Patents by Inventor Todd S. Sachs
Todd S. Sachs 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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Patent number: 11297256Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes: obtaining a first image of a scene while an illumination component is set to an inactive state; obtaining a second image of the scene while the illumination component is set to a pre-flash state; determining one or more illumination control parameters for the illumination component for a third image of the scene that satisfy a foreground-background balance criterion based on a function of the first and second images in order to discriminate foreground data from background data within the scene; and obtaining the third image of the scene while the illumination component is set to an active state in accordance with the one or more illumination control parameters.Type: GrantFiled: October 2, 2020Date of Patent: April 5, 2022Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Alexis Gatt, Todd S. Sachs, Garrett M. Johnson, Claus Moelgaard
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Publication number: 20210021750Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes: obtaining a first image of a scene while an illumination component is set to an inactive state; obtaining a second image of the scene while the illumination component is set to a pre-flash state; determining one or more illumination control parameters for the illumination component for a third image of the scene that satisfy a foreground-background balance criterion based on a function of the first and second images in order to discriminate foreground data from background data within the scene; and obtaining the third image of the scene while the illumination component is set to an active state in accordance with the one or more illumination control parameters.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 2, 2020Publication date: January 21, 2021Inventors: Alexis Gatt, Todd S. Sachs, Garrett M. Johnson, Claus Moelgaard
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Patent number: 10834329Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes: obtaining a first image of a scene while an illumination component is set to an inactive state; obtaining a second image of the scene while the illumination component is set to a pre-flash state; determining one or more illumination control parameters for the illumination component for a third image of the scene that satisfy a foreground-background balance criterion based on a function of the first and second images in order to discriminate foreground data from background data within the scene; and obtaining the third image of the scene while the illumination component is set to an active state in accordance with the one or more illumination control parameters.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2018Date of Patent: November 10, 2020Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Alexis Gatt, Todd S. Sachs, Garrett M. Johnson, Claus Moelgaard
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Publication number: 20180352241Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes: obtaining a first image of a scene while an illumination component is set to an inactive state; obtaining a second image of the scene while the illumination component is set to a pre-flash state; determining one or more illumination control parameters for the illumination component for a third image of the scene that satisfy a foreground-background balance criterion based on a function of the first and second images in order to discriminate foreground data from background data within the scene; and obtaining the third image of the scene while the illumination component is set to an active state in accordance with the one or more illumination control parameters.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 12, 2018Publication date: December 6, 2018Inventors: Alexis Gatt, Todd S. Sachs, Garrett M. Johnson, Claus Moelgaard
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Patent number: 9955085Abstract: Adaptive bracketing techniques for photography are described. An adaptive bracketing logic/module directs an imaging device to capture an adaptive bracket. The adaptive bracket can include a first image captured at a first exposure value, a second image captured at a second exposure value, and a third image captured at the first exposure value. The first exposure value can be underexposed in comparison to the second exposure value. The adaptive bracketing logic/module can determine that a difference between the first and second images; determine that the third image is more similar to the second image than the first image; and generate a composite image using the first image and the third image. The adaptive bracketing logic/module can also update the adaptive bracket to include the composite image. Optionally, the updated adaptive bracket can be used to generate one or more high dynamic range (HDR) images. Other embodiments are described.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2016Date of Patent: April 24, 2018Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Todd S. Sachs, Garrett M. Johnson
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Patent number: 9942486Abstract: For cameras that capture several images in a burst mode, some embodiments of the invention provide a method that presents one or more of the captured images differently than the remaining captured images. The method identifies at least one captured image as dominant image and at least another captured image as a non-dominant image. The method then displays each dominant image different from each non-dominant image in a concurrent presentation of the images captured during the burst mode. The dominant images may appear larger than non-dominant images, and/or appear with a marking that indicates that the images are dominant.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2016Date of Patent: April 10, 2018Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Claus Mølgaard, Mikael Rousson, Vincent Yue-Tao Wong, Brett M. Keating, Jeffrey A. Brasket, Karl C. Hsu, Todd S. Sachs, Justin Titi, Elliott B. Harris
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Publication number: 20180084181Abstract: Adaptive bracketing techniques for photography are described. An adaptive bracketing logic/module directs an imaging device to capture an adaptive bracket. The adaptive bracket can include a first image captured at a first exposure value, a second image captured at a second exposure value, and a third image captured at the first exposure value. The first exposure value can be underexposed in comparison to the second exposure value. The adaptive bracketing logic/module can determine that a difference between the first and second images; determine that the third image is more similar to the second image than the first image; and generate a composite image using the first image and the third image. The adaptive bracketing logic/module can also update the adaptive bracket to include the composite image. Optionally, the updated adaptive bracket can be used to generate one or more high dynamic range (HDR) images. Other embodiments are described.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 22, 2016Publication date: March 22, 2018Inventors: Todd S. Sachs, Garrett M. Johnson
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Publication number: 20180068473Abstract: Image fusion techniques hide artifacts that can arise at seams between regions of different image quality. According to these techniques, image registration may be performed on multiple images having at least a portion of image content in common. A first image may be warped to a spatial domain of a second image based on the image registration. A fused image may be generated from a blend of the warped first image and the second image, wherein relative contributions of the warped first image and the second image are weighted according to a distribution pattern based on a size of a smaller of the pair of images. In this manner, contributions of the different images vary at seams that otherwise would appear.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 6, 2016Publication date: March 8, 2018Inventors: Marius Tico, Lech J. Szumilas, Xiaoxing Li, Paul M. Hubel, Todd S. Sachs
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Patent number: 9860446Abstract: Lens flare mitigation techniques determine which pixels in images of a sequence of images are likely to be pixels affected by lens flare. Once the lens flare areas of the images are determined, unwanted lens flare effects may be mitigated by various approaches, including reducing border artifacts along a seam between successive images, discarding entire images of the sequence that contain lens flare areas, and using tone-mapping to reduce the visibility of lens flare.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2017Date of Patent: January 2, 2018Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Marius Tico, Paul M. Hubel, Frank Doepke, Todd S. Sachs
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Publication number: 20170358101Abstract: Depth determination includes obtaining a first image of a scene captured by a camera at a first position, obtaining a second image of the scene captured by the camera at a second position directed by an optical image stabilization (OIS) actuator, determining a virtual baseline between the camera at the first position and the second position, and determining a depth of the scene based on the first image, the second image, and the virtual baseline.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2017Publication date: December 14, 2017Inventors: Thomas E. Bishop, Benjamin A. Darling, Kevin A. Gross, Marius Tico, Paul M. Hubel, Todd S. Sachs
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Patent number: 9692995Abstract: Lens flare mitigation techniques determine which pixels in images of a sequence of images are likely to be pixels affected by lens flare. Once the lens flare areas of the images are determined, unwanted lens flare effects may be mitigated by various approaches, including reducing border artifacts along a seam between successive images, discarding entire images of the sequence that contain lens flare areas, and using tone-mapping to reduce the visibility of lens flare.Type: GrantFiled: February 1, 2016Date of Patent: June 27, 2017Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Marius Tico, Paul M. Hubel, Frank Doepke, Todd S. Sachs
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Publication number: 20170171466Abstract: Lens flare mitigation techniques determine which pixels in images of a sequence of images are likely to be pixels affected by lens flare. Once the lens flare areas of the images are determined, unwanted lens flare effects may be mitigated by various approaches, including reducing border artifacts along a seam between successive images, discarding entire images of the sequence that contain lens flare areas, and using tone-mapping to reduce the visibility of lens flare.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 24, 2017Publication date: June 15, 2017Inventors: Marius Tico, Paul M. Hubel, Frank Doepke, Todd S. Sachs
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Publication number: 20170070731Abstract: Camera calibration includes capturing a first image of an object by a first camera, determining spatial parameters between the first camera and the object using the first image, obtaining a first estimate for an optical center, iteratively calculating a best set of optical characteristics and test setup parameters based on the first estimate for the optical center until the difference in a most recent calculated set of optical characteristics and previously calculated set of optical characteristics satisfies a predetermined threshold, and calibrating the first camera based on the best set of optical characteristics. Multi-camera system calibration may include calibrating, based on a detected misalignment of features in multiple images, the multi-camera system using a context of the multi-camera system and one or more prior stored contexts.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 3, 2016Publication date: March 9, 2017Inventors: Benjamin A. Darling, Thomas E. Bishop, Kevin A. Gross, Paul M. Hubel, Todd S. Sachs, Guangzhi Cao, Alexander Lindskog, Stefan Weber, Jianping Zhou
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Patent number: 9565370Abstract: The present disclosure relates to image processing and analysis and in particular automatic segmentation of identifiable items in an image, for example the segmentation and identification of characters or symbols in an image. Upon user indication, multiple images of a subject are captured and variations between the images are created using lighting, spectral content, angles and other factors. The images are processed together so that characters and symbols may be recognized from the surface of the image subject.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2014Date of Patent: February 7, 2017Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Paul M. Hubel, Todd S. Sachs
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Publication number: 20160295130Abstract: For cameras that capture several images in a burst mode, some embodiments of the invention provide a method that presents one or more of the captured images differently than the remaining captured images. The method identifies at least one captured image as dominant image and at least another captured image as a non-dominant image. The method then displays each dominant image different from each non-dominant image in a concurrent presentation of the images captured during the burst mode. The dominant images may appear larger than non-dominant images, and/or appear with a marking that indicates that the images are dominant.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 4, 2016Publication date: October 6, 2016Inventors: Claus Mølgaard, Mikael Rousson, Vincent Yue-Tao Wong, Brett M. Keating, Jeffrey A. Brasket, Karl C. Hsu, Todd S. Sachs, Justin Titi, Elliott B. Harris
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Publication number: 20160227137Abstract: Lens flare mitigation techniques determine which pixels in images of a sequence of images are likely to be pixels affected by lens flare. Once the lens flare areas of the images are determined, unwanted lens flare effects may be mitigated by various approaches, including reducing border artifacts along a seam between successive images, discarding entire images of the sequence that contain lens flare areas, and using tone-mapping to reduce the visibility of lens flare.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 1, 2016Publication date: August 4, 2016Inventors: Marius Tico, Paul M. Hubel, Frank Doepke, Todd S. Sachs
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Patent number: 9344638Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer readable media to capture and process high dynamic range (HDR) images when appropriate for a scene are disclosed. When appropriate, multiple images at a single—slightly underexposed—exposure value are captured (making a constant bracket HDR capture sequence) and local tone mapping (LTM) applied to each image. Local tone map and histogram information can be used to generate a noise-amplification mask which can be used during fusion operations. Images obtained and fused in the disclosed manner provide high dynamic range with improved noise and de-ghosting characteristics.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2014Date of Patent: May 17, 2016Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Xuemei Zhang, Marius Tico, Yingjun Bai, Farhan A. Baqai, Fabio Riccardi, Juanqing Chen, Paul M. Hubel, George E. Williams, Todd S. Sachs, Yongfang Liang
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Patent number: 9307112Abstract: For cameras that capture several images in a burst mode, some embodiments of the invention provide a method that presents one or more of the captured images differently than the remaining captured images. The method identifies at least one captured image as dominant image and at least another captured image as a non-dominant image. The method then displays each dominant image different from each non-dominant image in a concurrent presentation of the images captured during the burst mode. The dominant images may appear larger than non-dominant images, and/or appear with a marking that indicates that the images are dominant.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2013Date of Patent: April 5, 2016Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Claus Mølgaard, Mikael Rousson, Vincent Yue-Tao Wong, Brett M. Keating, Jeffrey A. Brasket, Karl C. Hsu, Todd S. Sachs, Justin Titi, Elliott B. Harris
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Patent number: 9253373Abstract: Lens flare mitigation techniques determine which pixels in images of a sequence of images are likely to be pixels affected by lens flare. Once the lens flare areas of the images are determined, unwanted lens flare effects may be mitigated by various approaches, including reducing border artifacts along a seam between successive images, discarding entire images of the sequence that contain lens flare areas, and using tone-mapping to reduce the visibility of lens flare.Type: GrantFiled: June 11, 2012Date of Patent: February 2, 2016Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Marius Tico, Paul M. Hubel, Frank Doepke, Todd S. Sachs
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Patent number: 9247133Abstract: This disclosure pertains to devices, methods, and computer readable media for performing image registration. A few generalized steps may be used to carry out the image registration techniques described herein: 1) acquiring image data from an image sensor; 2) selecting a pair of overlapping image portions from the acquired image data for registration; 3) determining an area of “maximum energy” in one of the image portions being registered; 4) placing an image registration window over both image portions at the determined location of maximum energy; 5) registering the overlapping image portions using only the image data falling within the image registration windows; and 6) determining, according to one or more metrics, whether the image registration window should be shifted from a current location before registering subsequently acquired image portions.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2011Date of Patent: January 26, 2016Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Frank Doepke, Todd S. Sachs, Kevin L. Hunter, Alexis Gatt