Patents by Inventor Mark A. Robertson
Mark A. Robertson 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).
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Publication number: 20130028801Abstract: A system configured for the production of at least one product selected from the group consisting of syngas, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis products, power, and chemicals, the system comprising a dual fluidized bed gasification apparatus and at least one apparatus selected from power production apparatus configured to produce power from the gasification product gas, partial oxidation reactors configured for oxidation of at least a portion of the product gas, tar removal apparatus configured to reduce the amount of tar in the product gas, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis apparatus configured to produce Fischer-Tropsch synthesis products from at least a portion of the product gas, chemical production apparatus configured for the production of at least one non-Fischer-Tropsch product from at least a portion of the product gas, and dual fluidized bed gasification units configured to alter the composition of the product gas. Methods of operating the system are also provided.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2012Publication date: January 31, 2013Applicant: RENTECH, INC.Inventors: Weibin Jiang, Bruce E. McComish, Bryan C. Borum, Benjamin H. Carryer, Mark D. Ibsen, Mark Robertson, Eric Elrod, Sim Weeks, Harold A. Wright
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Publication number: 20130030062Abstract: A system configured for the production of at least one product selected from the group consisting of syngas, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis products, power, and chemicals, the system comprising a dual fluidized bed gasification apparatus and at least one apparatus selected from power production apparatus configured to produce power from the gasification product gas, partial oxidation reactors configured for oxidation of at least a portion of the product gas, tar removal apparatus configured to reduce the amount of tar in the product gas, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis apparatus configured to produce Fischer-Tropsch synthesis products from at least a portion of the product gas, chemical production apparatus configured for the production of at least one non-Fischer-Tropsch product from at least a portion of the product gas, and dual fluidized bed gasification units configured to alter the composition of the product gas. Methods of operating the system are also provided.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2012Publication date: January 31, 2013Applicant: RENTECH, INC.Inventors: Weibin Jiang, Bruce E. McComish, Bryan C. Borum, Benjamin H. Carryer, Mark D. Ibsen, Mark Robertson, Eric Elrod, Sim Weeks, Harold A. Wright
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Publication number: 20130028802Abstract: A system configured for the production of at least one product selected from the group consisting of syngas, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis products, power, and chemicals, the system comprising a dual fluidized bed gasification apparatus and at least one apparatus selected from power production apparatus configured to produce power from the gasification product gas, partial oxidation reactors configured for oxidation of at least a portion of the product gas, tar removal apparatus configured to reduce the amount of tar in the product gas, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis apparatus configured to produce Fischer-Tropsch synthesis products from at least a portion of the product gas, chemical production apparatus configured for the production of at least one non-Fischer-Tropsch product from at least a portion of the product gas, and dual fluidized bed gasification units configured to alter the composition of the product gas. Methods of operating the system are also provided.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2012Publication date: January 31, 2013Applicant: RENTECH, INC.Inventors: Weibin Jiang, Bruce E. McComish, Bryan C. Borum, Benjamin H. Carryer, Mark D. Ibsen, Mark Robertson, Eric Elrod, Sim Weeks, Harold A. Wright
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Publication number: 20130025281Abstract: A system configured for the production of at least one product selected from the group consisting of syngas, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis products, power, and chemicals, the system comprising a dual fluidized bed gasification apparatus and at least one apparatus selected from power production apparatus configured to produce power from the gasification product gas, partial oxidation reactors configured for oxidation of at least a portion of the product gas, tar removal apparatus configured to reduce the amount of tar in the product gas, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis apparatus configured to produce Fischer-Tropsch synthesis products from at least a portion of the product gas, chemical production apparatus configured for the production of at least one non-Fischer-Tropsch product from at least a portion of the product gas, and dual fluidized bed gasification units configured to alter the composition of the product gas. Methods of operating the system are also provided.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2012Publication date: January 31, 2013Applicant: RENTECH, INC.Inventors: Weibin Jiang, Bruce E. McComish, Bryan C. Borum, Benjamin H. Carryer, Mark D. Ibsen, Mark Robertson, Eric Elrod, Sim Weeks, Harold A. Wright
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Patent number: 8345158Abstract: Apparatus and methods for generating a shutter-time compensated high spatial resolution (HR) image output by enhancing lower spatial resolution (LR) video images with information obtained from higher spatial resolution still images which are temporally decimated. Super-resolved images and LR SAD information is generated from the LR images and used for directing the extracting of information from the temporally decimated HR images to enhance the spatial resolution of the LR images in a blending process. By way of example blending can comprise: motion estimation, motion compensation of a temporally displaced HR still images and a super-resolved (SR) image input, transformation (e.g., DCT), generating motion error output, blending motion compensated images in response to LR motion error information; inverse-transformation into a shutter-time compensated HR video image output. Accordingly, a more cost effective solution is taught for obtaining a desired shutter time and video resolution.Type: GrantFiled: March 21, 2008Date of Patent: January 1, 2013Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.Inventors: Mark Robertson, Ming-Chang Liu
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Publication number: 20120263356Abstract: Efficient representation of color digital pathology images (DPI) is described herein, which is accomplished by exploiting properties unique to such images. The method decomposes the data into constituent parts whose relative importance is able to be specified, allowing the data to be accurately represented with less bit precision, less spatial resolution or less spectral resolution. Two specific areas where the method is able to be utilized include: (1) more-efficient image compression; and (2) more efficient processing of the data. Efficient image compression is accomplished by assigning fewer bits to less-important colors. Efficient data processing is accomplished by processing only those colors, or combinations of colors, that are deemed important.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 12, 2011Publication date: October 18, 2012Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Mark Robertson, Ming-Chang Liu, Ximin Zhang
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Patent number: 8285079Abstract: An image alignment method includes computationally efficient methods of achieving high-accuracy local motion estimates by using phase correlation. The method also estimates motion reliability that allows a generic robust model fitting algorithm to produce more accurate results while operating much more efficiently. One of three methods are used to determine sub-pel motion estimation with improved accuracy. Each of the sub-pel motion estimation methods uses phase correlation, and are based on fitting computationally efficient 2-D quadratic surfaces to a phase correlation surface. A pre-filter is applied which shapes the phase correlation surface to enable appropriate fitting to the quadratic surface. Bias is also compensated for prior to applying a sub-pel motion estimation method. The method also estimates the reliability of the sub-pel motion estimates determined using phase correlation.Type: GrantFiled: March 19, 2010Date of Patent: October 9, 2012Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Mark A Robertson, Ming-Chang Liu
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Patent number: 8233709Abstract: Implementing color effects in compressed digital video is improved upon by re-using the original video's compression parameters during the re-encoding stage, such that the parameters do not need to be re-estimated by the encoder. This improved method reduces complexity and also improves quality. Quality is improved due to re-use of the compression parameters since accumulated error which is common when re-encoding compressed video is prevented. For digital negatives, the effect is able to be implemented even more efficiently.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2009Date of Patent: July 31, 2012Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.Inventors: Mark A. Robertson, Ming-Chang Liu
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Patent number: 8228400Abstract: Simulating a long exposure-time image from a sequence of short exposure-time images captured at slightly different times. The sequence of images is combined in a temporal integration process to create a long exposure image that simulates the output from a still camera, steadied by a tripod, whose light-sensitive material has been exposed to the same scene from the time of the beginning of the first input image of the sequence to the last image of the input sequence. The method overcomes limitations of hand-held video and image recording devices, allowing the user to easily create effects normally associated with high-end digital still cameras under expert control.Type: GrantFiled: April 17, 2009Date of Patent: July 24, 2012Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.Inventors: Ming-Chang Liu, Mark Robertson
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Publication number: 20120098986Abstract: A method of improving accuracy and reliability of motion estimation is described herein. In one aspect, a 2D neighborhood of phase correlation peak is approximated with an outer-product of two 1D vectors to eliminate the sub-pixel error. In another aspect, estimation of reliability is improved. In yet another aspect, two-pass phase correlation is implemented to eliminate sub-pel motion bias.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2010Publication date: April 26, 2012Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Mark Robertson, Ming-Chang Liu, Yoshihiro Murakami, Toru Kurata, Yutaka Yoneda
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Publication number: 20120099651Abstract: Phase correlation is an established method for computing motion which relies on the ability to find peaks in a computed phase correlation surface. Two methods to improve the ability to detect peaks in the phase correlation surface are described herein. The first method applies a theoretically-derived and spatially-varying gain to the phase correlation surface. The gain compensates for peaks whose amplitudes have been decreased due to windowing effects; such effects are unavoidable in phase correlation. The second method uses concepts from matched filters to improve detection of peaks whose amplitudes are diminished due to a spreading of the peak energy into surrounding positions in the phase correlation surface. Peak detection filters allow such low-amplitude peaks to be properly detected. It is possible to use only the first method, or only the second method or both methods combined.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2010Publication date: April 26, 2012Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Mark Robertson, Ming-Chang Liu, Yoshihiro Murakami, Toru Kurata, Yutaka Yoneda
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Publication number: 20120098985Abstract: A method and system to improve the performance of phase correlation motion estimation for low-bit-precision implementation are described herein. Phase correlation uses the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) with operations with infinite-precision constants. Since physical implementations use finite-precision arithmetic, there is some loss in precision relative to the ideal infinite-precision case. In low-complexity implementations, it is desirable to use as few bits as possible, and if the precision is too low, the performance of traditional phase correlation suffers. A pre-processing technique is applied to the data prior to taking the FFT, which minimizes the negative effects of finite precision in the FFT and allows high quality results from phase correlation. The pre-processing step is a content-dependent contrast adjustment that maps the range of the input images' pixel values to the range of input values for the FFT. There is no post-processing required after the FFT to compensate for the pre-processing step.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2010Publication date: April 26, 2012Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Mark Robertson, Ming-Chang Liu, Yoshihiro Murakami, Toru Kurata, Yutaka Yoneda
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Patent number: 8098732Abstract: The present invention discloses systems for and methods of transcoding first video data in a first format, such as AVC, into second video data in a second format, such as MPEG-2. A method in accordance with the present invention disables deblocking filters, bypasses macroblock encoding for certain picture types, such as B-pictures, and re-uses motion vectors. In one embodiment, motion vectors for the second video data are set substantially equal to motion vectors for the first video data, when the two differ by less than a threshold value. In other embodiments, only macroblocks that contain all zero-valued blocks bypass the transcoding process, thereby simplifying the transcoding process further. Other embodiments further simplify the transcoding process by requiring that B-pictures are not used as reference pictures, reference pictures in the second video data are restricted to be the same as reference pictures in the first video data, and bi-predictions are not allowed.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2007Date of Patent: January 17, 2012Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.Inventor: Mark A. Robertson
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TAIL THE MOTION METHOD OF GENERATING SIMULATED STROBE MOTION VIDEOS AND PICTURES USING IMAGE CLONING
Publication number: 20120002112Abstract: The apparatus generates simulated strobe effects in the form of video or still image output in response to receipt of a video stream, and without the need of additional strobe hardware. Videos of a moving target object are categorized into one of multiple categories, from which a strobe generation process is selected. In one mode, the two categories comprise target objects with either small motion or large motions in relation to the frame size. Interoperation between image registration and cloning are utilized to produce simulated strobe motion videos or pictures. Motion segmentation is applied to the foreground object in each image frame, and a foreground mask is updated as each checkpoint is reached along the object trajectory, such as in response to time differences between checkpoints. Potential applications include special features for camcorders, digital cameras, or computer software.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2010Publication date: January 5, 2012Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Kuang-Man Huang, Mark Robertson, Ming-Chang Liu -
Publication number: 20110229056Abstract: An image alignment method includes computationally efficient methods of achieving high-accuracy local motion estimates by using phase correlation. The method also estimates motion reliability that allows a generic robust model fitting algorithm to produce more accurate results while operating much more efficiently. One of three methods are used to determine sub-pel motion estimation with improved accuracy. Each of the sub-pel motion estimation methods uses phase correlation, and are based on fitting computationally efficient 2-D quadratic surfaces to a phase correlation surface. A pre-filter is applied which shapes the phase correlation surface to enable appropriate fitting to the quadratic surface. Bias is also compensated for prior to applying a sub-pel motion estimation method. The method also estimates the reliability of the sub-pel motion estimates determined using phase correlation.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 19, 2010Publication date: September 22, 2011Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Mark A. Robertson, Ming-Chang Liu
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Publication number: 20110176013Abstract: A method to estimate segmented motion uses phase correlation to identify local motion candidates and a region-growing algorithm to group small picture units into few distinct regions, each of which has its own motion according to optimal matching and grouping criteria. Phase correlation and region growing are combined which allows sharing of information. Using phase correlation to identify a small number of motion candidates allows the space of possible motions to be narrowed. The region growing uses efficient management of lists of matching criteria to avoid repetitively evaluating matching criteria.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 19, 2010Publication date: July 21, 2011Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Mark Robertson, Ming-Chang Liu
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Publication number: 20100265313Abstract: Apparatus and method for automatically generating panoramic still photographs from a sequence of images collected during panning. Programming within the camera allows creating the panoramic image output from multiple captured stills and/or video frames without laborious user “stitching”. A sequence of images are captured under control of the camera which span a desired subject area being panned (in any direction) by the user. As the images are being captured, the programming assures that the edges of adjacent images in the sequence sufficiently overlap one another as the desired subject area is being panned, as well as controlling other necessary camera adjustments (e.g., maintaining fixed focus). A set of sequential overlapping image frames is collected and combined to create at least one panoramic still photograph. The user can preferably change settings to control how the images are put together into the panoramic image output.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 17, 2009Publication date: October 21, 2010Applicants: SONY CORPORATION, SONY ELECTRONICS, INC.Inventors: Ming-Chang Liu, Mark Robertson
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Publication number: 20100265357Abstract: Simulating a long exposure-time image from a sequence of short exposure-time images captured at slightly different times. The sequence of images is combined in a temporal integration process to create a long exposure image that simulates the output from a still camera, steadied by a tripod, whose light-sensitive material has been exposed to the same scene from the time of the beginning of the first input image of the sequence to the last image of the input sequence. The method overcomes limitations of hand-held video and image recording devices, allowing the user to easily create effects normally associated with high-end digital still cameras under expert control.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 17, 2009Publication date: October 21, 2010Applicants: SONY CORPORATION, SONY ELECTRONICS, INC.Inventors: Ming-Chang Liu, Mark Robertson
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Publication number: 20100230121Abstract: Firefighting bucket (11) suspended from an aircraft by lines (15), has open top (12A) and a valve at base (13). The valve is attachable to the aircraft by remotely actuatable line (16) and independent movement of lines (15-16) may utilize the weight of the water to facilitate opening and closing of the valve. Dynamic sensing of a bucket attribute, e.g. weight, enables bucket (11) to be filled or discharged by a pre-determined volume by the pilot. Chemical fire retardant may be added by entraining it with water discharging from the valve.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 29, 2010Publication date: September 16, 2010Inventors: Geoff HALL, Mark Robertson
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Publication number: 20100226567Abstract: Implementing color effects in compressed digital video is improved upon by re-using the original video's compression parameters during the re-encoding stage, such that the parameters do not need to be re-estimated by the encoder. This improved method reduces complexity and also improves quality. Quality is improved due to re-use of the compression parameters since accumulated error which is common when re-encoding compressed video is prevented. For digital negatives, the effect is able to be implemented even more efficiently.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2009Publication date: September 9, 2010Applicants: SONY CORPORATION, a Japanese corporation, SONY ELECTRONICS INC., a corporation of the State of DelawareInventors: Mark A. Robertson, Ming-Chang Liu