Patents Examined by Joseph Ustaris
  • Patent number: 9857469
    Abstract: A modulation technique for 3D time-of-flight (TOF) cameras allows the operation of fully autonomous operated 3D TOF cameras. The method subdivides the exposure time into several sub-exposure intervals, for which the signal control unit adds a preferably pseudo-random common phase delay to the illumination and the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Heptagon Micro Optics Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Thierry Oggier, Bernhard Buettgen, Matthias Schweizer
  • Patent number: 9854248
    Abstract: An inter-prediction method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: deriving motion information of a current block; and generating a prediction block for the current block on the basis of the derived motion information. According to the present invention, computational complexity can be reduced and encoding efficiency can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignees: ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY COOPERATION GROUP OF KYUNG HEE UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Hui Yong Kim, Gwang Hoon Park, Kyung Yong Kim, Sung Chang Lim, Jin Ho Lee, Jin Soo Choi, Jin Woong Kim
  • Patent number: 9844313
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, an apparatus is disclosed including an image sensor, a color filter array, and an image processor. The image sensor has an active area with a matrix of camera pixels. The color filter array is in optical alignment over the matrix of the camera pixels. The color filter array assigns alternating single colors to each camera pixel. The image processor receives the camera pixels and includes a correlation detector to detect spatial correlation of color information between pairs of colors in the pixel data captured by the camera pixels. The correlation detector further controls demosaicing of the camera pixels into full color pixels with improved resolution. The apparatus may further include demosaicing logic to demosaic the camera pixels into the full color pixels with improved resolution in response to the spatial correlation of the color information between pairs of colors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc
    Inventors: Jeffrey DiCarlo, David D. Scott, Wenyi Zhao
  • Patent number: 9846820
    Abstract: Method for coding or recognizing of surveillance videos is provided to improve compressing efficiency and recognizing accuracy of surveillance videos. The method for coding surveillance videos includes: establishing a background database and a foreground object database; wherein, the background database includes a set of background images; the foreground object database includes a set of foreground objects; coding a surveillance image by referring to a background image in the background database and a foreground object in the foreground object database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Inventor: Tiejun Hunag
  • Patent number: 9841293
    Abstract: An in-vehicle information apparatus includes a main unit having a display device, and a navigation unit providing a navigation function to the main unit. The navigation unit includes a navigation processing unit a sub unit providing an addition function to the navigation unit, and a navigation unit screen generating unit which generates a navigation unit screen for displaying information concerning a function which the navigation unit provides. The main unit includes an operation unit which receives an input for selecting a function from a user, a main unit screen generating unit which generates a main unit screen for displaying information concerning a function which the main unit provides, and a video selector which selects one of the navigation unit screen and the main unit screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: CALRION CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Nakayama, Masato Takahashi
  • Patent number: 9839350
    Abstract: A control apparatus of an imaging apparatus, includes a selection unit configured to select an image-capturing site of a subject to be examined, a control unit configured to control adjustment of a member of the imaging apparatus, according to the selected image-capturing site, and a determination unit configured to determine whether to perform the adjustment or not in response to a change of image-capturing sites through the selection by the selection unit, based on image-capturing conditions for the image-capturing sites before and after the change of the image-capturing sites.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Naba, Yukio Sakagawa
  • Patent number: 9838687
    Abstract: A server includes an input node to receive video streams forming a panoramic video. A module forms a suggested field of view in the panoramic video. The suggested field of view is based upon a viewing parameter, such as a client device motion parameter or a motion prediction parameter. An output node sends the suggested field of view to a client device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Bill Banta, Paul Alioshin
  • Patent number: 9829572
    Abstract: Passive device for broadband acoustic acquisition (3) that can communicate with a digital processing unit (4), the device including a plurality of microphone sensors (7) that can generate an electric signal (8) that is representative of an acoustic pressure (9) received, electronics for processing and digitizing (12) electric signals being able to adapt the electric signals and transform them into digital signals (13) of acoustic pressure, transfer electronics (14) being able to communicate with a digital processing unit (4) and to make possible the transfer of the digital signals of acoustic pressure to the digital processing unit. The microphone sensors and the transfer electronics are mounted on a multifunctional rigid support element (17) that incorporates the processing and digitizing electronics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: ACB ENGINEERING
    Inventors: Vincent Benoit, Christian Corbeau
  • Patent number: 9829309
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a depth sensing method, device and system based on symbols array plane structured light. The coded symbols array pattern is projected by the laser pattern projector to the target object or space, and the image sensor collects and obtains the successive sequence of the encoded image of the input symbols. Firstly, the input image encoded with the symbols is decoded. The decoding process includes preprocessing, symbols location, symbols recognition and symbols correction. Secondly, the disparity of the decoded symbols are calculated by the symbols match calculation between the decoded image of the input symbols with completed symbols recognition and the decoded image of the reference symbols with the known distance. Finally the depth calculation formula is combined to generate depth point cloud information of the target object or projection space that is represented in the form of grid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: RGBDsense Information Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Chenyang Ge, Yanhui Zhou
  • Patent number: 9832480
    Abstract: A moving picture coding method includes: coding, using a motion vector, a current block to be coded; generating a plurality of predictive motion vectors; and coding the motion vector using one of the predictive motion vectors, and when a co-located block included in a coded picture and co-located with the current block has two reference motion vectors and reference directions of the two reference motion vectors are the same, a first prediction vector is generated using a first reference motion vector and a second prediction vector is generated using a second reference motion vector in the generating of a plurality of predictive motion vectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: SUN PATENT TRUST
    Inventors: Toshiyasu Sugio, Takahiro Nishi, Youji Shibahara, Hisao Sasai
  • Patent number: 9819815
    Abstract: Presentation by a display is enhanced by placing the active elements of the display at or substantially proximate to the surface of an electronic device. A protective sheet of the display is extended to cover a front surface of the electronic device. Such placement improves image quality, reduces shadow on the display, improves spill resistance, and minimizes the overall profile of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Amish Rajesh Babu, John E. Johnston, Toby Warren Smith, Shyeu-Yang Wang
  • Patent number: 9813695
    Abstract: A display device (40) comprising: a display panel (41) comprising a set of pixels (41R, 41L) the pixels being spatially distributed over the display panel, and each pixel being for providing a light output, the set of pixels comprising a plurality of different subsets (411) of pixels, each subset of pixels comprising one or more pixels of the set of pixels, an imaging unit (42) arranged for imaging the one or more pixels of a subset of pixels to form pixel images on a plurality of view areas on an imaginary plane located at a first distance in front of the display, the plurality of view areas not overlapping each other, with at least one pixel image of each one of the different subsets of pixels overlapping on a same one of the plurality of view areas, the imaginary plane comprising an imaginary circle having the diameter of the pupil of an eye, and the imaginary circle enclosing at least a part of at least two of the plurality of view areas, where the at least two of the plurality of view areas at least part
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Bart Kroon, Marcellinus Petrus Carolus Michael Krijn, Frederik Jan De Bruijn, Mark Thomas Johnson, Philip Steven Newton, Bart Andre Salters, Siebe Tjerk De Zwart, Johannes Henricus Maria Korst
  • Patent number: 9813691
    Abstract: A mobile terminal can include a front body including a touch screen, a rear body coupled to the front body and including first and second holes, first and second cameras corresponding to the first and second holes, a bracket including third and fourth holes corresponding to the first and second cameras, the bracket surrounding the first and second cameras, a main printed circuit board (PCB), a first camera PCB coupled to the first camera, a second camera PCB coupled to the second camera and separated from the first camera PCB, a first connector extended from the first camera PCB and electrically connected to the main PCB, and a second connector extended from the second camera PCB and electrically connected to the main PCB, in which the first camera is inserted into the third hole of the bracket and the second camera is inserted into the fourth hole of the bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Ramchan Woo, Byungjoon Kim, Jinho Jang, Chiyoung Kim, Jaeyeol Kim
  • Patent number: 9801778
    Abstract: A system and method for assisting a visually impaired user including an imaging device, a processing unit for receiving images from the imaging device and converting the images into signals for use by one or more controllers, and one or more vibro-tactile devices, wherein the one or more controllers activates one or more of the vibro-tactile devices in response to said signals received from the processing unit. The system preferably includes a lanyard to be worn around the neck of the user such that a first vibro-tactile device is arranged on the right side of the user's neck, a second vibro-tactile device on a left side of the user's neck, and a third vibro-tactile device at the back portion of the user's neck. The vibro-tactile devices are activated depending on a determined position in front of the user of an object and the distance from the user to the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Inventor: Andrew Mahoney
  • Patent number: 9794578
    Abstract: The image decoding method includes: determining a context for use in a current block to be processed, from among a plurality of contexts; and performing arithmetic decoding on a bit sequence corresponding to the current block, using the determined context, wherein in the determining: the context is determined under a condition that control parameters of neighboring blocks of the current block are used, when the signal type is a first type, the neighboring blocks being a left block and an upper block of the current block; and the context is determined under a condition that the control parameter of the upper block is not used, when the signal type is a second type, and the second type is one of “ref_idx_l0” and “ref_idx_l1”.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: SUN PATENT TRUST
    Inventors: Hisao Sasai, Takahiro Nishi, Youji Shibahara, Toshiyasu Sugio, Kyoko Tanikawa, Toru Matsunobu
  • Patent number: 9792515
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method recognizes stamped characters, detects stamped depths of characters using the same, and/or accurately recognizes characters even when an image distortion occurs at stamped portion due to different stamped depths of characters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Jae Hun Song
  • Patent number: 9787985
    Abstract: A system and a method are disclosed for encoding and decoding a video frame using spatial prediction. The video frame is separated into a plurality of image blocks, and a plurality of spatial predictors is created for an image block using methods well-known in the art. The set of predictors is reduced to a set containing fewer spatial predictors before continuing the coding process for the block. The reduction of spatial predictors involves comparing a plurality of spatial predictors and grouping or processing a subset of the spatial predictors to a set of representative spatial predictors. Because the number of spatial predictors is reduced, fewer bits may be used in a bit stream to identify a chosen spatial predictor, thus improving the efficiency of the coding process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikhail Korman, Sergey Fedorov
  • Patent number: 9787989
    Abstract: Methods of encoding and decoding video are described. The methods for encoding and decoding a picture partitioned into blocks include determining an activity rank for a block, based on a block size of the block and an intra-coding mode for the block; calculating a normalization value based on the activity rank divided by an average activity rank determined over a plurality of previously-encoded/decoded blocks; and quantizing/dequantizing a set of transform domain coefficients for the block using a quantization step size adjusted by the normalization value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Nguyen Nguyen, Dake He
  • Patent number: 9784579
    Abstract: A measuring system comprising a fixed measurement unit (101), a data processing unit (130) and a mobile unit (120). The mobile unit comprises a planar base (111), a reflector (118), an elevation element (119) fixed to the base and the reflector, and attaching the reflector to a fixed position in respect of the base. The mobile unit comprises also mobility means (112) for moving the base along a surface (113) such that the spatial orientation of the base (114) substantially corresponds with the spatial orientation of the currently underlying part of the surface. In addition the mobile unit comprises tilt measuring means (123) for determining a deviation between the spatial orientation of the base and a plane perpendicular to the ambient gravitational force, and tilt elimination means for eliminating the effect of the determined deviation. Measurement results are thus more accurate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: KONECRANES GLOBAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Juha Sunio, Jonna Nousiainen, Matti Pekkarinen
  • Patent number: 9787968
    Abstract: A transmission apparatus includes a first data stream generation unit, a second data stream generation unit, and a data transmission unit. The first data stream generation unit generates an image compression data stream. The second data stream generation unit generates a audio compression data stream to which specific information which is not directly related to audio data is added. The data transmission unit multiplexes the image compression data stream generated by the first data stream generation unit and the audio compression data stream generated by the second data stream generation unit, and transmits the resulting data stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC
    Inventor: Ikuo Tsukagoshi