Patents by Inventor Hugh Phu Nguyen

Hugh Phu Nguyen 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: 20240037792
    Abstract: Optical center is determined on a column-by-column and row-by-row basis by identifying brightest pixels in respective columns and rows. The brightest pixels in each column are identified and a line is fit to those pixels. Similarly, brightest pixels in each row are identified and a second line is fit to those pixels. The intersection of the two lines is the optical center.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventors: Hugh Phu Nguyen, Paul Kalapathy
  • Patent number: 11790556
    Abstract: Optical center is determined on a column-by-column and row-by-row basis by identifying brightest pixels in respective columns and rows. The brightest pixels in each column are identified and a line is fit to those pixels. Similarly, brightest pixels in each row are identified and a second line is fit to those pixels. The intersection of the two lines is the optical center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Hugh Phu Nguyen, Paul Kalapathy
  • Patent number: 11451718
    Abstract: Alternating Current (AC) light sources can cause images captured using a rolling shutter to include alternating darker and brighter regions—known as flicker bands—due to some sensor rows being exposed to different intensities of light than others. Flicker bands may be compensated for by extracting them from images that are captured using exposures that at least partially overlap in time. Due to the overlap, the images may be subtracted from each other so that scene content substantially cancels out, leaving behind flicker bands. The images may be for a same frame captured by at least one sensor, such as different exposures for a frame. For example, the images used to extract flicker bands may be captured using different exposure times that share a common start time, such as using a multi-exposure sensor where light values are read out at different times during light integration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventor: Hugh Phu Nguyen
  • Publication number: 20220294970
    Abstract: Alternating Current (AC) light sources can cause images captured using a rolling shutter to include alternating darker and brighter regions—known as flicker bands—due to some sensor rows being exposed to different intensities of light than others. Flicker bands may be compensated for by extracting them from images that are captured using exposures that at least partially overlap in time. Due to the overlap, the images may be subtracted from each other so that scene content substantially cancels out, leaving behind flicker bands. The images may be for a same frame captured by at least one sensor, such as different exposures for a frame. For example, the images used to extract flicker bands may be captured using different exposure times that share a common start time, such as using a multi-exposure sensor where light values are read out at different times during light integration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2021
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Inventor: Hugh Phu Nguyen
  • Publication number: 20220270291
    Abstract: Optical center is determined on a column-by-column and row-by-row basis by identifying brightest pixels in respective columns and rows. The brightest pixels in each column are identified and a line is fit to those pixels. Similarly, brightest pixels in each row are identified and a second line is fit to those pixels. The intersection of the two lines is the optical center.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2021
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Inventors: Hugh Phu Nguyen, Paul Kalapathy
  • Patent number: 9621780
    Abstract: An efficient method and system for estimating an optimal focus position for capturing an image are presented. Embodiments of the present invention initially determine an initial lens position dataset. Then, scores are calculated for each value of the initial lens position dataset producing a plurality of scores. Embodiments of the present invention then determine an optimum focus position through interpolation and extrapolation by relating the initial lens position dataset to the score dataset, in which the score dataset comprises of the plurality of scores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hugh Phu Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9602793
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for processing sensor data in an image processor that implements at least one image enhancement process, the method comprising: a) performing a skin tone detection operation to identify skin tone areas in the sensor data; b) selectively modifying at least one image enhancement process for the identified skin tone areas; and c) applying the at least one modified image enhancement process to the identified skin tone areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Hugh Phu Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9578224
    Abstract: A system and method for enhanced automatic monoimaging. Embodiments of the present invention are operable for configuring a first camera based on a configuration determination by a second camera. The method includes capturing a first image with the first camera and determining an optical configuration based on an optical measurement performed by a second camera. In one embodiment, the second camera comprises a lower resolution sensor than a sensor of the first camera. The method further includes sending the optical configuration from the second camera to the first camera and adjusting a configuration of the first camera based on the optical configuration. The method further includes capturing a second image with the first camera. The first image and the second image may be preview images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Guanghua Gary Zhang, Michael Lin, Patrick Shehane, Hugh Phu Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9432590
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for reducing flicker in image frames captured with a rolling shutter. A flicker detection and correction engine selects a first channel from a first image frame for processing. The flicker detection and correction engine subtracts each pixel value in the first channel from a corresponding pixel value in a prior image frame to generate a difference image frame. The flicker detection and correction engine identifies a first alternating current (AC) component based on a discrete cosine transform (DCT) associated with the difference image frame. The flicker detection and correction engine reduces flicker that is present in the first image frame based on the first AC component. One advantage of the disclosed techniques is that the flicker resulting from fluctuating light sources is correctly detected and reduced or eliminated irrespective of the frequency of the fluctuating light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Hugh Phu Nguyen, Yining Deng, Eric Francois Xavier Dujardin, Abhinav Sinha
  • Patent number: 9392158
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention initially calculate a confidence score for the image environment surrounding the subject matter in order to determine the initial number of lens positions. Once the initial lens positions are determined, a sharpness score is calculated for each determined initial lens position. Using these sharpness scores, embodiments of the present invention generate a projection used to locate an estimated optimum focus position as well as to determine an estimated sharpness score at this lens position. Embodiments of the present invention then position the lens of the camera to calculate the actual sharpness score at the estimated optimum focus position, which is then compared to the estimated optimum sharpness score previously calculated. Based on this comparison, embodiments of the present invention dynamically determine whether it has a sufficient number of lens positions to determine the optimum focus position or if additional sample lens positions are needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hugh Phu Nguyen
  • Publication number: 20150207975
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for reducing flicker in image frames captured with a rolling shutter. A flicker detection and correction engine selects a first channel from a first image frame for processing. The flicker detection and correction engine subtracts each pixel value in the first channel from a corresponding pixel value in a prior image frame to generate a difference image frame. The flicker detection and correction engine identifies a first alternating current (AC) component based on a discrete cosine transform (DCT) associated with the difference image frame. The flicker detection and correction engine reduces flicker that is present in the first image frame based on the first AC component. One advantage of the disclosed techniques is that the flicker resulting from fluctuating light sources is correctly detected and reduced or eliminated irrespective of the frequency of the fluctuating light source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Publication date: July 23, 2015
    Applicant: NVIDIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hugh Phu NGUYEN, Yining DENG, Eric Francois Xavier DUJARDIN, Abhinav SINHA
  • Patent number: 8970744
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of correcting a captured image for lens shading artifacts, comprising for a given lens determining a function L(x,y) being a lens shading correction function to be applied to images captured by the lens in order to correct for lens shading artifacts; applying a sampling technique to sample the function L(x,y) at selected points; and storing the sampled function L(x,y) in memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Hugh Phu Nguyen
  • Publication number: 20140098283
    Abstract: An efficient method and system for estimating an optimal focus position for capturing an image are presented. Embodiments of the present invention initially determine an initial lens position dataset. Then, scores are calculated for each value of the initial lens position dataset producing a plurality of scores. Embodiments of the present invention then determine an optimum focus position through interpolation and extrapolation by relating the initial lens position dataset to the score dataset, in which the score dataset comprises of the plurality of scores.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: NVIDIA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hugh Phu Nguyen
  • Publication number: 20140099090
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention initially calculate a confidence score for the image environment surrounding the subject matter in order to determine the initial number of lens positions. Once the initial lens positions are determined, a sharpness score is calculated for each determined initial lens position. Using these sharpness scores, embodiments of the present invention generate a projection used to locate an estimated optimum focus position as well as to determine an estimated sharpness score at this lens position. Embodiments of the present invention then position the lens of the camera to calculate the actual sharpness score at the estimated optimum focus position, which is then compared to the estimated optimum sharpness score previously calculated. Based on this comparison, embodiments of the present invention dynamically determine whether it has a sufficient number of lens positions to determine the optimum focus position or if additional sample lens positions are needed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: NVIDIA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hugh Phu Nguyen
  • Publication number: 20140071330
    Abstract: A system and method for enhanced automatic monoimaging. Embodiments of the present invention are operable for configuring a first camera based on a configuration determination by a second camera. The method includes capturing a first image with the first camera and determining an optical configuration based on an optical measurement performed by a second camera. In one embodiment, the second camera comprises a lower resolution sensor than a sensor of the first camera. The method further includes sending the optical configuration from the second camera to the first camera and adjusting a configuration of the first camera based on the optical configuration. The method further includes capturing a second image with the first camera. The first image and the second image may be preview images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: NVIDIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Guanghua Gary Zhang, Michael Lin, Patrick Shehane, Hugh Phu Nguyen
  • Publication number: 20140071245
    Abstract: A system and method for stereoscopic image capture. The method includes capturing a first image with a first camera and capturing a second image with a second camera. The second camera comprises a lower resolution sensor than a sensor of the first camera. The method further includes determining a third image based on adjusting the first image to a resolution of the lower resolution sensor of the second camera and generating a stereoscopic image comprising the second image and the third image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: NVIDIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Guanghua Gary Zhang, Michael Lin, Patrick Shehane, Hugh Phu Nguyen
  • Patent number: 8223229
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of correcting a captured image for lens shading artifacts, the captured image being captured by an image capture system, the method comprising: determining a function L(x, y) being a lens shading correction function to be applied to images captured by a lens of the image capture system in order to correct for lens shading artifacts; if a focal length associated with the captured image is less than a focal length associated with, the function L(x, y) then cropping the function L(x, y) based on the focal length associated with the captured image; and scaling the cropped function L(x, y) to a size of the tin-cropped Junction L(x, y).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Nethra Imaging Inc
    Inventor: Hugh Phu Nguyen
  • Publication number: 20110134275
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for processing sensor data in an image processor that implements at least one image enhancement process, the method comprising: a) performing a skin tone detection operation to identify skin tone areas in the sensor data; b) selectively modifying at least one image enhancement process for the identified skin tone areas; and c) applying the at least one modified image enhancement process to the identified skin tone areas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2009
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Inventor: Hugh Phu Nguyen
  • Publication number: 20110001854
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of correcting a captured image for lens shading artifacts, the captured image being captured by an image capture system, the method comprising: determining a function L(x, y) being a lens shading correction function to be applied to images captured by a lens of the image capture system in order to correct for lens shading artifacts; if a focal length associated with the captured image is less than a focal length associated with, the function L(x, y) then cropping the function L(x, y) based on the focal length associated with the captured image; and scaling the cropped function L(x, y) to a size of the tin-cropped Junction L(x, y).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Publication date: January 6, 2011
    Inventor: HUGH PHU NGUYEN
  • Publication number: 20110001848
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of correcting a captured image for lens shading artifacts, comprising for a given lens determining a function L(x,y) being a lens shading correction function to be applied to images captured by the lens in order to correct for lens shading artifacts; applying a sampling technique to sample the function L(x,y) at selected points; and storing the sampled function L(x,y) in memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Publication date: January 6, 2011
    Inventor: HUGH PHU NGUYEN