Abstract: A method and system for reconstructing a three-dimensional image of an object from cone beam projection data. The method comprising the steps of: acquiring the projection data, wherein the projection data comprises a set of cone beam projection images; selecting at least one cone beam projection image; identifying a region of interest within each selected cone beam projection image; defining a three-dimensional lattice of points, wherein the projection into each selected cone beam projection image of the points in the three-dimensional lattice provides a sampling of the identified region of interest in the corresponding selected cone beam projection image; and, reconstructing an image of the object at each point in the three-dimensional lattice to form a three-dimensional image of the object.

Abstract: A method for generating a stabilized three-dimensional image from a scannerless range imaging system comprises the steps of acquiring a bundle of three or more phase offset images corresponding to modulated illumination reflected from a scene, whereby one or more of the phase offset images includes image motion relative to another phase offset image; searching for a stable chain of phase offset images in the image bundle, wherein a stable chain is a collection of images that is obtained by testing the phase offset images against a confidence measure that separates less severe correctable image motion from more severe image motion and then populating the stable chain only with those phase offset images that meet the confidence measure for correctable image motion; correcting for the image motion in the stable chain of images if a stable chain of at least three phase offset images is found to exist; and computing a stabilized three-dimensional image using the phase offset images from the stable chain of phase o

Abstract: A method for generating a range image sequence from a scannerless range imaging system of the type comprising an illuminator for illuminating a scene with modulated illumination; an image modulating component for receiving and modulating the modulated illumination reflected from the scene; an image capture element for capturing images output by the image modulating component, including an image bundle of at least three phase offset images each incorporating a phase delay corresponding to the distance of objects in the scene from the illuminator, wherein each phase offset image of an image bundle also incorporates a phase offset distinct for each image. According to the method, a sequence of three or more phase offset images are acquired that correspond to the modulated illumination reflected from the scene, whereby the sequence contains overlapping subsequences of successive phase offset images, each subsequence forming an image bundle.

Abstract: A method and system for reconstructing a three-dimensional image of an object from cone beam projection data. The method comprising the steps of: acquiring the projection data, wherein the projection data comprises a set of cone beam projection images; selecting at least one cone beam projection image; identifying a region of interest within each selected cone beam projection image; defining a three-dimensional lattice of points, wherein the projection into each selected cone beam projection image of the points in the three-dimensional lattice provides a sampling of the identified region of interest in the corresponding selected cone beam projection image; and, reconstructing an image of the object at each point in the three-dimensional lattice to form a three-dimensional image of the object.

Abstract: A scannerless range imaging system employs a technique for embedding digital data into its image output in a manner that allows exact recovery of its associated images. The range imaging system captures (a) a plurality of phase images of reflected modulated illumination, wherein each image incorporates a phase delay term corresponding to the distance of objects in the scene from the range imaging system, together with a phase offset term unique for each image, and (b) at least one intensity image of reflected unmodulated illumination, and then generates an image bundle of associated images including the plurality of phase images and the intensity image.

Abstract: An electronic imaging system for capturing an image of a scene includes an optical system for producing an optical image of the scene, an imaging sensor having a surface in optical communication with the optical system, and a plurality of imaging elements distributed on the surface of the imaging sensor according to a distribution representable by a nonlinear function in which the relative density of the distributed imaging elements is greater toward the center of the sensor. Such a distribution provides physical coordinates for the imaging elements corresponding to a projection of the scene onto a non-planar surface, thereby compensating for perspective distortion of the scene onto the non-planar surface and alleviating the need to perform geometric warping of the images after they have been captured.

Abstract: Intermediate panoramic images are each generated from two original panoramic images, where each panoramic image provides a 360 degree field of view of a scene from different nodal points. First, pairs of planar images are derived, where each pair corresponds to original planar views derived from respective portions of the original panoramic images, where a similar area of the scene is visible from each pair of planar views. Then, an intermediate planar image is generated from each pair of planar images, and the resulting series of intermediate planar images are cylindrically concatenated to form the intermediate panoramic image.

Abstract: A method and system for reconstructing a three-dimensional image of an object from cone beam projection data. The method comprising the steps of: acquiring the projection data, wherein the projection data comprises a set of cone beam projection images; selecting at least one cone beam projection image; identifying a region of interest within each selected cone beam projection image; defining a three-dimensional lattice of points, wherein the projection into each selected cone beam projection image of the points in the three-dimensional lattice provides a sampling of the identified region of interest in the corresponding selected cone beam projection image; and, reconstructing an image of the object at each point in the three-dimensional lattice to form a three-dimensional image of the object.

Abstract: A method for generating a range image sequence from a scannerless range imaging system of the type comprising an illuminator for illuminating a scene with modulated illumination; an image modulating component for receiving and modulating the modulated illumination reflected from the scene; an image capture element for capturing images output by the image modulating component, including an image bundle of at least three phase offset images each incorporating a phase delay corresponding to the distance of objects in the scene from the illuminator, wherein each phase offset image of an image bundle also incorporates a phase offset distinct for each image.

Abstract: In a method of obtaining an extended dynamic range panorama of a scene from a plurality of limited dynamic range images captured by an image sensor in a digital camera, a plurality of digital images comprising image pixels of the scene are captured from a plurality of positions by exposing the image sensor to light transmitted from the scene, wherein light transmittance upon the image sensor is adjustable. Each image is evaluated after it is captured for an illumination level exceeding the limited dynamic range of the image for at least some of the image pixels. Based on the evaluation of each image exceeding the limited dynamic range, the light transmittance upon the image sensor is adjusted in order to obtain a subsequent digital image having a different scene brightness range.

Abstract: A method for detecting a geometrically transformed copy of content in at least a portion of an image, comprises the steps of: (a) providing first and second digital images; (b) searching for objects of interest within each digital image; (c) identifying pairs of corresponding objects of interest in the digital images, wherein each pair of corresponding objects of interest comprises a located object of interest in the first digital image and a corresponding located object of interest in the second digital image that corresponds to the located object of interest in the first image; (d) locating feature points on each located object of interest in each digital image; (e) matching feature points on the located object of interest in the first digital image to the feature points on the corresponding object of interest in the second digital image, thereby generating a set of correspondence points for each image; (f) determining parameters of a geometric transformation that maps the set of correspondence points in th

Abstract: A method and system for reconstructing a three-dimensional image of an object from cone beam projection data. The method comprising the steps of: acquiring the projection data, wherein the projection data comprises a set of cone beam projection images; selecting at least one cone beam projection image; identifying a region of interest within each selected cone beam projection image; defining a three-dimensional lattice of points, wherein the projection into each selected cone beam projection image of the points in the three-dimensional lattice provides a sampling of the identified region of interest in the corresponding selected cone beam projection image; and, reconstructing an image of the object at each point in the three-dimensional lattice to form a three-dimensional image of the object.

Abstract: A technique for producing a foreground mask from a digital image is based on receiving two digital images, wherein a first digital image is derived from a first original scene image including a foreground photographed against a background having arbitrary and unknown content matter, and a second digital image is derived from a second original scene image including substantially the same background but without the foreground. The second digital image is automatically aligned to the first digital image without user intervention to generate an aligned digital image including the background without the foreground. Then, using the first digital image and the aligned digital image, a foreground mask is produced relating to the spatial regions in the first digital image pertaining to the foreground, whereby the foreground mask is subsequently used to generate a composite digital image.

Abstract: In a method of obtaining an extended dynamic range image of a scene from a plurality of limited dynamic range images captured by an image sensor in a digital camera, a plurality of digital images comprising image pixels of the scene are captured by exposing the image sensor to light transmitted from the scene, wherein light transmittance upon the image sensor is adjustable. Each image is evaluated after it is captured for an illumination level exceeding the limited dynamic range of the image for at least some of the image pixels. Based on the evaluation of each image exceeding the limited dynamic range, the light transmittance upon the image sensor is adjusted in order to obtain a subsequent digital image having a different scene brightness range. The plurality of digital images are stored, and subsequently the stored digital images are processed to generate a composite image having an extended dynamic range greater than any of the digital images by themselves.

Abstract: A method for generating a stabilized three-dimensional image from a scannerless range imaging system comprises the steps of acquiring a bundle of three or more phase offset images corresponding to modulated illumination reflected from a scene, whereby one or more of the phase offset images includes image motion relative to another phase offset image; searching for a stable chain of phase offset images in the image bundle, wherein a stable chain is a collection of images that is obtained by testing the phase offset images against a confidence measure that separates less severe correctable image motion from more severe image motion and then populating the stable chain only with those phase offset images that meet the confidence measure for correctable image motion; correcting for the image motion in the stable chain of images if a stable chain of at least three phase offset images is found to exist; and computing a stabilized three-dimensional image using the phase offset images from the stable chain of phase o

Abstract: A method for producing a composite digital image, includes the steps of: providing a plurality of partially overlapping source digital images having pixel values that are linearly or logarithmically related to scene intensity; modifying the source digital images by applying to one or more of the source digital images a radial exposure transform to compensate for exposure fall off as a function of the distance of a pixel from the center of the digital image to produce adjusted source digital images, and combining the adjusted source digital images to form a composite digital image

Abstract: A method for producing a cropped digital image, includes the steps of: providing a plurality of partially overlapping source digital images; providing a cropping aspect ratio L:H, the cropping aspect ratio being the ratio of the length to the height of the cropped digital image; providing a cropping criterion, the cropping criterion being a criterion for the size and location of the cropped digital image; combining the source digital images to form a composite digital image; selecting the cropping region of the composite digital image according to the cropping criterion, said cropping region being a rectangular region having aspect ratio L:H, and having size and location determined by the cropping criterion; and, cropping the composite digital image to the cropping region to form a cropped digital image.

Abstract: A three-dimensional model of a scene is obtained from a plurality of three-dimensional panoramic images of a scene, wherein each three-dimensional panoramic image is derived from a plurality of range images captured from a distinct spatial position. Transformations are determined that align the plurality of three-dimensional panoramic images, and spatial information is integrated from the plurality of three-dimensional panoramic images to form a spatial three-dimensional model of the scene. Finally, intensity and texture information is integrated from the plurality of three-dimensional panoramic images onto the spatial three-dimensional model to form a three-dimensional model of the scene containing both spatial and intensity information.

Abstract: Intermediate panoramic images are each generated from two original panoramic images, where each panoramic image provides a 360 degree field of view of a scene from different nodal points. First, pairs of planar images are derived, where each pair corresponds to original planar views derived from respective portions of the original panoramic images, where a similar area of the scene is visible from each pair of planar views. Then, an intermediate planar image is generated from each pair of planar images, and the resulting series of intermediate planar images are cylindrically concatenated to form the intermediate panoramic image.

Abstract: A method for producing a composite digital image, includes the steps of: providing a plurality of partially overlapping source digital images having pixel values that are linearly or logarithmically related to scene intensity; modifying the source digital images by applying linear exposure transforms to one or more of the source digital images to produce adjusted source digital images having pixel values that closely match in an overlapping region; and combining the adjusted source digital images to form a composite digital image.