Abstract: To provide a device capable of determining uniquely the direction of rotation applied to an image and extracting digital watermark information correctly even in the case where a registration signal having a symmetric axis is embedded. A device for enabling digital watermark information to be extracted from image data having the digital watermark information embedded therein in such a manner that it can hardly be perceived by human eyes, in which processing for extracting rotation information and position information from the image data is performed plural times for rotation angles different from one another. For extracted position and rotation information, confidence coefficients indicating accuracy thereof are calculated. The position and rotation angle at which the digital watermark information is embedded are determined based on the confidence coefficients.

Abstract: A data transmission method able to maintain the quality of a transmitted image substantially same as that of one's own image and an apparatus using the method and a data transmission system, transmitting image data accommodated in a frame of a preset frame during communication between terminals, comprising capturing an image including a target image to be transmitted, making adjustments so that the target image to be transmitted from the obtained image substantially fully fills the image frame, and compressing and transmitting the adjusted image data in the image frame.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polishing apparatus, and a semiconductor manufacturing method using the apparatus. Dressing of a grindstone surface is ground by sizing processing whereby dressing of a tool surface can be done while preventing occurrence of cracks on the grindstone surface which is the cause for occurrence of scratches. Further, flatness of the surface of a dressing tool can be guaranteed because of sizing cutting-in; even if a thick grindstone of a few centimeters is used, the flatness can be maintained to the end; and processing with less in-face unevenness can be always carried out. Therefore, the life of the dressing tool can be greatly extended. Further, the present sizing-dressing is carried out jointly with processing of a wafer to thereby enable improvement of throughput of the apparatus as well as maintenance of a processing rate. The present apparatus and method are effective for planarization of various substrate surfaces having irregularities.

Abstract: To provide adaptive image processing for a portrait, face information about the face of a person contained in an image is acquired, and it is determined on the basis of the face information whether a significant personal face is contained in the image. If there is face information representing the presence of a significant personal face, adaptive processing adjustment information which adjusts the contents of high quality processing for a portrait, which should be executed for the process target image, is generated from the face information about the face of the person contained in the image. The high quality processing adjusted on the basis of the adaptive processing adjustment information is executed for the image.

Abstract: A content addressable memory device includes a CAM core having a plurality of words. Each word includes a data field for storing target data and a weight field for storing weight data for use in weighting the target data stored in the data field. Both the data field and the weight field are simultaneously searched, for matching between search key data and the target data stored in the data field and for matching between weight search data used for searching for the weight data and the weight data stored in the weight field, and a search result is output from among the words storing the target data that is matched with the search key data in accordance with the weight of the target data.

Abstract: A configuration is provided in which whether or not an article to be copied by a scanner is a copy-prohibited article such as a bill can be judged in a relatively short period of time. First, a copy object is prescanned by a scanner and read in rough pixel density, and with respect to the image, whether or not a copy object is a copy-prohibited article is checked. After completion of checking, main scanning is carried out to obtain a desired image of high density. As the result of the checking, the possibility that a copy object is a copy-prohibited article is examined, and when the possibility is low, said image of high density is output, and when the possibility is high, the image is checked again. As the result of checking, the possibility that a copy object is a copy-prohibited article is examined, and when the possibility is high, processing that the image is totally coated is carried out to output an unnormal image, and when the possibility is low, a normal image is output.

Abstract: The configuration of a CAM device can be set in various manners depending on a system in which CAM having different configurations is needed. The CAM device includes a CAM array including a plurality of physical banks, a logical bank-physical bank converter for setting the assignment between logical banks and physical banks, and for outputting a control signal to set the configuration of a physical bank assigned to the logical bank, depending on a logical bank signal indicating a logical bank to be searched, a priority circuit for outputting search results in accordance with predetermined priority, and a cascade circuit for performing a logical operation on the search results output from the priority circuit of the present CAM device and a search results supplied from a higher-order CAM device, and transmitting the results of the logical operation to a lower-order CAM device.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus and method for deriving a digital watermark embedded in an image is provided which has a recognizing unit for recognizing a predetermined characteristic area in the image and a deriving unit for extracting the digital watermark from the image data in the recognized characteristic area.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of processing an image, characterized by comprising steps of: identifying one candidate for human face region within said image; calculating a probability that said candidate for human face region represents a human face; and saving said probability as attached information to said image. The present invention also provides a method of processing an image, characterized by comprising steps of: identifying one candidate for human face region within said image; calculating a probability that said candidate for human face region represents a human face; judging whether or not said candidate for human face region represents a human face by comparing said probability with a threshold; and saving a result of said step of judging as attached information to said image. According to these methods, results of identifying candidates for human face regions will be saved to the image, and further processes to be conducted on the image will be facilitated.

Abstract: In an image sensing system where a camera apparatus and a client device are connected for controlling the camera apparatus by the client device, the client device displays and arbitrarily shifts a predetermined size of detection area in an object image sensed by the camera apparatus, enabling to quickly perform camera parameter control, such as focus adjustment or the like, based on image signals of the detection area, with a small amount of transferring data. Moreover, detection areas of a sensed image are synthesized by controlling camera parameters for each of the detection areas so as to optimize camera parameters for all of the areas in the object image.

Abstract: A registration signal embedding method of embedding registration signals adaptively in accordance with image signals. The frequency property of image data is determined, and either a first registration signal or a second registration signal is selected in accordance with the frequency property, and is added to image data. The registration embedded in this way has the advantage of increased resistance and easy detection.

Abstract: This invention allows a user to simultaneously control geometric parameters for a camera and suppresses a deterioration in the image quality of distributed video images while keeping the cost low. The invention includes an image sensing area calculation unit for calculating a minimum image sensing area including required areas from clients, a required video image forming unit for forming required video images by extracting video images of the respective required areas from a video image of the image sensing area which is sensed, and a video image transmission I/F for distributing the formed required video images to the respective clients. Only the minimum area including the respective required areas is sensed, and video images of the respective required areas are cut from the video image and distributed to the respective users, thereby allowing a plurality of users to simultaneously control the camera and obtain video images at desired viewpoints and view angles.

Abstract: A deterrent effect for a forgery of an image can be provided and both of the protection of a picture quality of an image of a relatively low similarity and the prevention of a forgery of an image of a relatively high similarity can be realized. For this purpose, an image processing apparatus has embedding processing means for embedding predetermined information which can specify an output apparatus and an output date/time as a digital watermark having a resistance according to a similarity with a specific image 106 into an output image, thereby enabling the deterrent of a forgery of the specific image 106 according to the similarity to be realized while outputting an image which the operator intends to output.

Abstract: Disclosed is a network switching device in which a new connection request packet is held in chronological sequence in a priority-assignment circuit provided corresponding to a priority level contained in the connection request packet, and in a case where the new connection request packet does not exist, the connection request packets being held in the priority-assignment circuits on the lower-priority side are shifted in sequence toward the priority-assignment circuits on the higher-priority side, to be held there.

Abstract: There is provided an image processing apparatus (method) including an input means (step) for inputting a continuous image signal, a detection means (step) for detecting a frame change in an image by comparing the image signal input by the input means (step) with a reference image signal, and a storage means (step) for updating/storing the image signal input by the input means (step) as the reference image signal in units of frames in accordance with an output from the detection means (step).

Abstract: According to the present invention, the face of a subject person can be rapidly detected. An image input unit inputs an image to be processed. A photographing-position input unit inputs photographing-position information attached to the processed image. An angle-range information determination unit determines an angle range, where face detection should be performed to the processed image, on the basis of the information obtained by the photographing-position information input unit. On the basis of information indicating the determined angle range, under the control of a process control unit, a face detection unit performs face detection to the processed image input by the image input unit in predetermined angle increments. A face integration unit integrates all of face data detected by a basic-angle-range face detection unit into face information and then outputs the information.

Abstract: In an image sensing system where a camera apparatus and a client device are connected for controlling the camera apparatus by the client device, the client device displays and arbitrarily shifts a predetermined size of detection area in an object image sensed by the camera apparatus, enabling to quickly perform camera parameter control, such as focus adjustment or the like, based on image signals of the detection area, with a small amount of transferring data. Moreover, detection areas of a sensed image are synthesized by controlling camera parameters for each of the detection areas so as to optimize camera parameters for all of the areas in the object image.

Abstract: In one aspect, an image processing apparatus inputs an input image signal and detecting whether or not there is a frame change in an image by comparing the input image signal with a reference image signal. A memory is used for updating the reference image signal by storing the input image signal as the reference image signal in units of frames when there is a frame change. In another aspect, the image processing apparatus extracts change components between images by comparing the input image signal with the reference image signal, the reference image signal being an earlier input signal when a most recent prior change component was extracted. The extracted change components are corrected by detecting and removing an erroneously extracted change component, and an image change is discriminated in the input image signal on the basis of the change components as corrected.

Abstract: It is required to protect the copyrights and the like of partial images which form respective parts of an image obtained by reading an image, exchanged using a print as a medium, by an image scanner or the like. Input image data is divided into a plurality of image regions having different features, digital watermarks, which are embedded in the detected image regions by embedding methods corresponding to the features of the image regions, are extracted, and the availability of the input image is checked on the basis of the extracted digital watermarks.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polishing apparatus, and a semiconductor manufacturing method using the apparatus. Dressing of a grindstone surface is ground by sizing processing whereby dressing of a tool surface can be done while preventing occurrence of cracks on the grindstone surface which is the cause for occurrence of scratches. Further, flatness of the surface of a dressing tool can be guaranteed because of sizing cutting-in; even if a thick grindstone of a few centimeters is used, the flatness can be maintained to the end; and processing with less in-face unevenness can be always carried out. Therefore, the life of the dressing tool can be greatly extended.