Abstract: Methods and apparatus for use in reducing noise in one or more video frames. An expected value corresponding to each area (e.g., pixel) of a plurality of areas within the video frame is determined. A surprise value associated with each area is calculated based at least in part on the expected value and an actual value corresponding to the area. The surprise value represents a divergence of the actual value from the expected value. The response of one or more noise filters is attenuated with respect to a first area of the plurality of areas based on the surprise value associated with the first area.

Abstract: An information extraction method, an information extraction device, a program, a registration device, and a verification device that improve authentication accuracy simultaneously with reduction of the amount of information concerning an identification target are proposed. From a plurality of first images obtained from viewpoints in surroundings of a living body portion, common portions of silhouettes of the living body portion that is shown in the images are generated as a first stereoscopic image in a target space. From a plurality of second images obtained from the viewpoints in the surroundings of the living body portion, common portions of silhouettes of an inner surface image of the living body portion that is shown in the images are generated as a second stereoscopic image in the target space.

Abstract: An active learning system and method are disclosed for generating a visual representation of a set of unlabeled elements to be labeled according to class. The representation shows the unlabeled elements as data points in a space and each class as a class point in the space. The position of each of the data points in the space reflects the uncertainty of a model regarding the classification of the respective element. The color of each data point also reflects the uncertainty of the model regarding the classification of the element and may be a mixture of the colors used for the class points.

Abstract: The objective is to provide a finger shape estimating device that can estimate the image most similar to a finger image quickly and with high precision, and that can facilitate construction of a database.

Abstract: Processing and analyzing hyper-spectral image data and information via dynamic database updating. (a) processing/analyzing representations of objects within a sub set of the hyper spectral image data and information, using a first reference database of hyper spectral image data, information, and parameters, and, a second reference database of biological, chemical, or/and physical data, information, and parameters. Identifying objects of non-interest, and objects of potential interest, from the data/information sub-set. (b) processing/analyzing identified objects of potential interest, by further using first and second reference databases. Determining absence or presence of objects of interest, additional objects of non-interest, and non-classifiable objects of potential interest, from the data/information sub set. (c) updating first and second reference databases, using results of (a) and (b), for forming updated first and second reference databases.

Abstract: A biometric authentication system includes: an image acquisition unit for acquiring an image of a living body; a light source with a predetermined wavelength band; an authentication information storage unit for, if light is emitted by the light source, setting a predetermined distance for a first distance to a first image acquired by the image acquisition unit in a depth direction so that quality of the first image is improved, extracting a first feature to be used to perform biometric authentication from the first image whose quality has been improved, and storing authentication information regarding the first feature; a feature extraction unit for, if light is emitted by the light source when performing authentication, setting the predetermined distance for a second distance to a second image acquired by the image acquisition unit in the depth direction so that quality of the second image is improved, and extracting a second feature for biometric authentication from the second image whose quality has been i

Abstract: Minute surface unevenness formed on the surface of an object under inspection is detected, thereby improving the accuracy of an appearance inspection. A target surface in the sidewall region (21) of a tire (20) is illuminated by a red slit light from a first illuminating means (11) disposed in the direction of 45 degrees with respect to the normal line to the target surface. At the same time, the target surface is illuminated by a blue slit light from a second illuminating means (12) disposed in the direction of ?45 degrees with respect to the normal line. The illuminated surface is shot by a line camera (13) from the direction of the normal line. An R-component image and a B-component image are produced from the original image, and their respective luminance distribution waveforms are obtained. The surface unevenness formed on the target surface is detected on the basis of the luminance distribution waveforms.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an extraction unit that extracts a first image and a second image similar to the first image, in a first resolution; and a generation unit that generates an image in a second resolution based on the respective images extracted by the extraction unit and phases of the respective images calculated with precision higher than one pixel in the first resolution.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product for automatically identifying coordinates of facial features in digital images. The facial images are detected and pupil coordinates are calculated. First, face identification method is applied. Then, the centers of the pupils are identified. The image is rotated, scaled and the portion of the image is cut out so that the pupils are located on the horizontal line and are located at fixed coordinates. Subsequently an original image with facial features can be identified.

Abstract: A feature-based method and system for blur estimation in eye images. A blur estimation can be performed from eye/iris images in order to produce de-blurred images that are more useful for biometric identification. The eye/iris region, in particular the edge between the iris and pupil regions, can be utilized. The pattern of shutter motion or a characterization of the optical system can be utilized. By capturing a burst of images, or a video stream, one can use eye position in the images before and after a given capture to predict the motion of the eye within that capture. Because the before/after image frames need only contain the information necessary to locate the eye, and need not contain sufficient information to perform matching, the capture of these images can be accomplished with a wider range of settings.

Abstract: An automatic facial action coding system and method can include processing an image to identify a face in the image, to detect and align one or more facial features shown in the image, and to define one or more windows on the image. One or more distributions of pixels and color intensities can be quantified in each of the one or more windows to derive one or more two-dimensional intensity distributions of one or more colors within the window. The one or more two-dimensional intensity distributions can be processed to select image features appearing in the one or more windows and to classify one or more predefined facial actions on the face in the image. A facial action code score that includes a value indicating a relative amount of the predefined facial action occurring in the face in the image can be determined for the face in the image for each of the one or more predefined facial actions.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for ranking search results for queries. The method includes calculating a visual similarity score for one or more pairs of images in a plurality of images based on visual features of images in each of the one or more pairs; building a graph of images by linking each of one or more images in the plurality of images to one or more nearest neighbor images based on the visual similarity scores; associating a respective score with each of one or more images in the graph based on data indicative of user behavior relative to the image as a search result for a query; and determining a new score for each of one or more images in the graph based on the respective score of the image, and the respective scores of one or more nearest neighbors to the image.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing an aligned bank of images (e.g. for a panoramic display obtained by a scanning or moving camera) are disclosed that allow updating of the bank of images as new images are obtained; display of the original images stored in the bank as a mosaic according to any desired zoom; determination and display of the best mosaic view for a desired zoom; recall of the original images from the bank; and production of a mosaic that is free of accumulated stitching errors without imposing limitations on the way the camera scans. The methods and systems herein disclosed further have the ability to anchor the bank of images to the actual ground coordinates. The key to the method is inclusion of an iterative self-correcting procedure that reduces the accumulated errors as new images are added to the bank.

Abstract: A small object detection using meaningful features and generalized histograms includes providing at least one pixilated image. A region of interest is extracted from the pixilated image. A statistogram of the region of interest is generated. The statistogram is searched to determine at least one maximal meaningful interval of the region of interest. The maximal meaningful interval is output in a tangible medium.

Abstract: A medication order processing system (10) includes a plurality of nursing stations (12, 14, 16). Physician orders prescribing medications for patients are faxed from the nursing stations to a computer which is included in an interchange fax station (28) located at the pharmacy. The interchange fax station is operative to prioritize the orders and to present them to pharmacists working at pharmacist work stations (40, 42). Pharmacist work stations are enabled to review, electronically annotate, and input orders reviewed at the pharmacy work station into a pharmacy order system of the facility. Input to the pharmacy order system results in the medication being administered to the patient. Data related to each patient to which a medication order pertains is captured from screen outputs from the pharmacy order system. The captured data is analyzed to produce data that is stored in a database of the medication order system in correlated relation with image data corresponding to images of medication orders.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting an object are provided. The method calculates a feature value based on features extracted from an input image by using a classifier of an ith stage, compares the calculated feature value with a first threshold value of the ith stage, compares the feature value with a second threshold value of the ith stage according to a result of the comparison between the feature value and the first threshold value of the ith stage, and jumps to a classifier of an i+2th stage according to a result of the comparison between the feature value and the second threshold value of the ith stage. By doing so, the method can avoid repeated calculations and can rapidly detect the object in the input image.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a face detecting unit detecting a face region from an input image input to the imaging apparatus and a control unit calculating a distance to a subject on the basis of the face size detected by the face detection unit and displaying distance identification information indicating a distance corresponding to the calculated distance in a display unit.

Abstract: When image data are input from a memory card or the like, a printing apparatus detects face region captured in these image data. Where the size and position of a face region fall within permitted ranges therefor set in advance in a permitted range table derived via sense evaluation testing, the input image data is selected as a printing target candidate. If the face region size and position do not each fall within their permitted range, however, the image data is not selected as a printing target. As a result, image data suitable for printing can be efficiently selected as printing targets from image data that contain human faces.

Abstract: Systems and methods may automatically evaluate printed line weights in an image composition. An image composition may be received and the number of horizontal and vertical rows of pixels may be determined. The number of positive pixels in each of the horizontal and vertical rows may then be determined. An actual size of a pixel may be calculated. The actual size of a pixel may be multiplied by the number of positive pixels in each of the horizontal rows and each of the vertical rows to determine a positive line weight of each of the horizontal rows and each of the vertical rows. A predetermined minimum permissible positive line weight for the image composition may be identified and compared to the positive line weight of each of the horizontal rows and each of the vertical rows.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of tracking the movement of an eyeball in eyeball tumor treatment. The method includes a calibration step of storing an actual length for each pixel of an image in a storage unit, a template image generation step of storing a patient's eyeball image as a template image of the patient's eyeball in the storage unit, an eyeball location tracking step of, during the treatment of the patient's eyeball, determining whether movement of the treatment image has occurred by comparing treatment images of the patient's eyeball in real time with the template image, and a control step of stopping the operation of the proton beam output device if the movement of the treatment image deviates from a preset tolerance range, and keeping operation of the proton beam output device normal if the movement of the treatment image is within the tolerance range.