Abstract: A data embedding method and apparatus and a data reproducing method and apparatus are provided which can apply a digital watermark to various contents. Instead of embedding watermarking information in respective pixels or by using a relation between pixels, the watermarking information is embedded as a position pattern of changed pixels in the contents. Reliability comparable with conventional techniques can be obtained irrespective of a change in a smaller number of pixels for the contents.

Abstract: A system and method for detecting pedicle positions in an image, in accordance with the present invention, includes providing a set of feature prototypes for a plurality of pedicle positions and orientations, providing an input image to be analyzed for pedicle positions and orientations, and determining intensity curvatures for a pedicle in the input image. The intensity curvatures are transformed to determine a feature vector for the pedicle in the input image. The feature vector is correlated to the feature prototypes to determine most likely positions and orientations of the pedicle.

Abstract: A sensor system utilizing a Composite Hough Transform (CHT) operates on multiple corresponding broadband correlograms produced at two neighboring dual-channel sensor systems. A broadband signal source can generate one correlation trace on each of the correlograms. Since these correlation traces are produced by the same signal source, they are constrained by a set of geometric relationships. By fully exploiting this set of constraints, the CHT fuses sensor data from multiple dual-channel sensor systems for target detection and track parameter estimation. The dual-channel system can be (a) a split-array system; a linear array split into two subarrays with each subarray corresponding to one of the channels, (b) two neighboring linear arrays, or (c) two neighboring individual hydrophones. The CHT operates with two neighboring linear subarrays. One of the sensor arrays is chosen as the primary array; it is used to originate the different track hypotheses for the signal source.

Abstract: A technique for adjusting the dynamic range in an imaging system includes balancing of pure gray level processing with pure frequency processing to reduce the brightness of light regions in an image and to maintain contrast in darker regions. The technique applies unsharp masking in which a set of parameter values are used based upon smoothed pixel values for an image. The unsharp masking parameters may be substantially zero below a threshold, and increase nonlinearly above the threshold. A set of brightness control parameters are then used to adjust an output value for each pixel to a desired dynamic range. The brightness control parameters may also be nonlinear.

Abstract: A transform domain watermarking technique which is based on a new encoding scheme referred to as scaled bin encoding which encodes a message in a set of transform coefficients by modifying their values in a way that preserves high image quality (i.e., low distortion levels) and adapts to expected noise level. Recapturing of the watermark image is performed via a decoding method using a maximum likelihood procedure (i.e., maximum likelihood decoding), based on the statistics of the transform coefficients and a worst case statistical model of the noise introduced to these coefficients by image processing operations or attack noise.

Abstract: The method comprises a histogram of the radiographed image, i.e., a real histogram, a mathematical model of the image chain and the object obtained by calibration. The mathematical model of the image chain and the object and a set of parameters of acquisition, of the detector, of the positioner and of the object are used to determine two values of gray level, gray min and gray max, delimiting a useful zone and the part below gray min and the part above gray max are suppressed in the real histogram, i.e., a limited histogram. A set of rules is applied to the limited histogram in order to determine the level of brightness (WL) and the contrast (WW) is obtained from the brightness and possibly from one or more parameters selected by the user or fixed a priori.

Abstract: A method and system of providing segmentation of volumetric three-dimensional image data set such as MRA images. Initially, a three-dimensional MRA volume is input. An initial surface S is then generated by thresholding the input. A signed distance function v to S is then generated, where v=v(x,t) and S is the zero level set of v(·,0).

Abstract: A method of processing a digital image channel to remove noise, includes the steps of: identifying a pixel of interest; identifying at least two sampled local regions of pixels which include the pixel of interest; calculating a noise free pixel estimate for each sampled local region of pixels; calculating a statistical weighting factor for each sampled local region, the calculation of the statistical weighting factor being independent of the calculation of the noise free pixel estimate; and using the noise free pixel estimates and the statistical weighting factors for calculate a noise reduced pixel value.

Abstract: An image processing system which compresses an image including both a binary image and a continuous tone image by a sub-band transform method with a high compression rate. A 2×2 pixel matrix block is extracted from image data. A transform factor having a plurality of frequency components is obtained from the 2×2 pixel matrix block data. The transform factor is quantized by a fixed-length quantizing method by deleting a predetermined number of lower order bits of each of the frequency components.

Abstract: Method of automatic registration of two- and three-dimensional angiography images by comparison of a two-dimensional digital subtracted angiography image with data on a three-dimensional image reconstructed from rotational angiography sequences, in which a field of distortions in the image is estimated, a conical projection matrix is estimated and an approximation is made of a rigid transformation in space equal to the difference between an initial registration based on the field of distortions and on the conical projection matrix and a perfect registration.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying scale invariant features in an image and a further method and apparatus for using such scale invariant features to locate an object in an image are disclosed. The method and apparatus for identifying scale invariant features may involve the use of a processor circuit for producing a plurality of component subregion descriptors for each subregion of a pixel region about pixel amplitude extrema in a plurality of difference images produced from the image. This may involve producing a plurality of difference images by blurring an initial image to produce a blurred image and by subtracting the blurred image from the initial image to produce the difference image. For each difference image, pixel amplitude extrema are located and a corresponding pixel region is defined about each pixel amplitude extremum. Each pixel region is divided into subregions and a plurality of component subregion descriptors are produced for each subregion.

Abstract: An automatic segmentation module with an open architecture that automatically generates a contour of a target bone based on a digital image. In one embodiment, the digital image can include an extremity, such as a hand with three digits and a calibration wedge. The automatic segmentation module receives the digital image as an input, and automatically segments the target bone by utilizing an object-oriented approach. This approach extracts intermediate target objects and uses these intermediate target objects to refine or limit the search space in order to extract the final target object.

Abstract: An apparatus for dark level integration comprises a programmable gain amplifier for amplifying signal levels from the pixel. A calibration signal generator for receiving a first calibration signal and a bad pixel signal to generation a second calibration signal, wherein the second calibration signal indicates the existence of the bad pixel. A dark current calibration integrator couples to the programmable gain amplifier and the calibration signal generator for receiving the amplified signal levels from the programmable gain amplifier and the second calibration signal to generate a control signal to the programmable gain amplifier.

Abstract: Apparatus for and method of fully automatic rapid scanning and digitizing of an entire microscope sample, or a substantially large portion of a microscope sample, using a linear array detector synchronized with a positioning stage that is part of a computer controlled microscope slide scanner. The invention provides a method for composing the image strips obtained from successive scans of the sample into a single contiguous digital image. The invention also provides a method for statically displaying sub-regions of this large digital image at different magnifications, together with a reduced magnification macro-image of the entire sample. The invention further provides a method for dynamically displaying, with or without operator interaction, portions of the contiguous digital image. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, all elements of the scanner are part of a single-enclosure that has a primary connection to the Internet or to a local intranet.

Abstract: An image collation apparatus has stored therein first image (registered fingerprint) beforehand. Regarding second image (fingerprint to be collated) that is input when collation is performed, the apparatus thereby determines the identicalness between this second image and the first image. At this time, the apparatus defines with respect to the first image a plurality of regions each having a predetermined positional relationship with respect thereto. The apparatus searches from the second image an image region having a maximum correlation with the image of each of the respective defined regions. The identicalness between the first image and the second image is determined according to the difference between the positional relationship of each of the respective image regions defined on the first image and the positional relationship of the maximum correlation region that comprises been searched out on the second image.

Abstract: Device design information (18) for a semiconductor device is used to generate theoretical probability of failure information (21), which represents the probability that a manufacturing defect will cause an electrical failure in an actual device fabricated according to the design information. An actual wafer (23), which contains a plurality of devices (22) manufactured according to the design information, is inspected for actual defects (25). The probability of failure information is then used to determine for each of several detected defects a corresponding probability value. Then, the individual probability values for the respective defects are combined in order to obtain a composite failure probability, which serves as a basis for evaluating the expected yield of operational devices from the particular wafer.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of decoding coded signals corresponding to successive segmented pictures, or partitions, divided into homogeneous regions to which specific labels are respectively associated. The partitions have been previously coded by means of a coding method comprising, for each partition to be coded, the steps of translating the picture of labels into a chain in which the elements are defined by means of their movements through successive basic cells, tracking inside each cell each contour from its initial point to its end by storing symbols corresponding both to the elements of said cell and to priorities between them, and repeating these two steps up to the end of each contour of the partition and coding the information corresponding to the chains of movements.

Abstract: A method and system utilizing both (x, y) coordinate (“spatial”) stroke data and associated pressure information for improved handwriting recognition. The method and system can also be applied to all types of handwriting-based data entry applications and also to user authentication. The digitizer pad used in the computer system gives both spatial information and associated pressure data when a stroke is being drawn thereon, e.g., by a stylus. Pressure information can be used to differentiate between different character sets, e.g., upper case and lower case characters for certain alphabetic characters. The spatial stroke data then identifies the particular character. The pressure information can also be used to adjust any display attribute, such as character font size, font selection, color, italic, bold, underline, shadow, language, etc. The associated pressure information can also be used for recognizing a signature. In this case, a user is allowed to sign a name on the digitizer pad.

Abstract: A method for identifying graphical objects in large engineering drawings, comprises the steps of inputting an original image into a computerized system for image processing; pruning the original image to provide a pruned image; inputting a template image; processing the template image to provide a processed template image; and computing matches between the pruned image and the processed template image.

Abstract: An image data selecting unit selects image data which stores image attribute information to be additionally registered, and image data to which new image attribute information is to be additionally registered, from those displayed by a search result display unit. An image attribute information additional registration unit additionally registers image attribute information selected by an image attribute information selecting unit to the image data which is selected by the image data selecting unit and to which the new image attribute information is to be additionally registered. By automatically assigning attribute information which is not assigned upon registration of image data, the load on the user upon registration is reduced.