Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for determining a color value of an article of fabric. Determining a color value of an article of fabric includes obtaining, from a mobile device, a digital image of an article of fabric with a calibration card, calculating a fabric luminosity value for the article of fabric from the digital image, comparing the fabric luminosity value with calibration luminosity values to create a comparison, and determining, based on the comparison, a color value of the article of fabric.

Abstract: Cropping boundary simplicity techniques are described. In one or more implementations, multiple candidate cropping s of a scene are generated. For each of the candidate croppings, a score is calculated that is indicative of a boundary simplicity for the candidate cropping. To calculate the boundary simplicity, complexity of the scene along a boundary of a respective candidate cropping is measured. The complexity is measured, for instance, using an average gradient, an image edge map, or entropy along the boundary. Values indicative of the complexity may be derived from the measuring. The candidate croppings may then be ranked according to those values. Based on the scores calculated to indicate the boundary simplicity, one or more of the candidate croppings may be chosen e.g., to present the chosen croppings to a user for selection.

Abstract: An image encoding method for an encoding system includes receiving a first image captured by a main camera and a second image captured by a sub camera provided in the same plane; comparing pixel values of pixels at first coordinates of each of the first and second images to obtain a first difference value; determining the first coordinates are in surface or back region in case of the first difference value is not more than or more than a first threshold value; pixel-shifting the second image by a first shift amount; and comparing the pixel value at the first coordinates of the first image with that of the second image after the pixel shift to obtain a second difference value, determining whether the first coordinates are in the surface or back region based on the second difference value, and recording into a second frame different from the first frame.

Abstract: Color image data is compressed by determining the number of colors within a cell of an input image, each cell comprising an N×M array of pixels; in response to determining that the number of colors is greater than a first predetermined threshold, compress the cell using lossy compression; and in response to determining that the number of colors is less than the first predetermined threshold, reduce the number of colors.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for compressing three-dimensional point cloud data is disclosed. In one aspect, a method for compressing three dimensional point cloud includes steps of retrieving three-dimensional point cloud data; providing one or more grids to the three-dimensional point cloud data; assigning one binary digit to each three-dimensional grid voxel containing said point cloud data and assigning the other binary digit to each three-dimensional grid voxel that does not have said point cloud data; converting the three-dimensional grid into two-dimensional tiles; and storing information of a plurality of binary strings in said two-dimensional tiles. In one embodiment, the step of storing information of a plurality of binary strings in said two-dimensional tiles includes a step of storing the number of repeating times of each binary digit in the binary strings. The method can significantly reduce memory space, as well as preserving small details of the point cloud.

Abstract: Lossless image compression using differential transfers may involve an image compression unit receiving image data for an image in a sequence of images and transmitting the image data such that image data for at least some image tiles is transmitted using lossy compression due to resource limitations. The image compression unit may then receive image data for a subsequent image in the sequence and determine that the image data for at least some tiles does not change relative to the image data for corresponding tiles of the previous image. The image compression unit may then transmit image data in a manner sufficient to create lossless versions of tiles for which lossily compressed image data was sent previously.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method and a system for recognizing characters. In one embodiment, the input image comprising one or more characters to be recognized is received and processed to extract one or more nodes and edges of each character in the input image. Using the extracted nodes and edges, a graphical representation and adjacency matrix of each character is generated and compared with a predetermined graphical representation and adjacency matrix to determine a match. Based on the comparison, a matching probability is determined based on which one or more characters in the input image is recognized and displayed as output. The proposed recognition method and system recognizes character with more accuracy and speed. Further, the present disclosure is simple, cost-effective and reduces the complexity involved in automatic recognition of characters.

Abstract: Some embodiments are directed to a method, corresponding system, and corresponding apparatus for rendering a video and/or image display to amplify small motions through video magnification. Some embodiments include a new compact image pyramid representation, the Riesz pyramid, that may be used for real-time, high-quality phase-based video magnification. Some embodiments are less overcomplete than even the smallest two orientation, octave-bandwidth complex steerable pyramid. Some embodiments are implemented using compact, efficient linear filters in the spatial domain. Some embodiments produce motion magnified videos that are of comparable quality to those using the complex steerable pyramid. In some embodiments, the Riesz pyramid is used with phase-based video magnification. The Riesz pyramid may phase-shift image features along their dominant orientation, rather than along every orientation like the complex steerable pyramid.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for recovering a pruned version of a picture in a video sequence are disclosed. The apparatus includes a divider for dividing the pruned version of the picture into a plurality of non-overlapping blocks. The apparatus also includes a metadata decoder for decoding metadata for use in recovering the pruned version of the picture. The apparatus further includes a patch library creator for creating a patch library from a reconstructed version of the picture. The patch library includes a plurality of high resolution replacement patches for replacing the one or more pruned blocks during a recovery of the pruned version of the picture. The apparatus additionally includes a search and replacement device for performing a searching process using the metadata to find a corresponding patch for a respective one of the one or more pruned blocks from among the plurality of non-overlapping blocks and replace the respective one of the one or more pruned blocks with the corresponding patch.

Abstract: A system and method provide enhanced perceived contrast within a region of interest (102) of an image being displayed in order to enable viewers to more easily perceive subtle features in images, such as during medical diagnostics. The enhanced perceived contrast may be implemented using software only, hardware only, or a combination of hardware and software. If the backlight of a display includes only one or few light sources, the enhanced perceived contrast can be achieved through a software only solution in which the area (104) outside of the ROI (102) is darkened. If the backlight of the display comprises, for example, an LED matrix, enhanced perceived contrast may be implemented through a hardware only solution in which the luminance of the display is increased in the ROI (102). In addition, enhanced perceived contrast may also be achieved through a solution utilizing both hardware and software.

Abstract: The present invention relates to automated document processing and more particularly, to methods and systems for document image capture and processing using mobile devices. In accordance with various embodiments, methods and systems for document image capture on a mobile communication device are provided such that the image is optimized and enhanced for data extraction from the document as depicted. These methods and systems may comprise capturing an image of a document using a mobile communication device; transmitting the image to a server; and processing the image to create a bi-tonal image of the document for data extraction. Additionally, these methods and systems may comprise capturing a first image of a document using the mobile communication device; automatically detecting the document within the image; geometrically correcting the image; binarizing the image; correcting the orientation of the image; correcting the size of the image; and outputting the resulting image of the document.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a histogram equalization apparatus using histogram compression, and the objective of the present invention is to provide an equalization apparatus which highly compresses a histogram of an input image having a brightness level with a high frequency and lowly compresses the histogram having a brightness level with relatively a lower frequency thereby maintaining the characteristics of the input image, while refraining excessive changes in brightness, and enhancing the contrast more effectively by controlling the strength of a compression ratio according to the characteristics of the input image.

Abstract: Embodiments provide a method for processing a first image based on a second image, wherein each pixel in the first image has a plurality of color components and has a corresponding pixel in the second image, and wherein each value of a color component in the first image corresponds to a value of a color component in the second image. The method may include deciding, for each color component of a pixel in the first image, whether to modify the value of the color component dependent on a predetermined criterion. The method may further include determining a similarity index between the pixel in the first image and the corresponding pixel in the second image based on, for each color component of the pixel, the value of the color component of the pixel, or if it is decided that the value of the color component of the pixel is to be modified, the corresponding value of the color component in the second image.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for processing and extracting content from an image of a driver's license captured using a mobile device. In one embodiment, an image of a driver's license (DL) is captured by a mobile device and corrected to improve the quality of the image. The corrected image is then further processed by cropping the image, identifying the format and layout of the DL, binarizing the image and extracting the content using optical character recognition (OCR). Multiple methods of image cropping may be implemented to accurately assess the borders of the DL, and a secondary layout identification process may be performed to ensure that the content being extracted is properly classified.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for processing an image of a financial payment document captured using a mobile device and classifying the type of payment document in order to extract the content therein. These methods may be implemented on a mobile device or a central server, and can be used to identify content on the payment document and determine whether the payment document is ready to be processed by a business or financial institution. The system can identify the type of payment document by identifying features on the payment document and performing a series of steps to determine probabilities that the payment document belongs to a specific document type. The identification steps are arranged starting with the fastest step in order to attempt to quickly determine the payment document type without requiring lengthy, extensive analysis.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for extracting an area of a detection target from an image includes an image input section that acquires an image, an image generation section that generates a plurality of images with different resolutions from the image, and a segmentation section that performs segmentation using the plurality of images with the different resolutions. The segmentation section segments an image with a low resolution and then segmenting an image with a high resolution using, as a processing target area, an area in the image with the high resolution corresponding to an area near a boundary resulting from processing of the segmentation of the image with the low resolution.

Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for processing an image to remove fog from the image. The apparatus for processing an image includes: a transmission estimation unit configured to calculate a transmission of an input image by synthesizing pixel-based transmissions of current pixels of the current image including a fog component, and block-based transmissions of a plurality of blocks of a previous image, each block including a plurality of pixels; an airlight estimation unit configured to calculate airlight of the input image; and an image restoration unit configured to generate, based on the transmission and the airlight, a restored image in which the fog component is removed from the current image.

Abstract: Gloss-based material classification of an object fabricated from an unknown material, particularly where the unknown material is one from a limited set of predetermined materials. The object is illuminated with an area light source such that the object is illuminated from multiple angles. An image of the object is obtained, and specular reflections from the object are measured by analyzing the image. The object material is classified based on a number of high-intensity specular reflections.

Abstract: A system and a method of multi-user coaching are introduced herein. Motion-sensing cameras are applied to capture images, and a depth image stitching module is applied to perform a depth image stitching process on the captured images to expand the motion-sensing range, so as to establish a virtual environment for multi-user coaching. Each user can be coached individually by a one-to-multiple approach to improve his or her motions. By using the system and the method of multi-user coaching, that is, the system can only calculates on motion similarities of the users, and instructions are fed back to each user. Therefore, the system and the method described herein can be extensively applied to various products, such as a virtual gymnasium, a virtual aerobics classroom, a virtual Budokan, and so on.

Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a method for image processing selects at least one image from a plurality of images, and stores the plurality of images into a buffer, until a storage space of the buffer reaches a criterion. When the storage space of the buffer reaches the criterion, a procedure of image processing is performed for a plurality of temporary images stored in the buffer, which includes constructing an image dictionary according to the at least an image selected, and performing an image recovery and reconstruction procedure for the plurality of temporary images in the buffer according to the image dictionary, thereby obtaining a plurality of reconstructed images.