Abstract: With respect to photography, the present invention includes a physical target device used in conjunction with computer software to ascertain and record such attributes as lighting conditions, perspective, and scale with regard to the assembly of two-dimensional photographic imagery, consisting of background and subject images, into realistic photo composites.

Abstract: A digital pen and paper system comprising a digital pen adapted to acquire disposition data representing a position and orientation of the pen relative to a portion of a carrier using a position-determining pattern on the carrier, the pen comprising a display operable to present to a user of the system display data representing at least one character for transcription by the user, the or each character transformed to appear to the user as if it is printed on the carrier, and a method for effecting transcription of information using such a system.

Abstract: In this invention, when images, in image files managed according to photographing dates, which match a search condition are to be displayed, the images matching the search condition are sequentially displayed such that the positions or distribution of the image files, of all image files, which match the search condition can be checked. For this reason, when the search condition is changed by operating upper and lower keys provided on the back face of a digital camera, a search is made for images matching the condition after the change. Indicators indicating the relative positions of the images matching the search condition in the list of image files arranged in the order of photographing dates are displayed. When the left and right keys are operated, one of images matching the search condition is displayed in the image display area.

Abstract: This lens evaluation device comprises a plurality of point light sources arranged on the plane, an imaging unit for picking up an object and obtaining its image, a movement unit for changing the relative distance between the point light source or the imaging unit and the optical system to be evaluated, a storage medium for recording stack images obtained by the imaging unit picking up the images of the plurality of point light sources via the optical system every time the movement unit changes the relative distance, an image position calculation unit for calculating a plurality of image positions from the plurality of pieces of point light source image in the stack image recorded on the storage medium and an aberration acquisition unit for fitting an aberration model function to the plurality of image positions calculated and obtaining an aberration measurement value.

Abstract: To simulate film grain in a compressed video signal, a decoder (15, 28) receives a message containing information that contains a set of one or more parameters, each specifying certain attribute associated with the film grain. For example, one of the parameters will specify the model used to simulate the film grain, whereas other parameters each specify a particular factor associated with that model. Upon receipt of the message, the decoder selects the model, and simulates the film grain for addition to the video signal following decompression.

Abstract: A method of detecting the alignment error of lenses and reducing image distortion attributable to the alignment error in a lens-type 3-dimensional liquid crystal display monitor. A method of detecting the alignment error of lenses in a 3D display using a purpose-built test pattern image, which predicts the alignment error in such a way as to calculate variation in view indices of pixels in a lateral direction, observed by an eye of an observer, if there is alignment error in the lenses. A method of compensating for image distortion in a 3D monitor, including the steps of finding the relationship between the pixels of a Liquid Crystal Display (LDC) panel and the pixels of observed images, which are determined depending on the location of an observer; and compensating for image distortion attributable to the rotational and translational alignment error of the lenses based on the found relationship.

Abstract: Selective Sharpening May Involve Sharpening Only Certain Portions Of an Image Or a certain percentage of the pixels of an image while avoiding over-sharpening already sharp areas and the introduction of signal noise in naturally uniform color and/or sharpness areas. A selective sharpening tool may selectively sharpen the image based on a user-indicated sharpening limit. For example, the user may select a particular portion of an image and specify that the least sharp 30% of the pixels in the selected image portion should be sharpened. In response, the selective sharpening tool may determine a sharpness value for each pixel in the image, rank each pixel based on its sharpness value and sharpen only the least sharp 30% of the pixels. Thus, a user may selectively sharpen a certain portion of an image (such as based on percentage of the pixels) while avoiding overly sharpening already sharp areas.

Abstract: Certain embodiments of the invention may be found in a system and method for implementing graphics and a video scaling algorithm using interpolation based on symmetrical polyphase filtering. A video or graphics scaler may be utilized to scale luma, chroma, and/or alpha information in a video image. The scaler may comprise a first symmetric polyphase sub-filter with zero phase shift that generates an in-phase filtered pixel and a second symmetric polyphase sub-filter that generates an out-of-phase filtered pixel. The video scaler may also comprise an interpolator that may generate a scaled video image pixel based on the generated in-phase and out-of-phase filtered pixels and a scaling factor. The scaling factor may be determined based on an input video size (M) and a desired output video size (N). The interpolation of the generated in-phase and out-of-phase pixels in the video scaler may be implemented by utilizing a Farrow structure.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a 3-D image display unit that can be controlled flexibly to protect the user from eyestrain and operated easily. The 3-D image display unit includes measuring means for measuring a display time of a 3-D image, parallax adjusting means for instructing 3-D image forming means to adjust the parallax of the 3-D image. In the case where the 3-D image display time measured by the measuring means exceeds a predetermined time, the parallax adjusting means instructs the 3-D image forming means to reduce the parallax of the 3-D image to be formed, thereby the display means comes to display a 3-D image having a small parallax. The user can thus be protected from eyestrain.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing defects in a digital image include defining a defect map, having defect and non-defect entries, as a defect bounded by an expanded defect region and an outer analysis region of a different defect map values. By choosing suitable values and performing a bitwise logical OR operation on the entries the processing of the defect map is made more efficient.

Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a check unit which compares a value of a pixel of interest with values of neighboring pixels contained in an image signal supplied from an image sensor, and determines based on the comparison whether the pixel of interest is defective, and a defect correcting unit which corrects the value of the pixel of interest by using values of surrounding pixels in response to the determination by the check unit that the pixel of interest is defective.

Abstract: There is provided a solid-state image pickup device including: a pixel array portion which includes a plurality of unit pixels each having a photoelectric conversion element and an output transistor for outputting a signal according to charge obtained by photoelectric conversion of the photoelectric conversion element; a comparing portion which compares the signal output from each of the unit pixels with a ramp-shaped reference signal; a measuring portion which starts an operation in synchronization with the supply of the reference signal to the comparing portion, performs the operation until the comparison output of the comparing portion is inverted, and measures a time until the comparison of the comparing portion is finished; and a detecting portion which detects a predetermined image pickup condition and fixes the comparison output of the comparing portion to a state before the comparison starts when the image pickup condition is detected.

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: 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 edge inspection method for detecting defects on a wafer edge normal surface includes acquiring a set of digital images which captures a circumference of the wafer. An edge of the wafer about the circumference is determined. Each digital image is segmented into a plurality of horizontal bands. Adjacent edge clusters about the circumference of the wafer are combined into edge pixel bins. The edge pixel bins are analyzed via edge clusters analysis to identify defects. The edge pixel bins are also analyzed via blob analysis to determine defects.

Abstract: A method for processing a source digital image wherein the source digital image is comprised of a plurality of pixels. A spatial filter is applied to the source digital image to produce an enhanced digital image. An inverse spatial filter is applied to the enhanced digital image to produce an estimated digital image. A difference digital image is then produced from the estimated digital image and the source digital image, wherein the difference digital image is representative of a difference between the source digital image and the estimated digital image. The difference digital image and the enhanced digital image can be transmitted from a first device to a second device remote. At the second device, a reconstructed digital image can be generated from the difference digital image and the enhanced digital image, wherein the reconstructed digital image is substantially equivalent to the source digital image.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system and method for correcting misfocus in original particle beam image data by using a fractional Fourier transform operation or an approximation of it. In one embodiment, the particle beam image data is produced by an electron microscope. The approximation of a fractional Fourier transform operation may comprise a portion of a Taylor series expansion, a Hermite function expansion, a perturbation approximation, a singular integral approximation, or an infinitesimal generator. The described embodiments provide for the reconstruction of phase information associated with the original image data, and for the reconstructed phase information to also utilize an approximation of a fractional Fourier transform operation. The focus correction can be selected and controlled by user interaction or an automatic feedback control system that may include optimization.

Abstract: The method includes the following units: a coefficient number detecting unit (109) for detecting the number of coefficients which has a value other than 0 for each block according to the generated coefficient, a coefficient number storing unit (110) for storing the number of coefficients detected, a coefficient number coding unit (111) for selecting a table for variable length coding based on the numbers of coefficients in the coded blocks located on the periphery of a current block to be coded with reference to the selected table for variable length coding so as to perform variable length coding for the number of coefficients.

Abstract: First, a set of seed images that tally with each other are prepared (S101). Next, a set of threshold matrices are created from the set of seed images (S102). Next, a plurality of tally images are created from an input gray-scale image by using the set of threshold matrices (S103). The tally images are combined, whereby the confidential image is decoded.

Abstract: An interpolation processing method for performing interpolation processing of image data obtained by photoelectrically converting an object image using interpolation data, includes a first step of estimating object information, a second step of generating first input image data based on the object information, a third step of generating first transformation data from the first input image data to the image data, a fourth step of generating second transformation data from the first input image data to interpolated image data after the interpolation processing, and a fifth step of generating the interpolation data using the first and second transformation data.