Abstract: Several embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to medical visualization systems that comprise combinations of disposable and reusable components, such as catheters, functional handles, hubs, optical devices, etc. Other embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to features and aspects of an in-vivo visualization system that comprises an endoscope having a working channel through which a catheter having viewing capabilities is routed. the catheter may obtain viewing capabilities by being constructed as a vision catheter or by having a fiberscope or other viewing device selectively routed through one of its channels. The catheter is preferably of the steerable type so that the distal end of the catheter may be steered from its proximal end as it is advanced with the body. A suitable use for the in-vivo visualization system includes but is not limited to diagnosis and/or treatment of the duodenum, and particularly the biliary tree.

Abstract: A multi-material golf shaft having a butt portion joined to a tip portion and possessing unique relationships, including rigidity relationships, which provide beneficial performance characteristics.

Abstract: A power-take off (PTO) system for a vehicle having a powertrain comprising an engine and a hybrid electric transmission includes a PTO device configured to provide power to an accessory load of the vehicle, a housing for a gear clutch of the transmission, the housing being formed of steel, needle bearings for the gear clutch, and a gear defined by or attached to an outer surface of the housing, wherein at least one electric motor of the transmission is configured to drive the PTO device via the gear clutch and the gear while the engine is disconnected from the transmission or is shut off.

Abstract: A shift system and methodology for an automatic transmission of a vehicle is provided. The shift system includes a paddle shifter system configured to be controlled to manually shift gears of the transmission, and a manual gate console shifter system configured to be controlled to manually shift the gears of the transmission when in a manual gate shifting mode. A shift control system is configured to control shifting behavior of the transmission based on whether the paddle shifter system or manual gate shifting mode is activated. When the paddle shifter system is activated, the shift control system automatically upshifts a gear of the transmission when a speed of the engine exceeds a predetermined speed, and when the manual gate shifting mode is activated, the shift control system prevents automatically upshift a transmission gear when the speed of the engine exceeds the predetermined speed.

Abstract: A power-take off (PTO) system for a vehicle having a powertrain comprising an engine and a hybrid electric transmission includes a PTO device configured to provide power to an accessory load of the vehicle, a housing for a gear clutch of the transmission, the housing being formed of steel, needle bearings for the gear clutch, and a gear defined by or attached to an outer surface of the housing, wherein at least one electric motor of the transmission is configured to drive the PTO device via the gear clutch and the gear while the engine is disconnected from the transmission or is shut off.

Abstract: A method of indicating a medium misfeed along a medium transport path comprising one or more rollers for conveying the medium along the medium transport path; a microphone for detecting the sound of the conveyed medium and producing a signal representing the sound; a processor for producing sound values from the signal; providing a sensitivity setting responsive to the sound values; and indicating the medium misfeed responsive to the sound values and the sensitivity setting.

Abstract: A method of producing barcode locations within a document comprising providing an original digital image of the document; using a processor for producing a normalized image from the original digital image; producing a gradient image from the normalized image; producing a plurality of bounding boxes from the gradient image; and producing bounding box test results by testing each bounding box for the presence of a barcode; and producing barcode locations within the document from the bounding box test results.

Abstract: A method of indicating a medium jam along a medium transport path comprising one or more rollers for use in conveying the medium along the medium transport path; a microphone for detecting the sound of the medium being conveyed and producing a signal representing the sound; a processor for producing sound values from the signal and computing a moving window sum responsive to the sound values; computing a high amplitude count responsive to the sound values; and computing a post roller sum responsive to the sound values; and indicating the medium jam responsive to the moving window sum, high amplitude count, or post roller sum.

Abstract: A method of providing an all-in-focus video from a single captured video is disclosed. The method uses a processor to perform the steps of acquiring a single captured video of a scene such that during capture there are at least two differing focus settings by using the single captured video to provide a plurality of videos having at least a first video at the first focus setting and a second video at the second focus setting and providing an all-in-focus video from the plurality of videos.

Abstract: A method of producing barcode locations within a document comprising providing an original digital image of the document; using a processor for producing a normalized image from the original digital image; producing a gradient image from the normalized image; producing a plurality of bounding boxes from the gradient image; and producing bounding box test results by testing each bounding box for the presence of a barcode; and producing barcode locations within the document from the bounding box test results.

Abstract: A method of indicating a medium misfeed along a medium transport path comprising one or more rollers for conveying the medium along the medium transport path; a microphone for detecting the sound of the conveyed medium and producing a signal representing the sound; a processor for producing sound values from the signal; providing a sensitivity setting responsive to the sound values; and indicating the medium misfeed responsive to the sound values and the sensitivity setting.

Abstract: A method of indicating a medium jam along a medium transport path comprising one or more rollers for use in conveying the medium along the medium transport path; a microphone for detecting the sound of the medium being conveyed and producing a signal representing the sound; a processor for producing sound values from the signal and computing a moving window sum responsive to the sound values; computing a high amplitude count responsive to the sound values; and computing a post roller sum responsive to the sound values; and indicating the medium jam responsive to the moving window sum, high amplitude count, or post roller sum.

Abstract: A method for resizing an input digital image to provide a high-resolution output digital image having a larger number of image pixels. The input image pixels in the input digital image are analyzed and assigned to different pixel classifications. A plurality of pixel generation processes are provided, each pixel generation process being associated with a different pixel classification and being adapted to operate on a neighborhood of input image pixels around a particular input image pixel to provide a plurality of output image pixels. Each input image pixel is processed using a pixel generation process that is selected in accordance with the corresponding pixel classification to produce the high-resolution output digital image.

Abstract: A method of enhancing a full-color image of a scene includes capturing an image of the scene using a two-dimensional sensor array having both color and panchromatic pixels, forming an edge map in response to the panchromatic pixels, forming the full-color image in response to the captured color pixels, and using the edge map to enhance the full-color image.

Abstract: A method of providing a refocused image, includes using a processor to perform the steps of acquiring at least two captured images of a scene with differing focus settings, using the at least two captured images to provide an all-in-focus image, generating a range map from the at least two captured images, locating a region-of-interest (ROI) window from the range map, and providing a refocused image from the all-in-focus image and the region-of-interest (ROI) window.

Abstract: A method of providing a super-resolution image is disclosed. The method uses a processor to perform the following steps of acquiring a captured low-resolution image of a scene and resizing the low-resolution image to provide a high-resolution image. The method further includes computing local edge parameters including local edge orientations and local edge centers of gravity from the high-resolution image, selecting edge pixels in the high-resolution image responsive to the local edge parameters, and modifying the high-resolution image in response to the selected edge pixels to provide a super-resolution image.

Abstract: A method of providing an all-in-focus video from a single captured video is disclosed. The method uses a processor to perform the steps of acquiring a single captured video of a scene such that during capture there are at least two differing focus settings by using the single captured video to provide a plurality of videos having at least a first video at the first focus setting and a second video at the second focus setting and providing an all-in-focus video from the plurality of videos.

Abstract: A method for reducing noise in an image captured using a digital image sensor having pixels being arranged in a rectangular minimal repeating unit, comprising: computing first weighted pixel differences by combining first pixel differences between the pixel value of a central pixel and pixel values for nearby pixels of the first channel in a plurality of directions with corresponding local edge-responsive weighting values; computing second weighted pixel differences by combining second pixel differences between pixel values for pixels of at least one different channel in the plurality of directions with corresponding local edge-responsive weighting values; and computing a noise-reduced pixel value for the central pixel by combining the first and second weighted pixel differences with the pixel value for the central pixel.

Abstract: A method for reducing noise in a color image captured using a digital image sensor having pixels being arranged in a rectangular minimal repeating unit. The method comprises, for a first color channel, determining noise reduced-pixel values using a first noise reducing process that includes computing weighted pixel differences by combining the pixel differences with corresponding local edge-responsive weighting values. The method further comprises a second noise reducing process that includes computing weighted chroma differences by combining chroma differences with corresponding local edge-responsive weighting values.

Abstract: A method is described for forming a full-color output image from a color filter array image comprising capturing an image using an image sensor including panchromatic pixels and color pixels having at least two different color responses, the pixels being arranged in a rectangular minimal repeating unit wherein for a first color response, the color pixels having the first color response alternate with panchromatic pixels in at least two directions, and for each of the other color responses there is at least one row, column or diagonal of the repeating pattern that only has color pixels of the given color response and panchromatic pixels. The method further comprising, computing an interpolated panchromatic image from the color filter array image; computing an interpolated color image from the color filter array image; and forming the full color output image from the interpolated panchromatic image and the interpolated color image.