Patents by Inventor Wolfgang Heidrich

Wolfgang Heidrich 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).

  • Patent number: 10404957
    Abstract: A new projector design combines one spatial light modulator that affects only the phase of the illumination, and one spatial light modulator that only affects its amplitude (intensity). The phase-only modulator curves the wavefront of light and acts as a pre-modulator for a conventional amplitude modulator. This approach works with both white light and laser illumination, generating a coarse image representation efficiently, thus enabling, within a single image frame, significantly elevated highlights as well as darker black levels while reducing the overall light source power requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: MTT Innovation Incorporated
    Inventors: Gerwin Damberg, James Gregson, Wolfgang Heidrich
  • Publication number: 20190265107
    Abstract: A wavefront sensor includes a mask and a sensor utilized to capture a diffraction pattern generated by light incident to the mask. A reference image is captured in response to a plane wavefront incident on the mask, and another measurement image is captured in response to a distorted wavefront incident on the mask. The distorted wavefront is reconstructed based on differences between the reference image and the measurement image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2017
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Inventors: Congli WANG, Xiong DUN, Qiang FU, Wolfgang HEIDRICH
  • Publication number: 20190154834
    Abstract: Systems and methods for imaging object velocity are provided. In an embodiment, at least one Time-of-Flight camera is used to capture a signal representative of an object in motion over an exposure time. Illumination and modulation frequency of the captured motion are coded within the exposure time. A change of illumination frequency is mapped to measured pixel intensities of the captured motion within the exposure time, and information about a Doppler shift in the illumination frequency is extracted to obtain a measurement of instantaneous per pixel velocity of the object in motion. The radial velocity information of the object in motion can be simultaneously captured for each pixel captured within the exposure time. In one or more aspects, the illumination frequency can be coded orthogonal to the modulation frequency of the captured motion. The change of illumination frequency can correspond to radial object velocity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2016
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Applicants: KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, BONN UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, BONN UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Wolfgang HEIDRICH, Felix HEIDE, Gordon WETZSTEIN, Matthias HULLIN
  • Publication number: 20190114977
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided that employ one or more of a variety of techniques for reducing the time required to display high resolution images on a high dynamic range display having a light source layer and a display layer. In one technique, the image resolution is reduced, an effective luminance pattern is determined for the reduced resolution image, and the resolution of the effective luminance pattern is then increased to the resolution of the display layer. In another technique, the light source layer's point spread function is decomposed into a plurality of components, and an effective luminance pattern is determined for each component. The effective luminance patterns are then combined to produce a total effective luminance pattern. Additional image display time reduction techniques are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Publication date: April 18, 2019
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Lorne A. WHITEHEAD, Helge SEETZEN, Gregory John WARD, Wolfgang HEIDRICH
  • Patent number: 10186211
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided that employ one or more of a variety of techniques for reducing the time required to display high resolution images on a high dynamic range display having a light source layer and a display layer. In one technique, the image resolution is reduced, an effective luminance pattern is determined for the reduced resolution image, and the resolution of the effective luminance pattern is then increased to the resolution of the—display layer. In another technique, the light source layer's point spread function is decomposed into a plurality of components, and an effective luminance pattern is determined for each component. The effective luminance patterns are then combined to produce a total effective luminance pattern. Additional image display time reduction techniques are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Lorne A. Whitehead, Helge Seetzen, Gregory John Ward, Wolfgang Heidrich
  • Publication number: 20180270457
    Abstract: A new projector design combines one spatial light modulator that affects only the phase of the illumination, and one spatial light modulator that only affects its amplitude (intensity). The phase-only modulator curves the wavefront of light and acts as a pre-modulator for a conventional amplitude modulator. This approach works with both white light and laser illumination, generating a coarse image representation efficiently, thus enabling, within a single image frame, significantly elevated highlights as well as darker black levels while reducing the overall light source power requirements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2018
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Inventors: Gerwin DAMBERG, James GREGSON, Wolfgang HEIDRICH
  • Publication number: 20180246137
    Abstract: Imaging of complex, non-stationary three dimensional (3D) flow velocities is achieved by encoding depth into color. A flow volume 22 is illuminated with a continuum 40 of light planes 42 whereby each depth corresponds to a respective light plane 14 having a specific wavelength of light. A diffractive component 46 in the camera 24 optics, which records the trajectories of illuminated particles 20 within the flow volume 22, ensures that all light planes 42 are in focus simultaneously. The setup permits a user to track 3D trajectories of particles 20 within the flow volume 22 by combining two dimensional (2D) spatial and one dimensional (1D) color information. For reconstruction, an image formation model for recovering stationary 3D particle positions is provided. 3D velocity estimation is achieved with a variant of a 3D optical flow approach that accounts for both physical constraints as well as the color (rainbow) image formation model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Inventors: Wolfgang Heidrich, Jinhui Xiong, Xiong Dun, Ramzi Idoughi, Sigurdur Tryggvi Thoroddsen, Andres A. Aguirre-Pablo, Abdulrahman B. Aljedaani, Erqiang Li
  • Patent number: 10033940
    Abstract: A camera has two distinct image sensor arrays. The image sensor arrays are at least one of different types and different resolutions. The image sensor arrays have different dynamic ranges such that one of the image sensor arrays is a high dynamic range image sensor array configured to capture a wider range of light intensity than the other of the image sensor arrays. The camera has an imaging mechanism configured to combine information collected by each of the image sensor arrays to produce a high dynamic range image. The image sensor arrays include one low resolution image sensor array having a high dynamic range, and one high resolution image sensor array having a normal dynamic range smaller than the high dynamic range wherein luminance values within the normal dynamic range represent a subset of luminance values within the high dynamic range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory John Ward, Helge Seetzen, Wolfgang Heidrich
  • Publication number: 20180182310
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided that employ one or more of a variety of techniques for reducing the time required to display high resolution images on a high dynamic range display having a light source layer and a display layer. In one technique, the image resolution is reduced, an effective luminance pattern is determined for the reduced resolution image, and the resolution of the effective luminance pattern is then increased to the resolution of the—display layer. In another technique, the light source layer's point spread function is decomposed into a plurality of components, and an effective luminance pattern is determined for each component. The effective luminance patterns are then combined to produce a total effective luminance pattern. Additional image display time reduction techniques are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Lorne A. Whitehead, Helge Seetzen, Gregory John Ward, Wolfgang Heidrich
  • Patent number: 10003776
    Abstract: A new projector design combines one spatial light modulator that affects only the phase of the illumination, and one spatial light modulator that only affects its amplitude (intensity). The phase-only modulator curves the wavefront of light and acts as a pre-modulator for a conventional amplitude modulator. This approach works with both white light and laser illumination, generating a coarse image representation efficiently, thus enabling, within a single image frame, significantly elevated highlights as well as darker black levels while reducing the overall light source power requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: MTT Innovation Incorporated
    Inventors: Gerwin Damberg, James Gregson, Wolfgang Heidrich
  • Patent number: 9934733
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided that employ one or more of a variety of techniques for reducing the time required to display high resolution images on a high dynamic range display having a light source layer and a display layer. In one technique, the image resolution is reduced, an effective luminance pattern is determined for the reduced resolution image, and the resolution of the effective luminance pattern is then increased to the resolution of the—display layer. In another technique, the light source layer's point spread function is decomposed into a plurality of components, and an effective luminance pattern is determined for each component. The effective luminance patterns are then combined to produce a total effective luminance pattern. Additional image display time reduction techniques are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Lorne A. Whitehead, Helge Seetzen, Gregory John Ward, Wolfgang Heidrich
  • Publication number: 20170085846
    Abstract: A new projector design combines one spatial light modulator that affects only the phase of the illumination, and one spatial light modulator that only affects its amplitude (intensity). The phase-only modulator curves the wavefront of light and acts as a pre-modulator for a conventional amplitude modulator. This approach works with both white light and laser illumination, generating a coarse image representation efficiently, thus enabling, within a single image frame, significantly elevated highlights as well as darker black levels while reducing the overall light source power requirements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2016
    Publication date: March 23, 2017
    Inventors: Gerwin DAMBERG, James GREGSON, Wolfgang HEIDRICH
  • Publication number: 20170025076
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided that employ one or more of a variety of techniques for reducing the time required to display high resolution images on a high dynamic range display having a light source layer and a display layer. In one technique, the image resolution is reduced, an effective luminance pattern is determined for the reduced resolution image, and the resolution of the effective luminance pattern is then increased to the resolution of the—display layer. In another technique, the light source layer's point spread function is decomposed into a plurality of components, and an effective luminance pattern is determined for each component. The effective luminance patterns are then combined to produce a total effective luminance pattern. Additional image display time reduction techniques are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Lorne A. WHITEHEAD, Helge SEETZEN, Gregory John WARD, Wolfgang HEIDRICH
  • Patent number: 9478176
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided that employ one or more of a variety of techniques for reducing the time required to display high resolution images on a high dynamic range display having a light source layer and a display layer. In one technique, the image resolution is reduced, an effective luminance pattern is determined for the reduced resolution image, and the resolution of the effective luminance pattern is then increased to the resolution of the-display layer. In another technique, the light source layer's point spread function is decomposed into a plurality of components, and an effective luminance pattern is determined for each component. The effective luminance patterns are then combined to produce a total effective luminance pattern. Additional image display time reduction techniques are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Lorne A. Whitehead, Helge Seetzen, Gregory John Ward, Wolfgang Heidrich
  • Patent number: 9343020
    Abstract: In exemplary implementations of this invention, light from a backlight is transmitted through two stacked LCDs and then through a diffuser. The front side of the diffuser displays a time-varying sequence of 2D images. Processors execute an optimization algorithm to compute optimal pixel states in the first and second LCDs, respectively, such that for each respective image in the sequence, the optimal pixel states minimize, subject to one or more constraints, a difference between a target image and the respective image. The processors output signals to control actual pixel states in the LCDs, based on the computed optimal pixel states. The 2D images displayed by the diffuser have a higher spatial resolution than the native spatial resolution of the LCDs. Alternatively, the diffuser may be switched off, and the device may display either (a) 2D images with a higher dynamic range than the LCDs, or (b) an automultiscopic display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Felix Heide, Gordon Wetzstein, James Gregson, Ramesh Raskar, Wolfgang Heidrich
  • Publication number: 20160111049
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided that employ one or more of a variety of techniques for reducing the time required to display high resolution images on a high dynamic range display having a light source layer and a display layer. In one technique, the image resolution is reduced, an effective luminance pattern is determined for the reduced resolution image, and the resolution of the effective luminance pattern is then increased to the resolution of the—display layer. In another technique, the light source layer's point spread function is decomposed into a plurality of components, and an effective luminance pattern is determined for each component. The effective luminance patterns are then combined to produce a total effective luminance pattern. Additional image display time reduction techniques are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2015
    Publication date: April 21, 2016
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Lorne A. WHITEHEAD, Helge SEETZEN, Gregory John WARD, Wolfgang HEIDRICH
  • Patent number: 9307208
    Abstract: There is provided a computer-implemented method for solving inverse imaging problems to compensate for distortions in an image. The method comprises: minimizing a cost objective function containing a data fitting term and one or more image prior terms to each of the plurality of channels, the one or more image prior terms comprising cross-channel information for a plurality of channels derived from the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
    Inventors: Wolfgang Heidrich, Felix Heide, Mushfiqur Rouf, Matthias Hullin
  • Patent number: 9269312
    Abstract: A method for estimating an effective luminance pattern representing a distribution of projected light in a display apparatus involves determining driving values for one or more light sources arranged to project light. The light sources are solid-state light sources such as light-emitting diodes in some embodiments. The method determines an effective luminance pattern for the projected light by determining contributions to the effective luminance pattern for different components of a point spread function and then combining the contributions of the components the effective luminance pattern to yield an estimated effective luminance pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Lorne A. Whitehead, Helge Seetzen, Gregory John Ward, Wolfgang Heidrich
  • Publication number: 20150254810
    Abstract: There is provided a computer-implemented method for solving inverse imaging problems to compensate for distortions in an image. The method comprises: minimizing a cost objective function containing a data fitting term and one or more image prior terms to each of the plurality of channels, the one or more image prior terms comprising cross-channel information for a plurality of channels derived from the image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2014
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Applicant: The University of British Columbia
    Inventors: Wolfgang Heidrich, Felix Heide, Mushfiqur Rouf, Matthias Hullin
  • Publication number: 20150035880
    Abstract: In exemplary implementations of this invention, light from a backlight is transmitted through two stacked LCDs and then through a diffuser. The front side of the diffuser displays a time-varying sequence of 2D images. Processors execute an optimization algorithm to compute optimal pixel states in the first and second LCDs, respectively, such that for each respective image in the sequence, the optimal pixel states minimize, subject to one or more constraints, a difference between a target image and the respective image. The processors output signals to control actual pixel states in the LCDs, based on the computed optimal pixel states. The 2D images displayed by the diffuser have a higher spatial resolution than the native spatial resolution of the LCDs. Alternatively, the diffuser may be switched off, and the device may display either (a) 2D images with a higher dynamic range than the LCDs, or (b) an automultiscopic display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2014
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Applicant: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Felix Heide, Gordon Wetzstein, James Gregson, Ramesh Raskar, Wolfgang Heidrich