Abstract: An integrated auto-level and electronic rod reader is disclosed. In one embodiment, the integrated auto-level and electronic rod reader comprises a telescope and an image delivery device integrated with the auto-level which is configured for capturing an image of a standard grade rod visible through the telescope and a crosshair. Logic implemented by a processor automatically recognizes the crosshair, automatically compares the crosshair against a scale of the standard grade rod, and automatically determines an elevation of the standard grade rod based upon the comparing.

Abstract: A method for parallel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reconstruction of digital images includes providing a set of acquired k-space MR image data v, a redundant Haar wavelet matrix W satisfying WTW=I, wherein I is an identity matrix, a regularization parameter ??0, and a counter limit k, initializing a variable z0=Wv, and intermediate quantities p0=q0=0, calculating yi=arg minz½?z?(pi+zi)?22+??z?1 for 0?i?k, wherein z denotes values of an MR image sought to be reconstructed, updating pi+1=(pi+zi)?yi, updating zi+1=arg minz½?z?(qi+zi)?22+g(z), wherein g ? ( z ) = { 0 , z = WW T ? z , + ? , otherwise ; and updating qi+1=(qi+yi)?zi?l, wherein x=WTz is a solution of min x ? 1 2 ? ? Wx - Wv ? 2 2 + ? ? ? Wx ? 1 that specifies a reconstruction of the MR image.

Abstract: A method of tomographic imaging the real part of the refractive index of the internal structure of an image volume and a corresponding apparatus for performing the method. The method includes a two-step process of first retrieving phase projections of an image volume from projective intensity measurements through the image volume. The second step of the method includes iterative image reconstruction of an image of the image volume using phase projections taken at multiple projection angles. The first step of intensity measurements and subsequent phase retrieval can use one of many possible phase retrieval methods including the Bronnikov phase retrieval method. The second step of iterative image reconstruction can be performed using the total variation minimization method, the algebraic reconstruction technique method, or any other iterative image reconstruction method.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method for detecting, recognizing, and positioning a zonal underground target in a mountain land environment by detecting a ridge position in the mountain land environment and carrying out energy correction. The method belongs to the interdisciplinary field of pattern recognition, remote sensing technology and terrain analysis. The zonal underground target can cause energy abnormity when the heat field thereof is different from that of a mountain mass, and the heat island effect of the ridge can also cause the energy of the mountain mass to be abnormal. However, the energy abnormity caused by the heat island effect is essentially different from the energy abnormity caused by the zonal underground target in the aspect of mode.

Abstract: An apparatus and method provide logic for processing information. In one implementation, an apparatus may include a receiving unit configured to receive information associated with a first imaging region and information associated with a second imaging region. The apparatus may also include a determination unit configured to determine, based on at least the first and second imaging region information, whether a portion of the first imaging region is coincident within at least a portion of the second imaging region. A classification unit configured may assign a classification to at least one of the first or second imaging regions, based on the determination.

Abstract: Systems and methods use an origin pattern to verify the authenticity of a host object. The origin pattern includes a text-based serial number and a computer-graphics based surface-texture component. The serial number includes a public manufacturer identifier and an object identifier sequence that is based on a hash of a private manufacturer identifier and a private object identifier. The surface-texture component includes a two dimensional texture mapped onto a three dimensional surface, the generation of the surface being based on the hash. In response to an authentication request for an origin pair, the system may verify the serial number component exists in a data store and generate a challenge surface-texture component based on data in the data store. If the challenge surface-texture component matches, the system may use a time-location stamp to determine an authenticity probability and provide an indication of authenticity in response to the verification request.

Abstract: An image reading out apparatus reads out a partial image in a frame of an image within an image sensing unit, and outputs image data corresponding to the frame of the image and the partial image to an image development processing unit. A detection unit detects an object in a frame of a first image read out from the image sensing unit, and detects a moving speed of the object. A control unit (i) determines an area corresponding to the object, and (ii) controls, in accordance with the moving speed of the object detected by the detection unit, an interval of time to read out the partial image in the area in a frame of a second image within the image sensing unit. A reading unit reads out the frame of the first image and the partial image within the image sensing unit.

Abstract: A complex background-oriented optical character recognition method and device are provided. The method of the present invention includes: collecting image information to obtain a collected image; according to character characteristics, acquiring a target character region from the collected image, and taking same as a target object; extracting character edge information in the target object using a differential method to obtain an extracted image; superposing the target object and the extracted image to obtain a recovery image; conducting inversion and Gaussian filtration processing on the recovery image to obtain a processed image; searching for a target character location in the processed image; and recognizing the target character location. On this basis, accurate and quick locating and recognition of characters can be realized on the basis of effectively suppressing background noise and highlighting character information.

Abstract: Imaging devices and processing techniques based on imaging information along the depth direction in an optical coherent tomography (OCT) image are disclosed to enhance observed morphological features. The methods and systems obtain different OCT images of the target object under different reference path lengths, process the different OCT images to obtain a derivative with respect to the signal path length of image information of the different images, and processing the derivative to extract improved image information of the target object. The derivatives may be in a form related to a gradient value of the normalized OCT image intensity, or an attenuation coefficient.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for controlling a display in order to secure an appropriate viewing distance between a digital device and a user who is viewing the digital device is provided. Accordingly, the method determines whether an object exists within a hazardous viewing distance using a 3D camera function provided in the digital device. If it is determined that an object exists within the hazardous viewing distance, the digital device detects a face or eyes from 2D images photographed by the camera. Next, the direction of the face is determined on the basis of the detected results, and it is determined whether a user is viewing a display screen of the digital device based on the determination. If it is determined that a user is viewing a display screen of a digital device, the digital device generates a warning that the user is positioned within a hazardous viewing distance.

Abstract: A distance measurement apparatus which outputs a plurality of spot beams in a grid-like pattern from a laser device to a target object and measures a distance to the target object based on image data of the plurality of spot beams, the apparatus includes a distance measurement unit configured to obtain the distance to the target object based on positions of the plurality of spot beams in the image data; and a control unit configured to perform, based on the image data, when a size of each of the spot beams is larger than a reference size, either one or both of a first control operation of reducing a diameter of laser light output from the laser device and a second control operation of increasing a shutter speed of an image sensing device which generates the image data.

Abstract: An arithmetic encoder is provided for converting an event sequence comprised of a plurality of events to an information sequence comprised of at least one information piece, and includes a core engine for receiving an event of the event sequence, and a probability estimate from a probability estimator, and generating zero or more pieces of the information sequence responsive to the received event and the probability estimate by bounding the ratio of events to information pieces. An arithmetic encoder is provided that is capable of constraining a number of events in at least one event sequence as a function of the number of generated information pieces in at least one information sequence.

Abstract: Image-processing apparatus and methods to adaptively control a size and/or location of a visual search window used for feature matching in a machine-vision system are described. A search window controller may receive motion vector data and image recognition rate data, and compute a search window size and/or search window location based on the received data. The computed search window size may be a portion of an image frame. The motion vector data and image recognition rate data may be computed from one or more images in a video image sequence. By adaptively controlling search window size and location, an appreciable reduction in data processing burden for feature matching may be achieved.

Abstract: A method for generating a projection image from tomographic images first captures (S101) a number of stacked two-dimensional tomographic images representing a tomographic volume. The pixels of the stacked two-dimensional tomographic images are weighted (S102) along a number of projection beams through the tomographic volume with weighting factors that are chosen under the constraint that the sum of all squared weighting factors for each individual projection beam is between a given lower limit and a given upper limit. Then the weighted pixels are summed up (S103) along the number of projection beams for generating the two-dimensional projection image.

Abstract: A character recognition method for recognizing a character of a medium is provided. A character image of an individual character from a medium is acquired and the character image is read out step by step to determine the character according to a hierarchical structure in which a set of predetermined characters are hierarchically classified into a plurality of groups configured of main groups and sub groups.

Abstract: In an exemplary embodiment, image content is rendered to include a digital watermark pattern at an essentially fixed scale, regardless of the size of screen on which the content is displayed. In one particular embodiment, CSS and JavaScript are responsive to the rendering context (which can include screen size, and/or viewer position) to define the geometry of a watermarked texture block, which is tiled to serve as a background of an HTML-defined page. A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

Abstract: A method of extracting and then reusing/remodeling chemical data from a hand written or digital input image without manual inputs using Chemical Structure Recognition Tool (CSRT) is disclosed herein. It comprises loading said input image, converting said input image into a grayscale image i.e. stretching of loaded input image, converting said grayscale image into a binary image i.e. binarization, smoothing to reduce noise within said binary image, recognizing circle bond to identify presence of a circle inside a ring, predicting OCR region to find zones containing text, image thinning to identify specific shapes within said binary image, edge detection to detect image contrast, detecting double and triple bond, and obtaining output files.

Abstract: A system and method for detecting a seat belt violation in a vehicle. The method may include receiving an image including a region of interest where a seat belt is visible if the seat belt is buckled. One or more first features may be extracted from the image. The one or more first features may be compared to one or more second features extracted from a plurality of sample images. It may be determined whether the seat belt is buckled in the image based upon the comparison.

Abstract: A medical image data processing apparatus comprises a registration unit configured to perform a non-rigid registration of a first set of medical image data and a second set of medical image data, wherein the registration unit is further configured to determine, for at least one region, a rigid or affine registration that is an approximation of the non-rigid registration.

Abstract: A depth construction module is described that receives depth images provided by two or more depth capture units. Each depth capture unit generates its depth image using a structured light technique, that is, by projecting a pattern onto an object and receiving a captured image in response thereto. The depth construction module then identifies at least one deficient portion in at least one depth image that has been received, which may be attributed to overlapping projected patterns that impinge the object. The depth construction module then uses a multi-view reconstruction technique, such as a plane sweeping technique, to supply depth information for the deficient portion. In another mode, a multi-view reconstruction technique can be used to produce an entire depth scene based on captured images received from the depth capture units, that is, without first identifying deficient portions in the depth images.