Abstract: A method for creating a volumetric data set representing a three-dimensional distribution, such as a dose distribution produced by a radiosurgery system uses a plurality of stacked sensors (12) to obtain two-dimensional cross sectional images of the distribution. The images are optically scanned in a scanner (20) to obtain digitized two-dimensional images which can be processed by software in a computer (22). Each of the sensors (12), which may be, for example, a sheet of X-ray sensitive film, is marked with a visible fiducial mark (17). The software locates images of the fiducial marks (17) in the digitized images. The locations of the fiducial marks (17) indicate the proper orientation and sequence of each image. The software populates a volumetric data structure with data from the scanned images. Interpolation may be used to increase the resolution of the data structure.

Abstract: An image display system comprises a display unit which includes regularly arranged red, green and blue pixel elements and which changes a displaying state of the pixel elements to display an image; a pixel data generator which generates pixel data consisting of three items of first pixel element data corresponding to red, green and blue signal levels; a pixel element data generator which converts the pixel data into several items of second pixel element data as a minimum unit data corresponding to the signal levels of respective colors; and a controller which selects any one of a first display mode on the basis of the pixel data outputted from the pixel data generator and a second display mode on the basis of the second pixel element data generated in the pixel element data generator, wherein when selecting the second display mode, the controller sets a pixel number of the pixel data generated in the pixel data generator so as to coincide with a display pixel number of the display unit.

Abstract: Noise filtering (3) of a signal (x) is effected by estimating (30) a type of noise in the signal (x) and enabling (30) one of at least two noise filters (310, 311, 312), the enabled noise filter (310,311,312) being a most suitable filter for the estimated type of noise. An approximation of the noise (z) in the signal (x) is obtained by computing (302) a difference between the signal (x) and a noise-filtered (301) version of the signal (x). A kurtosis of the noise is used as a metric for estimating the type of noise. If the estimated type of noise is long-tailed noise, a median filter (312) is enabled to filter the signal. If the estimated type of noise is Gaussian noise or contaminated Gaussian noise, a spatio-temporal filter (310,311) is enabled to filter the signal.

Abstract: A system capable of efficiently fusing image information from multiple sensors operating in different formats into a single composite image and simultaneously display all of the pertinent information of the original images as a single image.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for generation of 3-D content from 2-D sources. In particular, the present invention provides a method for determining a point cloud from one or more 2-D sources. The method of the present utilizes a search process for locating a point of maximal crossing of line segments, wherein each line segment line is generated for each possible point match between an image point in a first 2-D scene data source and an image point in a second 2-D scene data source. The search is performed over all possible camera rotation angles. The point cloud solution generated by the methods of the present invention may then be utilized as input to perform texture mapping or further 3-D processing.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for creating an image is disclosed. The image is formed by rendering at least a plurality of graphical objects to be composited according to a compositing expression. Each object has a predetermined outline. The method comprises the following steps. Firstly, dividing a space in which the outlines are defined into a plurality of mutually exclusive regions wherein each of the regions is defined by a region outline substantially following at least one of the predetermined outlines or parts thereof. Secondly, examining each of the regions to determine those objects which contribute to the regions. Thirdly, modifying the compositing expression on the basis of the contribution of each of the objects within the region to form an optimised compositing expression for each region. Fourthly, compositing the image using each of the optimised compositing expressions.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus corrects degradation of an image of a pair of spread pages of a bound book placed on a document table. The image processing apparatus includes a height obtaining unit which obtains a plurality of heights, above the document table, of a plurality of points of the pair of spread pages, based on a contour of the pair of spread pages which appears in the image, and an image correcting unit which corrects the degradation of the image based on the plurality of heights obtained by the height obtaining unit. The degradation may be unevenness of lightness, deformation, a blur, or the like.

Abstract: An optimal filter kernel, formed by convolving a box filter with a filter of fixed integer width and unity area, is used to perform image resizing and reconstruction. The optimal filter has forced zeros at locations along a frequency scale corresponding to the reciprocal of the spacing of one or more pixels that comprise a source image to be resized. When a rescale value for a source image is selected, the optimal filter kernel is computed, mapped to the source image, and centered upon a location within the source image corresponding to the position of an output pixel to be generated. The number of pixels that lie underneath the optimal filter kernel is established by multiplying the number of pixels that comprise the width of the source image by the selected rescale value. Upon mapping the optimal filter kernel, the output pixel values that comprise the resized image are then evaluated by processing the one or more source image pixels, such as through interpolation.

Abstract: Coordinates of a target are calculated by measuring time between the generation of a vertical synchronizing signal fetched from a composite signal for displaying the target image on a video monitor and a singular change of a video signal and calculating the coordinates of the target image displayed on the video monitor from this measured time. In this way, the coordinates of the target image where it is displayed on the video monitor can be calculated very rapidly.

Abstract: An optimizing video processing method and system selects algorithms for best obtainable video quality for the available computation resources. A video processing module, which processes an input of a video stream, architectural parameters for identifying an order of cascaded video functions and determining a bit precision between data of any consecutive cascaded functions according to an associated complexity level which correlates with a value of available computational resources. An optimizer module optimizes processing of the video stream and includes a plurality of optimization engines each having an associated complexity level. The optimizer module selects an optimization engine according a complexity level which correlates with the value of available computational resources. An Object Image Quality (OIQ) evaluator module evaluates an image quality of an output of the video stream from the video processing module.

Abstract: A system and method for adjusting exposure in a mosaiced or stitched image. A stitched composite image is typically represented by a set of images and a set of associated transformations. Each transformation corresponds to one image in the input image sequence and represents the mapping between image pixels in each image and a three-dimensional coordinate system. Every triplet of images in the mosaiced image, having a first, center and third image, is input into the system and method according to the present invention. Before exposure adjustment can be performed, the regions of overlap between the input images in the mosaiced image are calculated. Once the areas of overlap associated with the first and third images are found, the areas of overlap associated with these images are warped to the coordinate frame of the center image.

Abstract: An image signal read out from an original is binary-coded on the basis of a binary-coding threshold value. The binary-coding threshold value is calculated by making a histogram representing a frequency distribution of tones of the image signal, calculating the value of a peak tone at which the frequency is maximized, calculating as a first tone at which the frequency becomes equal to a predetermined level on the lower tone side of the peak tone, calculating a reference binary-coding threshold value by adding to the peak tone the difference between the first tone and the peak tone, and determining the binary-coding threshold value on the basis of the reference binary-coding threshold value.

Abstract: A plurality of images and a feature of each of these images are stored in one image file. An attribute information area stores attribute information necessary to read out and display the images stored in the image file. A feature data area continuously stores features of the images stored in the image file. An image data area continuously stores image data of the images stored in the image file. Since one image file has the attribute information, the feature data area continuously storing the features of all images, and the image data area continuously storing all images, high-speed access to the image data and simple management of the image data are realized.

Abstract: There is provided a method for automatically set a spatial resolution for an image to be encoded by properties of an image during an encoding process. The method includes the steps of dividing the moving image into blocks and compression encoding the moving image for each of the blocks, decoding an encoded moving image, obtaining a block distortion ratio from a decoded image, and making a resolution decision to select a first resolution lower than a current spatial resolution if the block distortion ratio is greater than a first threshold value or a second resolution higher than the current spatial resolution if the block distortion ratio is smaller than a second threshold value.

Abstract: Video cameras capture surrounding images, and time code generated by a time code generator is attached to the images. Likewise, when the respective images are captured, the position and inclination of the car are measured by a GPS, a three-axis angle sensor, and a geomagnetic angle sensor, and attached to the respective images. A panoramic image can be produced by connecting together images having the same time code. Performing the aforementioned signal processing for a plurality of routes provides a series of panoramic images. When presenting a panoramic image to a viewer, a panoramic image that is captured at a point closest to a viewpoint of the viewer is identified so that images can be presented to the viewer according to a view direction of the viewer.

Abstract: An image processing method and apparatus arranged to output an image signal for reproducing an image of favorable quality without any considerable reduction in contrast and sharpness even from a high-contrast wide-dynamic-range image by performing dynamic range compression processing, which is as effective as the conventional dodging. Also, the method and apparatus are effective in reducing appearance of a pseudo edge band, which is caused when dynamic range compression is performed at a high compression ratio. A plurality of unsharp image signals representing unsharp images of an original image are generated from an image signal representing the original image. One synthesized unsharp image signal is generated from the plurality of unsharp image signals. The dynamic range compression processing is performed on the image signal of the original image on the basis of the synthesized unsharp image signal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of adaptively enhancing a digital image based on image content. An accurate determination of image type permits implementation of an image enhancement technique that is matched to the image type. The method is advantageous when the image type of the received images can vary. In one embodiment the method distinguishes between line art images and continuous tone images. The method includes application of a window to a pixels in a source array. The number of colors in each of the resulting windowed arrays is determined. Each color can optionally be defined as a range of colors. A color range total is calculated from the sum of the number of windowed arrays in one or more subsets of the plurality of possible numbers of colors. Image type is determined in response to the color range total and an enhancement process matched to the image type is applied to the digital image data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sharpening an image. An initial luminance channel is extracted from a data set that includes at least one color plane indicative of the image. The initial luminance channel is in a color space different to that of the at least one color plane. The initial luminance channel is sharpened to form a revised luminance channel, and a portion of the revised luminance channel added to at least one of the color planes of the data set to sharpen the image.

Abstract: An image processing method includes the steps of: detecting an inclination of image data; storing the image data for one line into a first memory; changing a reading timing when the image data is read from the first memory, according to the detected inclination, whereby correcting a shift in a main scanning direction; storing the image data for not smaller than 2 lines into a second memory; and changing a line position in a sub-scanning direction when the image data is read from the second memory, according to the detected inclination, whereby correcting a shift in the sub-scanning direction.

Abstract: A method (200) and decoder system (100) for reducing quantization effects or ringing artifacts imposed upon decoded image of hybrid block based coding schemes such as MEPG and H 261. The system (100), in use, and method (200) receive (220) decoded image decoded blocks that were decoded from transform coded blocks quatized by a selected quantization parameter. The system (100) and method (200) then analyze (230) selected pixel values of selected pixels with neighboring pixel values of associated neighboring pixels in the decoded blocks to determine difference values for each of the selected pixels. Potential object edges, of the decoded image represented by the decoded blocks, are then detected (240) to identify the selected pixels as edge pixels, the detecting is effected by comparing the difference values with selected threshold values that are determined with respect to the selected quantization parameter associated with the blocks.