Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are provided for determining whether a user intends to provide an input using an image of a control appearing on a surface. An apparatus may include first and second cameras to capture set and second sets of two or more images of the surface, and a unit to determine whether various conditions are true. A first condition is that a particular number of skin-color pixels are present within one cell of the two or more images. A cell location substantially coincides with the image of the control. A second condition is that the skin-color pixels persist for at least a particular time period. A third condition is that a region of skin-color pixels has a substantially rectangular shape. A fourth condition is that corresponding edges of skin-color pixels in the first and second sets of images are within a predefined offset distance. Additional conditions are disclosed.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are provided for determining whether a user intends to provide an input using an image of a control appearing on a surface. An apparatus may include first and second cameras to capture set and second sets of two or more images of the surface, and a unit to determine whether various conditions are true. A first condition is that a particular number of skin-color pixels are present within one cell of the two or more images. A cell location substantially coincides with the image of the control. A second condition is that the skin-color pixels persist for at least a particular time period. A third condition is that a region of skin-color pixels has a substantially rectangular shape. A fourth condition is that corresponding edges of skin-color pixels in the first and second sets of images are within a predefined offset distance. Additional conditions are disclosed.

Abstract: A calibration image including dots and scale points is projected at first and second display surfaces. A location of a scale point may be modified. A location for a registration point is determined and the registration point is added to the calibration image. The projected calibration image is captured. A location of the captured registration point and locations captured scale points are identified. Captured dots that are projected onto the first display surface and their locations are identified. Each of the captured dots identified as being projected onto the first display surface are mapped to a corresponding dot of the calibration image. Dots of the calibration image that are not projected onto the first display surface are identified, locations of each of the identified dots are determined, and a synthetic dot is added to the captured image for each identified dot. The captured image may be provided as input to a process for determining one or more inverse offsets.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for determining whether a user intends to provide an input using an image of a control appearing on a surface. An apparatus may include a first camera to capture two or more images of the surface, and a unit to determine whether various conditions are true. A first condition is that a particular number of pixels classified as skin color are present within one cell of the two or more images. A cell has a location substantially coinciding with the image of the control. A second condition is that the pixels classified as skin color persist for at least a particular time period. A third condition is that the pixels classified as skin color have a first shape. Additional conditions are disclosed. A signal indicative of an intent of a user to provide an input may be provided if the each of the first, second, and third conditions are true.

Abstract: Various embodiments are disclosed. A cooking vessel may include a cover, thermionic power converter, and a handle having a memory, a transmitter, and an IR light emitting diode. An infrared image sensor may be used with the IR light emitting to determine a location of the cooking vessel. A sensor and a transmitter may be disposed in the vessel cover to detect and transmit an indication of a boil condition. A system may include a sensor to detect a weight of a cooking vessel and a receiver to receive from the cooking vessel a memory-stored property of the cooking vessel, and a processing unit. The processing unit may determine a weight of the food and a predicted cooking time. The system may include a projected user interface and a proximity sensor. An apparatus may include an image sensor to capture a reference image and current images of a surface. A location of a cell on the surface may be determined from the images.

Abstract: A calibration image including dots and scale points is projected at first and second display surfaces. A location of a scale point may be modified. A location for a registration point is determined and the registration point is added to the calibration image. The projected calibration image is captured. A location of the captured registration point and locations captured scale points are identified. Captured dots that are projected onto the first display surface and their locations are identified. Each of the captured dots identified as being projected onto the first display surface are mapped to a corresponding dot of the calibration image. Dots of the calibration image that are not projected onto the first display surface are identified, locations of each of the identified dots are determined, and a synthetic dot is added to the captured image for each identified dot. The captured image may be provided as input to a process for determining one or more inverse offsets.

Abstract: An apparatus for double-buffering a sequence of frames of pixel data for display is disclosed. The apparatus comprises two frame buffers, a read unit to read a first frame of pixel data from a first one of the two frame buffers, a write-switch point determiner, and a write-buffer selector. The write-switch point determiner determines a safe write-switch point in the first one of the two frame buffers. The safe write-switch point is determined, at least in part, by an average rate at which data is written to the frame buffers and an average rate at which data is read from the frame buffers. The write-buffer selector determines if the reading of the first frame has progressed beyond the safe write-switch point, and selects one of the two frame buffers to write a second frame of pixel data based on the determination.

Abstract: A method is provided for transmitting image data in a plurality of formats simultaneously over a data path. Successive data blocks, each comprising compressed image data representing a block of pixels of a first image are transmitted over a data path. During intervals between transmission of the successive data blocks, image data representing at least a portion of a second image is transmitted along the data path. An imaging module and imaging device capable of transmitting high resolution compressed data and lo resolution uncompressed data simultaneously over a data path are also provided.

Abstract: In a preferred embodiment, a system includes a host, an image data source, and a graphics controller. The image data source provides a frame corresponding to a particular image size. The graphics controller is receives the frame. Preferably, the graphics controller is remote from the image data source and the host, and includes a fitting module for calculating a scale factor based on the image size, and a scaling unit for scaling the image according to the scale factor. In another preferred embodiment, a system includes a display device of a particular resolution, a memory, and a graphics controller. The memory is for storing a frame corresponding to a particular image size. The graphics controller preferably includes: a fitting module for calculating a scale factor based on the image size and the display device resolution, and a scaling unit for scaling the image according to the scale factor. The graphics controller may be adapted for retrieving the display device resolution from the display device.

Abstract: Pixel activation time based brightness uniformity control of a display device is disclosed. A number of pixels within the display device are identified as needing an intensity adjustment when digital image data is rendered by the display device. An activation time of the number of identified pixels is adjusted relative to other pixels within the display device during scanning of the display device to render the digital image data. The adjusted activation time causes the number of identified pixels to be visually perceived as having a correspondingly adjusted intensity.

Abstract: A graphics controller for preventing display artifacts from occurring in an output display image is described. The graphics controller includes input window logic, output window logic, line counter logic, smart blanker logic, and a display interface. The smart blanker logic is configured to receive image data from the output window logic and generate modified image data. The modified image data contains output image data in a region of the output display image that will not contain the display artifacts and data for blank pixels in a region of the output display image that can contain the display artifacts. The display interface is configured to receive the modified image data and output the modified image data to a display device.

Abstract: In a preferred embodiment, a system includes a host, an image data source, and a graphics controller. The image data source provides a frame corresponding to a particular image size. The graphics controller is receives the frame. Preferably, the graphics controller is remote from the image data source and the host, and includes a fitting module for calculating a scale factor based on the image size, and a scaling unit for scaling the image according to the scale factor. In another preferred embodiment, a system includes a display device of a particular resolution, a memory, and a graphics controller. The memory is for storing a frame corresponding to a particular image size. The graphics controller preferably includes: a fitting module for calculating a scale factor based on the image size and the display device resolution, and a scaling unit for scaling the image according to the scale factor. The graphics controller may be adapted for retrieving the display device resolution from the display device.

Abstract: A display controller is provided. The display controller includes a memory configured to store image data and a register configured to store data representing a border color. Auto-centering circuitry configured to cause the image data to be displayed in a center region of a display while surrounding the center region with the border color is included. The auto-centering circuitry includes selection logic in communication with the memory and the register. The auto-centering circuitry further includes selection control logic in communication with the selection logic. The selection control logic is configured to select the image data or the border color to be output from the selection logic. Counter circuitry tracking a vertical and horizontal position on the display corresponding to the output from the selection logic is included within the auto-centering circuitry.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method and apparatus for selectively reducing the depth of digital data. Multiple bit digital data is transmitted to a data receiving device on a plurality of data output lines. Each data output line corresponds, respectively, to a unique one of the bits of the data. A determination is made whether, in the data receiving device, a power saving mode of operation of the device is to be initiated. If so, one or more of the data output lines are selected as non-transmitting data lines, one or more remaining data input lines are driven with corresponding bits of the data, and the non-receiving data lines are placed in a neutral state.

Abstract: A method is provided for transmitting image data in a plurality of formats simultaneously over a data path. Successive data blocks, each comprising compressed image data representing a block of pixels of a first image are transmitted over a data path. During intervals between transmission of the successive data blocks, image data representing at least a portion of a second image is transmitted along the data path. An imaging module and imaging device capable of transmitting high resolution compressed data and lo resolution uncompressed data simultaneously over a data path are also provided.

Abstract: Provided is a method and apparatus for generating a single header from a stream of image data. A first frame of image data of the stream of image data is received by a graphics controller, which generates the header. The header is then stored in buffers of a memory of the graphics controller. Subsequently, encoded image data of the first frame of image data and subsequent frames of image data are stored at an offset from the header within the buffers. Thereafter, when a processor decodes the encoded image data, the processor retrieves the contents of the buffer having the header of the first frame of image data and encoded image data.

Abstract: A graphics controller and associated method of operation is provided. The graphics controller includes a memory for receiving image data from an image producing source. The graphics controller also includes an image data wrapper module having circuitry that operates independent of a processor external to the graphics controller. The image data wrapper module is configured to read image data from the memory and package the image data with transmission protocol formatting for transmission from the graphics controller to a memory card that is external to the graphics controller. The graphics controller further includes a memory card interface configured to enable transmission of the image data, having been packaged by the image data wrapper module, from the graphics controller to the memory card.

Abstract: A system and method for performing automatic partial transfers of image data includes a display controller with controller logic, a rectangle module, and an automatic transfer module. The rectangle module detects write operations to on-screen data in a video memory, and then updates a transfer rectangle to include written data from the foregoing write operations. The controller logic sets a transfer flag in response to a transfer trigger event in the display controller for initiating an automatic partial transfer operation from the video memory to a display device. The automatic transfer module performs automatic transfer configuration procedures to prepare the display device for the automatic partial transfer operation. The automatic transfer module then automatically transfers rectangle data of the transfer rectangle from the video memory to the display device to complete the automatic partial transfer operation.

Abstract: A hardware implemented method for rotating an image about a user defined reference point is provided. In this method, the user defined reference point is received and the user defined reference point is capable of being defined outside the image. Subsequently, a position of the image is calculated whereby the position defines a location of the image after rotation about the user defined reference point. An order to fetch one or more image pixels from memory is then calculated. The order defines a rotation of the image after rotation about the user defined reference point. Thereafter, the image pixels are fetched from the memory according to the calculated order. An apparatus and a display controller for rotating the image about the user defined reference point also are described.

Abstract: A method and associated apparatus is provided for displaying a live image in a display window without corruption or loss of image data. More specifically, the method and associated apparatus maintain consistency between a size of an image to be displayed and a size of a display window in which the image is to be displayed. The method requires implementation of dimension value changes associated with the image to be displayed and the display window to be delayed until all required dimension value changes have been stored in a memory. Upon completion of storing each required dimension value change in the memory, a size change completion signal is provided by setting an enable bit within the memory. Upon receipt of a trigger signal while the enable bit is set, the dimension value changes associated with the image to be displayed and the display window are implemented together.