Intel Corporation

Texas Instruments Corporation

Werner Adam Metz

Tinku Acharya

Lawrence A Booth

Randy Richard Dunton

Yap-Peng Tan

Dong-Ik Ko

Thomas C Jones

Curt Corum

Kannan Raj

Ronald Dean Smith

Ping-Sing Tsai

A time-of-flight sensor device generates and analyzes a high-resolution depth map frame from a high-resolution image to determine a mode of operation for the time-of-flight sensor and an illuminator and to control the time-of-flight sensor and illuminator according to the mode of operation. A binned depth map frame can be created from a binned image from the time-of-flight sensor and combined with the high-resolution depth map frame to create a compensated depth map frame.

Time of flight sensor binning

A time-of-flight sensor device includes analog memory to store one or more sets of charges associated with a time-of-flight image frame captured by a time-of-flight pixel array. So configured, the time-of-flight sensor device greatly reduces or eliminates the need for digital memory otherwise required to store image data prior to processing.

Method and apparatus for a time-of-flight sensor with charge storage

An internal or external device may be utilized to calibrate a digital camera for changing ambient light conditions. The device may include a surface which either provides for white light reflectivity or white light transmissivity for making a first measurement of white light intensity. A plurality of light emitting elements of known wavelengths can be used to obtain a second intensity measurement. This information may be used to calibrate the camera for changing ambient light.

Calibrating digital cameras for varying ambient light conditions

A method includes capturing an optical image to form raw data indicative of the optical image and using a look-up table to transform the raw data into transformed data that indicates a second image. A white color balance of the second image is computed, and the values in the look-up table are modified based on the computed white color balance.

Image processing methods and apparatus

A system includes a central processing unit, a bus and circuit. The central processing unit is coupled to the bus and segments an image into at least one text region and at least one graphics region. At least one of the circuit modules is associated with the processing of the text region(s), and at least one of the circuit modules is associated with the processing of the graphics region(s).

Image processing architecture

An embodiment of the invention is directed to a method of building an electronic file, using an electronic camera such as a digital camera, that captures 3-dimensional objects. A number of image data tiles that represent the images are generated by the camera. A number of text data tiles each containing text recognized in a corresponding one of the image data tiles is generated. The method includes searching for overlapping text in the text tiles, and pasting the text tiles in proper alignment into an electronic file.

Using an electronic camera to build a file containing text

An electronic system including signal processing circuitry that can operate in video and still image modes. Incoming image data is processed and compressed according to the operating mode. Processing includes scaling logic configured to use scaling methodologies appropriate to each mode. Compressing includes using compression methodologies appropriate to each mode.

Dual mode signal processing system for video and still image data

An optical serial link may be formed of an optical transceiver and a reflective wavelength coupler. The coupler may reflect light beams of different wavelengths using an elliptical reflector and a dispersive element.

Optical serial link

A companding method is disclosed where a set of factors related to the color characteristics of captured images are determined. Using these characteristics, a companding scheme is developed such that each pixel is lowered in resolution, but in such a manner that the image retains important features. These factors related to color characteristics are determined in part by analyzing histograms related to the image.

Efficient companding algorithm suitable for color imaging

A method for scaling of an image that includes providing an N-tap filter to be applied upon an image region and applying the N-tap filter variously to the image region and obtaining therefrom at least one scaled image pixel, such that N is equal to the scaling factor plus one. For instance, a 4:1 scaling procedure is achieved using a five-tap filter. By carefully selecting the coefficient of the five-tap filter, 2:1 scaling with a three-tap filter may be achieved using the same hardware and adding control signals and selectors. The scaling methodology and apparatus work directly in the CFA domain and provide efficient single pass dual-moded or multi-moded scaling capability.

Scaling algorithm and architecture for integer scaling in video

What is disclosed is a method comprising defining a scaling region by indicating in a CFA (Color Filter Array) a starting location, and generating a super-pixel which is a downscaled version of the scaling region, the super-pixel fully color interpolated, the downscaling and the color interpolation achieved in an integrated manner.

Scaling algorithm for efficient color representation/recovery in video

What is disclosed is a method that includes generating an overall sharpness parameter for a given focus position by performing a Discrete Wavelet Transform upon an image captured by an imaging device and automatically focusing said imaging device to an optimal focus position by comparing a plurality of different sharpness parameters. The optimal focusing position is automatically determined by finding the highest sharpness parameter for a given scene.

Auto-focusing algorithm using discrete wavelet transform

A cost effective digital image capture apparatus such as a digital camera that operates in both still mode and video mode, using a common programmable image processing chain and fixed optics. The full resolution of the image sensor (yielding raw image data) may be used in still mode, with adequate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) achieved either from the scene ambient lighting or from supplemental light supplied by a strobe. In video mode, the apparatus may be configured to capture video image data by programming the parameters for image processing methodologies such as scaling, decorrelation, and encoding into a look-up table (LUT) which in turn configures logic circuitry to spatially scale and compress if necessary the raw image data in order to meet storage and transmission bandwidth constraints for video images. In video mode, adequate SNR may be achieved despite the lower light conditions, encountered, for example, during videoconferencing, by averaging pixels together during scaling.

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Chandler, AZ, United States of America

Werner Adam Metz