Patents by Inventor Douglas A. Price

Douglas A. Price has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240153131
    Abstract: Techniques for aligning images generated by an integrated camera physically mounted to an HMD with images generated by a detached camera physically unmounted from the HMD are disclosed. A 3D feature map is generated and shared with the detached camera. Both the integrated camera and the detached camera use the 3D feature map to relocalize themselves and to determine their respective 6 DOF poses. The HMD receives the detached camera's image of the environment and the 6 DOF pose of the detached camera. A depth map of the environment is accessed. An overlaid image is generated by reprojecting a perspective of the detached camera's image to align with a perspective of the integrated camera and by overlaying the reprojected detached camera's image onto the integrated camera's image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2024
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Inventors: Raymond Kirk PRICE, Michael BLEYER, Christopher Douglas EDMONDS
  • Patent number: 11971553
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for providing an illumination system that emits illumination into an environment while also enabling that system to be undetectable to certain types of external light detection systems. The system includes a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) low light (LL) detection device and a light emitting device. The light emitting device provides illumination having a wavelength of at least 950 nanometers (nm). An intensity of the illumination is set to a level that causes the illumination to be undetectable from a determined distance away based on the roll off rate of the light. While the light emitting device is providing the illumination, the SPAD LL detection device generates an image of an environment in which the illumination is being provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Raymond Kirk Price, Christopher Douglas Edmonds, Michael Bleyer
  • Patent number: 11972539
    Abstract: Techniques for generating a high resolution full color output image from lower resolution sparse color input images are disclosed. A camera generates images. The camera's sensor has a sparse Bayer pattern. While the camera is generating the images, IMU data for each image is acquired. The IMU data indicates a corresponding pose the camera was in while the camera generated each image. The images and IMU data are fed into a motion model, which performs temporal filtering on the images and uses the IMU data to generate a red-only image, a green-only image, a blue-only image, and a monochrome image. The color images are up-sampled to match the resolution of the monochrome image. A high resolution output color image is generated by combining the up-sampled images and the monochrome image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Raymond Kirk Price, Michael Bleyer, Christopher Douglas Edmonds
  • Patent number: 11972549
    Abstract: Techniques for evaluating multiple images, which originate from multiple different sources, and for selecting specific images to generate an overlaid image are disclosed. A first set of system camera images (e.g., based on a first FPS rate) and a second set of external camera images (e.g., based on a second FPS rate) are obtained. A set of rules are accessed in order to govern a selection process for selecting a specific system camera image and a specific external camera image. The selected images are designated for use in generating an overlaid image. The selection process is performed using the accessed set of rules. The overlaid image is generated by overlaying and aligning content obtained from the selected images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Bleyer, Raymond Kirk Price, Christopher Douglas Edmonds
  • Patent number: 11962922
    Abstract: A system for dark current compensation in SPAD imagery is configurable to capture an image frame with the SPAD array and generate a temporally filtered image by performing a temporal filtering operation using the image frame and at least one preceding image frame. The at least one preceding image frame is captured by the SPAD array at a timepoint that temporally precedes a timepoint associated with the image frame. The system is also configurable to obtain a dark current image frame. The dark current image frame includes data indicating one or more SPAD pixels of the plurality of SPAD pixels that detect an avalanche event without detecting a corresponding photon. The system is also configurable to generate a dark current compensated image by performing a subtraction operation on the temporally filtered image or the image frame based on the dark current image frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Raymond Kirk Price, Michael Bleyer, Christopher Douglas Edmonds
  • Publication number: 20240119610
    Abstract: Techniques for correcting an overlay misalignment between an external camera image and a system camera image are disclosed. A first system camera image and a first external camera image are acquired. A first visual alignment is performed between those two images to produce an overlaid image. Some of the content in the overlaid image is surrounded by a bounding element. A position of the bounding element is modified based on movements of the system camera and/or the external camera. In response to performing a second visual alignment using new images, an update vector is computed. Relative movement between the two cameras is determined. Based on the movement and based on the update vector, the bounding element is progressively transitioned to a corrected position in the overlaid image. A speed by which the bounding element is progressively transitioned is proportional to the amount of movement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2023
    Publication date: April 11, 2024
    Inventors: Raymond Kirk PRICE, Michael BLEYER, Christopher Douglas EDMONDS
  • Publication number: 20240112605
    Abstract: A system for adding persistence to SPAD imagery is configurable to capture, using a SPAD array, a plurality of image frames. The system is configurable to capture, using an IMU, pose data associated with the plurality of image frames. The pose data includes at least respective pose data associated with each of the plurality of image frames. The system is configurable to determine a persistence term based on the pose data. The system is also configurable to generate a composite image based on the plurality of image frames, the respective pose data associated with each of the plurality of image frames, and the persistence term. The persistence term defines a contribution of each of the plurality of image frames to the composite image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2023
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventors: Raymond Kirk PRICE, Micahel BLEYER, Christopher Douglas EDMONDS
  • Patent number: 11941751
    Abstract: Techniques for aligning images generated by two cameras are disclosed. This alignment is performed by computing a relative 3D orientation between the two cameras. A first gravity vector for a first camera and a second gravity vector for a second camera are determined. A first camera image is obtained from the first camera, and a second camera image is obtained from the second camera. A first alignment process is performed to partially align the first camera's orientation with the second camera's orientation. This process is performed by aligning the gravity vectors, thereby resulting in two degrees of freedom of the relative 3D orientation being eliminated. Visual correspondences between the two images are identified. A second alignment process is performed to fully align the orientations. This process is performed by using the identified visual correspondences to identify and eliminate a third degree of freedom of the relative 3D orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Raymond Kirk Price, Michael Bleyer, Christopher Douglas Edmonds, Sudipta Narayan Sinha
  • Publication number: 20240092036
    Abstract: A pipe fusion machine including a track mounted chassis supporting a horizontal turntable for unlimited, reversible rotation relative to the chassis. A boom pivotally attached at a rear end of, and extending forwardly of, the turntable enables manipulation of elevations and distances of the free end of the boom. The free end of the boom is adapted to permit pivotal mounting thereon of a pipe fusion tool such as an indexer configured to articulate and support a pipe-end facer and a pipe-end heater for respective independent orientation into and out of alignment with the ends of pipes to be fused. A carriage supports fixed and sliding jaws adapted to grip the ends of pipes to be fused for relative reciprocal movement during a pipe fusion process. Each of the jaws may include an upper half jaw and lower left and right quarter jaws.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: Arthur H. McElroy, II, Paul John Donaldson, Eric R. Abbott, Seth P. Ahrens, Douglas K. Brownell, Gregory A. Ruoff, Jared D. Sparks, Matthew A. Price
  • Patent number: 11922655
    Abstract: Techniques for aligning images generated by an integrated camera physically mounted to an HMD with images generated by a detached camera physically unmounted from the HMD are disclosed. A 3D feature map is generated and shared with the detached camera. Both the integrated camera and the detached camera use the 3D feature map to relocalize themselves and to determine their respective 6 DOF poses. The HMD receives the detached camera's image of the environment and the 6 DOF pose of the detached camera. A depth map of the environment is accessed. An overlaid image is generated by reprojecting a perspective of the detached camera's image to align with a perspective of the integrated camera and by overlaying the reprojected detached camera's image onto the integrated camera's image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Raymond Kirk Price, Michael Bleyer, Christopher Douglas Edmonds
  • Publication number: 20240073523
    Abstract: A system for generating depth information from low-resolution images is configured to access a plurality of image frames capturing an environment, identify a first group of image frames from the plurality of image frames, and generate a first image comprising a first composite image of the environment using the first group of image frames as input. The first composite image has an image resolution that is higher than an image resolution of the image frames of the first group of image frames. The system is also configured to obtain a second image of the environment, where parallax exists between a capture perspective associated with the first image and a capture perspective associated with the second image. The system is also configured to generate depth information for the environment based on the first image and the second image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Michael BLEYER, Christopher Douglas EDMONDS, Antonios MATAKOS, Raymond Kirk PRICE
  • Patent number: 11915441
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided performing for low compute depth map generation by implementing acts of obtaining a stereo pair of images of a scene, downsampling the stereo pair of images, generating a depth map by stereo matching the downsampled stereo pair of images, and generating an upsampled depth map based on the depth map using an edge-preserving filter for obtaining at least some data of at least one image of the stereo pair of images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Raymond Kirk Price, Michael Bleyer, Christopher Douglas Edmonds
  • Publication number: 20230073172
    Abstract: A product for use in treating a subject, incorporating a light-conversion medium which receives ambient light of broad spectrum, and emits light at one or more peak wavelengths or ranges of wavelengths (?1, ?2, ?3) having greater intensity than corresponding intensity in the received broad spectrum ambient light. The products outlined are specifically designed for skin treatments of many different kinds, where the wavelengths chosen to have therapeutic or enhancing effects to the biological processes that occur inside or that directly affect the skin. The products can either exist as a unique treatment or be coupled with existing treatments in order to achieve an improved or differentiating result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2021
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Inventors: Zachary BOLDUC, Roy Alan BOLDUC, Douglas Price HEMLEPP
  • Publication number: 20170203170
    Abstract: A beach golf game system includes a shovel that may dig a plurality of holes in a support surface. A plurality of cups is provided and each of the cups is positioned within an associated one of the holes. Each of the cups defines an associated goal when the cups are positioned within positioned in an associated one of the holes. A plurality of putters is provided. A plurality of balls is provided and each of the balls may be placed on the support surface. A selected one of the balls is selectively struck by a selected one of the putters. The selected ball is urged toward a selected goal. A case is provided. The shovel, the cups, the markers, the putters and the balls is selectively stored in the case.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Inventor: Douglas Price
  • Patent number: 9602819
    Abstract: In a video coder/decoder system using variable resolution adaptation, decoder techniques provide a mechanism to changing resolution of coded lower-resolution video to a higher resolution for rendering. Coded video data of a low resolution frame may be decoded. A motion estimation search may be performed between the decoded low resolution frame and a cache of previously-stored high resolution video frames. If the motion estimation search generates one or more matches, high resolution video data of the decoded frame may generated as a derivation of matching data from the cached video frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Hsi-Jung Wu, Xiaosong Zhou, Douglas Price
  • Patent number: 9516305
    Abstract: An adaptive scaler switching system may implement multiple scalers including both a software scaler and a hardware scaler, and a controller that may manage the switch between scalers by considering the real-time constraints of the system and the available system resources. Information about the availability of system resources may be received in real-time, for example the controller may receive information about the system thermal status, the timing requirements for processing the video data, the quality of the scaled data, and any other relevant system statistics that may affect the scaler switch decision. According to an embodiment, the system may maintain statistics in a table, and update the table information as necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jiefu Zhai, Douglas Price, Albert Keinath, Xiaosong Zhou, Hsi-Jung Wu
  • Patent number: 9300846
    Abstract: In certain low-light or other poor image capture conditions, the camera capture settings may create noise fitting a known profile, including certain specific color ranges and signal frequencies, in the captured image. A pre-processor may identify frequency bands and DC offsets that may indicate noise in an image captured with known settings. Then the areas of the image containing the identified frequencies and offsets may be analyzed spatially and temporally to confirm that the identified regions are noise and not part of the scene and an appropriate filter defined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas Price, Xiaosong Zhou, Hsi-Jung Wu
  • Publication number: 20140072029
    Abstract: An adaptive scaler switching system may implement multiple scalers including both a software scaler and a hardware scaler, and a controller that may manage the switch between scalers by considering the real-time constraints of the system and the available system resources. Information about the availability of system resources may be received in real-time, for example the controller may receive information about the system thermal status, the timing requirements for processing the video data, the quality of the scaled data, and any other relevant system statistics that may affect the scaler switch decision. According to an embodiment, the system may maintain statistics in a table, and update the table information as necessary.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2013
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jiefu ZHAI, Douglas PRICE, Albert KEINATH, Xiaosong ZHOU, Hsi-Jung WU
  • Publication number: 20140071309
    Abstract: In certain low-light or other poor image capture conditions, the camera capture settings may create noise fitting a known profile, including certain specific color ranges and signal frequencies, in the captured image. A pre-processor may identify frequency bands and DC offsets that may indicate noise in an image captured with known settings. Then the areas of the image containing the identified frequencies and offsets may be analyzed spatially and temporally to confirm that the identified regions are noise and not part of the scene and an appropriate filter defined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2013
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas PRICE, Xiaosong ZHOU, Hsi-Jung WU
  • Patent number: D798247
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: NanoLumens Acquisition, Inc.
    Inventors: Drew F. Meincke, Jorge Perez-Bravo, Douglas A. Price