Patents by Inventor Wai-Chi Fang

Wai-Chi Fang 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: 20090048125
    Abstract: A system with applications in pattern recognition, or classification, of DNA assay samples. Because DNA reference and sample material in wells of an assay may be caused to fluoresce depending upon dye added to the material, the resulting light may be imaged onto an embodiment comprising an array of photodetectors and an adaptive neural network, with applications to DNA analysis. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2007
    Publication date: February 19, 2009
    Inventors: Jaw-Chyng Lue, Wai-Chi Fang
  • Patent number: 5835734
    Abstract: A computer system with reprogrammable hardware allowing dynamically allocating hardware resources for different functions and adaptability for different processors and different operating platforms. All hardware resources are physically partitioned into system-user hardware and application-user hardware depending on the specific operation requirements. A reprogrammable interface preferably interconnects the system-user hardware and application-user hardware.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Leon Alkalaj, Wai-Chi Fang, Michael A. Newell
  • Patent number: 5812700
    Abstract: The invention is embodied in an image data system including a lossy image compressor having an image compression ratio in excess of 10 for producing first compressed image data from an original image, the first compressed image data specifying a corresponding one of a set of predetermined images, apparatus for computing an difference between the original image and the predetermined image specified by the first compressed image data and a lossless image compressor for compressing at least the difference to produce second compressed image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Wai-Chi Fang, Bing J. Sheu
  • Patent number: 5682520
    Abstract: The array processor includes a grid of individual morphological processing elements formed on a VLSI chip. Each element of the grid includes a photo-detector for directly sensing a pixel of an image projected upon the chip. A signal generated by the photo-detector is sensed by a threshold circuit which outputs a binary value having a value depending upon the intensity of the light detector by the photo-detector. Each element also includes morphological processing circuitry for manipulating the binary value received from the threshold detector in accordance with predetermined morphological processing operations and in accordance with binary values received from adjacent processing elements. After modification of the binary value by application of one or more morphological processing operations, the binary value of each processing element is used to control a respective LCD element for displaying a pixel of a modified image. In this manner, all pixels of a modified image are output in parallel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1997
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Wai-Chi Fang, Timothy J. Shaw, Jeffrey W. Yu
  • Patent number: 5666121
    Abstract: The present invention is a block adaptive quantizer and an associated VLSI processor to provide real-time data compression for high resolution imaging radar systems. The block adaptive quantizer receives data from a synthetic radar aperture in a burst-mode. The block adaptive quantizer encodes and quantizes the data via a data-compression scheme. The image data is encoded by the block adaptive quantizer using thresholds generated from current bursts of image data collected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Wai-Chi Fang, William T. K. Johnson
  • Patent number: 5598354
    Abstract: A motion video data system includes a compression system, including an image compressor, an image decompressor correlative to the image compressor having an input connected to an output of the image compressor, a feedback summing node having one input connected to an output of the image decompressor, a picture memory having an input connected to an output of the feedback summing node, apparatus for comparing an image stored in the picture memory with a received input image and deducing therefrom pixels having differences between the stored image and the received image and for retrieving from the picture memory a partial image including the pixels only and applying the partial image to another input of the feedback summing node, whereby to produce at the output of the feedback summing node an updated decompressed image, a subtraction node having one input connected to received the received image and another input connected to receive the partial image so as to generate a difference image, the image compressor
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 28, 1997
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Wai-Chi Fang, Bing J. Sheu
  • Patent number: 5477221
    Abstract: A system for data compression utilizing systolic array architecture for Vector Quantization (VQ) is disclosed for both full-searched and tree-searched. For a tree-searched VQ, the special case of a Binary Tree-Search VQ (BTSVQ) is disclosed with identical Processing Elements (PE) in the array for both a Raw-Codebook VQ (RCVQ) and a Difference-Codebook VQ (DCVQ) algorithm. A fault tolerant system is disclosed which allows a PE that has developed a fault to be bypassed in the array and replaced by a spare at the end of the array, with codebook memory assignment shifted one PE past the faulty PE of the array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1995
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Chi-Yung Chang, Wai-Chi Fang, John C. Curlander