Fourier Transform Patents (Class 382/280)
  • Patent number: 8606032
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an image processing method and to a device to process a moving image, which is shot by a predetermined video shooting device, in increments of access units. The imaging blur is represented by a corresponding low-pass filter showing the properties of imaging blur which occurs at the time that said moving image is shot with said video shooting device. According to the present method an inverse filter having inverse properties as to said low-pass filter is generated. A processing is performed to apply said inverse filter to said access unit to be processed. Hereby, the step of generating an inverse filter includes an iterative algorithm in the frequency domain based on the original blurred image and the point spread function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Nishi, Oliver Erdler
  • Publication number: 20130301954
    Abstract: In a scanning electron microscope, if a failure is caused to occur in a SEM image by the influence of a disturbance such as magnetic field or vibration inside and from outside the device, the cause is identified simply and accurately using this SEM image. There is provided a measurement technique whose measurement accuracy is not influenced by a roughness of SEM image pattern. A one-dimensional scanning is performed in a scanning-line direction (X direction) by setting the Y-direction scanning gain at zero at the time of acquiring the SEM image, and a two-dimensional image is created by arranging image information, which is obtained by the scanning, in a time-series manner in the Y direction. A shift-amount data on the two-dimensional image is acquired using a correlation function, and the magnetic field or vibration included within the SEM image is measured by a frequency analysis of the data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2012
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masumi Shirai, Osamu Komuro
  • Patent number: 8577184
    Abstract: A method and system for improving picture quality of color images by combing the content of a plurality of frames of the same subject; comprising: at least one processor; the at least one processor comprising a memory for storing a plurality of frames of a subject; the at least one processor operating to combine the content of plurality of frames of the subject into a combined color image by performing: a process in which at least two multicolored frames are converted to monochromatic predetermined color frames; a gross shift process in which the gross shift translation of one monochromatic predetermined color frame is determined relative to a reference monochromatic predetermined color frame; a subpixel shift process utilizing a correlation method to determine the translational and/or rotational differences of one monochromatic predetermined color frame to the reference monochromatic predetermined color frame to estimate sub-pixel shifts and/or rotations between the frames; and an error reduction process to
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Shiqiong Susan Young
  • Publication number: 20130272627
    Abstract: An image registration method is disclosed for processing a distorted image into a registered image that is aligned with reference to an original image. Distortions from the original image may include scaling, rotation, and noise. The method is based on correlating Radon transforms of both images to determine the rotation angle, and the scaling factor is determined by dividing averages of the overall luminance of each image on the assumption that any added noise will cancel. The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) is used to estimate global spatial shifts. In one embodiment, the distorted image is first scaled to the size of the original image before being rotated. In another embodiment, the original image is first scaled to the size of the distorted image before rotating the distorted image, and finally scaling it to match the original image. A corresponding system for image registration is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Publication date: October 17, 2013
    Inventor: ÉCOLE DE TECHNOLOGIE SUPÉRIEURE
  • Patent number: 8559756
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for radiance processing by demultiplexing in the frequency domain. A frequency domain demultiplexing module obtains a radiance image captured with a lens-based radiance camera. The image includes optically mixed spatial and angular frequency components of light from a scene. The module performs frequency domain demultiplexing on the radiance image to generate multiple parallax views of the scene. The method may extract multiple slices at different angular frequencies from a Fourier transform of the radiance image, apply a Fourier transform to each of the multiple slices to generate intermediate images, stack the intermediate images to form a 3- or 4-dimensional image, apply an inverse Fourier transform along angular dimension(s) of the 3- or 4-dimensional image, and unstack the transformed 3- or 4-dimensional image to obtain the multiple parallax views. During the method, phase correction may be performed to determine the centers of the intermediate images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventors: Todor G. Georgiev, Chintan Intwala, Sevket Derin Babacan
  • Patent number: 8558182
    Abstract: A novel phase-coded aperture, associated imaging system, and design method is disclosed. The optical imaging system includes a coded-aperture followed optically by a detector array and includes an image processor. A diffraction pattern in the form of a band-limited uniformly redundant array is formed on the detector array when focusable radiation from a point source in object space is modulation by the transmission function of the coded-aperture. Since diffraction effects cannot be ignored in the optical regime, an iterative phase retrieval method is used to calculate the phase-coded aperture transmission function. Correlation type processing can be applied for the image recovery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: University of Rochester
    Inventors: Wanli Chi, Nicholas George
  • Patent number: 8559753
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing undesired features in an image. The image is converted from a spatial domain to a frequency domain to form a transformed image. A filter is applied to the transformed image to form a filtered image in the frequency domain. The filtered image is converted from the frequency domain back into the spatial domain to form a modified image. An intensity of an undesired feature in the modified image is increased as compared to the intensity of the undesired feature in the image. The undesired feature is removed from the image using the modified image to form a processed image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Robert Merrill Cramblitt
  • Publication number: 20130266241
    Abstract: In selected embodiments, improved image restoration is realized using extensions of Wiener filtering combined with multiple image captures acquired after simple, fast reconfigurations of an optical imaging system. These reconfigurations yield unique (distinct) OTF responses for each capture. The optical imaging system may reduce fabrication cost, power consumption, and/or system weight/volume by correcting significant optical aberrations. The system may be configured to perform independent correction of fields within the total field of regard. The system may also be configured to perform independent correction of different spectral bands.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2012
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Inventors: Eliseo Ranalli, Robert Saperstein
  • Patent number: 8548268
    Abstract: A device to analyze and determine the movement characteristics of products moving in a determinate direction of feed (F) and emitting radiations, in particular products exiting from a casting line, comprises a camera to continuously acquire images of the product moving in the direction of feed (F) in at least two successive instants of time, and an electronic processing unit by means of which the comparison between at least two successive images acquired is carried out, using mathematical algorithms based on the image correlation principle, in order to determine the spatial displacement of the images and then the movement characteristics of the product moving in the direction of feed (F) are analyzed and determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Danieli Automation SpA
    Inventors: Ferruccio Della Vedova, Lorenzo Ciani
  • Patent number: 8542945
    Abstract: A method for correcting mis-focus of an image created from coherent imaging using centered fractional Fourier transforms or mathematical equivalents is described. A received image is presented to a numerical processor, and a first numerical value for a variable ? is selected and used in an iterative algorithm, numerical procedure, system architecture, etc. A centered discrete fractional Fourier transform of power ? and a phase restore operator associated with a centered discrete fractional Fourier transform of power ? are applied to the image file to produce a modified image. A change in mis-focused is determined and used in adjusting ? for a next iteration. If values for ? between 0 and real number ? do not result in a desired outcome, ? is adjusted as a complex value ?+i? where ? is a real number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Inventor: Lester F. Ludwig
  • Patent number: 8533480
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for document authentication. An electronic document is presented to a user. The electronic document has data representing a signed state and a current state. A disallowed difference between the signed state and the current state is detected, based on one or more rules that are associated with the electronic document. A digital signature associated with the electronic document is invalidated in response to the detecting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventors: James Pravetz, Krish Chaudhury, Sunil Agrawal
  • Patent number: 8520065
    Abstract: In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method for isolating a broadcast digital pulse recognition tone of a beacon light source in a digital video sequence. In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a digital video sequence of a scene, the digital video sequence including a sequence of frames and the scene including both modulated illumination broadcast by a beacon light source and un-modulated illumination, calculating a background value of the digital video sequence, the background value including a portion of the digital video sequence corresponding to the un-modulated illumination of the scene, subtracting the background value of the digital video sequence to obtain an isolated digital video sequence of the modulated illumination of the scene, calculating a frequency content of a frame of the isolated digital video sequence, and determining a particular tone broadcast by the beacon light source based on the frequency content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: ByteLight, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Staats, Rob Sumner, Daniel Ryan
  • Patent number: 8503811
    Abstract: A curvature-preserving filter having a null covariance matrix is applied to an input image to produce a denoised output image for output to a graphic display device or to a machine analysis tool. In one embodiment, the input image is a small kernel consisting of a limited number of pixels and the filter is applied to the input image by direct summation. In another embodiment, a digital image is input into an image processor that executes a Fourier transform to produce a Fourier-transformed signal. The curvature-preserving filter is applied to the Fourier-transformed signal in Fourier space to produce a denoised signal, then the denoised signal is transformed by an inverse Fourier transform to generate a denoised output image In an alternate embodiment, the filter further produces a deblurred signal by including an inverse point-response function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: ImageRecon LLC
    Inventor: Amos Yahil
  • Patent number: 8485559
    Abstract: Techniques are described for authenticating security documents having security images that incorporate multiple security features. The techniques may produce robust template matching results in situations of lighting unevenness, even with stronger occluding objects. The techniques may be particularly useful in validating a security document having a security image composed of one or more “virtual” retroreflective images formed over a background of a repeating retroreflective image. The virtual retroreflective images within the security image provide strong signals that may dominate analysis and validation of the background retroreflective image, thereby resulting incorrect authentication. The techniques provide a modified normalized cross-correlation analysis that masks out the strong signals contributed by the additional security features, such as the retroreflective virtual images, while still allowing for fast and efficient template matching to be performed with respect to the background image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventor: Yiwu Lei
  • Patent number: 8472752
    Abstract: A method for distinguishing a normal cell from an abnormal cell, such as, for example a cancer cell or diseased cell, of the same tissue type using mitochondrial correlation microscopy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Inventor: Paul L. Gourley
  • Patent number: 8452072
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for accurately detecting the shape of a tire side by performing an image processing of removing a knurled region from the tire side. An actual image of a tire side having a knurled region obtained by a light-section method is Fourier-transformed into a Fourier-transformed image by a Fourier-transformed image creating unit of an image processing means. Cross-shaped peaks appearing discretely at predefined frequency intervals on a straight line in the Fourier-transformed image are identified as peaks attributable to the knurled region by a knurled component identifying unit. The cross-shaped peaks are removed from the Fourier-transformed image by a knurl component removing unit, and the Fourier-transformed image from which the peaks are removed is inverse-Fourier-transformed into an actual image by an inverse-Fourier-transforming unit. And the acceptability of the shape of the tire side is determined using the actual image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Bridgestone
    Inventors: Tetsuya Sukegawa, Taro Takebuchi
  • Patent number: 8452124
    Abstract: A system for detecting motion blur may include a process in which one or more digital images taken by a camera having a shutter are obtained, wherein the digital image depicts objects in a physical world. Further, the system may estimate the motion blur in the digital image using a ratio of one or more values obtained from the projection of a 2D spectrum of the image and a Fourier transform of a sequence of the shutter used in obtaining the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Kwong Wing Au, Scott McCloskey
  • Publication number: 20130121615
    Abstract: Various methods and apparatus for removing artifacts in frequency domain processing of light-field images are described. Methods for the reduction or removal of the artifacts are described that include methods that may be applied during frequency domain processing and a method that may be applied during post-processing of resultant angular views. The methods may be implemented in software as or in a light-field frequency domain processing module. The described methods include an oversampling method to determine the correct centers of slices, a phase multiplication method to determine the correct centers of slices, a method to exclude low-energy slices, and a cosmetic correction method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Inventors: Chintan Intwala, Todor G. Georgiev
  • Publication number: 20130121614
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for editing the frequency content of an image may provide an intuitive interface for examining and/or modifying the frequency content. The methods may include accessing image data, performing a wavelet transform of the image data (or another MRA technique) to produce a time-frequency representation (TFR) of the image representing frequency content in multiple frequency bands, and displaying an indication of the frequency content of the image by displaying a sub-image of the TFR or numerical data representing the frequency content at selected pixels. In response to receiving input specifying a desired frequency content modification, the methods may include performing a Fourier transform of the image data to produce frequency content data, modifying the frequency content data, and performing an inverse transformation of the modified data to produce modified image data. The modification may be applied globally or to a selected portion of the image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2009
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Inventor: Chintan Intwala
  • Patent number: 8442352
    Abstract: A method (100), an apparatus (1100), and a computer program product are disclosed for generating alignment marks. A basis pattern (120) and a high frequency component (130) are combined (140). The basis pattern is defined such that a scaled and rotated version of the basis pattern correlated with the basis pattern is substantially equal to the auto-correlation of the basis pattern within a complex multiplicative constant. The high frequency component is of sufficient energy for cross correlation without detriment to the basis pattern. The basis pattern may be generated from a basis function, which may be a logarithmic radial harmonic function (LRHF). The combination is output as at least one alignment mark having an increased maximum frequency. The method (100) may further comprise printing the at least one alignment mark on a print medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Brendon Yenson, Scott Alexander Rudkin
  • Patent number: 8442353
    Abstract: A system and method for creating a three dimensional cross sectional image of an object by the reconstruction of its projections that have been iteratively refined through mathematical transformations and modifications in object space and Fourier space is disclosed. A primary benefit of the method is radiation dose reduction since the invention can produce an image of a desired quality with a fewer number projections than seen with conventional methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Jianwei Miao, Benjamin P. Fahimian
  • Patent number: 8442341
    Abstract: A method corrects unfocus and misfocus in original image data using an origin-centered two-dimensional discrete fractional Fourier transform. The origin-centered two-dimensional discrete fractional Fourier transform numerically corrects a modeled evolution of an image propagating through a medium, aligning a propagation model centerline with the center of image data and the center an index-shifted numerical fractional Fourier transform operation. A zero transform-image domain origin is accordingly aligned to the center of modified image data. The corrective fractional Fourier transform power may be determined automatically or by human operator. The image correction can be applied to lens-systems or other systems obeying Fourier optics including electron microscopes, particle beams, radiation accelerators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Inventor: Lester F. Ludwig
  • Patent number: 8442342
    Abstract: Fractional Fourier transform properties inherent in lens systems and other light and particle-beam environments are used to correct optical misfocus utilizing numerical operations. The invention produces a focused image from a partially-focused operation computed by at least one processor and a misfocused lens or other imaging system. Image data is operated on by a two-dimensional discrete fractional Fourier transform operation and a two-dimensional discrete fractional Fourier transform phase operation to create misfocused phase-adjusted image data comprising some amount of misfocus, the misfocus resulting from the application of the two-dimensional discrete fractional Fourier transform operation. The misfocused phase-adjusted image is presented to a misfocused exogenous optical system to create a resulting image. The power parameter of the fractional Fourier transform is adjusted to maximize sharp edge content of the resulting image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Inventor: Lester F. Ludwig
  • Patent number: 8422822
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a Fourier transform deflectometry system (1) and method for the optical inspection of a phase and amplitude object (2) placed in an optical path between a grating (3) and an imaging system (4), at a distance h of said grating 3. The grating (3) forms a contrast-based periodic pattern with spatial frequencies ?0, v0 in, respectively, orthogonal axes x,y in an image plane, and the imaging system (4) comprises an objective (5) and an imaging sensor (6) comprising a plurality of photosensitive elements. Spatial frequencies ?0, v0 are equal or lower than the Nyquist frequencies of the imaging system in the respective x and y axes. According to the method of the invention, a first image of said pattern, distorted by the phase and amplitude object (2), is first captured through the objective (5) by the imaging sensor (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Lambda-X
    Inventors: Didier Beghuin, Luc Joannes
  • Patent number: 8401257
    Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products for managing frequency domain optical coherence tomography (FDOCT) image resolution. A spectrum used to acquire an image of a subject is calibrated and default dispersion correction parameters are set. Default dispersion management parameters associated with a region of the image of the subject are also set. The image of the subject is acquires after setting the default dispersion correction parameters and the default dispersion management parameters. A quality of the acquired image is compared to a quality metric for the acquired image. The dispersion correction parameters are adjusted if the quality of the acquired image does not meet or exceed the quality metric for the acquired image. The acquired image is reprocesses based on the adjusted dispersion correction parameters. The steps of comparing, adjusting and reprocessing are repeated until the acquired image meets or exceeds the quality metric for the acquired image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Bioptigen, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph A. Izatt, Eric L. Buckland, Bennett R. Groshong, Bradley A. Bower
  • Patent number: 8345311
    Abstract: A halftone screen is modified to reduce harmonic artifacts. Artifacts are modeled from the screen in a frequency domain. Threshold values in the screen are modified to reduce amplitude of at least some of the modeled artifacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Mani Fischer, Doron Shaked
  • Patent number: 8335401
    Abstract: Systems and methods of performing quantitative measurements of blocking artifacts in digital images and digital image sequences that are computationally efficient, and that employ no reference information in the measurement process. At least one normalized gradient image array is calculated, with reference to at least one specified gradient direction, from image pixel data contained in an image pixel array derived from a given digital image. The calculated results are accumulated into at least one profile array, and the data contained in the respective profile array is analyzed in the frequency domain to obtain a quantitative measurement of blockiness in the given digital image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Dialogic Corporation
    Inventor: Chunhua Chen
  • Patent number: 8331723
    Abstract: Signal processing techniques are applied to digital image data to remove the distortion caused by motion of the camera, or the movement of the subject being photographed, or defective optics, or optical distortion from other sources. When the image is captured, the effect of relative motion between the camera and the subject is that it transforms the true image into a blurred image according to a 2-dimensional transfer function. The 2-dimensional transfer function representing the motion is derived using blind estimation techniques or by using information from sensors that detect the motion. The transfer function is inverted and used to define a corrective filter. The filter is applied to the image and the blur due to the motion is removed, restoring the correct image. Another embodiment uses the transfer function to avoid blur by combining multiple consecutive images taken at a fast shutter speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Inventor: Fatih M. Ozluturk
  • Patent number: 8331724
    Abstract: An image is encoded to define one or more spatial regions that can be sensed by a suitably-equipped mobile device (e.g., a smartphone), but are imperceptible to humans. When such a mobile device senses one of these regions, it takes an action in response (e.g., rendering an associated tone, playing linked video, etc.). The regions may overlap in layered fashion. One form of encoding employs modification of the color content of the image at higher spatial frequencies, where human vision is not acute. In a particular embodiment, the encoding comprises altering a transform domain representation of the image by adding signal energy in a first chrominance channel, where the added signal energy falls primarily within a segmented arc region in a transform domain space. In another arrangement, a smartphone display presents both image data captured from a scene, and a transform representation of the image data (e.g., in the Fourier domain). This latter information can aid a user in positioning the phone, e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
    Inventor: Geoffrey B. Rhoads
  • Patent number: 8306316
    Abstract: The image processing apparatus and method, and the program and the recording medium according to the present invention can make the coefficient vector into high precision by noise elimination or correction utilizing the mutual correlation of the divided image areas in the intermediate eigenspace, and allows relaxation of the input condition and robustness. The high correlation in the divided image areas in the intermediate eigenspace can reduce the divided image areas to be processed, and actualize reduction in processing load and enhancement of the processing speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Hirokazu Kameyama
  • Patent number: 8300968
    Abstract: An accelerator for the speckle atmospheric compensation algorithm may enable real-time speckle processing of video feeds that may enable the speckle algorithm to be applied in numerous real-time applications. The accelerator may be implemented in various forms, including hardware, software, and/or machine-readable media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: EM Photonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Fernando E. Ortiz, Eric Kelmelis, James P. Durbano, Peterson F. Curt
  • Patent number: 8285401
    Abstract: According to various embodiments, a method is provided for determining aberration data for an optical system. The method comprises collecting a data signal, and generating a pre-transformation algorithm. The data is pre-transformed by multiplying the data with the pre-transformation algorithm. A discrete Fourier transform of the pre-transformed data is performed in an iterative loop. The method further comprises back-transforming the data to generate aberration data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: Bruce H. Dean
  • Patent number: 8285080
    Abstract: An image scanner using an area sensor having a tilt reads a plurality of low-resolution image data having phase shifts from each other, and the low-resolution image data are converted into those on an orthogonal coordinate system by affine transformation. The number of data to be used is decided based on one of these low-resolution image data. The low-resolution image data as many as the designated number of data are saved, and high-resolution image data is generated by executing super-resolution processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshitake Mizuno
  • Patent number: 8274402
    Abstract: Method for collecting video files of one or more Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) components, including receiving information pertaining to the one or more LDAR components within a specified area, recording a video of the LDAR components for a predetermined amount of time using a camera, associating the video with the information, and storing the video along with the information to a memory located in a computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: LDARtools, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Moses, Rex Moses
  • Patent number: 8275214
    Abstract: A method for texture characterization is provided. Multi-dimensional spectrum data are determined by transforming multi-dimensional image data into Fourier domain. The multi-dimensional spectrum data are partitioned into a plurality of partitions, wherein each partition is associated with a predetermined set of orthogonal voice frequencies. The partitioned multi-dimensional spectrum data are then transformed into Stockwell domain resulting in discrete orthonormal Stockwell transform data. The discrete orthonormal Stockwell transform data are then processed to determine data associated with image texture, which are indicative of a feature of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Calgary Scientific, Inc.
    Inventors: Sylvia Anna Drabycz, Joseph Ross Mitchell
  • Patent number: 8270760
    Abstract: A system and method for creating a three dimensional cross sectional image of an object by the reconstruction of its projections that have been iteratively refined through modification in object space and Fourier space is disclosed. The invention provides systems and methods for use with any tomographic imaging system that reconstructs an object from its projections. In one embodiment, the invention presents a method to eliminate interpolations present in conventional tomography. The method has been experimentally shown to provide higher resolution and improved image quality parameters over existing approaches. A primary benefit of the method is radiation dose reduction since the invention can produce an image of a desired quality with a fewer number projections than seen with conventional methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Jianwei Miao, Benjamin Pooya Fahimian
  • Patent number: 8270759
    Abstract: A method and system for transforming a video image from a High Dynamic Range (HDR) image on an array of pixels to a Low Dynamic Range (LDR) image. An old luminance generated from a color space of the HDR image is scaled and segmented into stripes. Each stripe has at least one row of the array. A target zone surrounding a current pixel in each stripe is determined from a search strategy selected from a linear search strategy and a zone history-based search strategy. A convolution of the scaled luminance at a current pixel of each stripe is computed using a kernel specific to the target zone. The convolution is used to convert the stripes to tone-mapped luminance stripes which are collected to form a tone mapped luminance pixel array that is transformed to the color space to form the LDR image. The LDR image is stored and/or displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ahmed Hazem Mohamed Rashid El-Mahdy, Hisham ElShishiny
  • Patent number: 8249386
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for improved video bandwidth resolution in DFT-based spectrum analysis is disclosed. A first embodiment comprises an emulation of a continuous range of video bandwidths in DFT-based spectrum analysis using overlapping resolution bandwidth frames. A second embodiment utilizes frame weighting to reduce the standard deviation in the spectrum of noise signal to emulate a corresponding standard deviation of a specified video bandwidth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Yi He, Marcus K. Dasilva, Kathryn A. Engholm
  • Patent number: 8243980
    Abstract: Registration data embedded in an image is used to determine and compensate for geometric transformation of the image. The registration data may include frequency domain features of the image that are used to compute the rotation and/or scaling of the image. The registration method may be used in conjunction with digital watermarking and other signal processing applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
    Inventors: Geoffrey B. Rhoads, Ravi K. Sharma
  • Patent number: 8244058
    Abstract: Various methods and apparatus for removing artifacts in frequency domain processing of light-field images are described. Methods for the reduction or removal of the artifacts are described that include methods that may be applied during frequency domain processing and a method that may be applied during post-processing of resultant angular views. The methods may be implemented in software as or in a light-field frequency domain processing module. The described methods include an oversampling method to determine the correct centers of slices, a phase multiplication method to determine the correct centers of slices, a method to exclude low-energy slices, and a cosmetic correction method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventors: Chintan Intwala, Todor G. Georgiev
  • Patent number: 8233742
    Abstract: As a feature, a local range image described in a log-polar coordinate system with a tangential plane set as an image plane is used. In a created image, ambiguity concerning an angular axis around the normal is normalized as a power spectrum using Fourier series expansion and changed to an amount invariable with respect to rotation. The power spectrum is dimensionally compressed by expanding the power spectrum in a peculiar space using a peculiar vector. Corresponding points are searched by nearest neighbor in a dimensionally compressed space to calculate a correspondence relation among the points. Wrong correspondence is removed by verification to determine a positional relation among range images. A reliable correspondence relation is narrowed down by verification by cross-correlation and a RANSAC to create a tree structure representing a link relation among the range images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventor: Takeshi Masuda
  • Patent number: 8232915
    Abstract: A new spatially variant apodization (SVA) algorithm that uses a 3/4 filled aperture prior to two dimensional discrete Fourier transform (2-D DFT) to form the image. The algorithm can be used, for example, to improve contrast and resolution on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, with a lower degree of oversampling (and thus, fewer pixels) than other algorithms require. This can translate into more efficient use of radar displays and processor memory. Additional efficiencies of memory and computing power may be realized when Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) algorithms operate on this imagery. Embodiments of this invention use convolution kernels at two different spacings, which are better tuned to the local phase relationships of mainlobe and sidelobes with a 3/4 filled aperture. As such, these embodiments suppress sidelobes without sacrificing resolution, at an aperture-filling ratio of 3/4, rather than 1/2, as is usually used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Timothy T. Peterson
  • Patent number: 8229205
    Abstract: A pattern matching method for use in manufacturing a semiconductor memory device increases a pattern matching rate between a GDS image and an SEM image. The pattern matching method includes extracting a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image and a graphic data system (GDS) image to perform a pattern matching; performing a two-dimensional Fourier transform (FFT) for the extracted GDS image and analyzing a low spatial frequency; deciding whether or not a pattern is a repeated pattern or non-repeated pattern by using the analyzed low spatial frequency; and limiting an X/Y range for a pattern matching when the decision result is for the repeated pattern, and then performing the pattern matching between the SEM image and the GDS image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chan-Kyeong Hyon, Young-Seog Kang, Sang-Ho Lee, Hyun-Jong Lee
  • Patent number: 8223259
    Abstract: Embodiments of invention disclose a system and a method for increasing a temporal resolution of a substantially periodic signal. The method acquires a signal as an input sequence of frames having a first temporal resolution, wherein the signal is a substantially periodic signal, wherein the frames in the input sequence of frames are encoded according to an encoded pattern; and transforms the input sequence of frames into an output sequence of frames having a second temporal resolution, such that the second temporal resolution is greater than the first temporal resolution, wherein the transforming is based on a sparsity of the signal in Fourier domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Ashok N. Veeraraghavan, Amit K. Agrawal, Ramesh N. Raskar, Dikpal N. Reddy
  • Patent number: 8213744
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a registration unit for executing a registration process among a plurality of images; an image synthesis unit for superposing the plurality of images subjected to registration in the registration unit to synthesize the plurality of images and generate a synthetic image; a frequency characteristic measurement unit for measuring a frequency characteristic of the synthetic image; and a registration error detection unit for detecting an error of the registration process among the plurality of images based on the measured frequency characteristic of the synthetic image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Takahiro Yano
  • Patent number: 8208756
    Abstract: A method (500) of determining rotation and scale transformation parameters is disclosed. The method (500) determines a plurality of weight values associated with one or more parts of at least one of a first and second image (e.g., 154. 155). A representation of each of the first and second images (154. 155) is formed using the weight values, the representation being substantially invariant to translation of the first and second images (154. 155). Rotation and scale transformation parameters relating the first and second images (154. 155) are determined based on the representation of each of the first and second images (154. 155). The rotation and scale transformation parameters are stored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tuan Quang Pham
  • Patent number: 8208682
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus and method for detecting an image enhanced from a low resolution image to a high resolution image. An apparatus detects an image converted from a first resolution to a higher second resolution. A frequency converter converts a received second resolution image signal to a frequency domain. An image determiner calculates energy per frequency from the received second resolution image signal. If an amount of energy in over a pre-set frequency is less than a threshold, the received second resolution image signal corresponds to a second resolution image converted from a first resolution image, and if the amount of energy in over the pre-set frequency is greater than the threshold, determining that the received second resolution image signal corresponds to a real second resolution image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Bo-gun Park
  • Patent number: 8199991
    Abstract: A method of automatically identifying the microarray chip corners and probes, even if there are no probes at the corners, in a high density and high resolution microarray scanned image having an image space, wherein the method minimizes the error distortions in the image arising in the scanning process by applying to the image a multipass corner finding algorithm comprising: (a) applying a Radon transform to an input microarray image to project the image into an angle and distance space where it is possible to find the orientation of the straight lines; (b) applying a fast Fourier transform to the projected image of (a) to find the optimal tilting angle of the projected image; (c) determining the optimal first and last local maxima for the optimal tilting angle; (d) back projecting the determined first and last local maxima to the image space to find the first approximation of the first and last column lines of the image; (e) rotating the image and repeating steps (a) through (d) to find the first approximati
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Lalitha Agnihotri, James David Schaffer, Nevenka Dimitrova
  • Patent number: 8194296
    Abstract: A system for capturing a color image, includes a two-dimensional array having first and second groups of pixels, pixels from the first group of pixels have narrower spectral photoresponses than pixels from the second group of pixels and the first group of pixels has individual pixels that have spectral photoresponses that correspond to a set of at least two colors; the placement of the first and second groups of pixels defining a pattern that has a minimal repeating unit including at least twelve pixels, and a plurality of non-overlapping cells wherein each cell has at least two pixels representing a specific color selected from the first group of pixels and a plurality of pixels selected from the second group of pixels; a structure for combining pixels of like color from at least two of the plurality of cells within the minimal repeating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Compton, John F. Hamilton, Jr., Thomas E. DeWeese
  • Patent number: 8189958
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of fast image construction. The wavelength information is extracted in advance based on characteristics of a Fourier domain Optical Coherent Tomography (OCT) system, to obtain a vector of wavelengths which are in a uniform distribution in a wave number space, and thus to obtain a virtual position coefficient of this wavelength vector at a CCD, from which a weight matrix is calculated based on a transfer function for a discrete Fourier transform with zero-padding interpolation. In operation of the system, the interpolation is carried out based on the weight matrix and collected data, or is carried out based on the weight matrix which has been truncated by being subject to windowing and the collected data, to obtain interpolated data satisfying requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Institute of Optics and Electronics Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Inventors: Guogua Shi, Xiqi Li, Ling Wei, Yudong Zhang