Abstract: A signal generating module for an electronic apparatus is provided. The signal generating module includes a processor, a roller, a resistant film, a conducting member, a first lead and a second lead. The roller has a rotary center and is rotably connected to the electronic apparatus thereby. The conducting member is connected to the rotary center to rotate together with the roller. The conducting member has an end including a conducting contact point. The conducting contact point is configured to rotate around the rotary center along a motion path accompanying the rotation of the roller, wherein the motion path is disposed at a first area of the resistant film. The first lead is coupled to the processor and in contact with the resistant film. The second lead is coupled to the processor, and coupled to the conducting member via the rotary center.

Abstract: An audio amplifier unit for a bicycle audio system includes audio amplifier circuitry and a rechargeable battery powering the audio amplifier circuitry which are housed in a weather resistant housing sized to be received and retained within a bicycle water bottle holder. Electrical connections are provided for connecting the amplifier circuitry to a personal audio device and at least one external speaker.

Abstract: A hearing device (FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3) that simultaneously generates both air and bone conduction sounds. The vibrator (6) placed on mastoid bone can effectively produce enhanced bass sound effects. This hearing device can be used for an hearing impaired person.

Abstract: A quasi-self focusing high intensity and large power ultrasonic transducer. It includes a backing and piezo-electric crystal sheets. The backing has double layer structure and there is an air cavity between the layers. At least four piezoelectric crystal sheets are adhered tightly on the inside focusing face of the backing. A protective layer is covered on the surface of the sheets.

Abstract: The object is to take better account of subjective perceptions when setting a hearing device or a communication system, especially a hearing aid. Therefore, an automatic setting of the hearing device by automatically analyzing the hearing situation in which the hearing device is located, and automatic setting of a parameter of the signal processing device of the hearing device relative to the hearing situation in a first parameter range is provided. In addition, manual setting of the parameter of the signal processing device to a value in a second parameter range outside the first parameter range takes place, with the automatic setting in the first parameter range being ended by this. With this semi-automatic control, the user can find an individual compromise between effectiveness and artifacts of a signal processing.

Abstract: For the cushioned support of electronic components in a mounting enclosure of a miniaturized electronic device, an elastic and/or flexible retaining element (15) with inward-protruding support sections (17) extends along at least parts of the inner wall of the mounting enclosure (3), serving to position, support and retain the component (1).

Abstract: A microphone contains a capacitor in a capsule with a diaphragm serving as one of electrodes of the capacitor. The microphone is mounted on a mounting board when external terminals installed on an external surface of a circuit board which closes an opening of the capsule are connected face to face with connection terminals on the mounting board. A sound hole is formed in the circuit board and through-hole is formed in the mounting board, being placed in such a position as to avoid overlapping each other when the microphone is mounted. An enclosed space which communicates the through-hole and sound hole is formed when the external terminals are connected with the connection terminals on the mounting board.

Abstract: The present invention provides an excellent headphone which can give a more comfortable feeling and a more stable feeling to the user when being fixed to the user as compared with that in the past. The headphone includes a headphone section that has a sound-sending section of a speaker unit arranged at the front surface side thereof, and has its rear surface side covered by a housing, and an ear pad that covers the sound-sending section of the speaker unit, wherein, in the ear pad, a porous elastic body of low repulsion is covered by a pad cover.

Abstract: A loudspeaker includes a frame and a toroidal magnet that is affixed to the rear of the frame. The toroidal magnet has a central passageway that opens into the frame. A cap is affixed to the rear of the magnet and closes the central passageway. A guide rod is affixed to the cap and projects forwardly from the cap into the central passageway. A tubular former is slidably positioned upon the guide rod. A voice coil is wound about, and is affixed to, the tubular former. A forward cone has a narrow, rear end that is affixed to the tubular former and a wide, front end that is affixed to the front of the frame. A rearward cone has a narrow, forward end with a central opening that loosely receives the rear end of the forward cone. The rearward cone also has a wide, rearward end that is affixed to the frame rearwardly of the front end of the forward cone. A forward spider is affixed to the forward end of the rearward cone and is affixed to the rear of the frame.

Abstract: A loudspeaker stand has a mount, onto which a loudspeaker can be placed. For this purpose, the mount has a tensioning device, which can be actuated by the intrinsic weight of the loudspeaker. The stand may have several tensioning elements, which can be shifted in a direction perpendicular to that in which the loudspeaker is set down.

Abstract: In a digital camera including a digital signal processing portion processing a digital image and a display device displaying the image according to a digital signal from the digital signal processing portion, and a control portion controlling overall operation, after the user takes a picture, image data is analyzed by the digital signal processing portion to determine picture quality and, when it is determined that the picture quality is inadequate, the user is informed of information regarding the quality of the picture.

Abstract: The present invention provides steganographic embedding and detecting techniques, along with related apparatus. One claim recites a signal detector including: an input and an analyzer. The input obtains media including a signal hidden therein. The signal including plural-bit data, the signal being hidden in the media through an arrangement of message objects. The arrangement is facilitated—at least in part—through thresholding of a steganographic signal representing or carrying the plural-bit data. The analyzer analyzes the media to obtain the plural-bit data. Of course, other combinations are provided and claimed as well.

Abstract: The basic invention uses a portable device that can contain a camera, a database, and a text, voice or visual entry to control the storage of an image and its location into a database. The database can be distributed over several memory arrays in different devices. Furthermore, the stored image can be associated with text, color, visual or audio data. The stored images can be used to guide the user towards a target if the user does not recall the current location. The user's commands can be issued verbally, textually or by scrolling through the target images in the database until the desired one is found. This target can be shoes, pink sneakers, a toy or some comparable items, etc. that the user desires to find.

Abstract: A motion capture apparatus includes: generating means; predicting means; projecting means; evaluating means; and estimating means. The generating means generates a kinematics model having joints connected to one another. The predicting means hierarchically calculates predicted positions at a current time of the joints of the objective person, and predicts three-dimensional positions and postures of the joints and the limbs. The projecting means projects the three-dimensional positions and postures of the joints and the limbs of the objective person on a two-dimensional image plane, the three-dimensional positions and the postures being predicted by predicting means. The evaluating means evaluates reliability about projection positions projected by the projecting means based on the observation image of the objective person.

Abstract: An automated method for classifying an object in a sequence of video frames. The object is tracked in multiple frames of the sequence of video frame, and feature descriptors are determined for the object for each of the multiple frames. Multiple classification scores are computed by matching said feature descriptors for the object for each of the multiple frames with feature descriptors for a candidate class in a classification database. Said multiple classification scores are aggregated to generate an estimated probability that the object is a member of the candidate class. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention provides for simple and streamlined boresight correlation of FLIR-to-missile video. Boresight correlation is performed with un-NUCed missile video, which allows boresight correlation and NUC to be performed simultaneously thereby reducing the time required to acquire a target and fire the missile. The current approach uses the motion of the missile seeker for NUCing to produce spatial gradient filtering in the missile image by differencing images as the seeker moves. This compensates DC non-uniformities in the image. A FLIR image is processed with a matching displace and subtract spatial filter constructed based on the tracked scene motion. The FLIR image is resampled to match the missile image resolution, and the two images are preprocessed and correlated using conventional methods. Improved NUC is provided by cross-referencing multiple measurements of each area of the scene as viewed by different pixels in the imager.

Abstract: Video surveillance systems are used for monitoring such areas as streets, railroad stations, industrial plants, buildings, or squares with video cameras, and on the basis of the sequences of images recorded with the video cameras, discovering anomalies in the monitored areas. A method for detecting image regions that are conspicuous in terms of the movement in them in a sequence of images of a scene and a corresponding apparatus and computer program are proposed, in which a current optical flow field in the sequence of images is calculated that includes motion vectors of image regions of the scene; an optical main flow field is determined that includes main flow directions of image regions of the scene; and a counterflow field with motion vectors of image regions that are conspicuous in terms of the movement in them is formed from image regions of the scene whose motion vectors are oriented differently from the main flow directions.

Abstract: Directional albedo of a particular article, such as an identity card, is measured and stored. When the article is later presented, it can be confirmed to be the same particular article by re-measuring the albedo function, and checking for correspondence against the earlier-stored data. The re-measuring can be performed through us of a handheld optical device, such as a camera-equipped cell phone. The albedo function can serve as random key data in a variety of cryptographic applications. The function can be changed during the life of the article. A variety of other features are also detailed.

Abstract: A registration apparatus includes: display control means for controlling display means to display a body part reflected on an image pickup surface and where the body part should be placed on the image pickup surface; driver means for driving a light source to emit light specific to a verification object inside the body part, the verification object being used for verification; extraction means for extracting a pattern of the verification object reflected on the image pickup surface as a result of emitting the light; and registration means for registering in storage means the pattern extracted by the extraction means.

Abstract: The basic invention uses biometric signals to help identify the name of a family member, acquaintance or newly met individual. The biometric signals include facial and voice recognition. In addition, the invention can interactively produce the name of an individual met for the first time just after that individual shakes your hand and introduces themselves. Most people forget this name since they are concentrating on maintaining a conversation. By touching the portable unit which is inserted into the ear canal, the name is whispered into the canal. All these identification procedures can be used to help eliminate an embarrassing moment which may occur if the user is unable to recall an individual's name.

Abstract: A method for detecting redeye in a digital image comprises initially examining the image to detect redeyes, examining the image to detect face regions and, from the results of the preceding examinations, identifying those detected face regions each including only one detected redeye. Next, the identified face regions are examined, using less stringent search criteria than the initial examination, to detect additional redeyes in the face regions.

Abstract: Provided in this invention is a vein authentication device comprising: an interface on which a part of a living body; one or more light sources for emitting infrared light; an image pickup unit for picking up a blood vessel image of the part of the living body using infrared light emitted from the light sources; an image computing unit for processing the blood vessel image picked up by the image pickup unit; and a light shielding unit for shielding infrared light emitted from the light sources and preventing the infrared light from traveling in an image pickup direction of the image pickup unit, wherein the interface has an opening opened in the image pickup direction of the image pickup unit, and wherein the light sources irradiates the part of the living body with infrared light from an image pickup side of the part of the living body.

Abstract: Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a test image including a plurality of bands and a plurality of markers in each band. Each band includes a plurality of pixels of the same pixel value. Each marker contrasts with the plurality of pixels in the band. The markers are adapted to allow a user to determine a feature of an image display system.

Abstract: In the present invention, the difference between regions in which the signal value ranges are close to each other or the presence of overlapping regions of signal values can be clearly displayed on a predetermined image region of an observation image, and the displayed regions and display state thereof can be easily adjusted based on the signal value ranges. The present invention is configured such that a plurality of separate and mutually independent display property curves can be set on the same coordinate system, and a color and a degree of opaqueness, which are established by any number of display property curves from among the plurality of display property curves that are set, can be at once reflected in the image within the region to be observed.

Abstract: Certain aspects can relate to obtaining at least some input compensating information at least partially based on the distortion characterizing imaging information that when applied to an imaging modality used to obtain the at least one image information can limit distortions to the at least the portion of the at least one image information resulting from at least a portion of at least one distorting feature, wherein the at least some input compensating information is characterized based at least in part on the at least one relative orientation of the at least the portion of the at least one distorting feature relative to the at least one image information.

Abstract: Certain embodiments of the present invention provide an improved method for automatically labeling an image using an intraoperative imaging system. The method includes acquiring a first image at a first position, labeling the first image with a first label, acquiring a second image at a second position, automatically labeling the second image with a second label based at least in part on the first label, the first position, and the second position.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for automatically identifying and locating body parts in medical imaging. To automatically identify body parts of in an image, an identification and location algorithm is used. This establishes a reference frame in relation to the image. Then, a location of the head in relation to the frame is established. After upper and lower boundaries of the head are determined, a neck section of the image is identified. The neck section is identified using the lower boundary of the head section. The location of the neck section is then found. A thorax cage section is found and located positively below the neck section. The abdomen and pelvis are identified together and ultimately separately located and identified.

Abstract: A computerized robust cell kinetic recognition method for moving cell detection from temporal image sequence receives an image sequence containing a current image. A dynamic spatial-temporal reference generation is performed to generate dynamic reference image output. A reference based object segmentation is performed to generate initial object segmentation output. An object matching and detection refinement is performed to generate kinetic recognition results output. The dynamic spatial-temporal reference generation step performs frame look ahead and the reference images contain a reference intensity image and at least one reference variation image.

Abstract: An exemplary method for testing light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on a motherboard is provided. The method includes: using a camera module to take a first bulb image of a corresponding number of transparent bulbs which are connected to each of the LEDs when the LEDs are set in a power-on state and taking a second bulb image of the transparent bulbs when the LEDs are set in a power-off state; processing the two bulb images and dividing each of the two bulb images into small pictures; calculating an average pixel value of each of the small pictures, calculating a first difference of each of the small pictures between the average pixel value and a first predetermined value, and calculating a second difference of each of the small pictures between the average pixel value and a second predetermined value; ascertaining a present state of each of the LEDs by comparing the two differences; obtaining test results by comparing the present state of the LEDs with the set state; and reporting the test results.

Abstract: In a method of detecting defects in patterns and an apparatus for performing the method, a first image of a detection region on a semiconductor substrate may be acquired. A second image may be acquired from the first image by performing a Fourier transform and performing a low pass filtering. The second image may be compared with a reference image so that the defects of the detection region are detected. Existence of the defect of the second image is determined using a relation value between a grey level of each of pixels of the second image and the reference image, respectively. When a defect exists, the horizontal and the vertical positions of the pixel where the relation value is minimum are combined to determine the position of the defect.

Abstract: A substrate to be processed by a patterning device has a group of a plurality of alignment marks formed within a predetermined area as an alignment area, each of the plurality of alignment marks being an information recording code that records its own location relative to a reference position on the substrate. In alignment of the substrate, an image of such an alignment area that includes a group of the plurality of alignment marks is captured. Thus, even if the area of image capturing is reduced with increasing image magnification, at least one of the plurality of alignment marks can be included in the image. One of the alignment marks whose images are included in this image is defined as a target mark, and the position of the substrate is derived based on the target mark in the image. Thus, the position of the substrate can be detected by a single image capturing operation.

Abstract: A camera including a Lidar and an optical camera captures 3D data representing scans of an object. The Lidar and optical camera may synchronously or asynchronously capture 3D data. An image is generated for each scan. The images are aligned and combined to generate a total image. Alignment of images may be based on received spatial information. The total image is processed to generated a 3D model.

Abstract: A color processing apparatus includes an image signal acquisition section, a color component preservation section, a first color conversion section, a color gamut compression section and a second color conversion section. The image signal acquisition section acquires an image signal including an input color signal having predetermined color components. The color component preservation section preserves at least one of the color components of the input color signal as a preserved color component. The first color conversion section converts the input color signal into an intermediate color signal belonging to a first color space. The color gamut compression section performs a color gamut compression for the intermediate color signal using color components of the intermediate color signal and the preserved color component, to generate a compressed color signal. The second color conversion section that converts the compressed color signal into an output color signal belonging to a second color space.

Abstract: A method for producing a noise-reduced digital color image, includes providing an image having panchromatic pixels and color pixels corresponding to at least two color photoresponses; providing from the image a panchromatic image and at least one color image; and using the panchromatic image and the color image to produce the noise-reduced digital color image.

Abstract: Systems and methods of detecting and correcting redeye in an image are described. In one aspect, pixels of the input image are segmented based on projections of color values of the pixels onto two-dimensional thresholding planes. Candidate redeye pixel areas are identified in the input image based on the segmented pixels of the input image.

Abstract: A method for identifying a region of interest within an image includes receiving an image. The image is divided into a plurality of tiles. It is determined which of the plurality of tiles includes the region of interest. A graphics processing unit (GPU) calculates a pixel intensity histogram for tiles that have been determined to include the region of interest. The region of interest is identified based on the calculated pixel intensity histograms.

Abstract: A method to secure unique information about a handwritten document and to provide verification of document's authenticity, integrity and non-repudiation. The method includes the following steps: creating a document having an area of interest containing information, segmenting the area of interest on the document into a plurality of elements, obtaining the average gray scale of each element, inserting the average gray scale of each element into an identifier, and attaching the identifier to the document.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for adjusting disparity in a 3D image and a 3D imaging device thereof are provided. The apparatus includes a disparity estimator which estimates disparity in an input 3D image and determines a disparity histogram pixel-wise; a disparity adjustor which analyzes energy of a parallax range of the disparity histogram and determines a disparity adjustment amount; and a 3D image reproducer which reproduces the 3D image based on the disparity adjustment amount. Accordingly, the disparity adjustment amount is determined by analyzing disparity energy of the disparity histogram, so a viewer may feel visual comfort and an optimal stereoscopic effect may be provided.

Abstract: A method and system for image segmentation by evolving radial basis functions (RBFs) is disclosed. A set of RBFs define a contour on an image. The contour is the zero level set of an implicit function defined by the RBFs. The RBFs are weighted and parameterized by multiple parameters, such as center point, standard deviation, and orientation. The contour is iteratively deformed by updating the weight and each of the parameters of each of the RBFs based on each pixel of the contour, until the contour converges. The parameters and the weight of each RBF is updated using coupled set of differential equations derived based from a region-based or boundary-based image segmentation energy formulation. The final contour at a convergence defines boundaries of a target object or region in the image.

Abstract: A method for chaptering an image datum according to a scene change includes: (a) calculating a first image characteristic value of a first image frame of an image datum; (b) calculating a second image characteristic value of a second image frame of the image datum; (c) determining whether a difference between the first image characteristic value and the second image characteristic value is greater than or equal to a threshold value; and (d) chaptering the image datum so that the first image frame belongs to a first section and the second image frame belongs to a second section when the difference between the first image characteristic value and the second image characteristic value is greater than or equal to the threshold value.

Abstract: A set of straight lines that associate a top parallel geodesic projection positioned at an upper end with a bottom parallel geodesic projection positioned at a lower end, among sets of parallel geodesic projections, is extracted as a set of ruled-line candidate projections as a search target of a set of ruled line projections. A deviation of neighborhood, which is a distance between a cross ratio vector of the ruled-line candidate projection and a cross ratio vector of a neighboring line obtained by shifting the ruled-line candidate projection by a predetermined interval, is calculated for each ruled-line candidate projection. A set of straight lines having the smallest sum total of deviations of neighborhood, in the set of straight lines, which do not intersect with each other, among the sets of ruled-line projection candidates is extracted as a set of ruled line projections by continuous dynamic programming.

Abstract: A system and process for recognizing documents by type and understanding at least a portion of the contents thereof. The process includes the steps of providing a document in electronic form, determining a set of facts, data and information about the document, providing the set of facts, data and information to a reasoning management unit, receiving formatted knowledge from a rule verification, validation and management unit, using the formatted knowledge to prepare an expert system having an inference engine, matching the facts, data and information against formatted knowledge using the inference engine and determining a set of applicable rules and executing actions of applicable rules.

Abstract: A method of organizing an image collection includes detecting faces in the image collection, extracting features from the detected faces, determining a set of unique faces by analyzing the extracted features, wherein each face in the set of unique faces is believed to be from a different person than the other faces in the set; and displaying the unique faces to a user.

Abstract: Provided is a skin detection system including a first skin region detecting unit that detects a region included in a first skin region from an image signal applied from outside, the first skin region represented by the distribution of sampled human skins; a second skin region detecting unit that detects a region included in a second skin region, where a human skin region is set, from the image signal; and a skin region processing unit that, when a region included in both of the first and second skin regions is detected, determines the region as a human skin region so as to extract the detected skin region.

Abstract: Various systems, methods, and programs embodied in computer-readable mediums are provided for detecting a match in patterns. In one embodiment, a method is provided that comprises performing a fractal analysis on a first pattern in a computer system to generate a first global quantitative characterization of the first pattern. The method further comprises comparing the first global quantitative characterization with a second global quantitative characterization associated with a second pattern in the computer system to determine whether the first pattern matches the second pattern. The second global quantitative characterization is generated from the second pattern.

Abstract: Various systems, methods, and programs embodied in computer-readable mediums are provided for the detection of patterns. In one embodiment, a pattern detection method is provided that comprises the step of performing a fractal analysis of a pattern to generate a plurality of scaling parameters from a fractal associated with the pattern in a computer system. In addition, the method further comprises the step of detecting a degree of organization in the pattern by examining a degree of equality among the scaling parameters of the fractal in the computer system.

Abstract: In an embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for semantic analysis of digital multimedia. In an embodiment of the invention, low level features are extracted representative of one or more concepts. A discriminative classifier is trained using these low level features. A collective annotation model is built based on the discriminative classifiers. In various embodiments of the invention, the frame work is totally generic and can be applied with any number of low-level features or discriminative classifiers. Further, the analysis makes no domain specific assumptions, and can be applied to activity analysis or other scenarios without modification. The framework admits the inclusion of a broad class of potential functions, hence enabling multi-modal analysis and the fusion of heterogeneous information sources.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide image compression based on parameter-assisted inpainting. In one implementation of an encoder, an image is partitioned into blocks and the blocks classified as smooth or unsmooth, based on the degree of visual edge content and chromatic variation in each block. Image content of the unsmooth blocks is compressed, while image content of the smooth blocks is summarized by parameters, but not compressed. The parameters, once obtained, may also be compressed. At a decoders the compressed image content of the unsmooth blocks and the compressed parameters of the smooth blocks are each decompressed. Each smooth block is then reconstructed by inpainting, guided by the parameters in order to impart visual detail from the original image that cannot be implied from the image content of neighboring blocks that have been decoded.

Abstract: An image display method and an image display apparatus realize prevention of misdiagnosis which is caused by corruption of a part of at least one type of information including identification information, information on a series of images, and diagnosis-report information. The image display method and the image display apparatus perform an operation using a predetermined hash function on patient information ID1, examination information ID2, a series of images I1 to In acquired by an intra-subject information acquiring apparatus to generate and add hash data h. Thereafter, the image display method and the image display apparatus, when using case 15a-1, perform an operation using a predetermined hash function to generate new hash data, compare each piece of the hash data h already added and newly generated hash data, and determine whether two pieces of hash data match with each other.

Abstract: A system and method in a multi-channel detection system for multi-rate filter bank applications for converting overlapping rectangular two-dimensional (2D) regions into a new set of non-overlapping rectangular regions for the efficient reconstruction of a signal wherein each non-overlapping region has a maximum extent in a major dimension is described. Overlapping regions are split into marked regions in a non-uniform grid and merged along the major dimension and along the minor dimension to form non-overlapping regions wherein no two non-overlapping rectangular regions have an adjacent edge orthogonal to the major dimension thereby increasing the efficiency of data compression and reducing error-rates.