Abstract: An apparatus includes an interface and a processor. The interface may be configured to receive video frames corresponding to an exterior view of a vehicle generated by a plurality of capture devices. The processor may be configured to perform digital warping on the video frames, generate distorted video frames in response to the digital warping, perform video stitching operations on the distorted video frames and generate panoramic video frames in response to the video stitching operations. The digital warping may be performed to adjust the video frames based on lens characteristics of the capture devices. An amount of the digital warping applied may be selected to provide a size continuity of objects in the distorted video frames at a stitching seam in the panoramic video frames. The panoramic video frames may be generated to fit a size of a display.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a scaling circuit, a luma circuit and a blending circuit. The scaling circuit may generate a plurality of scaled frames in response to a first plurality of frames generated by a sensor. The first plurality of frames may have a first exposure. The luma circuit may generate an average luminance value for each of a plurality of processed pixels in each of a second of the plurality of frames generated by the sensor. The second of the plurality of frames may have a second exposure and each of the average luminance values is calculated based on a plurality of neighboring pixels in a neighborhood of the processed pixel.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a scaling circuit, a luma circuit and a blending circuit. The scaling circuit may generate a plurality of scaled frames in response to a first plurality of frames generated by a sensor. The first plurality of frames may have a first exposure. The luma circuit may generate an average luminance value for each of a plurality of processed pixels in each of a second of the plurality of frames generated by the sensor. The second of the plurality of frames may have a second exposure and each of the average luminance values is calculated based on a plurality of neighboring pixels in a neighborhood of the processed pixel.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a classifier cache, a plurality of variable length decoder circuits and a core engine circuit. The classifier cache may be configured to store one or more compressed classifier streams. The plurality of variable length decoder circuits may each be configured to generate one or more uncompressed classifier streams in response to a respective one of the compressed classifier streams received from the classifier cache. The core engine circuit may be configured to detect one or more objects in a video signal by checking a portion of the video signal using the uncompressed classifier streams.

Abstract: A method of generating video and a video camera are disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) generating an input signal by sensing an optical signal using a plurality of first pixels, wherein (i) the sensing is capable of a pixel reduction by at least one of binning the first pixels and skipping some of the first pixels and (ii) a plurality of first spatial separations among the first pixels in the input signal are (a) uniform both horizontally and vertically while the pixel reduction is inactive and (b) non-uniform while the pixel reduction is active, (B) generating a plurality of second pixels in response to the first pixels such that a plurality of second spatial separations among the second pixels are uniform both horizontally and vertically while the pixel reduction is active and (C) generating an output signal carrying the second pixels.

Abstract: A method of generating video and a video camera are disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) generating an input signal by sensing an optical signal using a plurality of first pixels, wherein (i) the sensing is capable of a pixel reduction by at least one of binning the first pixels and skipping some of the first pixels and (ii) a plurality of first spatial separations among the first pixels in the input signal are (a) uniform both horizontally and vertically while the pixel reduction is inactive and (b) non-uniform while the pixel reduction is active, (B) generating a plurality of second pixels in response to the first pixels such that a plurality of second spatial separations among the second pixels are uniform both horizontally and vertically while the pixel reduction is active and (C) generating an output signal carrying the second pixels.

Abstract: A corkscrew includes a ratcheting feature to facilitate insertion of the bit into a closure and a locking feature to facilitate removal of the bit from the closure. A corkscrew also includes a removable bit (e.g., a worm, auger, or the like).

Abstract: A method of operation for a video camera and the video camera are disclosed. The method generally comprises the steps of (A) sensing an optical signal with a plurality of pixels to generate an input signal, wherein the sensing is capable of a pixel reduction by at least one of binning the pixels and skipping some of the pixels and (B) processing the input signal in order to reduce artifacts caused by the pixel reduction to generate an output signal.

Abstract: An apparatus and concomitant method for selecting a macroblock coding mode based upon the quantization scale selected for the macroblock. The total number of bits needed to code each macroblock consists of two parts, bits needed for coding motion vectors and bits for coding the predictive residual. The number of bits for coding the motion vectors is generally obtained from a look-up table. The number of bits for coding the predictive residual is obtained by an estimation which assumes that the number of bits for encoding the predictive residuals is directly proportional to the value of its variance and inversely proportional to the value of quantizer steps (quantizer scale). Using this estimation, the total number of bits necessary to code a macroblock is calculated and compared for each coding mode. By selecting the coding mode with the least number of bits, a near-optimal solution of low complexity for practical implementation is acquired.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for selecting a quantizer scale for each macroblock to maintain the overall quality of the video image while optimizing the coding rate. A quantizer scale is selected for each macroblock such that target bit rate for the picture is achieved while an optimal quantization scale ratio is maintained for successive macroblocks to produce a uniform visual quality over the entire picture. One embodiment applies the method to the frame level while another embodiment applies the method in conjunction with a wavelet transform.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and apparatus for performing inverse telecine processing on an input video frame sequence to be encoded. A method well-suited for detelecine of film-only telecine in MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 applications includes the steps of attempting to fit known 3:2 pulldown pattern phases to the entire sequence, determining a likely edit point in the sequence if a known phase cannot be fit to the sequence, and recursively repeating the fitting and edit point determination steps on subsequences until the entire sequence is partitioned into subsequences which can be fit with one of the known phases. The phases fit to the sequence or subsequences are then used to generate field-match indicators which are further processed to generate MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 compliant repeat field codes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for scaling the bitstream of a compressed video signal includes partial decoding hardware (38, 41) to permit excising of higher frequency AC DCT coefficients or re-quantizing quantized data with a coarser quantization factor. The scaling is performed on a block (macroblock) basis in a manner which linearly scales the amount of compressed data per block. An analyzer (40) generates a profile of cumulative partially decompressed data over a video frame, and bitstream scaling (42) is performed in a manner which insures that a profile of the scaled signal substantially comports with the profile of the original data.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and apparatus for performing inverse telecine processing on an input video frame sequence to be encoded. A method well-suited for use with mixed video/telecine material in MPEG-2 applications includes the steps of generating a vector of pixel difference scores for a given field in the sequence, dividing each difference score by its smallest adjacent score, filtering the result in a median-like filter, and correlating the divided and filtered scores with a reference vector characteristic of the sequence to generate a correlation metric which is thresholded to provide a field-match indicator for the given field. These steps are repeated for the other fields in the frame sequence, and the resulting repeat field indicators are processed to provide MPEG-2 compliant repeat field codes.

Abstract: A video decompression system includes block error concealment means for generating substitute data for lost blocks of pixel data. An interpolator generates both spatially and temporally interpolated or predicted blocks of data for concealing a lost block. Pixel data in the respective blocks of spatially and interpolated data are transformed to coefficients representing frequency spectra. A substitute block of coefficients is assembled from coefficients from both the transformed blocks, according to a predetermined criteria. The substitute block is transformed back to the spatial domain for substitution of lost pixel values.

Abstract: A compression/decompression system includes a source of non-interlaced scanned video signal. A preprocessor constructs interlaced scanned video signal from the non-interlaced scanned video signal by selection of alternate lines of successive non-interlaced image signals. The interlaced scanned video signal is compressed according to known methods to generate primary compressed video data. The primary data is decompressed by known processes, inverse to the compression processes, to regenerate the interlaced scanned frames. Interlaced scanned video signal, corresponding to the intervening lines of the non-interlaced scanned video signal, which were not included in the primary interlaced scanned video signal, is predicted from the decompressed frames of video signal. In addition the intervening lines of the original non-interlaced scanned video signal, which were not included in the primary interlaced scanned video signal, are formed into secondary interlaced scanned video signal.

Abstract: Error concealment apparatus for correcting errors in signals representing video images includes means for detecting image gradients in an area surrounding a lost block of image data. Circuitry responsive to these image gradients generates a plurality of blocks of directionally interpolated pixel values. The pixel values in the respective blocks of directionally interpolated pixel values are sorted according to amplitude, and then pixel values from mutually exclusive positions in the respective blocks are selected to form a block of pixel values for error concealment.