Patents Examined by Sheela Chawan
  • Patent number: 8335371
    Abstract: A method for vision field computing may comprise the following steps of: forming a sampling system for a multi-view dynamic scene; controlling cameras in the sampling system for the multi-view dynamic scene to perform spatial interleaved sampling, temporal interleaved exposure sampling and exposure-variant sampling; performing spatial intersection to the sampling information in the view subspace of the dynamic scene and temporal intersection to the sampling information in the time subspace of the dynamic scene to reconstruct a dynamic scene geometry model; performing silhouette back projection based on the dynamic scene geometry model to obtain silhouette motion constraints for the view angles of the cameras; performing temporal decoupling for motion de-blurring with the silhouette motion constraints; and reconstructing a dynamic scene 3D model with a resolution larger than nominal resolution of each camera by a 3D reconstructing algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Tsinghua University
    Inventors: Qionghai Dai, Di Wu, Yebin Liu
  • Patent number: 8331629
    Abstract: A perfect non-contact type vein authentication apparatus is provided with a light source for emitting infrared light; an input interface equipped with an imaging unit for photographing a vein image of a living body by the infrared light emitted from said light source; a unit for controlling intensity of light to be illuminated; an image calculating unit for performing a feature extracting operation and a feature authenticating operation with respect to an image; and a positioning unit for presenting the living body. More specifically, the light source is provided in front of the living body. Both the light source and the imaging unit are installed in such a positional relationship that the light of the light source gives no adverse influence to the imaging unit. Also, the light source is installed in such a direction that the light of the light source gives no adverse influence to the imaging unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Harumi Kiyomizu, Takafumi Miyatake, Akio Nagasaka, Naoto Miura
  • Patent number: 8326043
    Abstract: A video detection system and method compares a queried video segment to one or more stored video samples. Each of the queried video segments and stored video samples can be represented by respective digital image sets. A first and second comparison comprises comparing a set of low and high resolution temporal and spatial statistical moments in a COLOR9 space, and eliminating file digital image sets that do not match the queried digital image set. A third comparison generates a set of matching files by comparing a set of wavelet transform coefficients in a COLOR9 space. RGB bit-wise registration and comparison of one or more subframes of specific frames in the queried digital image set to a corresponding set of matching file subframes determines queried subframe changes. In the event of a change in a queried subframe, the changed subframe is added to the set of matching file subframes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Ipharro Media GmbH
    Inventor: Rene Cavet
  • Patent number: 8315461
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining a location relative to an object and a type of a light source that illuminated the object when the image was captured, are described. A method performed by a process executing on a computer system includes identifying an object of interest in a digital image. The method further includes projecting at least a portion of the digital image corresponding to the object of interest onto a three dimensional (3D) model that includes a polygon-mesh corresponding to the object's shape. The method further includes determining one or more properties of a light source that illuminated the object in the digital image at an instant that the image was captured based at least in part on a characteristic of one or more polygons in the 3D model onto which the digital image portion was projected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Mikio Free
  • Patent number: 8315464
    Abstract: The a surface of an object is illuminated in sequence with a number of light beams, each of which is nearly tangential to the surface. Images of the surface are recorded for each light beam, and the images are analyzed to identify features such as depressions in the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Coherix
    Inventor: Claron Swonger
  • Patent number: 8311340
    Abstract: A document processing device includes: an extraction unit that extracts a first image of an element from a read image of a medium to which the element is affixed; an accepting unit that accepts first information for specifying processing to be performed to a document, the first information being to be associated with the first image of the element; a determination unit that determines whether an image of an element identical to or similar to the first image of the element has been registered in a memory, or not; and a registration unit that registers the first image of the element and the first information for specifying the processing in association with each other in the memory when the determination unit determines that the image of the element identical to or similar to the first image of the element has not been registered in the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuo Saito
  • Patent number: 8311333
    Abstract: First, a binary image is generated by binarizing an image. Next, a binary pixel ratio, that is a ratio of a binary pixel quantity that is a quantity of dotted pixels included in a specific area of the binary image to a total quantity of pixels included in the specific area of the binary image, is found. Then, a thin-line image is generated by performing a line-thinning process on the specific area. After that, a thin-line pixel ratio that is a ratio of the quantity of dotted pixels included in the generated thin-line image to the binary pixel quantity is found, and the specific area is determined to be a map area or a photograph area based on the calculated binary pixel ratio and the calculated thin-line pixel ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Mori, Osamu Tamura
  • Patent number: 8306330
    Abstract: A method to detect answers and notes inputted a game apparatus including: receiving user input data and determining the received user input data to be an answer character based on a characteristic of the user input data; displaying on the display the answer character contemporaneously with the determination of the received user data is the answer character; making a game determination based on the answer character; displaying a result of the game determination; determining the received user input data to be a note character based on the characteristic of the user input data; displaying the note character contemporaneously with the determination that the user input data is the note character; settling the note character as an answer character based on a user input made after the note character is displayed, and displaying the answer character determined from settling the note character.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichi Kawamoto, Jun Ito
  • Patent number: 8306333
    Abstract: A method for achieving segmentation of a picture according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: determining a first foreground of a picture based on a predetermined mask; applying Gaussian Mixture Models with weighted data (GMM-WD) to the first foreground to generate a second foreground; determining a first background of the picture based on the second foreground; applying the GMM-WD to the first background to generate a second background; and determining an unknown region based on the second background and the second foreground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: National Tsing Hua University
    Inventors: Shang Hong Lai, I Ting Tsai, Szu Hao Huang
  • Patent number: 8300942
    Abstract: An area extraction method including obtaining a character lattice showing a connection relation between unit areas, which are obtained by separating a character string pattern in an image into patterns each recognized as corresponding to a single character, judging whether or not all combinations of each of the unit areas in the obtained character lattice and each of the unit areas in a regular lattice defining a regular connection relation between the unit areas are likely to be established, generating a path coupling between nodes corresponding to the combination of the unit areas which is determined as likely to be established, determining an optimum path from the generated paths based on a degree of coincidence with the regular lattice or the character lattice, and extracting from an image the unit areas in the character lattice corresponding to the determined optimum path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Hiroaki Takebe, Katsuhito Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 8300944
    Abstract: An image processing system according to the present invention includes: a management server in which related information set with respect to reference image data is stored; a similarity determination process section for determining whether or not there is a similarity between input image data and the reference image data; a related information obtaining process section for obtaining related information from a related information storage section if the similarity determination process section determines that there is a similarity between the input image data and the reference image data; and a control section for adding the related information obtained to the input image data. With the arrangement, it becomes possible for the image processing system to add appropriate related information to inputted image data, so as to realize an accurate search for the image data on the basis of the related information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yohsuke Konishi, Atsuhisa Morimoto
  • Patent number: 8300897
    Abstract: There is provided a finger-vein authentication apparatus including a light source for illuminating one surface of both side-surfaces of a fingertip of a finger with light, and an image sensor for imaging the other surface of the fingertip, the light source and the image sensor being positioned at both sides of a nail of the fingertip with the nail sandwiched therebetween, wherein a fingertip guidance jig for supporting the fingertip and a finger-root guidance jig for supporting a finger-root of the finger are disposed between the light source and the image sensor, a light-shielding unit being disposed on the light-source side, the light-shielding unit being used for shielding the illumination light such that the illumination light will not travel to a ball side of the finger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akio Nagasaka, Takafumi Matsumura, Masahide Hayashi, Takafumi Miyatake, Naoto Miura, Harumi Kiyomizu
  • Patent number: 8300922
    Abstract: Methods are provided for using a programmable hand-held inspection system to direct an inspection process. Methods typically involve loading a survey template application software routine into the programmable hand-held inspection system where the survey template application software routine describes at least one aspect of the inspection process. Some embodiments involve wirelessly uploading at least a portion of the survey template application software routine. Generally an image representation of an area is provided on a display. The system may be used to guide an operator through at least one aspect of the inspection process or to perform steps in a survey. A location within the vicinity of the area may be identified using a global positioning system. A record may of the survey may be created.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: CSI Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Raymond E. Garvey, III
  • Patent number: 8300943
    Abstract: Embodiments include an article of manufacture, apparatus, device, system, computer-program product, and method. In an embodiment, an article of manufacture includes a display surface that includes a machine-distinguishable form identifier keyed to an electronic version of the form and at least two fields. Each field of the at least two fields respectively includes a unique machine-distinguishable field identifier keyed to a field of the electronic version of a form, a content area that accepts a hand-formed entry, and a unique user-understandable field identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, LLC
    Inventors: Alexander J. Cohen, Edward K. Y. Jung, Royce A. Levien, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, John D. Rinaldo, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8300965
    Abstract: Example methods and apparatus to perform multi-focal plane image acquisition and compression are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes capturing a first image of a portion of an object at a first focal plane and at a first resolution, computing a contrast metric for the captured first image, comparing the contrast metric to a threshold to determine whether to capture a second image of the portion of the object at the first focal plane and at a second resolution, wherein the second resolution is different from the first resolution, capturing the second image of the portion of the object at the first focal plane and at the second resolution, and storing a first representation of the second image in a file, the file containing a second representation of the portion of the object at a second focal plane, wherein the second representation is at the first resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Shai Dekel, Anthony Melanson
  • Patent number: 8295610
    Abstract: A feature used in face detection can be applied to an image portion and can be scaled to fit differently sized image areas. If a feature is positioned with respect to an image area such that a vertex of the feature is aligned with a non-integer pixel location, at least one dimension of the filter can be rounded. A dimension to be rounded further can correspond to a directional component of the feature. For instance, contrast regions within the feature can be arranged horizontally, such that the vertical dimension represents a directional component. A rounding rule associated with the feature can be used in rounding a dimension corresponding to a directional component, such that a size ratio between the contrast regions is maintained. In some instances, the rounding rule can specify a factor that is a positive integer determined based on the number of contrast regions in the feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Ralph Brunner
  • Patent number: 8290245
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and method for measuring the three-dimensional characteristics of an object using range data acquisition and analysis. The imaging apparatus comprises: means for configuring the range data acquisition and analysis before starting the measuring; means for creating an image of the object by detecting reflected light from the object using at least one sensor comprising pixels; means for acquiring range data of the object from the created image measured in sensor pixel units; means for calibrating the acquired range data from sensor pixel values to world-coordinates; means for rectifying the calibrated range data by re-sampling the range data onto a uniformly spaced grid; and, means for analyzing the calibrated and rectified range data in order to obtain the three-dimensional characteristics of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Sick IVP AB
    Inventors: Henrik Turbell, Mats Gokstorp
  • Patent number: 8290280
    Abstract: An image processing device includes a region-of-interest detecting unit that detects a region of interest from each of sequence images acquired in chronological order; a region dividing unit that divides a plurality of images temporally neighboring to each other into regions based on region-of-interest detection results obtained from the plurality of images; an inter-image variation calculating unit that calculates an inter-image variation between the plurality of images based on a variation in each region obtained by the division by the region dividing unit; and a display-condition setting unit that sets a display condition for each image based on the inter-image variation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Yamato Kanda
  • Patent number: 8285003
    Abstract: A personal authentication method comprising imaging, on an image sensor as a laser speckle using an optical system, light reflected from retinal blood vessels of the ocular fundus and a blood vessel layer in ocular fundus internal tissue when a laser beam is expanded and made to irradiate the ocular fundus, calculating a quantity that represents the rate of change with respect to time of the amount of light received for each pixel of the laser speckle, obtaining an ocular fundus blood flow map as a two-dimensional map of the numerical values of the quantity, and comparison-checking against pre-registered personal data utilizing at least one, observed in the blood flow map, of blood flow distribution data, a pattern reflecting the course of retinal blood vessels, a pattern reflecting the course of blood vessels in ocular fundus internal tissue observed superimposed thereon, and data on changes thereof over time, and a device therefor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignees: Kyushu Institute of Technology, Syscom Japan, Inc.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Fujii, Naoki Konishi
  • Patent number: 8280137
    Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus includes a computed tomography (CT) system having a rotatable gantry, an x-ray source, a generator, a detector having pixels and positioned to receive x-rays, and a computer. The computer is programmed to acquire CT data representative of an object, determine a first subset of the CT data, determine a second subset of the CT data, and determine a difference between the first and second subsets of the CT data to identify a motion region in the object. The computer is also programmed to update image data reconstructed from a first portion of the first subset of the CT data and corresponding to the region and reconstruct an image based on the updated image data and non-updated image data. The non-updated image data is reconstructed from a second portion the first subset of the CT data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jiang Hsieh, Roy-Arnulf Helge Nilsen, Peter Michael Edic, Bruno Kristiaan Bernard De Man, Jean-Baptiste Thibault, Baojun Li, John Lawrence Seamans