Abstract: A method, medium, and system encoding and/or decoding a multi-channel audio signal, and a method, medium, and system decoding a signal down-mixed from multi-channels to a 2-channel signal. The method of encoding an audio signal may include generating spatial cues indicating directivity information of a virtual sound source generated by at least two channel sound sources among a plurality of channels, and down-mixing the plurality of channel signals. The method of decoding an audio signal may include receiving inputs of spatial cues indicating directivity information of a virtual sound source generated by at least two channel sound sources among sound sources of a plurality of channels, and a signal down-mixed from the plurality of channel signals, and restoring the down-mixed signal to a plurality of channel signals by using the spatial cues. According to such systems, media, and methods, a multi-channel audio signal can be accurately encoded and/or decoded regardless of frequency bands.

Abstract: Inductive transmission to a hearing apparatus and in particular to a hearing device is to be improved. To this end, it is proposed to equip the hearing apparatus with two or three orthogonal coils. The coil signals are added with different signs and that signal which exhibits the highest level is forwarded from the resulting signals for further processing. It is thus possible to ensure an optimum reception quality in all alignments of the hearing apparatus.

Abstract: An electronic device can be operated to detect noise, such as wind noise. A microphone signal is generated by a microphone. Autocorrelation coefficients are determined based on the microphone signal. Gradient values are determined from the autocorrelation coefficients.

Abstract: A thin hearing tube is to be fastened in a hearing apparatus such that it can be easily exchanged again. To this end, the end of the sound tube is melted, so that its diameter is enlarged. The sound tube can then be drawn into the bore, the inner diameter of which is smaller than the enlarged outer diameter of the end of the sound tube, until the extended end of the sound tube rests closely against one side of the bore. By cutting the sound tube end or by cutting through the tube at another point, it can be removed from the bore without any problem, so that a new tube can be fastened there.

Abstract: A bag or luggage for portable media players includes an amplifier contained within the bag or luggage. The amplifier amplifies an audio signal from a portable media player. One or more speakers contained within the bag or luggage are connected to the amplifier. The speakers reproduce sound from the amplified audio signal. An enclosure houses the personal media player. A front portion of the enclosure is made of a soft transparent layer suitable for viewing and controlling the personal media player.

Abstract: The present invention is related to sound generating devices such as audio speakers. Prior art audio speakers typically have inertia related distortion. The present invention provides methods and structures to solve the inertia distortion problem by stop-and-forget mechanism using stoppers.

Abstract: A condenser microphone includes: a condenser portion including a vibration film and a plate disposed opposed to each other; an impedance conversion unit that converts the variations of the electrostatic capacity of the condenser portion to electric impedances; and a box member that stores the condenser portion and the impedance conversion unit therein, and includes a heat insulating portion.

Abstract: Disclosed is a fit adjuster for a neckband type headset, which includes a headset band and a pair of earpieces connected to both ends of the headset band and placed on the ears of a user. The fit adjuster includes at least one opening formed at a stress concentration portion of the headset band; and an adjustment pin inserted into the opening to be movable in a longitudinal direction of the opening.

Abstract: There is provided an in-ear earphone having an electroacoustic transducer and at least one support element which is coupled to the transducer. That makes it possible to achieve two-point anchorage for the earpiece in the outer ear, wherein the transducer represents the first anchorage and the support element represents the second anchorage.

Abstract: A sound emitting assembly inserted into a body or frame (106) or handgrip of a personal transport means (90) said assembly comprising: (i) a package comprising an electronically actuated sound generator, an electronic circuit to feed a signal to the sound generator and a source of stored electric power, and (ii) an actuating switch (118) separated from the package and linked to the package by an electric pathway (119) such that when the switch (118) is activated by the user, a sound is emitted from said body or frame (106) or handgrip distant from the switch (118).

Abstract: A piezoelectric speaker includes a cabinet, piezoelectric vibrators horizontally mounted inside the cabinet at different elevations each having two eyed lugs respectively coupled to respective posts in the cabinet, a shock absorber coupled to the piezoelectric material of the piezoelectric vibrators, two conducting terminals accommodated inside the cabinet and clamped on the piezoelectric vibrators, and two clamps fastened to the conducting terminals to secure a respective signal line.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a sound generating apparatus which reproduces sound, such as music or voice, from a sound generating member, such as a flower or a tree. A sound generating apparatus 10 includes a vibration unit 11 and a drive unit 14. The vibration unit 11 includes a vibration member 12 to be attached to a sound generating member 1 and a solenoid coil 13 wound around the vibration member 12. The drive unit 14 includes a magnet 15 and a bottom part 17b, a trunk part 17a, and a top part 17c. The magnet 15 is provided at one end with respect to the axial direction of the core member, and opposes one lateral face of the solenoid coil.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for detection of miniature security mark configurations within documents and images, wherein the miniature security marks may include data marks or a combination of data marks and anchor marks. The method includes sub-sampling a received image, which is a digital representation possible recipient(s) of the miniature security marks, to generate a reduced-resolution image of the received image. Maximum/minimum points detection is performed and the maximum/minimum points are grouped into one or more clusters according to location distances between the maximum/minimum points. Group configuration is checked to match the clusters with a pre-defined template configuration. Shape verification is then performed to verify mark location and configuration between the reduced-resolution image and the received image.

Abstract: A method is provided for embedding miniature security marks within documents and images, utilizing a mark parameters database, graphical user interface, and detection simulator. The method includes predicting detection error rates for each pixel location of a host image, defined as a digital representation of at least one recipient of the miniature security marks. The detection error rates for each pixel are displayed with the host image on a graphical user interface and the desired miniature security mark locations are selected. At least one set of miniature security mark parameters is identified, with the parameters being mark parameters that enable determination of an optimized balance between detectability and visibility of the miniature security marks. The host image with the miniature security mark is displayed on the graphical user interface for review and adjustment by an operator.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are a novel splicing detection scheme that detects the spliced images by distinguishing image features that are extracted by exploiting both magnitude and phase information of a given image. The image features include the statistical moments of characteristic functions of wavelet subbands of a test image and a prediction-error image. In addition, the approximation (LL) subband at different levels is individually erased by forcing the wavelet coefficients to zero and the inverse wavelet transform is applied in order to produce reconstructed image with enhanced high frequency components. Further, the moments of the characteristic functions of these reconstructed images provide additional image features. Moreover, the statistics (mean, variance, skewness and kurtosis) of 2-D phase congruency array associated with the reconstructed images provide additional image features for splicing detection.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to hiding a signal in video, audio and/or audio-visual content. One form of hiding is steganographic encoding. In one implementation a method includes: receiving first data representing audio-visual content, the audio-visual content comprising a video portion representing video imagery or picture elements and an audio portion; processing at least a portion of the first data to recover information steganographically encoded therein; based on at least on recovered information, obtaining details associated with the audio-visual content from a data repository; generating a report including at least the details associated with the audio-visual content; and providing the report to a client or remote location.

Abstract: A geographic information system digitally watermarks by modifying pixels from a source image with additional spatial and non-spatial information for a destination image. When an image is digitally watermarked, the pixels of the image are modified to include an embedded redundant pattern that is imperceptible to viewers of the image. The redundant pattern of changes from the “digital watermark” can be converted back into a payload containing meaningful data, and in some examples into unique identifiers. The payload is arranged to link the image to additional information such as copyright information, geospatial data, and related applications and services. Since the payload is embedded within the pixels of the image, no additional storage space is required, and the information is arranged to survive various image manipulations that might be employed by a user such as: translation of image formats, rotation, scaling, cropping, printing and scanning, and many other image processes.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system are provided for tracking image capture compliance with an image capture criteria. Method and system aspects of the exemplary embodiment include receiving user-defined criteria for specifying an image capture plan that defines at least one image capture subject and constraints associated with the at least one image capture subject; determining a progress towards completing the image capture plan based on whether information is received for an image capture occurrence of the at least one image capture subject by an image capture device, wherein multiple image capture occurrences occurring in any order are counted toward completing the image capture plan; and providing an indication of the compliance progress.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for tracking faces in an image stream iteratively receives a new acquired image from the image stream, the image potentially including one or more face regions. The acquired image is sub-sampled (112) at a specified resolution to provide a sub-sampled image. An integral image is then calculated for a least a portion of the sub-sampled image. Fixed size face detection (20) is applied to at least a portion of the integral image to provide a set of candidate face regions. Responsive to the set of candidate face regions produced and any previously detected candidate face regions, the resolution at which a next acquired image is sub-sampled is adjusted.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for displaying an image of a view in front of a vehicle, each of which detects edges in a monochrome image obtained by a camera, which is mounted on the vehicle and photographs a view in front of the vehicle, to generate an edge image indicative of the detected edges only, determines an object forming an area surrounded with edges in the edge image; and assigns a color to the determined object for each edge-surrounded area of the edge image in order to make an estimated color image.

Abstract: Apparatus for 3D representation of image data, comprises: a structure identifier for identifying structures in motion within image data, and a skeleton insertion unit, which associates three-dimensional skeleton elements with the identified structures. The skeleton elements are able to move with the structures to provide a three-dimensional motion and structure understanding of said image data which can be projected back onto the input data. As well as individual elements, complex bodies can be modeled by complex skeletons having multiple elements. The skeleton elements themselves can be used to identify the complex objects.

Abstract: A pattern matching method which is capable of selecting a suitable measurement object pattern, even on a sample containing a periodic structure, and a computer program for making a computer execute the pattern matching. In a pattern matching method which executes matching between the design data-based first image of an object sample, and a second image, whether or not a periodic structure is included in a region to execute the matching is determined, so as to select a pattern, based on distance between an original point which is set in said image, and the pattern configuring said periodic structure, in the case where the periodic structure is included in said region, and to select a pattern based on coincidence of the pattern in said image, in the case where the periodic structure is not included in said region, and a computer program product.

Abstract: A small object identifying device and its identifying method according to which a large number of small objects can be identified. In one embodiment, the device includes a dispersion region section which disperses a large quantity of several kinds of small objects which are labeled by a combination of the presence/absence or measure of label elements of several kinds. A measuring device distributes and associates kinds of said label elements to two or more measurement points and measures the presence/absence or the measure of said label elements of the kinds which have been associated with respective measurement points. An identifying section associates the measurement results measured at each measurement point to thereby identify said small objects.

Abstract: At least two biometric measurements of a person are collected, then a statistical measure based on the measurements is computed. The statistical measure is a bounded estimate of the discriminative power of a test based on the measurements. While the discriminative power is less than a target value, additional biometric measurements are collected. When enough measurements have been collected, a biometric template is constructed from the measurements and stored for use in future identifications. Systems and software to implement similar methods are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A personal authentication method is provided for authenticating a user by cross-relation between an enrolled image and a verification image of biometric information of the user. Upon registration of the biometric information, the method generates a filter for scrambling the image and an inverse filter thereof, and applies the filter to the enrolled image generated from the biometric information to generate a registration template which is then stored to a memory. Upon authentication of the user, the method applies the inverse filter to the verification image generated from the biometric information collected from the user, and then verifies the identity of the user based on cross-relation between the verification image after application of the inverse filter and the registration template.

Abstract: To suitably reduce data amount. For example, feature points from a branch point or an end point to the next branch point or an end point in a blood vessel line are set as a group.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an iris recognition system and method using a multifocus image sequence, the iris recognition system including: an eye image input unit calculating the distance between an image obtaining apparatus and a user using a distance sensor to receive a multifocus eye image sequence having focus information of the user's eye varied at regular time intervals within a predetermined distance using the image obtaining apparatus; an eye image pretreatment unit calculating a fuzzy entropy for the multifocus eye image sequence input from the eye image input unit to select eye images of N number that can effectively express eye image data of various focusing levels, and extracting a multifocus iris image sequence by separating an iris image between pupil and collarette that has various iris patterns, from which an area unnecessary for configuring a feature vector is removed, from the selected eye images; a feature vector extraction unit multi-dividing the multifocus iris image sequence extrac

Abstract: A method for driving virtual facial expressions by automatically detecting facial expressions of a face image is applied to a digital image capturing device. The method includes the steps of detecting a face image captured by the image capturing device and images of a plurality of facial features with different facial expressions to obtain a key point position of each facial feature on the face image; mapping the key point positions to a virtual face as the key point positions of corresponding facial features on the virtual face; dynamically tracking the key point of each facial feature on the face image; estimating the key point positions of each facial feature of the current face image according to the key point positions of each facial feature on a previous face image; and correcting the key point positions of the corresponding facial features on the virtual face.

Abstract: A face portion detection device, a behavior content classification device, a speech content classification device, a car navigation system, a face direction classification device, a face portion detection device control program, a behavior content classification device control program, a face portion detection device control method, and a behavior content classification device control method are provided for appropriately classifying a behavior content of the object person from a captured image including the face of the object person. A speech section detection device 1 includes an image capturing unit 10, a data storage unit 11, an image processing unit 12, a lip region detection unit 13, feature extraction unit 14, and a speech section detection unit 15. The lip region detection unit 13 uses a dedicated SVM to detect a lip region from a captured image, and the speech section detection unit 15 uses features of an image of a detected lip region and a dedicated HMM to detect a speech section.

Abstract: A database includes an identifier and associated parameters for each of a number of faces to be recognized. A new acquired image from an image stream is received potentially including one or more face regions. Face detection is applied to at least a portion of the acquired image to provide a set of candidate face regions each having a given size and a respective location. Using the database, face recognition is selectively applied to at least one of the candidate face regions to provide an identifier for a face recognized in a candidate face region. A portion of the image is stored including the recognized face in association with at least one image of the image stream.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for tracking faces in an image stream iteratively receives a new acquired image from the image stream, the image potentially including one or more face regions. The acquired image is sub-sampled (112) at a specified resolution to provide a sub-sampled image. An integral image is then calculated for a least a portion of the sub-sampled image. Fixed size face detection (20) is applied to at least a portion of the integral image to provide a set of candidate face regions. Responsive to the set of candidate face regions produced and any previously detected candidate face regions, the resolution at which a next acquired image is sub-sampled is adjusted.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for tracking faces in an image stream iteratively receives an acquired image from the image stream potentially including one or more face regions. The acquired image is sub-sampled at a specified resolution to provide a sub-sampled image. An integral image is then calculated for a least a portion of the sub-sampled image. Fixed size face detection is applied to at least a portion of the integral image to provide a set of candidate face regions. Responsive to the set of candidate face regions produced and any previously detected candidate face regions, the resolution is adjusted for sub-sampling a subsequent acquired image.

Abstract: An image-capturing apparatus for capturing an image by using a solid-state image-capturing device may include a face detector configured to detect a face of a human being on the basis of an image signal in a period until an image signal obtained by image capturing is recorded on a recording medium; an expression evaluation section configured to evaluate the expression of the detected face and to compute an expression evaluation value indicating the degree to which the detected face is close to a specific expression in relation to expressions other than the specific expression; and a notification section configured to notify notification information corresponding to the computed expression evaluation value to an image-captured person.

Abstract: A transaction card 10 for use in a transaction includes a memory 15 and pressure sensors 20. The authorized user provides biometric data, such as a signature, by signing on the pressure sensors (20) using a pointer for storage in the memory (15) when the card is used for the first time. The signature is not visible on the card for added security. At the point of use of the transaction card (10), such as the point of sale, the user signs on an input device (50) such as a digital tablet, a tablet with pressure sensors or a slip of paper. This newly acquired signature (55) is compared with the signature stored on the transaction card (10), such as by displaying the stored signature out of the view of the user and comparing displayed signature with the acquired signature (55). The comparison may be performed by the service-providing associate or by a processor coupled to the input device (50).

Abstract: A system, method and apparatus for enhancing 2D-3D registration with digitally reconstructed radiographs derived from segmented spine data.

Abstract: Disclosed are method and apparatus for motion correction of Digital Subtracted Angiography (DSA) images. Prior to display of DSA image frames, a pixel shift vector is calculated for each fill frame. For a fill frame in which a pixel shift vector cannot be directly calculated, an approximate pixel shift vector is interpolated between, or extrapolated from, other pixel shift vectors. A mask frame is shifted by a pixel shift vector. The resulting shifted mask frame is subtracted from the corresponding fill frame to generate a motion-corrected subtracted frame, which is then displayed on a video display. Motion correction is performed prior to diagnostic review.

Abstract: A method is provided for accelerating non-rigid image registration, using parallel processors. To that end, on a commercially available graphics card, a block-matching algorithm is implemented, which, by histogram-based similarity standards, calculates the motion vectors for individual blocks. All the blocks are processed simultaneously and individually. The complete motion vector field is obtained by bilinear interpolation. Optimized search methods, such as conjugate direction searching, are employed. The algorithm terminates once the optimal displacement has been found for all the blocks. The registration is done completely on the graphics card. The algorithm is fully automatic, precise, and fast. The program may be employed for instance in registration for digital subtraction angiography.

Abstract: A method includes using a point spread function based rule to classify regions in a dataset.

Abstract: A system and method includes using a point spread function based rule to classify regions in a dataset and processing the dataset based on the point spread function based classification.

Abstract: A method and system for segmentation of the corpus callosum in MR brain images is disclosed. The method utilizes an active shape model (ASM) with confidence weighting to iteratively adjust an initial corpus callosum contour to define a boundary of the corpus callosum in an MR image. An ASM is used to determine a displacement value in a perpendicular direction of the corpus callosum contour for each node of the corpus callosum contour. The displacement value for each node is then weighted based on a confidence of that displacement value. The ASM is then fitted to the adjusted contour. These steps are iteratively performed until the contour converges to define the corpus callosum boundary. This boundary can be further refined based on intensity distributions in object and background regions defined by the boundary.

Abstract: Volume data formed of tomographic images (medical images) is stored in a storage unit of a data center. Recorded in a tag area of each tomographic image is site information indicating the site contained in each tomographic image. A data server of the data center reads the volume data from the storage unit in response to a transmission request from a medical facility. Then, the data server extracts from the volume data the tomographic images of the same site as designated by the transmission request. The data server transmits the extracted tomographic images to the medical facility which made the transmission request.

Abstract: In a method for generation of a medical image, starting from an acquired data set of an organ to be depicted, a magnification factor and/or an image section to be depicted are automatically determined dependent on the organ to be depicted. Based on this a medical image is generated from the data set. A data processing unit for medical images is fashioned for implementation of such a method and computer software implements such a method when it is executed on a data processing unit.

Abstract: There is disclosed a medical image synthesis method which comprises acquiring a plurality of different functional images in which functions of a test subject are imaged, taking a logical product of these functional images to generate new information, and superimposing and displaying the new information on a corresponding position of the functional image of the test subject.

Abstract: A system for computer aided detection and decision support includes an ontology of image representations for injecting meaning into and adding relationships among image contents, an image understanding and parsing module in communication with the ontology of image representations for extracting structures from an image including the image contents, and a reasoning engine based in communication with the ontology and the image understanding and parsing module for classifying the image contents, wherein the system receives the image and corresponding descriptive information.

Abstract: In a method for the processing of radiological images for the detection of opacities in a radiography image, an algorithm is proposed for detecting opacities according to their contrasts. To determine a contrast that is not over-estimated in each element, an algorithm is proposed for computing the background intensity by means of a sliding-window filtering. This type of sliding-window filtering computes the set of mean values of grey levels about an immediate environment of a region of elements whose size depends on the size of the opacity to be detected. The algorithm considers a background intensity of the region of elements to be the lowest mean value grey levels among the set of mean values of grey levels.

Abstract: A method and system for determining currency of data in a data processing system. The processing steps along a dependency chain used to populate a data reporting program are back tracked recursively through each processing step until a first originating set of processing steps are reached. The currency of each data source for the programs are identified and it is determined whether the program has run since that time. If any one of the sources for the program of the processing step is more recent that a last run time of the program associated with the processing step, the program is re-run and outputs updated. The same process is executed moving forward along the dependency chain, to each other processing step.

Abstract: A sensing device for use with a security document having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a number of coded data portions. Each coded data portion is indicative of an identity of the security document, with the sensing device including a housing adapted to be held by a user in use, a radiation source for exposing at least one coded data portion, a sensor for sensing the at least one exposed coded data portion and a processor for determining, using the at least one sensed coded data portion, a sensed identity.

Abstract: A device and method for reading and authenticating currency serial numbers to prevent counterfeiting and other money-related crime is provided. The device may be retrofitted to be installed in an existing money counting machine, and may read serial numbers of currency that passes through the counting machine. The serial numbers can be captured from stationary currency prior to entering the counting machine, and the serial numbers may be authenticated by comparing the number against various databases.

Abstract: In a method of classifying directional defects on an object straight lines are drawn from any defect among all defects on the object toward adjacent defects. At least three defects that are positioned within an allowable angle from the straight lines are classified as directional defects. Thus, only the directional defects among all the defects on the semiconductor substrate may be accurately classified after performing a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process, so that the CMP process may be effectively managed.

Abstract: Methods, and program storage devices, for performing model-based optical proximity correction by providing a region of interest (ROI) having an interaction distance and locating at least one polygon within the ROI. A cut line of sample points representative of a set of vertices, or plurality of cut lines, are generated within the ROI across at least one lateral edge of the polygon(s). An angular position, and first and second portions of the cut line residing on opposing sides of an intersection between the cut line and the lateral edge of the polygon are determined, followed by generating a new ROI by extending the original ROI beyond its interaction distance based on such angular position, and first and second portions of the cut line. In this manner, a variety of new ROIs may be generated, in a variety of different directions, to ultimately correct for optical proximity.