Abstract: Systems and methods analyze the physical structure of text rows in a document image, including the positions of one or more alignments of one or more character blocks in one or more text rows of the document image. The systems and methods determine one or more groups of text rows that are placed into a class based on the structures of the text rows, such as the positions of the one or more alignments of the one or more character blocks in each text row.

Abstract: An interpolation method, applied to image pictures, for interpolating at least one pixel into a position to be interpolated in a target image frame is disclosed. The interpolation method includes receiving a plurality of image fields having a corresponding image object, estimating a motion speed of the image object according to a distance between a first pixel position to which the image object located in a first image field of the plurality of image fields and a second pixel position to which the image object located in a second image field of the plurality of image fields, determining the pixel from the plurality of image fields according to the motion speed of the image object, and interpolating the pixel into the position to be interpolated in the target image frame.

Abstract: A computer based, digital image management system that visually presents an entire archive in a manner that facilitates easy, non-textual, searching for specific images. In one embodiment, the system includes two elements: a file management methodology and a graphical user interface. The file management method utilizes reference files that contain multiple properties (metadata) relating to each image file. Image files are grouped into a multiplicity of collections based on user-defined associations of the properties. The graphical user interface visually represents the groups of image files on 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional graphic metaphors. In addition, the graphical interface uses multiple display variables such as icons, mnemonics, size, movement, color, and luminance to signify relationships between groups, and/or communicate key properties of individual or groups of images.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are a computer system, an image processing method, and a computer-readable medium for interpolating volumetric medical image data. There is disclosed a hybrid interpolation procedure performed on the volumetric medical image data in accordance with spatial transforms. In the hybrid interpolation procedure, a different order of interpolation, respectively, is performed for at least two different dimensions of the volumetric medical image data. The different orders of interpolation can include bicubic interpolation and linear interpolation. Applications include registration of source volumetric medical images to target volumetric medical images and operations (e.g., rotation, re-scaling) invoking a transformation for medical image data visualization/display purposes.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a noise position information obtaining unit that obtains noise position information regarding positions of noise in an image read by a reading unit that optically reads a surface of a medium, an image generating unit that generates a noise eliminated image that is obtained by eliminating a noise from the image, a pattern information obtaining unit that obtains pattern information indicating a pattern appearing on the surface of the medium from the noise eliminated image, and a pattern information registering unit that registers the pattern information obtained from areas set on the basis of the noise position information in the noise eliminated image.

Abstract: A method for use in obtaining input data from an object includes capturing a live image of the object with an image capture device, receiving information related to a tilt angle of the object from one or more sensors other than the image capture device, using the information related to a tilt angle of the object to obtain at least one rotated reference image of the object, comparing the live image of the object with the rotated reference image of the object, and generating an indication in response to the live image matching the rotated reference image. An apparatus and a storage medium storing a computer program executable by a processor based system are also disclosed.

Abstract: A rain detection apparatus includes a camera that views a surface and a processor that captures an image from the camera. The processor generates a signal indicative of rain on the surface from information contained in the captured image and optionally drives a surface cleaning apparatus in response thereto. The apparatus captures images focused at a plurality of distances. The processor includes an edge detector that detects edges visible in the captured image and a difference structure that calculates the difference between the number of edges visible between differing images. The edge detector disregards edges close to areas of light larger than the largest raindrop that is desired or expected to be detected. The apparatus optionally includes a backlight, and the difference in numbers of edges between frames with and without the backlight illuminated are used to distinguish between background features and rain on the surface.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving an image of a document; performing optical character recognition (OCR) on the image; extracting an address of a sender of the document from the image based on the OCR; comparing the extracted address with content in a first database; identifying complementary textual information in a second database based on the address; and at least one of: extracting additional content from the image of the document; correcting one or more OCR errors in the document using the complementary textual information, and normalizing data from the document prior to determining a validity of the document using at least one of the complementary textual information and predefined business rules. At least one of the aforementioned operations is performed using a processor of a mobile device. Exemplary systems and computer program products are also disclosed.

Abstract: A new optical imaging process for how to best fuse information from multiple target images into a single target image is described. The process has two primary components. First, rotating, translating and scaling each target image to register or calibrate them against a reference image and, second, determining weighing factors for each thus registered target image to select those images which add value to a final target image. The first component determines optimal rotational and translation matrices by a least squares measure using singular value decomposition. The second component determines weighing factors using correlations and statistical signal analysis techniques.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a storage unit, a receiving unit, a search unit, a processing unit and an output unit. The storage unit stores information of drawn image elements. The receiving unit receives a transformation instruction to transform a part of the image elements specified by the information of the image elements. The search unit searches the storage unit for an image element that (i) has a relation, being based on a predetermined condition, with the image elements, which are a target of the transformation instruction, and (ii) is not the target of the transformation instruction. The processing unit performs a transformation process on (i) the image elements, which are the target of the received transformation instruction, and (ii) the image element, which is found as the search result, based on the received transformation instruction. The output unit outputs the result of the transformation process.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating a color mapping for a dental object. The method includes generating a transformation matrix according to a set of spectral reflectance data for a statistically valid sampling of teeth. Illumination is directed toward the dental object over at least a first, a second, and a third wavelength band, one wavelength band at a time. For each of a plurality of pixels in an imaging array, an image data value is obtained, corresponding to each of the at least first, second, and third wavelength bands. The transformation matrix is applied to form the color mapping by generating a set of visual color values for each of the plurality of pixels according to the obtained image data values and according to image data values obtained from a reference object at the at least first, second, and third wavelength bands. The color mapping can be stored in an electronic memory.

Abstract: An image scaling apparatus and method, with enhancement of image quality. The method includes generating a plurality of intermediate pixels positioned near a plurality of resultant pixels to be generated to scale an input image using pixels of the input image; determining the image characteristics of the plurality of resultant pixels using a predetermined region of the input image or the plurality of intermediate pixels within the predetermined region; determining a filter for generating the plurality of resultant pixels based on the image characteristics with respect to the resultant pixels, and generating the plurality of resultant pixels through filtering of the plurality of intermediate pixels using the determined filter. The apparatus includes an intermediate pixel generation unit which generates a plurality of intermediate pixels. A filter determination unit determines a filter for generating the plurality of resultant pixels.

Abstract: A method of identifying a living being includes using a time-of-flight sensor to determine a location of a face of the living being. An image of an iris of the living being is produced dependent upon the location of the face as determined by the time-of-flight sensor. The produced image is processed to determine an identity of the living being.

Abstract: Methods and a computer program product for deriving a super-resolution image of a physical object, the super-resolution image characterized by a resolution exceeding a “camera imaging resolution” associated with each of a sequence of lower-resolution images of the physical object. The sequence of images of the physical object is obtained at a plurality of relative displacements with respect to the object. An offset is passively associated with each of the plurality of images to derive effective camera movement, allowing for calculation of a kinetic point spread function on the basis of the effective camera movement. The image sequence is deconvolved, using the kinetic point spread function, to solve for a high-resolution image. Various applications such as portable cameras and infrared imaging for energy conservation are described.

Abstract: A page layout module receives a page image displaying text in an unknown script and unknown orientation, determines a text section in the received image and transmits the text section to an orientation and script module. The orientation and script module comprises a training module, a classifier and a recognition module. The training module trains the classifier to identify connected components that include a connected portion of one or more characters of text. The recognition module uses the trained classifier to identify in the received text section a set of connected components. The recognition determines the likely orientation and script for the connected components and then uses the determined information to determine the orientation and script for the text section. The determined orientation and script for the text section is transmitted to the OCR module. The OCR module uses the determined orientation and script to recognize text in the text section.

Abstract: An input control unit that receives first content data from a content delivery apparatus via a communication unit, converts the first content data into first image data before causing a storage unit to store the first image data, receives second content data generated by a portion or all of the first content data being updated from the content delivery apparatus via the communication unit, and converts the second content data into second image data before causing the storage unit to store the second image data, a center of gravity candidate region extraction unit that calculates difference values of color information between corresponding pixels of the first image data and the second image data stored in the storage unit and extracts a center of gravity candidate region, which is a region constituted by pixels the difference values of which exceed a threshold value stored in the storage unit.

Abstract: A method of correcting an eye circle on an image with at least one eye visible and the eye circle being located beneath the eye includes defining a core area of the image for correction, the core area being located substantially below a position of the eye in the image. The method also defines a processing area being larger in area than the core area and including the core area, and defines a surrounding area as a remaining area of the processing area not being located within the core area. An average brightness of the core area is compared to an average brightness of the surrounding area. Then a smoothing process is performed to blend the core area with the surrounding area to correct the eye circle when the average brightness of the core area is greater than that of the surrounding area by more than a first threshold.

Abstract: A fluoroscopy apparatus including: an illumination unit having a light source radiating illumination light and excitation light onto an observation target, a fluorescence-imaging unit acquiring a fluorescence image by imaging fluorescence generated at the observation target by the excitation light, a white-light-imaging unit acquiring a reference image by imaging light returning from the observation target by the illumination light, and an image-correction unit obtaining a correction fluorescence image by raising the luminance value of the fluorescence image to the power of a reciprocal of a first and second exponent obtained by a power approximation of a distance characteristic of luminance versus observation distance, for the fluorescence image, and that obtains a corrected fluorescence image by dividing the correction fluorescence image by the correction reference image.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided the autocentering, autofocusing, acquiring, decoding, aligning, analyzing and exchanging among various parties, images, where the images are of arrays of signals associated with ligand-receptor interactions, and more particularly, ligand-receptor interactions where a multitude of receptors are associated with microparticles or microbeads. The beads are encoded to indicate the identity of the receptor attached, and therefore, an assay image and a decoding image are aligned to effect the decoding. The images or data extracted from such images can be exchanged between de-centralized assay locations and a centralized location where the data are analyzed to indicate assay results. Access to data can be restricted to authorized parties in possession of certain coding information, so as to preserve confidentiality.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and device for aligning at least two digital images. An embodiment may use frequency-domain transforms of small tiles created from each image to identify substantially similar, “distinguishing” features within each of the images, and then align the images together based on the location of the distinguishing features. To accomplish this, an embodiment may create equal sized tile sub-images for each image. A “key” for each tile may be created by performing a frequency-domain transform calculation on each tile. A information-distance difference between each possible pair of tiles on each image may be calculated to identify distinguishing features. From analysis of the information-distance differences of the pairs of tiles, a subset of tiles with high discrimination metrics in relation to other tiles may be located for each image.