Gray Scale Transformation (e.g., Gamma Correction) Patents (Class 348/254)
  • Patent number: 8711168
    Abstract: The color gamut of display devices like digital projectors and digital displays is expanded by incorporating additional passband filters into the optical path of the devices to produce presentations of color components in two different color gamuts. The composite visual effect of the two presentations is a presentation in an expanded color gamut. Special considerations in the modulation of color components of the image can reduce variations in color and brightness, which can otherwise manifest themselves as flicker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventor: Martin Richards
  • Patent number: 8711255
    Abstract: A visual processing apparatus comprises a spatial processing unit and a visual processing unit. The spatial processing unit is operable to perform a predetermined process to an inputted image signal using surrounding pixels of a target pixel and output an processed signal. The visual processing unit is operable to input the inputted image signal and the processed signal and output an output signal that is visual-processed. The visual processing unit has a property in which, in an area where a value of the image signal is almost equal to a value of the processed signal, a proportion of a change of the output signal to a change of the inputted image signal when the processed signal is fixed to a predetermined level is greater than the proportion when the image signal is equal to the processed signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Haruo Yamashita, Takeshi Ito, Daisuke Sato
  • Patent number: 8687096
    Abstract: A piecewise linear processing device applies different amplification rates according to a general environment and a low luminance environment where much noise exists. The piecewise linear processing device includes a knee point storing unit configured to store a user's default setting value and low luminance setting value; a luminance detecting unit configured to detect a noisy environment to output a current luminance information signal and a maximum luminance information signal; an adaptive knee point supply unit configured to receive the default setting value, the low luminance setting value, the current luminance information signal, and the maximum luminance information signal to supply a adjusted adaptive knee point according to a degree of noise; and a piecewise linear processing unit configured to apply a section amplification rate to an input data on the basis of a region corresponding to the adaptive knee point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Intellectual Ventures II LLC
    Inventor: Pyeong-Woo Lee
  • Patent number: 8670050
    Abstract: A computerized method determines similarities between a first image and a second image. The first image is converted into a first grayscale image, and the second image is converted into a second grayscale image, where a number of pixels of the second image is not less than a number of pixels of the first image. Each pixel of the first grayscale image is matched with a pixel of the second grayscale image to create a pixel pair sequence. A similarity value indicating the similarities between the first image and the second image is calculated according to the grayscale value of each pixel in the pixel pair sequence S.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignees: Fu Tai Hua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yu-Kai Xiong, Xin Lu, Shih-Fang Wong, Hui-Feng Liu, Dong-Sheng Lv, Yu-Yong Zhang, Jian-Jian Zhu, Xiang-Lin Cheng, Xuan-Fen Huang, Xiao-Shan Zhou, An-Lin Jiang, Xin-Hua Li
  • Patent number: 8665351
    Abstract: An obtaining unit obtains image data. An image processing unit performs, on the image data, image processing including gradation conversion processing according to an input/output characteristic defined by a gradation curve formed only of an exponential component represented by y=k·xn, where x is an input, y is an output, and k, n are coefficients. A calculating unit performs calculation for correction to improve lightness of dark area gradation of the image data. A correcting unit performs correction to improve lightness of the dark area gradation of the image data on which the image processing is performed by the image processing unit based on a calculation result of the calculating unit. Accordingly, image processing capable of generating a preferred image can be performed when various types of image processing are performed before and after compression of the dark area gradation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Masaru Muramatsu
  • Patent number: 8654221
    Abstract: An image processing device extracting a contrast component for each pixel of an input image by removing a low-frequency component of the input image and correcting the contrast component for each pixel based on a gain value, including: an input/output-property generating unit for generating an input/output-property curve, assuming an input contrast component which is the pre-correction contrast component as input, and an output contrast component which is the post-correction contrast component as output, which is an input/output-property curve of which the output contrast component monotonously increases as to the input contrast component; a gain properties generating unit for generating a gain property curve representing properties as to the input contrast component of the gain value for correcting the input contrast component to obtain the output contrast component based on the input/output-property curve; and a gain-value calculating unit for calculating the gain value for each pixel of the input image bas
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tomoo Mitsunaga
  • Publication number: 20140036115
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes a pixel array section and a signal processing section. The pixel array section is configured to include a plurality of arranged rectangular pixels, each of which has different sizes in the vertical and horizontal directions, and a plurality of adjacent ones of which are combined to form a square pixel having the same size in the vertical and horizontal directions. The signal processing section is configured to perform a process of outputting, as a single signal, a plurality of signals read out from the combined plurality of rectangular pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Publication date: February 6, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Keiji Mabuchi
  • Patent number: 8625008
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus is provided in which, even if a nonlinear characteristic of a luminance-type gamma correction circuit for converting a luminance signal is changed, saturation with respect to a luminance output can be nearly constant. A signal amount of the luminance signal generated from image data that exceeds a previously defined threshold is calculated. A first nonlinear characteristic is selected from a plurality of nonlinear characteristics previously set depending on the calculated signal amount. Nonlinear conversation is performed on a signal generated from the image data to determine luminance with the selected first nonlinear characteristic. An output ratio of the first nonlinear characteristic to a second nonlinear characteristic is prepared and the second nonlinear characteristic is defined so that the output ratio is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenzo Hisa
  • Patent number: 8587690
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing an image of an image signal projected through a digital camera lens are provided. The apparatus includes an image sensor module for transforming an optical signal into an electric signal, to generate and output an image signal, and a light receiving module for detecting a light source. The apparatus also includes a light source characteristic detector for detecting a frequency of the light source, a white balance controller for controlling a white balance, a color corrector for removing interferences of red, green, and blue channels, and a gamma corrector for performing a gamma correction. The apparatus further includes an auto color adjustment controller for identifying a kind of light source based on the frequency of the light source, and controlling a white balance gain of the image signal based on the kind of the light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Yong-Gu Lee
  • Patent number: 8582902
    Abstract: A compressed pixel block (400) is decompressed by defining multiple available property values. At least one reference point relative the pixel block (300) is identified based on a reference codeword (410) of the compressed pixel block (400). Pixel indices of the pixels (310) are determined based on the respective positions of pixels (310) in the pixel block (300) relative the at least one reference point. These pixel indices are used for selecting among the multiple defined property values. The selected property values are then assigned to pixels (310) to be decompressed based on their determined pixel indices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
    Inventors: Jacob Strom, Per Wennersten
  • Publication number: 20130293748
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a gray-scale conversion characteristic deriving unit configured to set reference image data out of a plurality of input image data obtained by shooting an identical object with a different amount of exposure and derive a gray-scale conversion characteristic from the reference image data; and an image synthesis processing unit configured to derive a new pixel value for each pixel using a pixel value of one or more input image data selected from a plurality of the input image data based on the gray-scale conversion characteristic to create synthesized image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2013
    Publication date: November 7, 2013
    Inventor: Takeshi FUKUTOMI
  • Patent number: 8576310
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a second determining unit performs defect determination according to an illumination light component, which is a component of illumination light irradiated onto an object, of pixel values of a plurality of adjacent pixels. A third determining unit performs defect determination according to a reflectivity component, which is a component based on a unique reflectivity of the object, of the pixel values of the plurality of adjacent pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Yukiyasu Tatsuzawa
  • Patent number: 8570407
    Abstract: Image processing capable of improving bright and dark part gradation is performed while maintaining apparent contrast by providing an imaging unit generating image data, a selecting unit selecting either a first mode not performing a correction on a dark part gradation of the image data or a second mode performing the correction, a gradation conversion processing unit performing gradation conversion processing according to a first characteristic when the first mode is selected and performing the gradation conversion processing according to a second characteristic which includes a characteristic achieving, for a same input level, an output level lower than the first characteristic and includes a characteristic changing contrast when the second mode is selected, and a correcting unit performing the correction to improve a lightness in the dark part gradation of the image data according to the second characteristic by the gradation conversion processing unit when the second mode is selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Masaru Muramatsu
  • Patent number: 8558927
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a gradation conversion unit that executes gradation conversion processing based upon gradation conversion features assuming a slope that changes at a predetermined brightness level, on a component representing a brightness of an image in a color space expressed with the component representing the brightness and a component representing a color depth; and a modulation unit that executes modulation processing on the component representing the color depth by multiplying the component representing the color depth by modulation features, wherein: the modulation features are set so as to assume values equal to or less than 1 over at least part of a brightness range above the predetermined brightness level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Hideyasu Kuniba
  • Patent number: 8554010
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus that generates image data having a high dynamic range by combining a plurality of image data having different exposure amounts includes: an input unit configured to input a plurality of M-bit image data; a determining unit configured to determine reference image data serving as an exposure reference from among the plurality of input M-bit image data; a composition unit configured to combine the plurality of M-bit image data, and generate one N-bit composite image data (N>M); a characteristic parameter setting unit configured to set a characteristic parameter of tone compression on the N-bit composite image data such that a predetermined reference luminance in the reference image data does not change; and a generating unit configured to generate M-bit composite image data by compressing a luminance tone of an image component based on the set characteristic parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoyuki Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 8547445
    Abstract: An apparatus having a circuit is disclosed. The circuit may be configured to (i) process a digital image received from a camera sensor and (ii) convert the digital image after the processing. The converting generally uses a lookup table-based conversion that performs both (a) a color correction and (b) a tone correction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Ambarella, Inc.
    Inventors: Elliot N. Linzer, Leslie D. Kohn
  • Patent number: 8542244
    Abstract: System and method for generating multiprimary signals with optimization for bit depth for use in display devices. A preferred embodiment comprises converting an input color signal into an output color signal, wherein the number of colors in the output color signal is less than a number of colors used in a display system, when a weighting of the input color signal is less than a specified threshold, and converting the input color signal into an output color signal, wherein the number of colors in the output color signal is equal to the number of colors used in the display system, when the weighting of the input color signal is greater than the specified threshold. The use of fewer colors eliminates low bit depth colors, allowing increased dither quality in dimmer images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Jeffrey Kempf, Rajeev Ramanath
  • Patent number: 8542302
    Abstract: Provided are a digital photographing apparatus capable of accurate and quick auto-focusing, a method of controlling the digital photographing apparatus, and a recording medium storing a program for executing the method. The digital photographing apparatus includes: a lens unit including a focus lens; an imaging device generating data from light incident on the imaging device through the lens unit; a condition determining unit determining a photographing condition from the data generated by the imaging device; and an auto-focusing value detecting unit detecting an auto-focusing value from the data generated by the imaging device and comprising a first gamma correction unit, wherein the first gamma correction unit varies the degree of gamma correction according to the photographing condition determined by the condition determining unit, and the auto-focusing value detecting unit detects an auto-focusing value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kyu-ern Hwang, Eun-ho Kim
  • Patent number: 8537171
    Abstract: Nonlinear compression of high precision image data (e.g., 12-bits per subpixel) conventionally calls for a large sized lookup table (LUT). A smaller sized and tunable circuit that performs compression with piecewise linear compressing segments is disclosed. The piecewise linear data compressing process is organized so that lumping together of plural ‘used’ high precision value points into one corresponding low precision data value point is avoided or at least minimized. In one embodiment, the compressed data is image defining data being processed for display on a nonconventional display screen where the piecewise linearly compressed data can be stored adjacent to other image data in a frame buffer where a composite image is assembled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Michael Francis Higgins, Candice Hellen Brown Elliot
  • Patent number: 8537177
    Abstract: System and methods for gamut bounded saturation adaptive color enhancement are provided. Color enhancement incorporating gamut bounded saturation enhances colors of an pixel from a source color gamut such that the resulting color is within a target color gamut. This resulting color may, for example, take advantage of an expanded target color gamut of a display. Gamut bounded saturation may be implemented independently or in combination with RGB bounded saturation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Marvell World Trade Ltd.
    Inventors: Vasudev Bhaskaran, Sujith Srinivasan, Nikhil Balram
  • Patent number: 8520020
    Abstract: Stereoscopic color management of images with plural views. Image data for each view is defined in a component input device color space. Image data in the component input device color spaces is converted to a nominal source color space using plural input transforms each corresponding to one of the plural views. A rendering transform is used to convert image data for each view in the nominal source color space to a nominal destination color space. The nominal source color space, nominal destination color space and rendering transform are the same for all views. The image data for each view in the nominal destination color space is ultimately converted to a component output device color space associated with a stereoscopic output device respective of the view using a respective output transform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Siu-Kei Tin
  • Patent number: 8520973
    Abstract: In an image transmission error restoring method and an apparatus using the same, a received image frame is divided into a plurality of blocks and each block is divided through a multi-resolution process. After the multi-resolution process, an error-occurred region is searched and the searched error-occurred region is recovered based on information selected from among global pixel information and local pixel information according to complexity of each block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignees: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, KT Corporation
    Inventors: Jin Sul Kim, Hyun Woo Lee, Won Ryu
  • Patent number: 8497872
    Abstract: A method for correcting the white balance of a display by: setting a target color coordinates of a target white point at a predetermined color temperature and a group of gray levels in response to an user input command; constructing R, G, B images according to the group gray levels; measuring the luminance and corresponding color coordinates of the R, G, B based on the R, G, B images; selecting one color of R, G, B to be a base color and the other two colors to be adjustable colors; fixing the measured luminance of the base color; estimating target luminance of the two adjustable color based on the measured luminance of the base color; estimating the adjusted gray levels of the two adjustable colors based on estimated luminance of the adjustable colors and the Gamma table; and reconstructing the Gamma table based on the estimated adjusted gray levels of the two adjustable colors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hsu-Pin Kao
  • Patent number: 8493480
    Abstract: A signal conversion apparatus which converts an input signal x from an image sensor into an output signal y by a function relation represented by Expression 1: y = f ? ( x ) = ? b x ? [ 1 / r ? ( ? ) ] ? ? ? ( 1 ) where b is a predetermined constant, ? is an integration variable corresponding to a value of the input signal x, and r(?) is a quantization step function before removal of a noise of the input signal x, which determines an increment of the input signal x to an increment of the output signal y.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Shioya
  • Patent number: 8488029
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus captures a large dynamic range image of a scene including a backlit person with a blue sky background in a manner that the person's face has an appropriate luminance level without saturating the background sky. An imaging unit obtains analogue image signals through exposure control that prevents a highlight from being saturated, an A/D converter converts the analogue image signals to digital image signals, and a signal processing unit linearly increases the dynamic range of the digital image signals. The image signals with the increased dynamic range are nonlinearly compressed to have a dynamic range of 100% or less through nonlinear dynamic range compression that intensively compresses a highlight portion. The imaging apparatus with this structure first increases the dynamic range of an image and efficiently compresses the increased large dynamic range of the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Haruo Yamashita, Takeshi Ito, Daisuke Sato
  • Patent number: 8483507
    Abstract: An image sensing apparatus executes a plurality of tone corrections respectively suited to different luminance distributions of images. The image sensing apparatus analyzes a luminance distribution of sensed image data, selects, based on an analysis result, at least one of a first tone correction which suppresses luminance saturation of image data, a second tone correction which converts luminance values of all luminance regions so that a maximum luminance value of sensed image data becomes a largest possible luminance value of the image data, and a third tone correction which multiplies a luminance value of a low-luminance region, which is set in advance, of sensed image data by a gain larger than gains of other luminance regions, as a tone correction to be implemented for sensed image data, and limits, when a correction based on the second tone correction is selected, implementation of a correction based on the third tone correction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akira Kubota
  • Patent number: 8478066
    Abstract: An image-correction method is realized, in which, by utilizing a table having small storage area, high-accuracy shading correction can be implemented, that does not undergo deterioration of performance, even when shading properties dynamically change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeo Fujita, Narihiro Matoba
  • Patent number: 8477198
    Abstract: A method for controlling a host apparatus, includes steps of the followings. First, a pattern is projected to a detection region. Second, images of the detection region are captured and image information stream is generated based on the images. Third, an image information associated with the pattern is identified to be a background image information. Fourth, a currently captured image information is subtracted to the background image information to identify if an object appears in the detection region. Fifth, a motion of the identified object is determined based on a variation of the pattern reflected from the identified object to generate a control instruction to the host apparatus. A host apparatus, an interaction control system and a method for detecting a motion of an object are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Pixart Imaging Inc.
    Inventors: Chih-Hung Lu, Hsin-Chia Chen, Shu-Sian Yang, Ren-Hau Gu, Ching-Lin Chung
  • Publication number: 20130162872
    Abstract: An image sensing device is operated by, inter alia: dividing a plurality of ranges with an available value width range of the image sensing device associated with a predetermined brightness level range, dividing a plurality of clusters with image data from a pixels array using the plurality of data ranges, and performing a clustering gamma correction process for each cluster with at least a clustering gamma correction factor corresponding to each cluster.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventor: SK Hynix Inc.
  • Patent number: 8471934
    Abstract: An image correction apparatus includes a dark-pixel-region extracting unit that extracts a dark pixel region of image data photographed by a photographing unit, a dark-pixel-area calculating unit that calculates an area of the dark pixel region extracted by the dark-pixel-region extracting unit, a luminance-value-variance calculating unit that calculates variance of luminance values of pixels in the dark pixel region extracted by the dark-pixel-region extracting unit, and an image correction unit that corrects brightness of the image data in accordance with the area calculated by the dark-pixel-area calculating unit and in accordance with the variance of the luminance values calculated by the luminance-value-variance calculating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Masahiro Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8463068
    Abstract: Methods, systems and apparatuses are disclosed for approximating vertical and horizontal correction values in a pixel value correction calculation. Multiple vertical and/or horizontal correction curves are used and may be employed for one or more color channels of the imager. The use of multiple correction curves allows for a more accurate approximation of the correction curves for image pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Gregory Michael Hunter
  • Patent number: 8457417
    Abstract: In an image-encoding scheme, an input image is decomposed into several image blocks (600) comprising multiple image elements (610). The image blocks (600) are encoded into encoded block representations (700). In this encoding, color weights are assigned to the image elements (610) in the block (600) based on their relative positions in the block (600). At least two color codeword (710, 720, 730, 740) are determined, at least partly based on the color weights. These codewords (710, 720, 730, 740) are representations of at least two color values. The original colors of the image elements (610) are represented by color representations derivable from combinations of the at least two color values weighted by the assigned color weights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (Publ)
    Inventor: Jacob Ström
  • Patent number: 8452122
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an assumed deteriorated image pixel value computing unit configured to calculate a pixel value of an assumed deteriorated image, wherein deterioration of a target image configured of multiple channels is assumed, for each of the channels as an assumed deteriorated image pixel value; a pseudo target image pixel value computing unit configured to calculate, regarding a pixel of interest that is a pixel of the target image corresponding to the assumed deteriorated image, a pixel value estimated for each of the channels as a pseudo target image pixel value for each of the channels based on the pixel values of the pixel of interest, and pixels adjacent thereto; and a restored image creating unit configured to create a restored image restored from the target image based on the calculated assumed deteriorated image pixel value and the calculated pseudo target image pixel value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporartion
    Inventors: Yasunobu Hitomi, Tomoo Mitsunaga
  • Patent number: 8451200
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus is disclosed which carries out correction processing of an image signal made up of a plurality of bits. The apparatus includes: a correction processing unit configured to perform gamma correction of an input image signal; and a fine control processing unit configured to establish as desired a plurality of types of correction data in accordance with a plurality of fixed gray-scale levels of the input signal in order to fine-control a transmittance characteristic, known as a V-T curve, regarding an applied voltage by performing computations on the input image signal gamma-corrected by the correction processing unit using the established correction data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Ohashi, Takashi Hirakawa
  • Patent number: 8432412
    Abstract: An image display apparatus includes: an image display panel having a two-dimensional matrix with (P×Q) pixels each including first, second and third sub-pixels for displaying respective first, second and third elementary colors, and fourth sub-pixel for displaying a fourth color; and a signal processing section configured to receive first, second and third sub-pixel input signals respectively provided with signal values of x1-(p, q), x2-(p, q) and x3-(p, q), and to output first, second, third and fourth sub-pixel output signals respectively provided with signal values of X1-(p, q), X2-(p, q), X3-(p, q) and X4-(p, q), which used for determining the display gradations of the first, second, third, and fourth sub-pixels, respectively, with regard to a (p, q)th pixel where notations p and q are integers satisfying equations 1?p?P and 1?q?Q.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Sakaigawa, Yukiko Iijima, Amane Higashi, Koji Noguchi
  • Patent number: 8432413
    Abstract: A novel and useful system and method for the serving and display of extended bit depth (EBD) high resolution images on a web browser using multimedia platform code or code for a graphics framework. To display an EBD image, such as an x-ray or MRI image set, on a web browser, the image data is mapped into a plurality of channels of pixels of a color image which a web browser is able to handle, where each channel holds a portion of the full dynamic range of the original EBD image. At the client, a color transform is applied to the color image data which takes into account the user's desired VOI settings. The resulting display image has the exact values as if the VOI was applied to the original EBD image and is dynamically mapped to the display capabilities of the client viewing framework thus enabling a reviewer to detect any available details of the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: XRFiles, Inc.
    Inventors: Roni Zaharia, Zvi Eintracht, Alexander Ovsiankin
  • Patent number: 8432458
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus having a wide dynamic range, including an imaging unit, an exposure control unit realizing a plurality of the imaging processes on the same object with different sensitivities by controlling the exposure of the imaging unit, a camera signal processing unit generating a video signal by processing the camera signal from the imaging unit, a video synthesis unit synthesizing a plurality of video signals having different sensitivities generated by the processing unit, and an object recognition unit processing the video signals from the processing unit and detecting the object information. The object recognition unit detects the object information for each of the plurality of the video signals. Based on the detected object information, the control unit controls the exposure, the processing unit controls the gamma characteristic of the video signals, and the synthesis unit controls the ratio for synthesizing the plurality of the video signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinichiro Hirooka
  • Patent number: 8428390
    Abstract: A “Blur Remover” provides various techniques for constructing deblurred images from a sequence of motion-blurred images such as a video sequence of a scene. Significantly, this deblurring is accomplished without requiring specialized side information or camera setups. In fact, the Blur Remover receives sequential images, such as a typical video stream captured using conventional digital video capture devices, and directly processes those images to generate or construct deblurred images for use in a variety of applications. No other input beyond the video stream is required for a variety of the embodiments enabled by the Blur Remover. More specifically, the Blur Remover uses joint global motion estimation and multi-frame deblurring with optional automatic video “duty cycle” estimation to construct deblurred images from video sequences for use in a variety of applications. Further, the automatically estimated video duty cycle is also separately usable in a variety of applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Yunpeng Li, Sing Bing Kang, Neel Suresh Joshi, Steven Maxwell Seitz
  • Patent number: 8421866
    Abstract: An image monitoring system includes: recording means for recording an image captured by a camera via a network; control means for controlling the system so as to display the present image captured by the camera or a past image recorded on the recording means on display means; and moving-object detecting means for detecting a moving object from the image captured by the camera; wherein the moving-object detecting means includes resolution conversion means for generating an image with a resolution lower than the resolution of the image captured by the camera, positional-information output means for detecting a moving object from the image generated by the resolution conversion means and outputting positional information on the detected moving object, and information merging means for merging the positional information of the moving object with the image captured by the camera on the basis of the positional information of the moving object output by the positional-information output means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masaki Demizu, Miki Murakami
  • Patent number: 8422081
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a gray converter to convert an inputted color image to be printed into a gray conversion image and to outputs the gray conversion image a difference calculator to calculate a at least one difference value between at least one color channel image with respect to the color image and the gray conversion image; and a gray reviser to revise the gray conversion image based on the at least one difference value and to output a gray conversion image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: In-ho Park, Hyun-soo Oh, Mi-jung Jang
  • Patent number: 8421814
    Abstract: A display device capable of displaying an image selected by a user for a certain period of time without interruption even when power consumption to be used to completely display the image exceeds a remaining capacity of a battery, and a method of driving the same. The display device includes a storage element; a selection circuit configured to select an image stored in the storage element according to a user request; a battery; a first detection circuit configured to detect a remaining capacity of the battery; a controller; and a display panel coupled to the battery via the controller and configured to display the selected image in accordance with a control output of the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hyun-Sook Kim
  • Patent number: 8411987
    Abstract: A method of enhancing a contrast and an apparatus for enhancing a contrast are provided. The method of enhancing the contrast includes: dividing an image into a plurality of blocks and calculating an average luminance value of each block; interpolating a peripheral luminance value for each input pixel of the image by using the average luminance value; and enhancing the contrast of the input pixel by using the interpolated peripheral luminance value of the input pixel and a unique luminance value of the input pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young Ran Han, Seung Sin Lee, Du-Sik Park
  • Patent number: 8411992
    Abstract: An image processing device includes: an estimated plane calculation portion calculating, for inputted image data, estimated planes defined by luminance values in blocks each containing a predetermined number of pixels including a reference pixel; an optimal estimated plane selection portion selecting an optimal estimated plane having a least summation of errors between luminance values of respective pixels in a block and an estimated plane among the estimated planes; a weighting factor calculation portion calculating a weighting factor for the reference pixel base on luminance values of the reference pixel and in the optimal estimated plane; and a weighted smoothing portion computing a sum of products of relative luminance differences between the luminance values of the respective pixels in the block and in the optimal estimated plane and the weighting factor for the reference pixel and adding a luminance value in the optimal estimated plane at a reference pixel position to a result of computation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takehiro Hamada, Nobuhiro Tsunashima
  • Patent number: 8406563
    Abstract: A photometric calibration method includes: obtaining a target image and a reference image by a light field camera and transforming the reference image into a revised target image corresponding to the target image; calculating a photometric calibration ratio according to a function for correlating the target image and the revised target image by using a numerical algorithm; and the intensity of the target image is divided by the photometric calibration ratio to obtain a calibrated target image. A light field of a scene is formed by all of the calibrated target image so as to improve the quality of the light field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: National Taiwan University
    Inventors: Chia-Kai Liang, Homer H. Chen, Bing-Yi Wong, Gene Liu
  • Patent number: 8400536
    Abstract: This invention has been made to solve the problem that when a duplicated image is generated by capturing an original image using a digital camera and printing the captured image, lighting unevenness occurs in an image captured under a viewing light source, compared to that under flash light with a predetermined irradiation amount, and accurate color conversion cannot be performed. To solve this problem, pixels exhibiting identical colors are selected from a plurality of positions from the image captured under flash light. The positions of the corresponding pixels are selected from the image captured under the viewing light source. If the color values at the pixel positions differ, the influence of lighting unevenness in the viewing light source exists. Thus, shading correction data for the image captured under a viewing light source is generated so as to remove the shading of the image captured under the viewing light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuki Ishida
  • Patent number: 8396319
    Abstract: Shadow is an inseparable aspect of all natural scenes. When there are multiple light sources or multiple reflections several different shadows may overlap at the same location and create complicated patterns. Shadows are a potentially good source of information about a scene if the shadow regions can be properly identified and segmented. However, shadow region identification and segmentation is a difficult task and improperly identified shadows often interfere with machine vision tasks like object recognition and tracking. A shadow separation and contrast enhancement method based on the polarization of light is provided. Polarization information of scenes is captured by a polarization-sensitive camera and the scenes are processed to effectively separate shadows from different light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: The Trustees Of The University Of Pennsylvania
    Inventors: Edward N. Pugh, Jr., Nader Engheta, Shih-Schon Lin, Konstantin Yemelyanov
  • Publication number: 20130057729
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus generates a display image signal by implementing predetermined dynamic range expansion processing on an image signal obtained by performing underexposed image pickup, and detects an image region in which a pixel within a predetermined gradation range exists as a warning region from the image signal either prior to implementation of the predetermined dynamic range expansion processing or following implementation of the predetermined dynamic range expansion processing. The image pickup apparatus synthesizes the display image signal with a warning pattern corresponding to the warning region and displays the synthesized image as a live view image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Inventor: Takeyuki AJITO
  • Patent number: 8390638
    Abstract: One embodiment of the invention includes an image compensation module, an OLED display panel, and an OLED display apparatus. A target current value corresponding to a target gray level is stored in a compensation memory portion. A reference gray level and a reference current value corresponding to the reference gray level are stored in a reference memory portion. A compensation gray level can be obtained by an arithmetic compensation unit according to the target current value, reference gray level, reference current value, and gamma parameter. This may reduce the memory space needed for the compensation and reference memory portions, and compensate the images of the display apparatus and panel so that precise colors can be displayed with a high image quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Innolux Corporation
    Inventors: Yu-Wen Chiou, Ming Chun Tseng, Hong-Ru Guo, Chun-Yu Chen
  • Patent number: 8390644
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for achieving color and luminance uniformity in color output devices. In one embodiment, measurements of luminance and chrominance are taken at various regions of the display surface for a range of color inputs. Using the collected data, a color volume is formed for each of the measured regions. This color volume comprises a set of all colors producible at the measured region. The color volumes for each of the measured regions are then used to generate a common color gamut, i.e., a volume of colors that are producible in each of the measured regions. A gamut mapping can then be performed for all or a portion of the positions on the display surface to a target color gamut. Input data for the gamut mapping process may be determined by conventional interpolative techniques.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Gabriel Gheorghe Marcu, Wei Chen
  • Patent number: 8385679
    Abstract: An image enhancement apparatus and method based on luminance information of a pixel. The image enhancement apparatus may determine luminance data of each of a plurality of pixels, and may adaptively determine a conversion ratio according to the luminance data to apply the conversion ratio to an input image, thereby performing image-enhancing. The image enhancement apparatus may adaptively converse the input image according to luminance data, thereby precisely and effectively performing image-enhancing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young Su Moon, Shi Hwa Lee, Ho Jin Lee, Joon Hyuk Cha