Patents Examined by Randolph Chu
  • Patent number: 7769247
    Abstract: A method and method and apparatus for data re-arrangement includes the steps of receiving output pixel coordinates (X, Y) and obtaining an input pixel offset value (?S, ?T), wherein the output pixel coordinate represents a location for a two dimensional matrix. The input pixel offset value is obtained in reference to initial input pixel coordinates (S, T) which may be received with the output pixel coordinates or calculated based on the input and/or output pixel coordinates. The input pixel offset value may be any type of representation that provides for a delta value, for example, (?S, ?T) may represent a shift representation for the offset within a matrix array. The method and apparatus for data re-arrangement further includes retrieving an input pixel based on the initial input pixel coordinates and the offset value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Daniel Wong, Henry Law
  • Patent number: 7756330
    Abstract: A method of producing a digital image with extended dynamic range, includes capturing at least a first full resolution digital image of a scene; combining pixels of a first full resolution digital image to produce a lower resolution digital image identifying dark regions in a first full resolution digital image and replacing the dark regions in the full resolution image with corresponding regions from the brighter, lower resolution image to thereby provide a digital image with extended dynamic range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: John N. Border, Efrain O. Morales
  • Patent number: 7742624
    Abstract: A system and method for reducing distance-based distortion in a camera image of an object, where the distanced-based distortion is due to differences in distance from the camera to different parts of the object. In one approach, the distortion is reduced by estimating distances to different parts of the object and then generating a reprojected image of the object dependent upon the estimated distances and upon a virtual viewpoint that is more distant than the camera from the object. In a further approach, the image is warped such that points in the image match corresponding points in one or more stored templates. In a still further approach, if excessive distortion is present in the image, the camera zoom is increased and a magnified image is displayed, prompting a person to move farther from the camera thereby reducing the distortion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Boaz J. Super, Bruce A. Augustine, James E. Crenshaw, Evan A. Groat, Michael S. Thiems
  • Patent number: 7734116
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for collecting data and generating synthesized data from the collected data. In one example, the data may include data at a specific time or over a period of time such that a requestor may request data obtained or captured by data capture devices at the specified time or during the period of time. Multiple images may also be received from the data capture devices and may further be connected or stitched together to provide a panoramic, 3-dimensional image of requested subject matter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Ruston John David Panabaker, Eric Horvitz, Johannes Klein, Gregory Baribault, Feng Zhao
  • Patent number: 7734102
    Abstract: A system for screening cargo containers is provided including an image generation device, an apparatus for screening cargo containers and an output module. The image generation device generates an image signal conveying information related to the contents of the cargo container. The apparatus receives the image signal and a list of objects conveying objects expected to be present in the cargo container. A processing unit processes the image signal in combination with the list of objects and a group of target images associated with objects to derive mismatch information data. The mismatch information data conveys at least one distinction between the list of objects and the information related to the contents of the cargo container conveyed by the image signal. Information conveying the mismatch information data is released and conveyed to a user of the system by an output module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Optosecurity Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Bergeron, Luc Perron, Alain Bergeron
  • Patent number: 7734067
    Abstract: In realizing a user recognition system and a method thereof, a user feature vector is extracted from an input facial image, and at least one cluster is generated and a user feature template is enrolled. The cluster includes the feature vector as a member of it. When a user facial image is inputted, a user feature vector is extracted from the image, and a similarity between the feature vector and the user feature template is calculated. When the similarity is greater than a predetermined threshold value, a user of the user feature template is recognized as the user of the input image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Do-Hyung Kim, Jae-Yeon Lee, Ho-Sub Yoon, Young-Jo Cho
  • Patent number: 7729507
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention include a system for stabilizing a rear view image. The system comprises a camera for capturing a rear view image, wherein the rear view image comprises elements located outside of a passenger vehicle and located behind the passenger vehicle. The system further comprises a motion detector for determining a relative movement between two or more objects e.g., the driver's head and an object within the vehicle. The system further includes an electronic image stabilizer for adjusting the rear view image according to the relative movement and a display device for displaying a stabilized rear view image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventor: Chris Alan Malachowsky
  • Patent number: 7711186
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for correcting an image captured by a digital image capturing device. The method includes calculating a log of a desired correction value based on sample point and a target value for that point and calculating an approximation to the log of illumination based on an input pixel intensity. The method additionally includes calculating any target pixel intensity value based on the log of the correction value and the approximation to the log of illumination. Image correction tools correct the image to correspond to the target pixel intensity value. The technique may be used to correct the gain of any image and for example, may correct exposure or color balance deficiencies. The technique provides excellent results regardless of the image capturing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Steve J. White
  • Patent number: 7702134
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying 3-D coordinates of a target region on a tire includes: taking a digital image of a tire; finding an edge of a tire bead using pixel brightness values from the tire image; calculating tire bead circle center and radius using a plurality of image pixels on the tire bead edge; and performing a pixel brightness search around the bead circumference using the bead circle's center and radius to identify the target area X, Y coordinates. The Z-coordinate and slope of the target area are determined from multiple point distance calculations across the region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: Daniel McAllister, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7693334
    Abstract: A pathological diagnosis support device, a pathological diagnosis support program, a pathological diagnosis support method, and a pathological diagnosis support system extract a pathological tissue for diagnosis from a pathological image and diagnose the pathological tissue. A tissue collected in a pathological inspection is stained using, for example, hematoxylin and eosin. In consideration of the state of the tissue in which a cell nucleus and its peripheral constituent items are stained in respective colors unique thereto, subimages such as a cell nucleus, a pore, cytoplasm, interstitium are extracted from the pathological image, and color information of the cell nucleus is also extracted. The subimages and the color information are stored as feature candidates so that presence or absence of a tumor and benignity or malignity of the tumor are determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Maki Ogura, Akira Saitou, Kenichi Kamijo, Kenji Okajima, Tomoharu Kiyuna
  • Patent number: 7672474
    Abstract: A digital watermark embedding apparatus of the present invention includes: a block dividing unit for dividing an input image into plural pixel blocks; a digital watermark information spreading unit for obtaining an embedding series having a length corresponding to a number of divided pixel blocks; a block-by-block embedding unit for selecting at least a frequency from predetermined plural frequencies according to a term value of the embedding series corresponding to a position of a pixel block in the image, amplifying amplitude of a waveform pattern corresponding to the selected frequency with an embedding strength value, and superimposing the waveform pattern in which the amplitude is amplified on the pixel block; and an image outputting unit for outputting an image on which a corresponding waveform pattern is superimposed on each pixel block by the block-by-block embedding unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
    Inventors: Takao Nakamura, Atushi Katayama, Masashi Yamamuro
  • Patent number: 7664316
    Abstract: The data interpolation section 6 includes: a direction data calculation section 61 for calculating a plurality of direction data, each of the plurality of direction date indicating a directional amount along a plurality of directions including at least one of an upper right direction and a lower right direction within the vicinity of a target pixel; a direction detection section 62 for detecting at least one direction of the edge within the vicinity of the target pixel by using the plurality of direction data calculated by the direction data calculation section 61; a direction color signal calculation section 63 for calculating at least one color signal corresponding to the at least one direction detected by the direction detection section 62; and a target pixel color signal calculation section 64 for calculating a color signal for the target pixel by using the at least one color signal calculated by the direction color signal calculating section 63.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsushi Aoki
  • Patent number: 7664341
    Abstract: An index layout measurement method and apparatus measures a relative layout relationship between a first index or index group which exists in a given first region in a physical space and a second index or index group which exists in a second region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Rika Takemoto, Shinji Uchiyama
  • Patent number: 7646892
    Abstract: An image inspecting apparatus invention includes an original image storing memory 21 for storing an image data output from an image sensor 11, a filtering processing section 22 for obtaining a shading component-removed data in which the shading component is removed from the output image data, a preliminary processing memory 23 for storing the shading component-removed data, a block dividing/adding section 24 for dividing the shading component-removed data into blocks with a size of n×m and adding the shading component-removed data within the divided blocks to obtain a block divided/added data, a secondary processing memory 25 for storing the block divided/added data, a statistics processing section 26 for calculating an average value, a maximum value and a minimum value for the block divided/added data, a quality determining section 27 for determining a quality with the calculated average value, maximum value and minimum value and a determination result storing memory 28 for storing information for the block
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tetsuya Satou, Toshimasa Kuchii
  • Patent number: 7643691
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus holds a compressed image without being subjected to edging, or holds an edged image of the image after the image is subjected to edging, depending on predetermined conditions. The image processing apparatus creates an image on the basis of an edged image created from the compressed image held by a holding unit or on the basis of the held edged image held by the holding unit. Therefore, an optimal performance suitable for the capability of the image processing apparatus is realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yukimasa Sato
  • Patent number: 7639878
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a novel, scene adaptive, robust shadow detection method has been disclosed. An adaptive division image analysis compares one or more images containing objects and shadows to a reference image that is void of the objects and shadows. Ratios are calculated comparing the frame with shadows and/or objects to the reference frame. Shadows are identified by identifying pixels that fall within a certain range of these ratios. In another embodiment, projection histograms are used to identify the penumbra region of shadows in the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Mohamed M. Ibrahim, Anupama Rajagopal
  • Patent number: 7634153
    Abstract: This invention provides an image processing apparatus which can effectively remove conspicuous noise contained in image data, while suppressing deterioration of image information. Image data containing noise is input from an input terminal (100). Based on the output condition upon outputting image data after noise is removed, a parameter determination module (103) determines predetermined parameters used in a noise removal process. An example of the output condition is information associated with a resolution upon outputting image data. An individual noise removal module (104) removes noise contained in the image data using the parameters, and image data after the noise has been removed is output from an output terminal (105).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobutaka Miyake, Minoru Kusakabe
  • Patent number: 7634113
    Abstract: A user recognizing system and method is provided. According to the user recognizing system and method, user ID and predetermined user feature information are stored, first and second user feature information are extracted from the user image data transmitted from the image input unit, and first and second probabilities that the extracted first and second user feature information determine the predetermined user are respectively generated based on the information stored at the user information database, the first user feature information being absolutely unique biometric information and the second user feature information being unique semibiometric information under a predetermined condition, and ID of the input image is finally determined by combining the first probability and the second probability. According to the user recognizing system and method, a user identity can be authenticated even when the user freely moves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Do-Hyung Kim, Jae-Yeon Lee, Su-Young Chi, Ho-Sub Yoon, Kye-Kyung Kim, Soo-Hyun Cho, Hye-Jin Kim, Young-Jo Cho
  • Patent number: 7623722
    Abstract: A method for selectively optimizing a plurality of image characteristics for captured images, that includes modifying two or more one-dimensional image characteristic controls using a single loop position controller having one-dimensional control. The single loop position controller traverses useful ranges of each of the two or more one-dimensional image characteristic controls. Additionally, a user cycles through several combinations of the two or more one-dimensional image characteristic controls within a video loop; and has a means of selecting a desired image rendered according to the two or more one-dimensional image characteristic controls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Wayne E. Prentice, Steven M. Bryant, Jorge L. Rivera
  • Patent number: 7620254
    Abstract: Method for motion-vector-aided interpolation of a pixel of an intermediate image lying between two input images includes a first pixel being selected from a first field and a second pixel being selected from a second field using a first motion vector, and a third pixel being selected from the first field and a fourth pixel being selected from the second field using a second motion vector. Next, an interval specified by video information values of the first pixel and the second pixel or an interval specified by video information values of the third pixel and the fourth pixel is determined and the video information values are mixed such that the video information value of the pixel to be interpolated lies within this interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Trident Microsystems (Far East) Ltd.
    Inventors: Marko Hahn, Guenter Scheffler, Peter Rieder, Christian Tuschen, Markus Schu