Patents by Inventor Wu Cheng

Wu Cheng 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: 12058448
    Abstract: An adaptive approach to image bracket determination and a more memory-efficient approach to image fusion, which are designed to generate low noise and high dynamic range (HDR) images in a wide variety of capturing conditions, are described. An incoming preview image stream may be obtained from an image capture device. When a capture request is received, an analysis may be performed on an image from the preview image stream that has a predetermined temporal relationship to the image capture request. Based on the analysis, a set of images (and their respective capture parameters, e.g., exposure time) may be determined for the image capture device to capture. As the determined set of images are captured, they may be registered and fused in a memory-efficient manner that, e.g., places an upper limit on the overall memory footprint of the registration and fusion operations—regardless of how many images are captured in total.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Hao Sun, Gijesh Varghese, Tak Shing Wong, Farhan A. Bagai, Morten Poulsen, Wu Cheng, Su Wang, Alok Deshpande
  • Patent number: 11636085
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for detection and utilization of similarities among tables in multiple data systems that include a first data system and a second data system. A semantic dataset is generated. A first measure (X) of similarity between semantic data in columns of the first and second data systems is computed using the semantic dataset. A first, different measure (Y) of similarity between semantic data in columns of the first and second data systems is computed using the semantic dataset. A third measure (Z) similarity between columns of the first and second data systems is computed based on data in cells within the columns. A weighted combination (U) of X, Y, and Z between the columns of tables in the first and second data systems is computed. X, Y, Z, U or combinations thereof are used to improve a computer system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Xiao Chao Yan, Bei Bei Zhan, Wu Cheng, Yujia Wang
  • Publication number: 20230076744
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for detection and utilization of similarities among tables in multiple data systems that include a first data system and a second data system. A semantic dataset is generated. A first measure (X) of similarity between semantic data in columns of the first and second data systems is computed using the semantic dataset. A first, different measure (Y) of similarity between semantic data in columns of the first and second data systems is computed using the semantic dataset. A third measure (Z) similarity between columns of the first and second data systems is computed based on data in cells within the columns. A weighted combination (U) of X, Y, and Z between the columns of tables in the first and second data systems is computed. X, Y, Z, U or combinations thereof are used to improve a computer system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Inventors: Xiao Chao Yan, BEI BEI ZHAN, Wu Cheng, Yujia Wang
  • Patent number: 11593918
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes obtaining an image comprising a plurality of pixels, determining, for a particular pixel of the plurality of pixels, a gradient value, classifying, based on the gradient value, the particular pixel into a flat class or one of a plurality of edge classes, and denoising the particular pixel based on the classification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Fabio Ricardi, Gijesh Varghese, Wu Cheng, Claus Moelgaard, Todd Sachs, Farhan Baqai
  • Patent number: 11570374
    Abstract: Devices, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed, describing an adaptive, subject-aware approach for image bracket selection and fusion, e.g., to generate high quality images in a wide variety of capturing conditions, including low light conditions. An incoming image stream may be obtained from an image capture device, comprising images captured using differing default exposure values, e.g., according to a predetermined pattern. When a capture request is received, it may be detected whether one or more human or animal subjects are present in the incoming image stream. If a subject is detected, an exposure time of one or more images selected from the incoming image stream may be reduced relative to its default exposure time. Prior to the fusion operation, one of the selected images may be designated a reference image for the fusion operation based, at least in part, on a sharpness score and/or a blink score of the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Hao Sun, Farhan A. Baqai, Giancarlo Todone, Gijesh Varghese, Morten Poulsen, Richard D. Seely, Richard J. Shields, Srivani Pinneli, Wu Cheng
  • Patent number: 11562470
    Abstract: Devices, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed describing an adaptive approach for image bracket selection and fusion, e.g., to generate low noise and high dynamic range (HDR) images in a wide variety of capturing conditions. An incoming image stream may be obtained from an image capture device, wherein the incoming image stream comprises a variety of differently-exposed captures, e.g., EV0 images, EV? images, EV+ images, long exposure (or synthetic long exposure) images, EV0/EV? image pairs, etc., which are received according to a particular pattern. When a capture request is received, a set of rules and/or a decision tree may be used to evaluate one or more capture conditions associated with the images from the incoming image stream and determine which two or more images to select for a fusion operation. A noise reduction process may optionally be performed on the selected images before (or after) the registration and fusion operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc
    Inventors: Marius Tico, Alok Deshpande, Anita Nariani Schulze, Hao Sun, Jun Hu, Justin Michael Faryabi-Allen, Morten Poulsen, Tak Shing Wong, Wu Cheng
  • Patent number: 11200641
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes obtaining an image comprising a plurality of pixels. The method includes determining, for a particular pixel of the plurality of pixels, a feature value. The method includes selecting, based on the feature value, a set of selected pixels from a set of candidate pixels in an image region surrounding the particular pixel. The method includes denoising the particular pixel based on the set of selected pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Farhan A. Baqai, Wu Cheng
  • Patent number: 11113801
    Abstract: Devices, methods, and computer-readable media describing an adaptive approach to reference image selection are disclosed herein, e.g., to generate fused images with reduced motion distortion. More particularly, an incoming image stream may be obtained from an image capture device, which image stream may comprise a variety of different image captures, e.g., including “image frame pairs” (IFPs) that are captured consecutively, wherein the images in a given IFP are captured with differing exposure settings. When a capture request is received at the image capture device, the image capture device may select two or more images from the incoming image stream for fusion, e.g., including at least one IFP. In some embodiments, one of the images from the at least one IFP will be designated as the reference image for a fusion operation, e.g., based on a robust motion detection analysis process performed on the images of the at least one IFP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Wu Cheng
  • Publication number: 20210256669
    Abstract: Devices, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed describing an adaptive approach for image bracket selection and fusion, e.g., to generate low noise and high dynamic range (HDR) images in a wide variety of capturing conditions. An incoming image stream may be obtained from an image capture device, wherein the incoming image stream comprises a variety of differently-exposed captures, e.g., EV0 images, EV? images, EV+ images, long exposure (or synthetic long exposure) images, EV0/EV? image pairs, etc., which are received according to a particular pattern. When a capture request is received, a set of rules and/or a decision tree may be used to evaluate one or more capture conditions associated with the images from the incoming image stream and determine which two or more images to select for a fusion operation. A noise reduction process may optionally be performed on the selected images before (or after) the registration and fusion operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2021
    Publication date: August 19, 2021
    Inventors: Marius Tico, Alok Deshpande, Anita Nariani Schulze, Hao Sun, Jun Hu, Justin Michael Faryabi-Allen, Morten Poulsen, Tak Shing Wong, Wu Cheng
  • Patent number: 11094039
    Abstract: Devices, methods, and computer-readable media describing an adaptive approach for image selection, fusion, and noise reduction, e.g., to generate low noise and high dynamic range (HDR) images with improved motion freezing in a variety of capturing conditions. An incoming image stream may be obtained from an image capture device, wherein the image stream comprises a variety of differently-exposed captures, e.g., EV0 images, EV? images, EV+ images. When a capture request is received, a set of rules may be used to evaluate one or more capture conditions associated with the images from the incoming image stream and determine which two or more images to select for a fusion operation. The fusion operation may be designed to adaptively fuse the selected images, e.g., in a fashion that is determined to be optimal from a noise variance minimization standpoint. A fusion-adaptive noise reduction process may further be performed on the resultant fused image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Tak Shing Wong, Gijesh Varghese, Farhan A. Baqai, Wu Cheng, Hao Sun
  • Patent number: 11074678
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to biasing an image noise filter to reduce edge and texture blurring of image data. Pixel values used to determine photometric coefficients for a bilateral filter are modified by offset values. The offset value for a pixel value is determined by applying a high pass filter to the pixel (referred to as the center pixel) and neighboring pixels of the center pixel. By adding the offset value to the center pixel value, the pixel value difference between the neighboring pixels and the center pixel becomes smaller for pixels on the same side of an edge as the center pixel. Thus, pixels on the same side of the edge get more weight in the bilateral noise filter. Conversely, pixels on the opposite side of the edge as the center pixel get less weight in the bilateral filter. As a result, the biased bilateral filter reduces blurring of edges and increases preservation of texture in the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sheng Lin, Wu Cheng, Maxim Smirnov
  • Patent number: 10977778
    Abstract: Devices, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed describing an adaptive approach for image bracket selection and fusion, e.g., to generate low noise and high dynamic range (HDR) images in a wide variety of capturing conditions. An incoming image stream may be obtained from an image capture device, wherein the incoming image stream comprises a variety of differently-exposed captures, e.g., EV0 images, EV? images, EV+ images, long exposure (or synthetic long exposure) images, EV0/EV? image pairs, etc., which are received according to a particular pattern. When a capture request is received, a set of rules and/or a decision tree may be used to evaluate one or more capture conditions associated with the images from the incoming image stream and determine which two or more images to select for a fusion operation. A noise reduction process may optionally be performed on the selected images before (or after) the registration and fusion operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Marius Tico, Alok Deshpande, Anita Nariani Schulze, Hao Sun, Jun Hu, Justin Michael Faryabi-Allen, Morten Poulsen, Tak Shing Wong, Wu Cheng
  • Publication number: 20200342579
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to biasing an image noise filter to reduce edge and texture blurring of image data. Pixel values used to determine photometric coefficients for a bilateral filter are modified by offset values. The offset value for a pixel value is determined by applying a high pass filter to the pixel (referred to as the center pixel) and neighboring pixels of the center pixel. By adding the offset value to the center pixel value, the pixel value difference between the neighboring pixels and the center pixel becomes smaller for pixels on the same side of an edge as the center pixel. Thus, pixels on the same side of the edge get more weight in the bilateral noise filter. Conversely, pixels on the opposite side of the edge as the center pixel get less weight in the bilateral filter. As a result, the biased bilateral filter reduces blurring of edges and increases preservation of texture in the image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Inventors: Sheng Lin, Wu Cheng, Maxim Smirnov
  • Publication number: 20190370948
    Abstract: Devices, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed describing an adaptive approach for image bracket selection and fusion, e.g., to generate low noise and high dynamic range (HDR) images in a wide variety of capturing conditions. An incoming image stream may be obtained from an image capture device, wherein the incoming image stream comprises a variety of differently-exposed captures, e.g., EV0 images, EV? images, EV+ images, long exposure (or synthetic long exposure) images, EV0/EV? image pairs, etc., which are received according to a particular pattern. When a capture request is received, a set of rules and/or a decision tree may be used to evaluate one or more capture conditions associated with the images from the incoming image stream and determine which two or more images to select for a fusion operation. A noise reduction process may optionally be performed on the selected images before (or after) the registration and fusion operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2019
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Inventors: Marius Tico, Alok Deshpande, Anita Nariani Schulze, Hao Sun, Jun Hu, Justin Michael Faryabi-Allen, Morten Poulsen, Tak Shing Wong, Wu Cheng
  • Patent number: D751522
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Meizu Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Youngsu Cho, Xiuzhang Huang, Yongxiang Bai, Wu Cheng, Jianwen Cao
  • Patent number: D752007
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Meizu Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Youngsu Cho, Xiuzhang Huang, Yongxiang Bai, Wu Cheng, Jianwen Cao
  • Patent number: D1026994
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2024
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: ZHUHAI SHIXI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Wenxi Wang, Wu Cheng