Patents Examined by Yon Couso
  • Patent number: 9196054
    Abstract: An improved method and a system are disclosed for recovering a three-dimensional (3D) scene structure from a plurality of two-dimensional (2D) image frames obtained from imaging means. Sets of 2D features are extracted from the image frames, and sets corresponding to successive image frames are matched, such that at least one pair of matched 2D features refers to a same 3D point in a 3D scene captured in 2D in the image frames. A 3D ray is generated by back-projection from each 2D feature, and the generated 3D rays are subjected to an anchor-based minimization process, for determining camera motion parameters and 3D scene points coordinates, thereby recovering a structure of the 3D scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: The Provost, Fellows, Foundation Scholars, and Other Members of Board of the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth Near Dublin
    Inventors: Sofiane Yous, Peter Redmond, Gerard Lacey
  • Patent number: 9196018
    Abstract: A method includes identifying an area in an image that is associated with strong directional energy. The method further includes determining a first estimate of signal energy for the area and a second estimate of aliasing energy for the area. The method further includes estimating a severity of an aliasing error of the image based on the first estimate and the second estimate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventor: Amy Ruth Reibman
  • Patent number: 9189831
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus is provided. The image processing apparatus includes a local brightness adjustment circuit and an image enhancement circuit. The local brightness adjustment circuit is arranged to obtain a local brightness gain relation between an input image before a local brightness adjustment and the input image after the local brightness adjustment. The image enhancement circuit is coupled to the local brightness adjustment circuit, and is arranged to perform at least one of a noise reduction and an edge enhancement upon an image to be processed according to the local brightness gain relation to generate an output image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Avisonic Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Ming-Yang Wu, Chi-Chang Yu
  • Patent number: 9183427
    Abstract: A diagnostic system comprises a spectral image pickup means that picks up a spectral image in a predetermined wavelength region in a body cavity and obtains spectral image data, an image processing means that obtains, from the spectral image data, an index-value for discriminating between a diseased portion and a healthy portion, and generates and outputs an indicator image based on the index-value, and a monitor on which the indicator image is displayed, wherein, for each pixel of the spectral image, the image processing means defines ? obtained by a predetermined expression as the index-value, while using the spectral image data P1 at a first wavelength which is around a wavelength of 542 nm, the spectral image data P2 at a second wavelength which is around a wavelength of 558 nm and the spectral image data P3 at a third wavelength which is around a wavelength of 578 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: HOYA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toru Chiba
  • Patent number: 9171210
    Abstract: The present invention provides method and apparatus for object classifier generation, and method and apparatus for detecting object in image. The method for generating a two-cell structure feature descriptor of a two-cell structure composed of a center cell and a neighbor cell in an image region, wherein the neighbor cell is one of eight cells around and adjacent to the center cell, the method comprising: calculating step for calculating statistics of gradients in the center cell and the neighbor cell respectively; and comparing step for comparing the calculated statistics of gradients in the center cell and the neighbor cell, so as to obtain a two-cell structure feature descriptor for describing the feature of the two-cell structure, and wherein the two-cell structure feature descriptor is one bit binary value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Lifeng Xu, Bo Wu
  • Patent number: 9171361
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to combination of images. A method according to an embodiment comprises: receiving a visual image and an infrared (IR) image of a scene and for a portion of said IR image extracting high spatial frequency content from a corresponding portion of said visual image. The method according to the embodiment further comprises combining said extracted high spatial frequency content from said portion of the visual image with said portion of the IR image, to generate a combined image, wherein the contrast and/or resolution in the portion of the IR image is increased compared to the contrast and/or resolution of said received IR image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: FLIR Systems AB
    Inventor: Katrin Strandemar
  • Patent number: 9163991
    Abstract: A device captures a digital image of a color of interest and a physical color calibration chart. A corrected color value of the color of interest is determined based on the physical color calibration chart and the color of interest as captured within the digital image. A selected color value for the corrected color value is determined, as a closest color value within a predetermined color space or as a spot color value within the predetermined color space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Udi Chatow, Nathan Moroney, Wei Koh
  • Patent number: 9154772
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for converting two-dimensional (2D) contents into three-dimensional (3D) contents is disclosed. The method including: displaying a frame, the frame containing an object which will be extracted from among plural frames contained in the 2D contents; designating a boundary region of an object to be extracted on the displayed frame, in accordance with a user command through a user interface (UI) for collectively designating a region; generating a trimap based on the designated boundary region including inner and outer regions of the object to be extracted, and extracting the object based on the generated trimap. With this, a user can more conveniently and efficiently convert 2D contents into 3D contents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ji-bum Moon, Han-soo Kim, Oh-jae Kwon, Won-seok Ahn, Seung-hoon Han
  • Patent number: 9147228
    Abstract: A system for processing a multiband image, including digital computer memory for storing a multiband image having multiple bands of image data; and processing circuitry for processing the multiband image, wherein the processing circuitry (a) determines pixel locations in the bands of the multiband image having values above the band-specific white value threshold for each of the bands of the multiband image, (b) determines a band-specific correction factor for each of plural bands of the multiband image based on the determined pixel locations, and (c) applies the corresponding band-specific correction factor to the respective plural bands of the multiband image to produce a corrected image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: Exelis Inc.
    Inventors: Sharon Lunt, Michael Vaughn, Stacey Casella
  • Patent number: 9142012
    Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing chrominance (chroma) noise in image data are provided. In one example of such a method, image data in YCC format may be received into logic of an image signal processor. Using the logic, noise may be filtered from a first chrominance component or a second chrominance component, or both, of the image data, using a sparse filter and a noise threshold. The noise threshold may be determined based at least in part on two of the components of the YCC image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Suk Hwan Lim, Mark A. Zimmer
  • Patent number: 9135723
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with efficient visually lossless compression are described. According to one embodiment, an apparatus includes a transform logic configured to receive image data divided into segments and generate a matrix of transform coefficients corresponding to a segment. The apparatus also includes a rate control logic configured to select (i) a set of quantization levels from a plurality of sets of quantization levels and (ii) a quantization level from the selected set of quantization levels based, at least in part, on a desired visual quality. Each set of quantization levels corresponds to a different target compression ratio for the image data. The apparatus further includes a quantization logic configured to quantize the matrix of transform coefficients according to the selected quantization level to produce an array of integers. The apparatus also includes an encoding logic configured to encode the array of integers as a bit stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: MARVELL INTERNATIONAL LTD.
    Inventors: Zhiying Guo, Yun Gong, Dam LeQuang
  • Patent number: 9129405
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus generates an image appended with additional effective pixels by executing appending processing for appending additional effective pixels by extending input image data in a scanning direction using pixels at terminal ends of the input image data in the scanning direction. The image processing apparatus generates image data of a second hierarchy obtained by reducing the input image data by applying filtering to the generated image appended with the additional effective pixels, and generates image data of a third hierarchy by applying filtering to the image data of the second hierarchy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shutaro Kunieda
  • Patent number: 9129414
    Abstract: A device is provided that generates a composite image using a first image and a second image having different exposure conditions. The device includes an image input unit, a likelihood calculating unit, an exposure estimating unit, and a compositing unit. The image input unit inputs the first image and the second image. The likelihood calculating unit calculates a subject motion likelihood at each pixel based on a difference between the first image and the second image. The exposure estimating unit estimates an exposure transform function that conforms the exposure conditions of the first image and the second image to each other based on the subject motion likelihood. The compositing unit composites the first image and the second image by using the exposure transform function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Morpho, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshihito Hirai, Takeshi Miura
  • Patent number: 9122944
    Abstract: A paper medium identifying device and an identifying method. The paper medium identifying device comprises an image data obtaining unit, a faulty wire detecting unit, an image dividing unit, a standard template data storage unit, a comprehensive analyzing unit, a new template generating unit and a judging unit. The paper medium identifying device divides the standard template into new sub-templates by dividing the template from a faulty wire position as margin, and then matches the sub-templates with a papery medium image which being identified so as to avoid the influence of faulty wires on the template match identification and improve the acceptance rate of the papery medium identifying device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: GRG Banking Equipment Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuanchao Yu, Tiancai Liang, Dingxi Chen, Kun Wang
  • Patent number: 9122922
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus including a selecting unit that selects figures from a candidate figure group based on recognition values obtained through character recognition with respect to an input image, and a display control unit that performs control to display the figures selected by the selecting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Fuminori Homma, Ken Miyashita, Shoichiro Moriya, Tatsushi Nashida
  • Patent number: 9117134
    Abstract: A base m×n tile, X, of a base image of a scene, and an alternate m×n tile, Y, of an alternate image of the scene may be obtained. An m×n blend map, B, for X and Y may also be obtained. B(i,j) may take on a first value to refer to X(i,j), or a second value to refer to Y(i,j). An m×n conflict map, C, for X and Y may further be obtained. C(i,j) may take on a third value where X(i,j) and Y(i,j) are within a threshold value of one another, or a fourth value where X(i,j) and Y(i,j) are not within the threshold value of one another. Based on B and C, the pixel values of X and Y may be merged to form an m×n tile Z.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan Geiss, Samuel William Hasinoff
  • Patent number: 9117135
    Abstract: A corresponding point candidate determiner (108) determines whether plural correlation peaks appear, based on a correlation value calculated by a corresponding point determiner (107). In the case where the corresponding point candidate determiner (108) determines that plural correlation peaks appear, the corresponding point determiner (107) calculates a ratio between the correlation values as represented by the correlation peaks, determines one or more corresponding points, based on the calculated ratio, and notifies the determination result to an initial position setter (106). In the case where the corresponding point determiner (107) searches plural corresponding points, the initial position setter (106) sets an initial search position with respect to each of the corresponding points in a reference image of a layer immediately higher than a target layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Hironori Sumitomo, Osamu Toyama
  • Patent number: 9113118
    Abstract: Systems and methods for correcting green channel non-uniformity (GNU) are provided. In one example, GNU may be corrected using energies between the two green channels (Gb and Gr) during green interpolation processes for red and green pixels. Accordingly, the processes may be efficiently employed through implementation using demosaic logic hardware. In addition, the green values may be corrected based on low-pass-filtered values of the green pixels (Gb and Gr). Additionally, green post-processing may provide some defective pixel correction on interpolated greens by correcting artifacts generated through enhancement algorithms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: D. Amnon Silverstein, Suk Hwan Lim, Sheng Lin, Guy Côté
  • Patent number: 9111367
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of digital image enhancement technologies, and more particularly to a non-locality-based super-resolution reconstruction method and device, so as to solve the problem of relatively low resolution of an image after non-locality-based super-resolution reconstruction in the prior art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignees: Peking University, Peking University Founder Group Co., Ltd., Beijing Founder Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jiaying Liu, Yue Zhou, Jie Ren, Zongming Guo
  • Patent number: 9111398
    Abstract: Disclosed is a layout software routine which automatically creates complex and aesthetically pleasing layouts without any user interaction, though user interaction is possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: RealNetworks, Inc.
    Inventors: Kadir Rathnavelu, Jeff Leitner, Jackie Nowell, Christine McKee, Steve Blanding