Abstract: Image data representing a captured image of an environment or a portion thereof, and electric-field data representing electric fields present in the environment or a portion thereof are received. The electric-field data and the image data represent information gathered from an overlapping portion of the environment. A candidate object is identified in the overlapping portion and classified as animate or inanimate based at least upon an analysis of the image data and the electric-field data.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus recognizes an object from plural images captured by a image capture device, decides an outline of the recognized object, and calculates average luminances of the inside and the outside of the decided outline. Further, the information processing apparatus determines that a difference between the average luminances of the inside and the outside of the outline is equal to and more than a predetermined value, generates an adjustment image which make gradation increase so that a luminance of any one of the inside and the outside of the outline increases when the difference is equal to and more than the predetermined value, the any one of the inside and the outside of the outline having a lower average luminance than another one. The adjustment image is projected onto the object by a projection device, and then captured by the image capture device.

Abstract: An edge map creation unit detects an edge intensity of an input image in units of three types of blocks having different sizes. An operation parameter adjustment unit sets initial values of an edge reference value and an extraction reference value on the basis of a dynamic range which is a difference between the maximum and minimum values of the edge intensity. An edge point extraction unit extracts an edge point from the input image on the basis of the edge reference value. Until an extraction amount determination unit determines that the edge point extraction amount is appropriate on the basis of the extraction reference value, the operation parameter adjustment unit repeatedly performs a processing of adjusting the edge reference value, and the edge point extraction unit repeatedly performs a processing of extracting the edge point from the input image on the basis of the adjusted edge reference value.

Abstract: A watermarking system uses distinct bit patterns to identify a logic 0, a logic 1, and a marker bit, which demarcates segments of logic bit information. Marker bits, which are printed on both foreground and background areas of an image, outline message blocks. In message extraction, a preprocessing step removes any white boarders, identifies the best defined corner of a message block, crops the image, and rotates the image to place the identified corner at the top-left corner. Message extraction scans the rotated image in window segments of increasing size during multiple cycles. During each cycle, if a bit pattern cannot be identified as a data bit, then the size of the examined bit area is increased and rechecked to see it specifically is a marker bit. If no bit information can be definitively identified, then it is assigned a logic bit value based on a 50% random assignment.

Abstract: Aspects of the present invention are related to systems and methods for connected-component labeling.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image displacement detection method, which employs the center of a 1st frame as a starting point, and the previous image displacement vector or the inversed direction displacement of the adjusted previous image displacement vector as the image matching reference block; next, proceeds the matching with the 2nd frame to calculate the image displacement vector between the 1st frame and the 2nd frame. Thus, the method of the present invention can relatively increase about twice the maximum tracking speed of the sensor.

Abstract: Automated image quality assessment methods, which include locating a region of interest, region assessment, contrast assessment, blur assessment, and contaminant detection, on video data and high-resolution imagery. Where the blur assessment is performed without a reference image by dividing the region into non-overlapping block, measuring the wavenumber frequency of the blocks and calculating the ratio of the low frequency to high frequency areas.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for compensating for illumination of a reference block and a method and apparatus for encoding an image, using the illumination compensation method and apparatus, are provided. The method of compensating for illumination of a reference block includes: predicting the mean values of pixels of a current block and a reference block, based on restored values of pixels neighboring the current block, and restored values of pixels neighboring the reference block; and based on the predicted mean value of the pixels of the current block, the predicted mean value of the pixels of the reference block, and the values of the pixels of the current block and the reference block, determining an illumination compensation parameter.

Abstract: The present invention provides a circuit for controlling a color sequential liquid crystal display (LCD) and a method for controlling the same. The control circuit comprises a light-source driving circuit, a data driving circuit, and a scan driving circuit. The light-source driving circuit produces a driving signal for controlling the color sequential LCD to produce backlight with different colors. The data driving circuit produces a data signal and includes a plurality of data pulses. The scan driving signal produces a scan signal and includes a plurality of scan pulses corresponding to the plurality of data pulses, respectively. By controlling the pluralities of data pulses and scan pulses and the backlight, the color sequential LCD will display an image. The voltage levels of the pluralities of data pulses and scan pulses change according to different images. Thereby, power consumed by the control circuit can be reduced. In addition, color-mixing problems will be reduced according to the present invention.

Abstract: An apparatus and method provide logic for processing images. In one implementation, an image processing apparatus includes an edge extraction section, a judgment section, and an edge processing section. The edge extraction section extracts an edge of an object of a character or a line drawing included in an image. The judgment section judges a possibility that the object is an image including a plurality of colors, or that the object is a black object having a pixel value of an image of each color being not less than a certain value. The edge processing section adjusts the pixel value of the extracted edge of the object according to a result obtained by the judgment section.

Abstract: A control IC (integrated circuit) for color sequential liquid crystal displays (LCD) is revealed. The control IC includes an interface for receiving a command and at least one display data and a timing generator to generate a scan timing signal, a data timing signal, and a driving timing signal. According to the scan timing signal, a scan driving circuit generates a scan signal that is sent to the color sequential LCD. In accordance with the data timing signal, a data driving circuit receives the display data for generating a data signal sent to the color sequential LCD. According to the driving timing signal, a light-source driving circuit generates a plurality of driving signals sent to the color sequential LCD so as to generate a plurality of color backlights. In accordance with the scan signal, the data signal and the plurality of backlights, the color sequential LCD displays a frame.

Abstract: Method and inspection system. The inspection system includes: (i) a stage, for supporting an inspected object and for moving the inspected object by a movement that is characterized by speed variations; (ii) a signal generator, for generating triggering pulses at a fixed frequency regardless of the speed variations; (iii) a stage location generator, for providing location information indicative of a location of the stage at points of time that are determined by the triggering pulses; (iv) a strobe illuminator for illuminating areas of the inspected object in response to the triggering pulses; (v) a camera for acquiring images of areas of the inspected object in response to the triggering pulses; wherein overlaps between the images of the areas of the inspected object are characterized by overlap variations; and (vi) a processor for associating location information to the acquired images.

Abstract: A mobile object recognizing device comprises a camera (2) for taking time-series images, a feature point extracting unit (23) for extracting the feature points of the individual time-series images taken by the camera (2), an optical flow creating unit (24) for comparing the feature points of the time-series images between different images, to create an optical flow joining the feature points having the same pattern, and a grouping operation unit (25) for selecting that optical flow as one belonging to one mobile object, the prolonged line of which intersects with one vanishing point within a predetermined error range and in which the external ratio of a segment joining the other end point and the vanishing point with one end point of the optical flow being the externally dividing point in the extension of the optical flow.

Abstract: A method is described that includes converting the present image of resolution N to resolution M, M being less than N. The method also includes generating a signature of the present converted image. The method further includes comparing the signature of the present converted image to stored signatures of converted spam images, the converted spam images being of resolution M. The method also includes determining spam features corresponding to the stored signatures of converted spam images that match the signature of the present converted image.

Abstract: A method is described that includes comparing a characteristic of an image to stored characteristics of spam images. The method also includes generating a signature of the present image. The method further includes comparing the signature of the present image to stored signatures of spam images. The method also includes determining the spam features corresponding to the stored signatures of spam images that match the signature of the present image.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a digital image content-adaptive contrast improving method. The method includes forming a piecewise linear tone remapping function for a digital image according to the histogram thereof. The piecewise linear tone remapping function is formed by repeatedly performing a first and a second step. The first step determines a starting linear tone mapping function for a specific range of luminance values. The second step generates a new tone mapping function for the specific range of luminance values based on the starting linear tone mapping function and the histogram. An apparatus for implementing the method is also provided.

Abstract: The image processing apparatus displays a list of individual information from which individual information selected by the individual information selecting unit and individual information lapped over the individual information included in the retrieved individual groups are excluded from individual information included in individual groups retrieved by the individual group retrieval unit, and the individual group retrieval unit narrows down individual groups to be retrieved by adding on individual information designated from the individual information displayed in the list.

Abstract: A processing device may recognize a number of input handwritten strokes, which may represent a mathematical expression, a chemical formula, or other two-dimensional structure. Rewriting rules of a grammar may be applied to the strokes to produce a number of possible recognition results. Each of the possible recognition results has a respective score based on a sum of rewriting rules applied to the strokes to produce respective ones of the possible recognition results. Input may be provided to identify misrecognized strokes and a correct terminal production, or symbol corresponding to the misrecognized strokes. Strokes may be misrecognized for many reasons, including parsing errors, over-grouping or under-grouping of matrices, and improper placement of a recognized terminal production, or symbol, with respect to a root structure. Correction hints may be leveraged for correcting types of errors mentioned above.

Abstract: A method and system for detecting a shadow region and a highlight region from a foreground region in a surveillance system, and a recording medium thereof, are provided. The system includes an image capturing unit to capture a new image, a background model unit to receive the new image and update a stored background model with the new image, a difference image obtaining unit to compare the new image with the background model and to obtain a difference image between the new image and the background model, a penumbra region extraction unit to extract a partial shadow region or a partial highlight region by measuring a sharpness of an edge of the difference image and expanding a background region, and an umbra region extraction unit to extract a complete shadow region or a complete highlight region based on the result of the extraction by the penumbra region extraction unit.

Abstract: A device such as a set-top-box, digital TV, DVD player, multi-media player, cellular telephone or digital cinema player that may handle data such as multimedia data and/or audio/video signals, may determine its location. The device may determine its location based on GPS information and may send its location to an external entity, for example, a service provider. The device may generate a watermark comprising its determined location and may embed or insert the watermark within the data. In addition, the generated watermark may comprise one or more of a unique identifier for the device, a source of the data, for example, a service provider, a date and a time. The watermark may be secured via processing, for example, the watermark may be encrypted prior to being embedded. The data may be compressed when embedding the watermark. The watermark embedding process may be handled via a secure embedded processor and/or secure code.