  • Patent number: 9779331
    Abstract: Provided is a method and system of tracking partially occluded objects using an elastic deformation model. According to an exemplary method and system, partially occluded vehicles are detected and tracked in a scene including side-by-side drive-thru lanes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Conduent Business Services, LLC
    Inventors: Orhan Bulan, Yusuf Oguzhan Artan, Aaron Michael Burry
  • Patent number: 9770172
    Abstract: The invention provides methods for detecting features of interest in cardiovascular images by receiving information from a first modality and transforming information from the first modality into a first coordinate space, receiving information from a second modality and transforming information from the second modality into a second coordinate space. The first coordinate space is aligned to the second coordinate space to combine information from the first modality and the second modality into a combined data set. The method can also involve detecting the feature of interest in a vascular image based on the combined data set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Volcano Corporation
    Inventor: Bernhard Sturm
  • Patent number: 9767538
    Abstract: An image capture application captures a sequence of images via a digital camera. The sequence of images may have undesirable levels of blurriness due to the motion of objects in the field of view of the digital camera or due to movement of the digital camera itself. A deblur engine within the image capture application generates image segments within one of the captured images, where a given image segment includes pixel values that move coherently between different images in the sequence. The deblur engine then deblurs each image segment based on the coherent motion of each different image segment and combines the resultant, deblurred image segments into a deblurred image. Advantageously, blurriness caused by the combined effects of moving objects and camera motion may be reduced, thereby improving the ability of a digital camera to provide high-quality images. As such, the user experience of digital photography may be enhanced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventor: Kari Pulli
  • Patent number: 9760177
    Abstract: The amount of power and processing needed to enable more previze gesture input for a computing device can be reduced by utilizing one or more gesture sensors along with a conventional camera. Information associated with an image, such as color information, acquired from the conventional camera can be mapped to one or more gesture sensors (e.g., low resolution, greyscale or monochrome camera sensors) of a computing device. The mapped information between the conventional camera and the gesture sensors can be used for purposes such as gesture- and/or motion-based approaches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Sharadh Ramaswamy
  • Patent number: 9740925
    Abstract: A method and system for the spotting of keywords in a handwritten document, the method comprising the steps of inputting an image of the handwritten document, performing word segmentation on the image to obtain segmented words, performing word matching, and outputting the spotted keywords. The word matching itself consisting in the substeps of performing character segmentation on the segmented words, performing character recognition on the segmented characters, performing distance computations on the recognized characters using a Generalized Hidden Markov Model with ergodic topology to identify words based on character models and performing nonkeyword rejection using a classifier based on a combination of Gaussian Mixture Models, Hidden Markov Models and Support Vector Machines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: IMDS AMERICA INC.
    Inventors: Mehdi Haji, Dominique Ponson
  • Patent number: 9726151
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a method of optically assessing a wind power installation or a part thereof, in particular a rotor blade, including the steps: orienting a camera on to a region to be assessed, recording a photograph of the region to be assessed with the camera, detecting the position of the photographed region, and associating the ascertained position with the photographed region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: WOBBEN PROPERTIES GmbH
    Inventor: Gerhard Jansen
  • Patent number: 9721326
    Abstract: A method and a system for obtaining a high-resolution image of a volume of a sample using laser imaging are provided. The method includes a step of probing the volume of the sample with a first excitation beam having an intensity profile of maximum intensity at a center thereof, thereby obtaining a positive image of the volume. The method also includes a step of probing the volume of the sample with a second excitation beam having an intensity profile of minimum intensity at a center thereof and defining a peripheral region of maximum intensity around the center, thereby obtaining a negative image of the volume. The method finally includes a step of subtracting the negative image from the positive image, thereby obtaining the high-resolution image of the volume of the sample. Advantageously, embodiments of the invention can be probe- and fluorescence-independent, and be conveniently retrofitted into existing laser imaging systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: UNIVERSITÉ LAVAL
    Inventors: Michel Piché, Harold Dehez, Yves De Koninck
  • Patent number: 9713870
    Abstract: A method for locating a first vehicle component relative to a second vehicle component includes the following steps: (a) moving the robotic arm to a first position such that a form feature of the first vehicle component is within a field of view of a camera; (b) capturing an image the form feature of the first vehicle component; (c) moving the robotic arm to a second position such that the form feature of the second vehicle component is within the field of view of the camera; (d) capturing an image of the form feature of the second vehicle component; (e) picking up the second vehicle component using the robotic arm; and (f) moving the robotic arm along with the second vehicle component toward the first vehicle component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Jianying Shi, John Patrick Spicer, Lance T. Ransom
  • Patent number: 9704054
    Abstract: Image classification and related imaging tasks performed using machine learning tools may be accelerated by using one or more of such tools to associate an image with a cluster of such labels or categories, and then to select one of the labels or categories of the cluster as associated with the image. The clusters of labels or categories may comprise labels that are mutually confused for one another, e.g., two or more labels or categories that have been identified as associated with a single image. By defining clusters of labels or categories, and configuring a machine learning tool to associate an image with one of the clusters, processes for identifying labels or categories associated with images may be accelerated because computations associated with labels or categories not included in the cluster may be omitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Marshall Friend Tappen, Avinash Aghoram Ravichandran, Hakan Boyraz, Baoyuan Liu
  • Patent number: 9691156
    Abstract: The invention relates to a labeling apparatus (1) for labeling structures of an object shown in an object image. A probability map providing unit (3) provides a probability map, the probability map indicating for different labels, which are indicative of different structures of the object, and for different positions in the probability map the probability that the respective structure, which is indicated by the respective label, is present at the respective position, wherein the probability depends on the position in the probability map. The probability map is mapped to the object image by a mapping unit (4), wherein a label assigning unit (5) assigns to a provided contour, which represents a structure in the object image, a label based on the mapped probability map. This allows automatically labeling structures of the object, which are indicated by provided contours in the object image, with relatively low computational efforts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Torbjørn Vik, Daniel Bystrov, Heinrich Schulz, Nicole Schadewaldt, Jochen Peters
  • Patent number: 9684972
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus for imaging an object includes a geometric relation determination unit configured to determine a geometric relation between first and second images of the object. A marker determination unit configured to determine corresponding marker locations in the first and second images and marker appearances based on the geometric relation such that the marker appearances of a first marker to be located at a first location in the first image and of a second marker to be located at a second corresponding location in the second image are indicative of the geometric relation. The images with the markers at the respective corresponding locations are shown on a display unit. Since the marker appearances are indicative of the geometric relation between the images, a comparative reviewing of the images can be facilitated, in particular, if they correspond to different viewing geometries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventors: Juergen Weese, Irina Wächter-Stehle, Thomas Heiko Stehle, Alex Saalbach, Sabine Mollus, Nicole Schadewaldt, Lyubomir Georgiev Zagorchev
  • Patent number: 9679360
    Abstract: A relatively high-resolution image from a conventional camera can be computationally combined with a relatively low-resolution wavefront measurement from, for example, a Shack-Hartmann sensor in order to construct a relatively high-resolution light-field image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Trustees Of Princeton University
    Inventors: Jason W. Fleischer, Chien-Hung Lu, Stefan Muenzel