Abstract: Systems and techniques for blending image data such that noise, texture and/or high-frequency data may be better preserved in a resulting blended image. In general, in one implementation, the techniques include combining a first image region and a second image region to form a blended image region having a neighborhood mean and a neighborhood variance, at each of multiple points in the blended image region, that are linear blends of corresponding neighborhood means and variances from the first and second image regions using a common blending parameter.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus generates, from original image data, low- and high-frequency components of the original image data. By smoothing at least some of the high-frequency components, the second high-frequency component is generated. Image data is generated on the basis of the generated second high-frequency component.

Abstract: A gradation attributes correcting device to correct gradation attributes of an input image signal includes a brightness gradation correcting unit to correct gradation attributes with respect to brightness of an image indicated by the input image signal. The brightness gradation correcting unit includes a characteristic information acquisition unit, a correction information decision unit, and a brightness gradation processing unit. The characteristic information acquisition unit acquires a minimum, average, and maximum brightness, of an image on a frame from the input image signal. The correction information decision unit determines correction information to correct the gradation attributes with respect to brightness according to combinations of the acquired minimum, average and maximum brightness of the image on the frame.

Abstract: An image capturing system is installable in a room opposite a writing surface. The image capturing system is adapted to take visual images of the writing surface and identify information written thereon.

Abstract: The invention provides a internet hosted system to find, compare, contrast and identify similar characteristics among two or more individuals or objects using a digital camera, cellular telephone camera, wireless device for the purpose of returning information regarding similar objects or faces to the user. The system features classification of images from a variety of Internet accessible sources, including mobile phones, wireless camera-enabled devices, images obtained from digital cameras or scanners that are uploaded from PCs, third-party applications and databases. Once classified, the matching person's name, or the matching object, image and associated meta-data is sent back to the user. The image may be manipulated to emphasize similar characteristics between the received facial image and the matching facial image. The meta-data sent down with the image may include sponsored links and advertisements.

Abstract: A method for motion compensation between first and second images in a temporal sequence includes processing the first and second images in a reduction process for providing respective reduced resolution first and second images; deriving respective first and second feature maps from the respective reduced resolution first and second images, the feature maps including deriving the respective Laplacian of image data in the respective reduced resolution first and second images; deriving a displacement field by processing the first and second feature maps in accordance with a registration algorithm, the registration algorithm comprising solving, for each picture element or voxel, a local Gaussian weighted least mean square problem so as to derive respective vectors forming the displacement field; and warping the second image with the displacement field.

Abstract: Methods and system for transferring images between devices is disclosed. For example, differently scaled images by a host device may automatically and/or selectively be transferred to a media player for display. In turn, appropriately scaled images may be transferred automatically and/or selectively to another display device for example a TV, camera or printer. The selectivity may occur either at the host level or at the player level.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for improve the image quality of an output image in the size reduction procedure of the resolution conversion process. The apparatus comprises a resolution conversation (RC) unit for down-sizing an original image to a target size image, a RC process controller for controlling an operation of the RC unit so as to repeat a prescribed resolution conversion process twice or more, and a memory for storing an intermediate size image.

Abstract: Methods for pre-processing video sequences prior to compression to provide data reduction of the video sequence. Also, after compression of the pre-processed video sequence, the bit rate of the pre-processed and compressed video sequence will be lower than the bit rate of the video sequence after compression but without pre-processing. Pre-processing may include spatial anisotropic diffusion filtering such as Perona-Malik filtering, Fallah-Ford filtering, or omni-directional filtering that extends Perona-Malik filtering to perform filtering in at least one diagonal direction. Pre-processing may also include performing filtering differently on a foreground region than on a background region of a video frame. This method includes identifying pixel locations having pixel values matching characteristics of human skin and determining a bounding shape for each contiguous grouping of matching pixel locations.

Abstract: Digital imaging systems, articles of manufacture, and digital image processing methods are described. According to one aspect, a digital imaging system includes an imaging system configured to provide image data of an image, the image data comprising digital image data for a plurality of pixel locations and processing circuitry configured to process the image data provided by the imaging system to denoise and sharpen the image data, wherein the processing circuitry, for an individual one of the pixel locations, is configured to identify a respective subset of the image data corresponding to the one pixel location and perform a single processing operation using the image data of the identified subset of the image data to denoise and sharpen the image data of the individual one pixel location.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for generating customized images for display to a user. In one example, a system may comprise a web server and one or more databases. A web server may generate one or more HTML pages in response to a user request. These web pages can be used to collect image customization information from the user and to display custom image designs based on the collected information. In addition, the collected image customization information and the generated custom image designs may be stored in a database.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automated cell analysis of biological specimens automatically scans at a low magnification to acquire images which are analyzed to determine candidate cell objects of interest. The low magnification images are converted from a first color space to a second color space. The color space converted image is then filtered. The candidate interest pixels are morphologically processed and compared to blob parameters to identify candidate objects of interest which correspond to cells or other structures relevant to medical diagnosis of the biological specimen. The location coordinates of the objects of interest are stored and additional images of the candidate cell objects are acquired at high magnification.

Abstract: The invention provides a internet hosted system to find, compare, contrast and identify similar characteristics among two or more individuals or objects using a digital camera, cellular telephone camera, wireless device for the purpose of returning information regarding similar objects or faces to the user. The system features classification of images from a variety of Internet accessible sources, including mobile phones, wireless camera-enabled devices, images obtained from digital cameras or scanners that are uploaded from PCs, third-party applications and databases. Once classified, the matching person's name, or the matching object, image and associated meta-data is sent back to the user. The image may be manipulated to emphasize similar characteristics between the received facial image and the matching facial image. The meta-data sent down with the image may include sponsored links and advertisements.

Abstract: A system for image enhancement and, more particularly, a system for enhancing the quality of a quantized image.

Abstract: A system for image enhancement and, more particularly, a system for enhancing the quality of a quantized image.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for dynamically refine the threshold values of R(Red), G(Green), B(Blue) colors for determining a borderline pixel in response to the values of a background image, thereby to precisely determine the borderlines of the Area of Interest (AOI). The method of the invention first searches the borderline pixels of a scanned image according to the standard differences of the R,G,B values of the pixels. Then, approximate the R,G,B threshold values of the borderline pixels by repeatedly averaging the current R,G,B values of the borderline pixels and the previous R,G,B threshold values until the difference is less than a predetermined value. The approximated R,G,B threshold values are set for the new R,G,B threshold values for determining the attribute of a pixel for subsequent prescanned images. Accordingly, the AOI can be automatically selected by reading the image circumscribed by the borderline pixels.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus is configured to include: illumination controlling section for controlling emission of light with a setting amount of light; region extracting section for independently extracting the image data of an object region indicating the object, and image data of a background region indicating background other than the object from reference image data out of two pieces of image data, respectively obtained at each change in an amount of the light from the illumination unit; filter processing section for applying a filtering process with the blurring effect to at least one piece of the image data of the object region and the background region, both extracted by the region extracting section; and combining section for generating combined image data of the reference image data with the image data subject to the filtering processing out of the image data of the object region and the background region.

Abstract: A computer implemented method models a scene in a video acquired by a camera. For each pixel in each frame of the video, a time series of intensities of the pixel is acquired. A harmonic series is extracted from samples of each time series using a sliding window. Distances between the harmonic series are measured. The distances are an estimate of spectral components in an autocorrelation function of underlying dynamic processes in the scene.

Abstract: A method of image-resolution enhancement employing partial-template matching, including storing at least a portion of an image, and selecting from the image a window comprising a plurality of adjacent line segments having pixels, the window including a target pixel. The method also includes comparing the pixels of the window with a template for a partial match, and responsive to a partial match being found, substituting an enhancement pixel for the target pixel. By allowing a partial match for enhancement instead of requiring a 100-percent match of the prior art, the method provides image-resolution enhancement for digital-image data having noise or other errors.

Abstract: A system and method that determines the direction of an edge in a video image using a gradient of the edge in a first direction and a gradient of the edge in a second direction. The system uses the sign of the product of the gradient in the first direction and the gradient in the second direction along with a ratio of multiples of the two gradients to determine the direction of the edge. The direction may correspond to an angle range, where the ratio of the gradients corresponds to a trigonometric function of the angle of the edge.