Blackspot Or Shading Correction (e.g., Corrects For Fixed Pattern Defects) Patents (Class 348/615)
  • Patent number: 11908232
    Abstract: A prism of an approximately quadrangle-frustum shape is arranged so that a bottom side, out of two parallel surfaces of the prism, is a placing surface side for a finger. A first imaging unit arranged below a top surface parallel to the bottom surface images an image of the finger transmitted through the top surface. A light source radiates light to at least one side surface of a first set of side surfaces, out of two sets of side surfaces of the approximately quadrangle-frustum shape that face each other. A second imaging unit images the image of the finger transmitted through a second set of side surfaces, out of the two sets of side surfaces. An infrared ray light source radiates infrared ray light into the finger so that the infrared ray light is scattered inside the finger and is received by the imaging unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Teruyuki Higuchi
  • Patent number: 11636814
    Abstract: A display device includes an array of LEDs, an array of LCD pixels, and a display controller. The display controller is configured to compensate for one or more sources of color variation in light produced by the LEDs. The display controller can determine a first color variation at a given LCD pixel based on the distance between the given LCD pixel and one or more LEDs. The display controller can also determine a second color variation at the given LCD pixel based on a current level supplied to the one or more LEDs. The display controller configures the given LCD pixel to filter light that is received from the one or more LEDs in a manner that reduces or eliminates either or both of the first and second color variations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventor: Gerrit Slavenburg
  • Patent number: 11600104
    Abstract: A prism of an approximately quadrangle-frustum shape is arranged so that a bottom side, out of two parallel surfaces of the prism, is a placing surface side for a finger. A first imaging unit arranged below a top surface parallel to the bottom surface images an image of the finger transmitted through the top surface. A light source radiates light to at least one side surface of a first set of side surfaces, out of two sets of side surfaces of the approximately quadrangle-frustum shape that face each other. A second imaging unit images the image of the finger transmitted through a second set of side surfaces, out of the two sets of side surfaces. An infrared ray light source radiates infrared ray light into the finger so that the infrared ray light is scattered inside the finger and is received by the imaging unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Teruyuki Higuchi
  • Patent number: 11010587
    Abstract: A prism of an approximately quadrangle-frustum shape is arranged so that a bottom side, out of two parallel surfaces of the prism, is a placing surface side for a finger. A first imaging unit arranged below a top surface parallel to the bottom surface images an image of the finger transmitted through the top surface. A light source radiates light to at least one side surface of a first set of side surfaces, out of two sets of side surfaces of the approximately quadrangle-frustum shape that face each other. A second imaging unit images the image of the finger transmitted through a second set of side surfaces, out of the two sets of side surfaces. An infrared ray light source radiates infrared ray light into the finger so that the infrared ray light is scattered inside the finger and is received by the imaging unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Teruyuki Higuchi
  • Patent number: 10922523
    Abstract: A prism includes a large surface at least a portion of which is a placing region for a finger, a small surface parallel to the large surface, and first and second inclined lateral surfaces. A light source emits light to the first inclined lateral surface. A first imaging sensor arranged below the small surface receives a light transmitted from the light source through the small surface to obtain a first image. A second imaging sensor receives a light transmitted from the light source through the second inclined lateral surface to obtain a second image of which fingerprint pattern contrast is enhanced more than that of the first image. An infrared light source emits infrared ray light to the finger. The first imaging sensor receives the infrared ray light transmitted from the infrared light source through the small surface to obtain a third image for a blood vessel of the finger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Teruyuki Higuchi
  • Patent number: 10812895
    Abstract: A dual wave-column, dual-driver loudspeaker enclosure is described. The two drivers are cross-coupled through their respective front and back sides by two single exit wave-columns. At the ¼ wavelength frequency of the waveguide length, both drivers resonate with the waveguides, and cone motion is minimized while output is maximized. At the ½ wavelength frequency, the front wave of the first driver is in-phase with, the rear wave of the second driver such that the output is increased, reinforced, and smoothed at that frequency. At the ? wavelength frequency, the two wave-column mouth outputs exhibit acoustic mutual coupling, which boosts acoustic output and reduces cone motion at the critical maximum displacement frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: James J. Croft, III, Michael J. Smithers, Garth Norman Showalter
  • Patent number: 10440232
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image processing section and an image forming section. The image processing section corrects, on the basis of pieces of image data, a pixel value corresponding to an auxiliary color developer in a first pixel and thereby causes a developer amount in the first pixel to fall within a predetermined range. The pieces of image data correspond to respective developers including one or more basic color developers that configure an image and the auxiliary color developer. The developer amount in the first pixel is a total amount of the one or more basic color developers and the auxiliary color developer in the first pixel when the one or more basic color developers and the auxiliary color developer are disposed on each other. The image forming section forms an image on a transfer print medium on the basis of the pieces of processed image data processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Inoue
  • Patent number: 10165156
    Abstract: With the present invention, it is possible to provide an image processing apparatus capable of reliably removing noise, even for a live image having a poor S/N ratio. The present invention has a configuration to search for where, on a frame F0, a target block BT is reflected. When superimposing the frame F0 and a frame F1, the target block BT, which is a fragment of the frame F0, and a plurality of blocks to be superimposed, which is a fragment of the frame F1 are set, and if, from fusion blocks BF generated by superimposing the target block BT on each of the blocks to be superimposed BR, a selection block BS is selected wherein superimposed subject images most reinforce one another, it is possible to reliably suppress duplication of the subject images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hisanori Morita, Ryo Takeda
  • Patent number: 10135424
    Abstract: A finite impulse response (FIR) digital filter has an assigned filter function with assigned filter coefficients, an input receiving input samples, another input receiving confidence information values, and an output. Each input sample value is associated to an input confidence value and the filter output depends on both the input samples and the input confidence values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY GERMANY GMBH
    Inventors: Axel Heim, Martin Hoch
  • Patent number: 10037480
    Abstract: A method for improving classification results of a classifier including receiving classification results for a plurality of elements that have been classified by a classifier as one of a plurality of classes, constructing a graph having a plurality of nodes, each node corresponding to one of the elements, and a plurality of labels, each label corresponding to one of the classes, adding edges between nodes corresponding to related elements, adding edges between each node and each label, and using a graph cut algorithm to cut edges to a node and partition the graph into classes, the graph cut algorithm using as input the classification results for the element corresponding to that node and related elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: LBT Innovations Limited
    Inventors: Anton John van den Hengel, Benjamin William Ward, Rhys Ernst Hill
  • Patent number: 9910122
    Abstract: The invention relates to a magnetic sensor which is designed for checking value documents, and to a method for calibrating the magnetic sensor. The magnetic sensor has different calibrating parameters for hard-magnetic and soft-magnetic magnetic regions, with which parameters the magnetic sensor can correct the detected magnetic signals of a value document, in order to compensate the magnetic sensor's measurement deviations in dependence on the type of the respectively detected magnetic region. For calibration, the magnetic sensor detects calibration measurement values of a calibration medium which is transported past the sensor. By means of the calibration measurement values the function of the magnetic sensor is tested.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: GIESECKE+DEVRIENT CURRENCY TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventors: Jurgen Schutzmann, Dieter Stein, Helmut Pradel, David Sacquard
  • Patent number: 9300936
    Abstract: A camera arrangement for image detection includes radiation-sensitive sensor elements arranged to record a common object plane in offset fields of view, a balancer and a shading corrector. The balancer is implemented, for balancing the sensor elements, to post-process for each sensor element a sensor signal of the respective sensor signal n by means of balancing information determined in balancing and stored, so that a variation of the intensity I of incoming radiation in the respective field of view leads to a change of the respective post-processed sensor signal according to a desired mapping function Fn(anI), the mapping functions Fn( ) of all factory-balanced sensor elements being identical, and an being a sensor-individual factor. The shading corrector is implemented on the basis of a recording generated by means of the camera arrangement with the sensor elements, to change the sensor element-individual factors an so that intensity differences of the recording are balanced across the common object plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Peter Schmitt, Guenther Kostka, Rolf Behrendt, Andreas Jobst, Matthias Kube
  • Patent number: 9196182
    Abstract: A display device having a display panel including a plurality of data lines; a data driver including at least one data driving circuit chip which transmits data signals to the plurality of data lines; and a signal controller transmitting a dummy control signal and an output image signal to a first data driving circuit chip of at least one data driving circuit chip. The first data driving circuit chip may include zero or more dummy channels which are not connected with the data lines, and the dummy control signal includes information on positions of the dummy channels included in the first data driving circuit chip and information regarding the number of dummy channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kwang Hyun Baek, Bum Lee, Sang-Kil Lee, So-Yeon Yi, Kyu-Hun Lim, Jae Jin Choi
  • Publication number: 20140313416
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a light-electron conversion unit, a signal generation unit, and a selection unit. The light-electron conversion unit generates photo-charges from incident light. The signal generation unit accumulates photo-charges from the converter in a storage node during a detection period, and then generates a first analog signal and a second analog signal during an output period. The analog signals are generated based on an amount of photo-charges accumulated in the storage node. The selection unit generates an image signal based on one of the first analog signal and the second analog signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2014
    Publication date: October 23, 2014
    Applicants: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., KOREA ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Hyung-Jin BAE, Kyoung-Hoon YANG, Ji-Won LEE, Eun-Sub SHIM, Moo-Sup LIM
  • Patent number: 8847946
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display (LCD) device and a driving method thereof for improving a working efficiency of the LCD and reducing manufacturing costs. The liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel having liquid crystal cells at crossings of data lines and gate lines, data integrated circuit supplying pixel data via a plurality of data output channels, a gate integrated circuit driving the gate lines, a channel selector for selecting the plurality of data output channels of the data integrated circuits in accordance with a number of the data lines wherein only the selected data output channels contain the pixel data, and a timing controller for controlling the data integrated circuit and the gate integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sin Ho Kang, Hong Sung Song, Jin Cheol Hong, Seung Kuk An
  • Patent number: 8797462
    Abstract: A band processing circuit which generates image signals corresponding to different frequency bands from an image signal in which signals corresponding to different colors are arranged and which suppresses noise by synthesizing the image signals of the different frequency bands, a sampling circuit which generates image signal corresponding to the colors by sampling the image signal input from the band processing circuit in accordance with a predetermined arrangement, and a luminance/color generation circuit which generates a luminance signal in which aliasing is suppressed using an image signal output from the sampling circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinya Hirai
  • Patent number: 8593480
    Abstract: Image data is transformed for display on a target display. A sigmoidal transfer function provides a free parameter controlling min-tone contrast. The transfer function may be dynamically adjusted to accommodate changing ambient lighting conditions. The transformation may be selected so as to automatically adapt image data for display on a target display in a way that substantially preserves creative intent embodied in the image data. The image data may be video data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Anders Ballestad, Andrey Kostin
  • Patent number: 8422819
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a first noise removal unit which removes noise from a pixel signal when a level of the signal falls outside a range defined by first and second threshold levels, a cyclic calculation unit which makes a cyclic calculation based on weighted averaging between signals on an identical column with respect to the signal in which the noise is removed by the first noise removal unit, a column offset detection unit which detects a column offset component for each column based on the calculation result, and a second noise removal unit which performs a noise removal operation with respect to a signal on the identical column using the previously calculated cyclic calculation result when a difference between the previously calculated cyclic calculation value and the current pixel signal value falls outside a range defined by third and fourth threshold levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Makoto Ise
  • Patent number: 8416256
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display (LCD) driver circuit, harmonizing a pixel inversion pattern and a dither pattern is disclosed. The pixel inversion pattern and the cooperating dither pattern interact with each other in such a way that there is substantially no discernable video artifacts generated. The cooperating dither pattern can be selected from a plurality of dither patterns using a programmable dither block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Neal, Dinesh Shedge
  • Patent number: 8411659
    Abstract: In a method for controlling the data flow on a radio link between a WLAN base station and a WLAN mobile station, the data rate on the radio link is reduced for in each case one time period (36, 37) at time intervals (35). One preferred field of application for the method is to restrict general or unauthorized transmission of a telephone call via the Internet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Intel Mobile Communications GmbH
    Inventor: Reinhard Rueckriem
  • Patent number: 8369651
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an image obtaining unit that obtains a photographic image captured with an image sensor; a flat portion extraction unit that extracts a flat portion area within the photographic image having been obtained; and a defect information generating unit that generates defect information corresponding to the extracted flat portion area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Kenichi Ishiga
  • Patent number: 8345129
    Abstract: A method and combined video display and camera system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the system comprises a first sheet and a second sheet oriented parallel to the first sheet, the second sheet including a light diffuser. A light source is placed along an edge of the second sheet, wherein the second sheet diffuses light generated by the light source. One or more cameras are placed behind the second sheet to capture an image through the second sheet and the first sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: I2iC Corporation
    Inventors: Udayan Kanade, Balaji Ganapathy
  • Patent number: 8319863
    Abstract: The present invention is to provide a characteristic value generating circuit and an imaging device that can generate anticipated variation in the performance of an imaging device due to the individual difference and can easily evaluate the result of correction processing for the variation. A variation generating circuit 30 has a command receiver 31 that acquires characteristic value data S40, a characteristic value generator 33 that refers to the characteristic value data S40 and generates a characteristic value of a limit of correction possibility for input image data S20, and an adder 34 that adds a characteristic limit value S33 generated by the characteristic value generator 33 and the input image data S20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masaru Takamoto, Tetsuya Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 8289342
    Abstract: A texture processing unit 54 carries out texture processing on data of a plurality of pixels selected by a processing object selection unit 53 using the same brush stroke pattern and respective colors of the pixels. A hatching processing unit 55 carries out hatching processing of adding diagonal expression substantially perpendicular to the orientation of the stroke pattern on data of an area of low luminance (i.e., dark) pixels from among the image data including YUV components using the respective colors of the pixels. The composition unit 56 carries out composition processing of compositing the image data outputted from the hatching processing unit 55 with the image data outputted from the texture processing unit 54.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Naoya Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 8289351
    Abstract: A method for driving a display includes following steps. A display panel is divided into a plurality of bright regions and a plurality of dark regions, wherein the dark regions and the bright regions are alternately arranged so that the bright regions within the display panel are not adjacent to each other. Next, a full-color frame is divided into four sub-frames, wherein the sub-frames are matched with the four color-orders one by one. In this way, the display randomly displays the sub-frames in a frame period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ke-Horng Chen, Chun-Ho Chen, Shian-Jun Chiou, Han-Ping Shieh, Ti-Ti Liu
  • Patent number: 8289452
    Abstract: A method and a system for determining a video deinterlacing strategy are disclosed. First, all the pixels of a (i+2)th field are subtracted from the corresponding pixels of the ith field to obtain a difference field. Next, a specific check-area is located according to the difference field. Next, the ith field is combined with the (i+1)th field into a specific frame. Next, the combing phenomenon of the specific check-area in the specific frame is checked to determine the deinterlacing scheme for the pixels in the specific check-area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Tsui-Chin Chen, Wei-Jen Lo
  • Patent number: 8274526
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and system for visual gamma correction of a display system includes retrieving input gamma information from input content, determining at least one pattern representing luminance of the received content based upon at least the retrieved gamma information, displaying the at least one determined pattern representing the luminance of the received image content and at least one corresponding reference image on the display system, and adjusting the brightness and contrast of the least one reference image on the display system to approach the luminance of a corresponding determined pattern to determine a corrected gamma for the display system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventor: Bongsun Lee
  • Patent number: 8270762
    Abstract: A method of calibrating the intensity with which light is emitted through the light-emission face of an optical fiber light line assembly employs (i) a data processing system with computer memory, (ii) a camera communicatively linked to the data processing system, and (iii) a signal-responsive scoring device communicatively linked to the data processing system. Light is introduced into the assembly, an image of the emitting face is captured, and corresponding image data is stored in computer memory. The image data is segmented into plural image-data segments corresponding to physical sub-regions of the imaged face. The image-data segments are algorithmically analyzed to identify the sub-region that emits inputted light with the lowest intensity, and emission-intensity data associated with that sub-region is identified as reference emission data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Schott Corporation
    Inventor: Robert E. Abel
  • Patent number: 8184123
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an image display apparatus, an image processing apparatus, and an image display method that are able to display images without motion blur without increasing the transmitted amount of image signal. An image display apparatus of the invention comprises an image reception unit that receives an image signal; a gray-level correction unit that corrects image signals each corresponding to sub-frames consisting of a plurality of pixel groups split from the received mage signal, using respective grayscale characteristics different from sub-frame to sub-frame; and an image display unit that displays the frame image by successively displaying the sub-frame images each having been gray-level-corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Nagase, Jun Someya, Yoshiteru Suzuki, Akira Okumura
  • Patent number: 8120628
    Abstract: A method for driving a display is provided. According to the driving method, a display panel is divided into a plurality of bright regions and a plurality of dark regions, wherein the dark regions and the bright regions are alternately arranged so that the bright regions within the display panel are not adjacent to each other. Next, a full-color frame is divided into four sub-frames, wherein the sub-frames are matched with the four color-orders one by one. In this way, the display randomly displays the sub-frames in a frame period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ke-Horng Chen, Chun-Ho Chen, Shian-Jun Chiou, Han-Ping Shieh, Ti-Ti Liu
  • Patent number: 8102445
    Abstract: A solid-state image-capturing apparatus that converts light, which is reflected from a subject, into an electrical signal, includes an image processing unit that performs edge enhancement on a digital video signal that is generated based on an analog video signal, which is obtained from the light captured by an image-capturing device and amplified with a predetermined analog gain, based on position information on the image-capturing device and the analog gain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Shiroshi Kanemitsu, Takaaki Kawakami, Junichi Hosokawa, Yuuki Koguchi
  • Patent number: 8094194
    Abstract: A display apparatus having a displaying part, includes a video processing part to process an input video signal into a format which can be displayed on the displaying part, and a controlling part to determine whether a video image displayed on the displaying part is a still image, and if it is determined that the video image is the still image, to control the video processing part to display the video image according to the input video signal and a predetermined after-image prevention image alternately on the displaying part. Thus, the present general inventive concept provides a display apparatus which is capable of removing an after-image effect occurring in a display panel effectively, and a control method thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: SAMSUNG Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sung-tae Lee
  • Patent number: 8081608
    Abstract: In a method for controlling the data flow on a radio link between a WLAN base station and a WLAN mobile station, the data rate on the radio link is reduced for in each case one time period (36, 37) at time intervals (35). One preferred field of application for the method is to restrict general or unauthorized transmission of a telephone call via the Internet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Reinhard Rueckriem
  • Patent number: 8054383
    Abstract: A method of preventing image burn-in of a display apparatus to display an image includes detecting pixel data of a pixel of the image, calculating OSD data corresponding to the detected pixel data, generating the calculated OSD data, and merging the OSD data to the pixel data and displaying the merged OSD data in the pixel for a predetermined refresh period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sung-tae Lee
  • Patent number: 8054350
    Abstract: An apparatus for performing shade correction for a lens in an image sensor includes a gain profile extractor, a common profile calculator, a gain controller calculator, and a memory device. The gain profile extractor generates a respective channel gain profile for each of a plurality of color channels from image data. The common profile calculator generates a common profile from the channel gain profiles. The gain controller calculator generates a respective gain controller for each of the plurality of color channels from the common profile and the channel gain profiles. A memory device stores the common profile and the gain controllers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kyu-Min Kyung
  • Patent number: 7970231
    Abstract: An image processing method has an edge intensity value calculating section (4) for calculating an edge intensity value in a neighborhood of a pixel of interest from feature values of micro regions calculated by a feature value calculating section (3); an edge intensity value correcting section (5) for correcting the edge intensity value calculated by the edge intensity value calculating section (4) in accordance with an edge intensity correction curve; and a filter value calculating section (6) for calculating a low-pass filter value of the pixel of interest from image signal values of neighboring pixels having the same color component as the pixel of interest. It corrects the image signal value of the pixel of interest by carrying out weighted addition of the image signal value of the pixel of interest and the low-pass filter value using the edge intensity values before and after the correction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masashi Tamura, Narihiro Matoba
  • Publication number: 20110075038
    Abstract: To provide a light emitting device without nonuniformity of luminance, a correcting circuit for correcting a video signal supplied to each pixel to a light emitting device. The correcting circuit is stored with data of a dispersion of a characteristic of a driving TFT among pixels and data of a change over time of luminance of a light emitting element. Further, by correcting a video signal inputted to the light emitting device in conformity with a characteristic of the driving TFT of each pixel and a degree of a deterioration of the light emitting element based on the over-described two data, nonuniformity of luminance caused by a deterioration of an electroluminescent layer and nonuniformity of luminance caused by dispersion of a characteristic of the driving TFT are restrained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2010
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Hajime KIMURA, Mai AKIBA, Aya ANZAI, Yu YAMAZAKI
  • Patent number: 7903848
    Abstract: A method for processing an image acquired through a guide consisting of a plurality of optical fibers includes, for each optical fiber, isolating on the acquired image a zone corresponding to the optical fiber, locally processing each zone individually to correct the photon flux detected in each optical fiber, then reconstructing the acquired image by eliminating the pattern caused by the optical fiber. The method also includes a sampling process for obtaining, for each optical fiber and from a sampling image, a sample injection rate which can be used for reconstructing the acquired images. The method also includes a prior step which consists in detecting the fibers from a target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Mauna Kea Technologies
    Inventors: Aymeric Perchant, Georges Le Goualher, Frederic Berier
  • Patent number: 7876355
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to detect presence of undesirable video abnormalities during, for example, video ingest or playback. These undesirable characteristics may include an average picture level that is less than a preset threshold value, or static input, in which the content does not change over a significant number of frames. Detection of abnormalities results in an alarm to a system operator. Analysis and alarm may occur automatically during processing of video data streams. The same abnormalities may be detected during playback of the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Harmonic Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas C. Stevens
  • Patent number: 7853097
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an image obtaining unit that obtains an image captured with an image sensor; and a defect information generating unit that generates defect information indicating a defect within the image having been obtained, based upon a value at a target pixel and an average value of a plurality of pixel values corresponding to pixels present within a predetermined range containing the target pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Kenichi Ishiga
  • Patent number: 7843462
    Abstract: A system for displaying a digital video sequence includes a graphics processing unit (GPU) and a display device. The GPU receives and modifies the digital video sequence to compensate for perceived blur based on motion between frames of the digital video sequence. The display device displays the modified digital video sequence. A method and computer readable medium having computer readable code is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Eunice Poon
  • Patent number: 7777793
    Abstract: A signal processor formed on a single semiconductor chip having an A/D conversion unit for converting an analog signal to a digital signal, includes an operation unit for performing a calculation based on a plurality of digital signals converted by the A/D conversion unit, and a selection unit for selecting one of the digital signals converted by the A/D conversion unit and a result calculated by the operation unit and externally outputting the selection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazunari Kitani
  • Patent number: 7733420
    Abstract: A judder detection apparatus, a de-interlacing apparatus using the judder detection apparatus, and a de-interlacing method. The judder detection apparatus includes a judder detector to detect whether a detected pattern that is similar to a judder pattern occurs using predetermined pixel values of even and odd fields sequentially input, a pattern detector to detect whether an input image has a uniform pixel value in every other line of the even and odd fields and whether consecutive lines of the even and odd fields have a blind pattern having a difference from the uniform pixel that is greater than or equal to a threshold value, and a determiner to determine whether the detected pattern that is similar to the judder pattern is a judder based on whether the blind pattern is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Haeng-kang Kim, Young-ho Lee
  • Patent number: 7657116
    Abstract: Location information representing the location of a defective pixel in an image pickup device and pixel defect level information representing the pixel defect level of the defective pixel are stored beforehand in a memory. The defect level of the defective pixel is determined after shipment of the image pickup device, and the pixel defect information is updated based on the defect determination result. If a new defective pixel is detected at a location different from the location of the defective pixel with the pixel defect information stored in the memory, the pixel defect information of that defective pixel is added. If a defective pixel is detected at the same location as the defective pixel with the pixel defect information stored in the memory, and if the defect level of the detected defective pixel is worse than the original defect level, the defect level of the defective pixel is updated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaaki Matsuoka, Yoshiro Udagawa
  • Patent number: 7567724
    Abstract: The present invention is applied, for example, to resolution conversion. An edge gradient direction v1 with the largest gradient of pixel values and an edge direction v2 orthogonal to the edge gradient direction v1 are detected. Edge enhancement and smoothing processing are performed in the edge gradient direction v1 and in the edge direction v2, respectively, to generate output image data D2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichiro Gomi, Masami Ogata, Kazuhiko Ueda
  • Publication number: 20090109305
    Abstract: Embodiments of a process comprising receiving a plurality of offset analog signals, each corresponding to one of a plurality of black pixels in a pixel array; obtaining a corresponding digital value for each offset analog signal; computing an average of the digital values; and computing a black-level offset that, if applied to the digital values, would make the average of the digital values equal to a target value. Also disclosed are embodiments of an apparatus comprising an analog-to-digital converter coupled to an analog channel to receive offset analog black pixel signals from the analog channel and to obtain a corresponding digital value for each offset analog signal; circuitry and logic coupled to the analog-to-digital converter to average the digital values corresponding to the black pixels and compute a black-level offset that, if applied to the digital values of the black pixels, would make the average of the digital values of the black pixels equal to a target value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Inventors: Tiejun Dai, Xiaodong Luo, Xiangchen Xu
  • Patent number: 7508430
    Abstract: A method for reducing the row noise from complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor by using a local offset correction is disclosed. The method operates on sensor with and without a Color Filter Array (CFA) before any interpolation is applied and estimates the local offset by comparing the rows in a local window. The method also reduces the pixel-to-pixel noise while reducing the row noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Magnachip Semiconductor, Ltd.
    Inventors: Remzi Oten, Jim Li
  • Patent number: 7450181
    Abstract: A method for extending bit-depth of display systems. The method includes creating pseudo-random noise from human visual system noise. When applied to the image data, the noise causes spatiotemporal dithering. The pseudo-random noise is combined with image data, producing noise-compensated image data. The noise-compensated image data is them quantized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott James Daly
  • Patent number: 7327384
    Abstract: A gamut error false color display uses false coloring on a monochrome image of a video picture being tested. Composite and component gamut error signals are extracted from an input video signal representing the video picture being tested. Such error signals may represent gamut error states corresponding to near out-of-gamut, out-of-gamut high, near out-of-gamut low, out-of-gamut low, etc. A false color display generator has the gamut error signals and a luminance component of the input video signal as inputs and outputs the gamut false color display as the monochrome image with different colors for those pixels in the monochrome image that correspond to the gamut error signals when a gamut error is indicated. Each display component may be tested for gamut errors as well as the video picture as a whole (component or composite). Also either fixed or variable persistence may be used to identify gamut errors over several video pictures in the input video signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventor: Kevin T. Ivers
  • Patent number: 7294817
    Abstract: An imaging system (110) for imaging a scene with a detector array (104) having an array of imaging elements is provided. The imaging system (110) includes an image estimation module (202) for generating a plurality estimates of uncorrupted images based upon a plurality of noisy images generated by the detector array (104). The imaging system (110) further includes a parameter determination module (204) for determining one or more nonuniformity correction parameters based upon the estimates of uncorrupted images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens Power Generation, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthias Voigt, Martin Zarzycki, Hans-Gerd Brummel, Dennis H. Lemieux, Visvanathan Ramesh