Abstract: A display for use in a printed circuit board inspection system for inspecting objects on a printed circuit board is capable of displaying a greater-than-two dimensional image of the shape of the surface of an object resident on the printed circuit board in at least two dimensions. The image of the object is generated based on optical imaging of the object under different illumination configurations.

Abstract: An optical inspection system uses an illumination gradient to gradually spatially vary the intensity and/or specular characteristics of the illumination reflected from the surface of a specular object to determine surface gradients of the object. The surface gradients can be used to reconstruct a three-dimensional image of the object. The illumination gradient can be produced by an illumination apparatus that includes circular arrays of light-emitting elements. The illumination gradient can also be produced using an optical element that gradually alters the illumination intensity of the reflected illumination in accordance with the incidence characteristics of the reflected illumination on the optical element. The illumination gradient enables the use of numerous illumination angles to reduce error in estimated surface gradients without increasing imaging or processing time.

Abstract: Electronic devices having image-based data input systems are described. In one aspect, an electronic device includes a window, multiple indicia, an image sensor, and a data input processor. The window has a contact surface with an input region. The multiple indicia are viewable in the input region of the contact surface. The image sensor is constructed and arranged to produce image signals corresponding to images of the input region. The data input processor is coupled to the image sensor and is operable to produce input signals based on image signals produced by the image sensor and a mapping between areas of the input region images and locations of the input indicia.

Abstract: A sensor includes an array of photodetectors each generating an output signal of pixel data indicative of incident light intensity. This pixel data is read out from the array one line at a time and stored in a line buffer. A bad pixel processor includes a first buffer that stores pixel data obtained from the line buffer for a certain pixel in a currently read out line and pixel signal light data for pixels adjacent to the certain pixel.

Abstract: An image processing system and demosaicing method are provided to calculate estimated missing color sensor values in an image using a linear prediction from the raw color sensor value at the current pixel location. The raw image is divided into regions of sensor values, and the linear relations between color planes for each region are determined by a regression method that calculates the degree to which different color planes co-vary within each region The missing color sensor values per region are calculated as a scaled and shifted version of the raw color sensor values using linear regression coefficients determined from the local linear regression process.

Abstract: A system and method of adjusting a saturated color value in a digital color image by estimating a true color value for the saturated color value using a statistical technique where a prior statistical distribution of color values representing the probability of captured responses of an image capture device is used to determine a posterior distribution of possible true color values for the saturated color values. The method is preformed by obtaining a first statistical distribution of color values associated with all pixel locations in the digital image that represents captured responses of an image capture device. A saturated color value of a first color component and its location is detected in the digital data. Based on the other color component color values at the detected location, a second statistical distribution is derived from the first distribution that represents a distribution of possible true color values for the detected saturated color value.

Abstract: A bad pixel correction (BPC) algorithm that can be implemented on the image sensor chip is provided for detecting and correcting defective pixels in a digital color image sensor. Gradients of neighboring pixels in at least one other color plane than the color plane of a current pixel and a range of sensor values from neighboring pixels in the same color plane as the current pixel are determined. If the sensor value of the current pixel is outside of the range by a threshold amount that is calculated using one or more of the gradients, the current pixel is determined to be a defective pixel, and replaced using the sensor values of the neighboring pixels in the same color plane.

Abstract: A system and method for using gamma correction in a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) display uses a reduced number of different increment values for generating a Vramp signal for the FLC display without noticeably increasing error. The increment values are based upon an inverse gamma curve having a selected gamma value. Using linear interpolation, the increment values are calculated with more increment values being calculated for the beginning of the curve than the flatter end portion of the curve. In addition, an illumination period and a balance period are used so that each pixel of the FLC display is on and off for the same amount of time. As a result, the average voltage across the FLC material is 0V.

Abstract: A sensor includes an array of photodetectors each generating an output signal of pixel data indicative of incident light intensity. This pixel data is read out from the array one line at a time and stored in a line buffer. A bad pixel processor includes a first buffer that stores pixel data obtained from the line buffer for a certain pixel in a currently read out line and pixel signal light data for pixels adjacent to the certain pixel. An included second buffer stores features that are indicative of whether the pixels in a previously read out line were identified as bad pixels. Using the information in the first and second buffers, the processor identifies whether the certain pixel is a bad pixel. In one operation, the processor precludes any finding of the certain pixel as being a bad pixel if the features in the second buffer indicate that a pixel in the previous line that is adjacent to the certain pixel in the current line was identified as a bad pixel.

Abstract: A system and method of adjusting a saturated color value in a digital color image by estimating a true color value for the saturated color value using a statistical technique where a prior statistical distribution of color values representing the probability of captured responses of an image capture device is used to determine a posterior distribution of possible true color values for the saturated color values. The method is preformed by obtaining a first statistical distribution of color values associated with all pixel locations in the digital image that represents captured responses of an image capture device. A saturated color value of a first color component and its location is detected in the digital data. Based on the other color component color values at the detected location, a second statistical distribution is derived from the first distribution that represents a distribution of possible true color values for the detected saturated color value.

Abstract: An adaptive image tone mapping curve based on perceptual preference guidelines is generated as a sigmoidal function, in which the sigmoidal function parameters (slope and shift) are determined by original image statistics. Tone curves generated for different images each have a smooth sigmoidal shape, so that the tone mapping process does not change the image histogram shape drastically.