Patents Examined by Nam D Pham
  • Patent number: 11616981
    Abstract: A system, method, and/or instrumentality may be provided for coding a 360-degree video. A picture of the 360-degree video may be received. The picture may include one or more faces associated with one or more projection formats. A first projection format indication may be received that indicates a first projection format may be associated with a first face. A second projection format indication may be received that indicates a second projection format may be associated with a second face. Based on the first projection format, a first transform function associated with the first face may be determined. Based on the second projection format, a second transform function associated with the second face may be determined. At least one decoding process may be performed on the first face using the first transform function and/or at least one decoding process may be performed on the second face using the second transform function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: VID Scale, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaoyu Xiu, Yuwen He, Yan Ye
  • Patent number: 11606517
    Abstract: Example embodiments relate to enhanced depth of focus cameras using variable apertures and pixel binning. An example embodiment includes a device. The device includes an image sensor. The image sensor includes an array of light-sensitive pixels and a readout circuit. The device also includes a variable aperture. Additionally, the device includes a controller that is configured to cause: the variable aperture to adjust to a first aperture size when a high-light condition is present, the variable aperture to adjust to a second aperture size when a low-light condition is present, the readout circuit to perform a first level of pixel binning when the high-light condition is present, and the readout circuit to perform a second level of pixel binning when the low-light condition is present. The second aperture size is larger than the first aperture size. The second level of pixel binning is greater than the first level of pixel binning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Shashank Sharma, Ralph H. Shepard
  • Patent number: 11604265
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an imaging device includes a light-emitting device, a driving circuit, a return single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array and readout circuitry. The driving circuit generates a driving signal, and the light-emitting device generates an optical pulse based on the driving signal. The return SPAD array is configured to receive a first portion of the optical pulse that is reflected by an object in an image scene. The readout circuitry receives a signal indicative of the received first portion of the optical pulse, and a signal indicative of the driving signal, and determines a distance between the imaging device and the object based on a difference between a time of receiving the signal indicative of the received first portion of the optical pulse and a time of receiving the signal indicative of the driving signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Research & Development) Limited
    Inventors: Caixin Zhuang, John Kevin Moore
  • Patent number: 11606565
    Abstract: A method of video processing is described. The method includes determining, for a conversion between a current video block of a video and a coded representation of the video, whether a certain partitioning scheme is allowed for the current video block according to a rule that depends on a coding mode type used for representing the current video block in the coded representation and a dimension of the current video block; and performing the conversion based on the determining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignees: BEIJING BYTEDANCE NETWORK TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., BYTEDANCE INC.
    Inventors: Jizheng Xu, Zhipin Deng, Li Zhang, Hongbin Liu, Kai Zhang
  • Patent number: 11589014
    Abstract: A remotely flyable mineral detection assembly for aerial detection of mineral deposits includes a drone, which comprises a first transceiver and can be remotely controlled and flown above a search area. A sensing module and a camera, which are engaged to an underside of a central hub of the drone, detect electromagnetic radiation emanating from and capture an image of, respectively, a subarea within the target area. A microprocessor and a second transceiver are engaged to and are positioned in the central hub. The second transceiver is global positioning system enabled. The microprocessor is operationally engaged to a battery of the drone, the second transceiver, the first transceiver, the sensing module, and the camera. The microprocessor selectively motivates the first transceiver to communicate an electromagnetic sensing output, coordinates, and an image corresponding to the subarea, to an electronic device of a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Inventor: Duke Alloh
  • Patent number: 11580648
    Abstract: A visual tracking system for tracking and identifying persons within a monitored location, comprising a plurality of cameras and a visual processing unit, each camera produces a sequence of video frames depicting one or more of the persons, the visual processing unit is adapted to maintain a coherent track identity for each person across the plurality of cameras using a combination of motion data and visual featurization data, and further determine demographic data and sentiment data using the visual featurization data, the visual tracking system further having a recommendation module adapted to identify a customer need for each person using the sentiment data of the person in addition to context data, and generate an action recommendation for addressing the customer need, the visual tracking system is operably connected to a customer-oriented device configured to perform a customer-oriented action in accordance with the action recommendation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Inventors: Abraham Othman, Enis Aykut Dengi, Ishan Agrawal, Jeff Kershner, Peter Martinez, Paul Mills, Abhinav Yarlagadda
  • Patent number: 11575926
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for processing video content. The method can include: generating, for a coding block, a motion vector (MV) in a first coding mode; and updating the MV by performing a decoder side motion vector refinement (DMVR) process on the coding block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Limited
    Inventors: Zhao Wang, Jiancong Luo, Yan Ye
  • Patent number: 11567308
    Abstract: A system for acquiring microscopic plenoptic images with attenuation of turbulence by a microscope includes, in combination: a sample, the image of which should be obtained, which is able to be treated as a source of chaotic light, whose emission has an intensity profile F(?s), with ?s planar coordinate on the sample plane; a beam separator; two sensors or detectors, configured to perform the spatial/directional and directional/spatial detection, respectively, in which the planar coordinate on the detector planes is respectively indicated with ?a and ?b; an objective lens, having focal length fO and pupil function PO(?O), with ?O planar coordinate on the plane of the lens; a second lens, having focal length fT and pupil function PT(?T), with ?T planar coordinate on the plane of the lens; wherein the second lens is arranged in the optical path (a/b) of the beam transmitted/reflected by the beam separator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI FISICA NUCLEARE
    Inventors: Milena D'Angelo, Francesco Vincenzo Pepe, Alessio Scagliola, Francesco Maria Di Lena, Augusto Garuccio
  • Patent number: 11563987
    Abstract: Prior to receiving a request from a client device for information from a content distribution network (CDN), a Reductive Edging device predictively requests the information from the CDN based on prior user activity and stores it in memory. The Reductive Edging device is thus configured to respond to the request from the client device for information from the CDN with the information stored in the memory prior to receiving the request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC
    Inventors: Bhumik Sanghavi, Joel Freeman, Alex Hwang, Sri Sreedharan
  • Patent number: 11558566
    Abstract: One example system comprises a LIDAR sensor that rotates about an axis to scan an environment of the LIDAR sensor. The system also comprises one or more cameras that detect external light originating from one or more external light sources. The one or more cameras together provide a plurality of rows of sensing elements. The rows of sensing elements are aligned with the axis of rotation of the LIDAR sensor. The system also comprises a controller that operates the one or more cameras to obtain a sequence of image pixel rows. A first image pixel row in the sequence is indicative of external light detected by a first row of sensing elements during a first exposure time period. A second image pixel row in the sequence is indicative of external light detected by a second row of sensing elements during a second exposure time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Blaise Gassend, Benjamin Ingram, Andreas Wendel, Mark Alexander Shand
  • Patent number: 11558608
    Abstract: A method implemented by a coding apparatus. The method includes obtaining probabilities of split types being implemented when partitioning a picture, and skipping one or more of the split types based on the probabilities obtained when a coding block is partitioned during a conversion between a video media file and a bitstream. A corresponding apparatus and non-transitory computer readable medium are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: LEMON INC.
    Inventors: Yue Li, Li Zhang, Jizheng Xu
  • Patent number: 11558628
    Abstract: An apparatus includes circuitry configured to: partition an input tensor into one or more block tensors; partition at least one of the block tensors into one or more continuation bands, the one or more continuation bands being associated with a caching counter having a value; store the one or more continuation bands in a cache managed using a cache manager; retrieve, prior to a convolution or pooling operation on a current block tensor, the one or more continuation bands of a previous block tensor from the cache that are adjacent to a current block tensor; concatenate the retrieved continuation bands with the current block tensor; apply the convolution or pooling operation on the current block tensor after the concatenation; decrease the respective caching counter value of the retrieved continuation bands; and clear the continuation bands from the cache when its respective caching counter reaches a value of zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Honglei Zhang, Francesco Cricri, Hamed Rezazadegan Tavakoli, Jani Lainema, Emre Aksu, Nannan Zou
  • Patent number: 11543527
    Abstract: Provided is a beam scanning apparatus including a plurality of antenna resonators disposed two-dimensionally in a row direction and a column direction, a plurality of row voltage lines that are configured to provide a plurality of driving voltages in a row direction, respectively, a plurality of column voltage lines that are configured to provide a plurality of driving voltages in a column direction, respectively, and a driving voltage conversion circuit configured to control a driving voltage applied to each of the plurality of antenna resonators based on a driving voltage in the row direction that is provided from each of the plurality of row voltage lines and a driving voltage in the column direction that is provided from each of the plurality of column voltage lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junghyun Park, Tatsuhiro Otsuka, Duhyun Lee
  • Patent number: 11543493
    Abstract: A distance measuring unit for measurement, based on signal time of flight, of a distance to an object, includes: an emitter configured for the emission of electromagnetic pulses, and sequentially into different emitter solid angle segments of the detection field, a receiver having a first face for detecting electromagnetic radiation, and imaging optics which image the detection field onto the first sensor face, and specifically each of the emitter solid angle segments onto a respective region of the first sensor face. The emitter solid angle segments follow one another along a scan axis, and correspondingly the regions of the first sensor face also follow one another along a first scan line. The first sensor face is subdivided into at least two pixels which adjoin one another on a first separating line. The first separating line extends at least in sections obliquely with respect to the first scan line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: OSRAM BETEILIGUNGSVERWALTUNG GMBH
    Inventor: Andre Nauen
  • Patent number: 11536839
    Abstract: Devices, methods, and computer program products for measuring the speed of an object. A speed measuring device includes a rangefinder module configured to measure distances from the device to a target object. Activating the device causes the device to measure a first distance from the device to the object along a first line-of-sight, and a second distance from the device to the object along a second line-of-sight. The device determines an angular displacement between the first line-of-sight and the second line-of-sight, and one or more of an elapsed time between measuring the first distance and measuring the second distance and a radial velocity of the object. The device then determines the absolute speed of the object based on the first distance, the second distance, the angular displacement, and one or more of the elapsed time and radial velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Sports Sensors, Inc.
    Inventor: Albert E. Dilz, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11536568
    Abstract: A surveying system comprises a laser scanner for scanning a distance measuring light and for acquiring point cloud data and a target instrument having a target for reflecting the distance measuring light, wherein the target is a sphere having a known diameter, the laser scanner comprises a distance measuring module for projecting the distance measuring light, for receiving a reflected distance measuring light and for performing a distance measurement, an optical axis deflector which enables to two-dimensionally deflect the distance measuring light, and an arithmetic control module for controlling the optical axis deflector, and wherein the arithmetic control module is configured to perform a circular scan on a surface of the target by the optical axis deflector, to obtain a center of the target based on the point cloud data acquired by the circular scan and the diameter, and to measure a distance of the center of the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: TOPCON Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuyuki Nishita
  • Patent number: 11539982
    Abstract: A video encoder may encode a picture of video data using merge estimation regions (MERs). The video encoder may determine merge candidate lists in parallel for coding units within a MER. The video encoder may also partition the picture of video data into coding units according to a constraint, wherein the constraint specifies that the partitioning is constrained such that, for each MER containing one or more coding units, the one or more coding units are completely in the MER, and for each coding unit containing one or more MERs, the MERs are completely in the coding unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Han Huang, Wei-Jung Chien, Marta Karczewicz
  • Patent number: 11539951
    Abstract: A decoding method is presented. a type of split of a block into transform units is first decoded. A transform is then determined for each transform unit of said block responsive to said type of split. Finally, decoded transform coefficients of said transform units are inverse transformed using the determined transforms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: InterDigital VC Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Karam Naser, Fabrice Leleannec, Tangi Poirier
  • Patent number: 11533502
    Abstract: A block of video data is split and coded using existing transform sizes through one of several embodiments. In one embodiment, the block is split in alternate dimensions, depending on the block size. In another embodiment, the video block can be coded after splitting the block into at least two rectangular sub-blocks using horizontal or vertical divisions. Successive divisions using asymmetric splitting are forbidden if an equivalent split can be attained using only symmetrical splitting, and only one succession of divisions is permitted when there are other successions of asymmetric splitting that result in the identical sub-blocks. In another embodiment, a video block is split using successive splits, but the second type of split is dependent on the first type of split. Methods, apparatus, and signal embodiments are provided for encoding and decoding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: INTERDIGITAL MADISON PATENT HOLDINGS, SAS
    Inventors: Tangi Poirier, Franck Galpin, Fabrice Leleannec
  • Patent number: 11528480
    Abstract: An image encoding/decoding method and apparatus are provided. An image decoding method performed by an image decoding apparatus includes determining a splitting structure of a current block composed of chroma components, determining a splitting type of the current block based on the splitting structure, obtaining a plurality of lower-layer blocks by splitting the current block based on the splitting type, and decoding the lower-layer blocks based on a prediction mode of the lower-layer blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jangwon Choi, Jin Heo, Sunmi Yoo, Jungah Choi, Seung Hwan Kim