Motion Correction Patents (Class 348/208.4)
  • Patent number: 8497915
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method of controlling the apparatus are provided that can realize high-accuracy correction of image shake due to shift shake. Rotation radiuses at a plurality of frequencies among the frequency components of the shift shake are obtained. Correction amount is determined based on a result of assigning a respective weight to the rotation radius at each of the plurality of the frequencies based on information regarding at least one of an angular velocity and acceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Suguru Tsukamoto
  • Patent number: 8497914
    Abstract: A night vision device and method for filtering a series of image frames that depict a moving subject, which thereby improves the signal-to-noise ratio of each image frame, is provided. A composite image is formed for each image frame by combining pixel values in a current image frame with pixel values in composite images corresponding to image frames acquired before the current image frame. Additionally, pixels values in image frames acquired subsequent to the acquisition of the current image frame are included when forming the composite image. A bi-directional recursive filter is used to weight the contributions from the previous composite images and subsequent image frames with a decay constant. Motion of the imaging system is optionally compensated for by establishing a moving reference frame and shifting the image frames to account for this motion; thus, registering the image frames before filtering the current image frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Charles Mistretta, Justin Mertes-Mistretta, Erick Oberstar, Ethan Brodsky
  • Patent number: 8497916
    Abstract: An image capture device includes: an optical system for producing a subject image; an imager, which receives the subject image and outputs a signal representing an image including the subject image; a sensor for detecting the shake of the device itself by the movement of the device; and an image processing section, which receives the signal representing the image and crops and outputs a part of the image and which changes the cropping range of the image, thereby reducing the shakiness of the subject image in the image that has been caused by the shake of the device itself. The image processing section determines whether the cropping range of the image needs to be changed based on the shake of the device itself that has been detected by the sensor or based on the motion of the subject image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Motonori Ogura
  • Patent number: 8493454
    Abstract: An apparatus including one or more motion sensors, a first circuit, and a second circuit. The one or more motion sensors may be configured to generate motion samples representing motion of a camera. The first circuit may be configured to record a plurality of the motion samples from the one or more motion sensors while capturing image data with the camera. The second circuit may be configured to transfer information about the motion of the camera based on the plurality of motion samples. The information about the motion of the camera may be transferred within a bitstream carrying the image data captured by the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Leslie D. Kohn, Kamil Metin Uz
  • Patent number: 8488007
    Abstract: A method to estimate segmented motion uses phase correlation to identify local motion candidates and a region-growing algorithm to group small picture units into few distinct regions, each of which has its own motion according to optimal matching and grouping criteria. Phase correlation and region growing are combined which allows sharing of information. Using phase correlation to identify a small number of motion candidates allows the space of possible motions to be narrowed. The region growing uses efficient management of lists of matching criteria to avoid repetitively evaluating matching criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Robertson, Ming-Chang Liu
  • Patent number: 8488010
    Abstract: A machine-implemented method of generating a stabilized video sequence includes receiving an input video sequence captured by an image capture device. The input video sequence includes a plurality of pairs of successive frames. Motion sensor data indicative of motion of the image capture device while the input video sequence was being captured is received. A set of matching features for each pair of successive frames is identified. Global motion features are identified in each set of matching features and qualified based on the motion sensor data. The global motion features are indicative of movement of the image capture device. A stabilized video sequence is generated based on the input video sequence and the identified global motion features.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Shane D. Voss, Wilfred F. Brake, Andrew C. Goris
  • Patent number: 8488008
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes a lens barrel unit having a photographing optical system, an image pickup unit that is displaced two-dimensionally to correct camera shake, a FPC that has a first extending section connected to the image pickup device and extending on a surface of the lens barrel unit and a second extending section that is bent at an end of the first extending section and fixed to the surface of the lens barrel unit, and a guide plate that guides the first extending section on the surface of the lens barrel unit, wherein when the image pickup unit moves in an X direction, a bent section is bent to absorb an amount of movement in the X direction, and when the image pickup unit moves in a Y direction, the first extending section bends to absorb an amount of movement in the Y direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Shuhei Kaneko, Keita Takahashi, Masaki Higashiyama
  • Patent number: 8488009
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a motion-blur adding mechanism performing filter processing on moving image data to be subjected to coding processing in accordance with motion information indicating motion of an image between unit images included in the moving image data as pre-processing of the coding processing so that motion-blur addition processing is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Ito, Toshio Yamazaki, Seiji Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 8488005
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optical image stabilizer for a camera module using polymer elements which can be moved in a first direction and a second direction in the vicinity of the camera module. The optical image stabilizer includes an upper housing and a lower housing; a printed circuit board having an image sensor; a lens frame having a camera lens retained within the lower housing; first and second drivers disposed in the vicinity of the lens frame for moving the lens frame in first and second directions, respectively; and a movement sensing controller provided within the lower housing for sensing the amount of movement of the lens frame on the basis of the magnitude of a shaking of the camera module, so as to control the lens frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Doo-Sik Shin
  • Publication number: 20130176447
    Abstract: An exemplary image processing apparatus generates an interpolation frame to be inserted between a first frame and a second frame, contiguous with each other, of a moving picture obtained by an image capturing apparatus. The image processing apparatus includes: a motion vector calculation section configured to calculate a motion vector of an object by performing a block matching operation between the first and second frames; and an interpolation frame generation section configured to generate the interpolation frame through a process performed based on a magnitude of motion of the image capturing apparatus from a point in time when the first frame is obtained to a point in time when the second frame is obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2013
    Publication date: July 11, 2013
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Panasonic Corporation
  • Patent number: 8482623
    Abstract: An imaging device includes: a reproduce control unit to reproduce an image imaged by an imaging unit in response to an input of an imaging instruction in a case where an attitude determination unit determines that a body of the imaging device has taken a specific attitude; and an inhibition control unit to inhibit the reproduce control unit from reproducing the imaged image, in a case where the attitude determination unit determines that the body of the device has not taken the specific attitude until a predetermined time elapses after the imaging instruction is inputted, even if the body of the imaging device has thereafter taken the specific attitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenji Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 8482619
    Abstract: An image-processing method is an image-processing method for detecting motion between plural images, including a searching operation of searching for a local motion vector from each of blocks in the plural images on the basis of feature quantity of the plural images, and a calculating operation of calculating evaluation values of the local motion vector found, in which one of the evaluation values is accuracy of position adjustment which is obtained when the search source block of said local motion vector is position-adjusted on a trial basis by using the local motion vector in order to provide an image-processing method, an image-processing program, an image-processing apparatus, and an imaging apparatus which can properly evaluate local motion vectors which are found by searching blocks of images upon detecting motion of plural images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Shigeru Doida
  • Patent number: 8482620
    Abstract: A system and method for capturing images is provided. In the system and method, preview images are acquired and global local and local motion are estimated based on at least a portion of the preview images. If the local motion is less than or equal to the global motion, a final image is captured based at least on an exposure time based on the global motion. If the local motion is greater than the global motion, a first image is captured based on at least a first exposure time and at least a second image is captured based on at least one second exposure time less than the first exposure time. After capturing the first and second images, global motion regions are separated from local motion regions in the first and second images, and the final image is reconstructed at least based on the local motion regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: CSR Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Meir Tzur, Artemy Baxansky
  • Patent number: 8478071
    Abstract: A method for constructing a motion-compensated composite image of a scene includes acquiring a plurality of images of a scene over time, the plurality of images including an earlier-acquired image of the scene and a later-acquired image scene. The relative motion between the earlier and later acquired images are estimated, and an exposure parameter is computed based upon the estimated relative motion occurring between the earlier and later acquired images. A new image of the scene is acquired using the computed exposure parameter, and the earlier, later, and newly acquired images are combined to produce a motion-compensated composite image of the scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Timo Aila, Samuli Laine
  • Patent number: 8477199
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: an imaging unit that captures an image by photoelectrically converting a subject image; a feature calculating unit that calculates, per region included in the image, a feature value related to suitability for motion detection; a region-motion detecting unit that detects a motion vector per the region; and a whole-motion calculating unit that calculates a motion quantity of a whole image from the feature value and the motion vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Yuji Yamanaka, Haike Guan
  • Publication number: 20130162850
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an image capture apparatus and a control method for the same, with which a moving picture captured for a specific length of time before or after the capture of a still picture can be recorded during still picture capture. The image capture apparatus has a first image stabilization mode and a second image stabilization mode in which a shake component not corrected in the first image stabilization mode can be corrected, and has an image stabilization function that performs image stabilization on the basis of shake of the image capture apparatus. The image stabilization function performs image stabilization without using the second image stabilization mode when the moving picture is buffered, which allows stable image stabilization to be utilized during the capture of a recorded moving picture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
  • Publication number: 20130162849
    Abstract: An auto-focusing camera module includes a lens module, an image sensor, a color separation unit, a main processor unit, an image processing unit and an OIS unit. The lens module captures an image of object. The image sensor senses the image captured by the lens module. The color separation unit separates the image into red, green and blue colors. The main processor unit calculates MTF values of the image and determines a shooting mode of the auto-focusing camera. The image processing unit processes the image according to the MTF values to compensate for blurring of the image caused by being out of focus. The driving unit drives the lens module to focus the image on the image sensor according to MTF values. The OIS unit detects shaking before shooting and drives the lens module to compensate for the detected shaking.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2012
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: TING-YUAN WU, SUNG-CHING WU
  • Patent number: 8471915
    Abstract: An imaging platform minimizes image distortion when there is relative motion of the imaging platform with respect to the scene being imaged where the imaging platform may be particularly susceptible to distortion when it is configured with a wide field of view or high angular rate of movement, or when performing long-stares at a given scene (e.g., for nighttime and low-light imaging.) Distortion correction may be performed by predicting distortion due to the relative motion of the imaging platform, determining optical transformations to prevent the distortion, dynamically adjusting the optics of the imaging platform during exposure, and performing digital image correction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Ian S. Robinson, Mark T. Busch, Lacy G. Cook
  • Patent number: 8466970
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus wherein a captured image is subjected to a rotational transform so as to correct the inclination of one or more subjects in the captured image. The imaging apparatus defines, with reference to a physical inclination detected by a sensor, an angle range in which the image is to be processed. The imaging apparatus then processes the captured image and detects lines therein and inclination angles thereof. The imaging apparatus then creates histograms indicative of frequency distributions of the inclination angles of those lines, and selects, in the created histograms, an inclination angle having a frequency that satisfies a predetermined criterion, as a rotational angle to be used for the rotational transform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Kimura, Junichi Tagawa
  • Patent number: 8462217
    Abstract: When a displacement between a reference frame of a plurality of images acquired by continuous image pickup and a target frame is less than a first threshold indicating that such a frame is not likely to be affected by occlusion, smoothing is performed on an object area through a morphological operation with a normal process amount. Conversely, when a displacement between the reference frame of the plurality of images acquired by continuous image pickup and a target frame is larger than or equal to the first threshold, smoothing is performed with the process amount of morphological operation being increased than a normal process amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaaki Sasaki
  • Patent number: 8462219
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus determines from which position in a plurality of photographed frames a pixel of each of lines of an image to be output is read out, on the basis of a motion amount at a photographing time of each of the lines of a photographed predetermined frame, and if the determined read-out position is located on the outside of a photographing range of the predetermined frame, then determines to read out a pixel in a frame photographed before and/or after a photographing of the predetermine frame as the pixel of the output image and calculates a read-out position of the pixel on the basis of the motion amount at a photographing time of each of the lines in the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ichiro Matsuyama
  • Patent number: 8462218
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for stabilizing image frames in a video data stream. A weighted average or centroid of the intensity or hue associated with pixels vs. the horizontal and vertical position of each pixel is calculated for a reference frame in the video data stream. A corresponding centroid is calculated for a subsequent frame in the stream. This image frame is then translated so that the centroid of the subsequent frame and the centroid of the reference frame coincide, reducing artifacts from shaking of the video capture device. Alternatively, the video stream frames may be divided into tiles and centroids calculated for each tile. The centroids of the tiles of a subsequent frame are curve fit to the centroids of tiles in a reference frame. An affine transform is then performed on the subsequent frame to reduce artifacts in the image from movements of the video capture device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Intergraph Software Technologies Company
    Inventors: Gene A. Grindstaff, Sheila G. Whitaker
  • Publication number: 20130135487
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an image sensor that exposes a subject image by reading lines sequentially to generate an image; a detector that detects an angular velocity of a shake of the imaging apparatus; a controller that: (i) determines the detected angular velocity as an angular velocity for correction when the detected angular velocity is equal to or less than a predetermined angular velocity and, determines the predetermined angular velocity as the angular velocity for correction when the detected angular velocity is larger than the predetermined angular velocity; and (ii) corrects to reduce an influence of a shake to the image generated by the image sensor by image processing based on the determined angular velocity for correction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Publication date: May 30, 2013
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Panasonic Corporation
  • Patent number: 8451338
    Abstract: Object motion during camera exposure often leads to noticeable blurring artifacts. Proper elimination of this blur is challenging because the blur kernel is unknown, varies over the image as a function of object velocity, and destroys high frequencies. In the case of motions along a 1D direction (e.g. horizontal), applicants show that these challenges can be addressed using a camera that moves during the exposure. Through the analysis of motion blur as space-time integration, applicants show that a parabolic integration (corresponding to constant sensor acceleration) leads to motion blur that is not only invariant to object velocity, but preserves image frequency content nearly optimally. That is, static objects are degraded relative to their image from a static camera, but all moving objects within a given range of motions reconstruct well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Anat Levin, Peter Sand, Taeg Sang Cho, Fredo Durand, William T. Freeman
  • Patent number: 8451337
    Abstract: An image stabilization control circuit controls an optical element driving element that moves an optical element provided in an imaging apparatus based on an output signal of a vibration detection element provided in the imaging apparatus. The image stabilization control circuit includes a high-pass filter that removes a low-frequency component from an output signal of the vibration detection element. A movement amount calculation circuit calculates a movement amount of the imaging apparatus based on an output signal of the high-pass filter. A servo circuit generates a correction signal for correcting the position of the optical element based on an output signal of the movement amount calculation circuit and outputs the correction signal to the optical element driving element. The movement amount calculation circuit includes a digital filter circuit and a register. The digital filter circuit performs filter processing based on a filter coefficient stored in the register.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignees: Sanyo Semiconductor Co., Ltd., Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
    Inventor: Hideki Hirayama
  • Publication number: 20130128064
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for robust video stabilization. A video stabilization technique applies a feature tracking technique to an input video sequence to generate feature trajectories. The technique applies a video partitioning technique to segment the input video sequence into factorization windows and transition windows. The technique smoothes the trajectories in each of the windows, in sequence. For factorization windows, a subspace-based optimization technique may be used. For transition windows, a direct track optimization technique that uses a similarity motion model may be used. The technique then determines and applies warping models to the frames in the video sequence. In at least some embodiments, the warping models may include a content-preserving warping model, a homography model, a similarity transform model, and a whole-frame translation model. The warped frames may then be cropped according to a cropping technique.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Inventors: Hailin Jin, Aseem O. Agarwala, Jue Wang
  • Publication number: 20130128061
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus and a processing method thereof are provided. The image processing apparatus includes an image capturing module, an image separation module, an image stabilization module, a temporal noise reduction module, and a spatial noise reduction module. The image capturing module captures a plurality of Bayer pattern images. The image separation module decreases the Bayer pattern images in size and transforms them into a plurality of YCbCr format images. The image stabilization module receives Y channel images of the YCbCr format images and the Bayer pattern images to perform motion estimation, to produce a plurality of global motion vectors (GMVs). The temporal noise reduction module performs temporal blending process on the Bayer pattern images according to the GMVs, to produce first noise reduction images. The spatial noise reduction module performs 2-dimensional spatial noise reduction on the first noise reduction images to produce second noise reduction images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2011
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Applicant: ALTEK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chi-Tung Hsu, Shih-Fang Chuang
  • Publication number: 20130128063
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for robust video stabilization. A video stabilization technique applies a feature tracking technique to an input video sequence to generate feature trajectories. The technique applies a video partitioning technique to segment the input video sequence into factorization windows and transition windows. The technique smoothes the trajectories in each of the windows, in sequence. For factorization windows, a subspace-based optimization technique may be used. For transition windows, a direct track optimization technique that uses a similarity motion model may be used. The technique then determines and applies warping models to the frames in the video sequence. In at least some embodiments, the warping models may include a content-preserving warping model, a homography model, a similarity transform model, and a whole-frame translation model. The warped frames may then be cropped according to a cropping technique.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Inventors: Hailin Jin, Aseem O. Agarwala, Jue Wang
  • Publication number: 20130128062
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for robust video stabilization. A video stabilization technique applies a feature tracking technique to an input video sequence to generate feature trajectories. The technique applies a video partitioning technique to segment the input video sequence into factorization windows and transition windows. The technique smoothes the trajectories in each of the windows, in sequence. For factorization windows, a subspace-based optimization technique may be used. For transition windows, a direct track optimization technique that uses a similarity motion model may be used. The technique then determines and applies warping models to the frames in the video sequence. In at least some embodiments, the warping models may include a content-preserving warping model, a homography model, a similarity transform model, and a whole-frame translation model. The warped frames may then be cropped according to a cropping technique.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Inventors: Hailin Jin, Aseem O. Agarwala, Jue Wang
  • Publication number: 20130120600
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for subspace video stabilization. A subspace video stabilization technique may provide a robust and efficient approach to video stabilization that achieves high-quality camera motion for a wide range of videos. The technique may transform a set of input two-dimensional (2D) motion trajectories so that they are both smooth and resemble visually plausible views of the imaged scene; this may be achieved by enforcing subspace constraints on feature trajectories while smoothing them. The technique may assemble tracked features in the video into a trajectory matrix, factor the trajectory matrix into two low-rank matrices, and perform filtering or curve fitting in a low-dimensional linear space. The technique may employ a moving factorization technique that is both efficient and streamable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Inventors: Hailin Jin, Aseem O. Agarwala, Jue Wang, Michael L. Gleicher, Feng Liu
  • Patent number: 8441539
    Abstract: Provided is an imaging apparatus that can achieve a clear image in which motion blur is reduced even when a moving subject is photographed in a dark environment. The imaging apparatus (1) is equipped with multiple photoelectric conversion element groups, whereby a pickup image is generated based on intermediate image data read from each of the photoelectric conversion element groups. The apparatus (1) is equipped with an exposure time setting portion (12b) that sets the exposure time for each element group during imaging, and an exposure time for carrying out multiple exposures during one imaging cycle is set for at least one element group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kei Tokui
  • Publication number: 20130113950
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for generating a motion blur in a mobile terminal are provided. It is determined whether motion halting occurs during video shooting. If the motion halting occurs, a motion vector of each block between first and second consecutive images where the motion halting has occurred is estimated. A motion blur is generated on the second image using the motion vector of each block, and the motion-blurred image is displayed on a display unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Publication date: May 9, 2013
    Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
  • Patent number: 8436907
    Abstract: A heterogeneous video capturing system having motion and blur estimation. An item of motion may be captured with a continuous shutter and a flutter shutter. The flutter shutter image may be preceded and following by a continuous shutter image. Motion of a subject of the images may be estimated from the shutter images. The estimated motion may be a basis for blur estimation and blur removal from the flutter shutter image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: Scott McCloskey
  • Publication number: 20130107065
    Abstract: Techniques described herein may provide a method for improved stationary object detection utilizing inertial sensor information. Gyroscopes and accelerometers are examples of such inertial sensors. The movement of the camera causes shifts in the image captured. Image processing techniques may be used to track the shift in the image on a frame-by-frame basis. The movement of the camera may be tracked using inertial sensors. By calculating the degree of similarity between the image shift as predicted by image processing techniques with motion of the device estimated using an inertial sensor, the device can estimate the portions of the image that are stationary and those that are moving.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2012
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Subramaniam VENKATRAMAN, Carlos M. Puig
  • Publication number: 20130107066
    Abstract: Techniques described herein provide a method for improved image and video stabilization using inertial sensors. Gyroscopes, accelerometers and magnetometers are examples of such inertial sensors. The movement of the camera causes shifts in the image captured. Image processing techniques may be used to track the shift in the image on a frame-by-frame basis. The movement of the camera may be tracked using inertial sensors. By calculating the degree of similarity between the image shift as predicted by image processing techniques with shift of the device estimated using one or more inertial sensor, the device may estimate the portions of the image that are stationary and those that are moving. Stationary portions of the image may be used to transform and align the images. For video stabilization, the realigned images may be combined to generate the video. For image stabilization, the realigned images may be either added or averaged to generate the de-blurred image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2012
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Subramaniam VENKATRAMAN, Carlos M. Puig
  • Publication number: 20130100304
    Abstract: An optical unit may include a fixed body; a movable module which holds an optical element; a swing support point which swingably supports the movable module; a shake correction drive mechanism which swings the movable module with the swing support point as a swing center around two axial lines intersecting an optical axis direction of the optical element between an outer peripheral face of the movable module and the fixed body; a first photo reflector provided between a bottom part of the movable module and the fixed body at a position superposing on one of the two axial lines and that detects displacement of the movable module; and a second photo reflector provided between the bottom part of the movable module and the fixed body at a position superposing on the other of the two axial lines and that detects displacement of the movable module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatsuki Wade, Shinroku Asakawa, Shinji Minamisawa, Toshiyuki Karasawa, Katsushige Yanagisawa, Yoshihiro Hamada, Hayato Naito, Ryoji Komatsu, Hisahiro Ishihara
  • Publication number: 20130093905
    Abstract: An image blur correction apparatus includes an shooting state detecting portion that determines a shooting state of a first shooting state or a second shooting state based on an angular velocity signal, and a controller that performs an image blur correction using characteristics depending on a determination result of the shooting state determining portion, and the shooting state determining portion determines that the first shooting state has started when the angular velocity signal exceeds a first threshold value and exceeds a second threshold value having an opposite sign of the first threshold value within a predetermined time after exceeding the first threshold value, and determines that the first shooting state is continuously maintained when the angular velocity signal exceeds a third threshold value and exceeds a fourth threshold value that has an opposite sign of the third threshold value within the predetermined time after exceeding the third threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: April 18, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kenji SAITSU
  • Patent number: 8421869
    Abstract: A camera system for outputting deblurred still images includes a portable handheld camera device comprising an image sensor for recording an image; a two-dimensional accelerometer for detecting an angular velocity of the camera system relative to an external environment and to produce an angular velocity output indicative thereof; a linear image sensor for sensing data provided on an encoded card inserted into the camera system, the encoded card containing instructions for the manipulation of the image; and a processor for receiving the image from the image sensor, receiving the angular velocity output from the two-dimensional accelerometer, and processing the image in accordance with the instructions sensed from the encoded to deblur any blurred pixels present in the image in consideration of the angular velocity output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Kia Silverbrook, Paul Lapstun
  • Patent number: 8417059
    Abstract: A motion vector calculation unit calculates inter-frame movement amounts. A masked region specification unit separates the entire edge image of frame feature data into (i) an edge image showing relatively large movement amounts and (ii) an edge image showing relatively small movement amounts. The masked region specification unit then specifies the edge image showing relatively large movement amounts as a region to be masked. This way, a correction parameter is detected from a region other than the masked region. When the correction parameter is a slang angle, a slant correction unit performs slant correction on a frame picture obtained by an image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Hitoshi Yamada
  • Patent number: 8416308
    Abstract: An image processing device, comprising: a motion vector detection unit configured to detect, from frame image data made up of frame images, motion vectors representing motion of the frame images; a modeling unit configured to model the motion vector, detected by the motion vector detection unit, to a component separation expression in which a camera motion component and a focal plane distortion component are separated, using unknown component parameters respectively representing camera motion which is motion of a camera, and the amount in change in focal plane distortion; and a component calculation unit configured to calculate the component parameters used in the component separation expression, thereby calculating the camera motion component in the motion vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuhiro Ogawa
  • Patent number: 8411154
    Abstract: An imaging device performs a process for dividing each of a plurality of image frames constituting moving image information generated by an imaging unit into a plurality of blocks; a process for tracking predetermined ones of the obtained blocks in one of two image frames before and after the image frame of interest to calculate a plurality of motion vectors of the blocks, respectively; a process for comparing one of the calculated motion vectors with each of other motion vectors, the one motion vector serving as an evaluation target, thereby calculating a global motion vector of the one image frame; and a process for excluding blocks present within a predetermined distance from one block related to one motion vector serving as the evaluation target from comparison targets the motion vectors of which are to be compared with the one motion vector, when the global motion vector calculation unit calculates the global motion vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 8411155
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus capable of preventing photographing sensitivity from being increased more than necessary, reducing image quality degradation caused by camera shake or object shake and easily photographing images in good image quality. The imaging apparatus includes an imaging optical system that forms an optical image of a photographing object. An imaging sensor receives the optical image and converts the optical image to an electrical image signal. A detector determines, based on the image signal, whether the photographing object is a specific photographing object likely to move while a photograph is being captured that corresponds to information stored in a memory device provided to the imagining apparatus. A control section establishes an operational mode causing the imaging apparatus to continuously take a plurality of photographs of the photographing object when the photographing object is determined to be the specific photographing object that is likely to move.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Naoto Yumiki
  • Publication number: 20130076921
    Abstract: Method, device and computer program product for transmitting a video signal from a user device includes capturing a plurality of frames of the video signal using a camera at the user device, determining a functional state of the device and selectively stabilizing the video signal prior to transmission based on the functional state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Inventors: Christopher Owen, Pontus Carlsson
  • Publication number: 20130076922
    Abstract: A correcting optical device according to an aspect of the present invention in which, when image shake is not corrected, a restricting member is caused to engage an engaging portion, to restrict translational movement of a movable member, and in which, when the image shake is corrected, the restricting member is caused to disengage the engaging portion, to cause the movable member to be in a state capable of the translational movement, the restricting member being provided at the rotary member, the engaging portion being provided at the movable member. A driving unit drives the movable member in a direction in which the movable member moves translationally with respect to a fixed member in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of a correcting lens, so that the correcting lens corrects the image shake, and drives the rotary member in a direction in which the rotary member rotates around the optical axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2012
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Makoto Shihoh, Akio Atsuta, Shinya Kudo
  • Publication number: 20130076920
    Abstract: A system and method for applying video de-shake to video content includes a classification engine configured to generate a classification of the video content based on at least one source characteristic. The system also includes a de-shake engine configured to selectively apply camera shake compensation to the video content based on the classification. The classification engine may be configured to generate a classification based on, for example, the presence of closed caption data, the presence of copy protection data, current frame rate associated with the video content, or a native frame rate associated with the video content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC.
    Inventors: MIchael L. Schmit, William Herz
  • Publication number: 20130070112
    Abstract: The present invention prevents unnecessary imaging operations when imaging is not required to be performed. In the present invention, a display panel includes a touch panel provided on the top surface thereof. An image sensor of an imaging section captures an image. A gyro sensor detects the movement of an imaging device. When the movement of the imaging device is detected by the gyro sensor, a control section prohibits an imaging operation by the imaging section in response to a touch operation performed on the touch panel. Conversely, when the movement of the imaging device is not detected by the gyro sensor, the control section performs an imaging operation by the imaging section in response to a touch operation on the touch panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kenji YOSHIZAWA
  • Patent number: 8400515
    Abstract: A motion vector detecting unit detects a motion vector of each block in a shot image, which is divided into a plurality of blocks, during an optical zooming operation. A linear function calculating unit calculates for each block a linear function that represents a straight line, the slope of which is the same as that of a line passing through the center of the shot image and a representative point and which passes through a vector detection point. A hand-movement motion vector calculating unit selects at least two blocks that have the calculated linear functions, the slope of which are different from each other, and obtains an intersection of graphs of the linear functions of the selected blocks so as to calculate a motion vector caused by hand movement. A hand-movement correcting unit corrects the hand movement in the shot image based on the calculated motion vector caused by the hand movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
    Inventor: Mamoru Chiku
  • Publication number: 20130063614
    Abstract: This invention provides an image free from camera shake by using a plurality of images captured by a camera array image capturing apparatus. A determination unit determines whether to execute a camera shake correction processing. A memory unit temporarily stores only a group of images determined by a determination unit to be camera shake corrected. A camera shake correcting unit synthesizes images to correct blurs in the images. A matching point searching unit determines matching pixels by checking pixel value similarity between images. A moving amount calculating unit, based on the result acquired by the matching point searching unit, calculates a moving amount of each pixel between images. A position correcting unit, based on the moving amount of each pixel calculated by the moving amount calculating unit, corrects the positions of the images. An image synthesizing unit synthesizes a group of images that are position-corrected by the position correcting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shohei Tsutsumi
  • Patent number: 8395663
    Abstract: A positioning system and a method thereof are provided. In the positioning method, a first and a second pose information of a moving device are obtained by a first positioning device and a second positioning device respectively, wherein the first pose information corresponds to the second pose information. In addition, a plurality of first candidacy pose information is generated in an error range of the first pose information. Furthermore, a plurality of second candidacy pose information is generated according to the first pose information respectively. One of the second candidacy pose information having a smallest error derived from the second pose information is selected for updating the pose information of the first positioning device and parameter information of the second positioning device. Thereby, pose information of the moving device is updated and parameter information of the second orientation devices is calibrated simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Hsiang-Wen Hsieh, Jwu-Sheng Hu, Shyh-Haur Su, Chin-Chia Wu
  • Patent number: 8395670
    Abstract: An apparatus capable of capturing a still image in a moving image capturing mode includes an instruction unit configured to instruct still image capturing, a vibration detection unit configured to detect vibration applied to the apparatus, a control unit configured to control driving of a correction member in a driving range according to whether still image capturing or moving image capturing is performed, based on an output from the vibration detection unit, a position detection unit configured to detect a position of the correction member, and a determination unit configured to determine a reference position of a range in which the correction member is driven, wherein, if the instruction unit instructs image capturing in the moving image capturing mode, the detected position is set as the reference position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masaaki Noguchi