352729results about "Character and pattern recognition" patented technology

An intelligent electronic appliance preferably includes a user interface, data input and / or output port, and an intelligent processor. A preferred embodiment comprises a set top box for interacting with broadband media streams, with an adaptive user interface, content-based media processing and / or media metadata processing, and telecommunications integration. An adaptive user interface models the user, by observation, feedback, and / or explicit input, and presents a user interface and / or executes functions based on the user model. A content-based media processing system analyzes media content, for example audio and video, to understand the content, for example to generate content-descriptive metadata. A media metadata processing system operates on locally or remotely generated metadata to process the media in accordance with the metadata, which may be, for example, an electronic program guide, MPEG 7 data, and / or automatically generated format. A set top box preferably includes digital trick play effects, and incorporated digital rights management features.

An adaptive interface for a programmable system, for predicting a desired user function, based on user history, as well as machine internal status and context. The apparatus receives an input from the user and other data. A predicted input is presented for confirmation by the user, and the predictive mechanism is updated based on this feedback. Also provided is a pattern recognition system for a multimedia device, wherein a user input is matched to a video stream on a conceptual basis, allowing inexact programming of a multimedia device. The system analyzes a data stream for correspondence with a data pattern for processing and storage. The data stream is subjected to adaptive pattern recognition to extract features of interest to provide a highly compressed representation that may be efficiently processed to determine correspondence. Applications of the interface and system include a video cassette recorder (VCR), medical device, vehicle control system, audio device, environmental control system, securities trading terminal, and smart house. The system optionally includes an actuator for effecting the environment of operation, allowing closed-loop feedback operation and automated learning.

An information retrieval system in accordance with the principles of the present invention maintains a database that defines a relational association between a plurality of informational items in the system. The relational association is based on historical navigational behavior of users of the information retrieval system, and includes a relationship type, which is based on the characteristic similarities between the informational items, and relationship strength, which is based on the historical frequency of any related informational items being selected by a user within the same information retrieval session. When a navigation from one informational item to another information item is detected, the relationship type and the relationship strength of the two informational items are determined and stored in the database. During a subsequent selection of an informational item, any related informational items related to the selected informational item are sorted based on the respective relationship types and relationship strengths, and are provided in a sorted list from which the user can select.

In one embodiment of the invention, a method for a robotic system is disclosed to track one or more robotic instruments. The method includes generating kinematics information for the robotic instrument within a field of view of a camera; capturing image information in the field of view of the camera; and adaptively fusing the kinematics information and the image information together to determine pose information of the robotic instrument. Additionally disclosed is a robotic medical system with a tool tracking sub-system. The tool tracking sub-system receives raw kinematics information and video image information of the robotic instrument to generate corrected kinematics information for the robotic instrument by adaptively fusing the raw kinematics information and the video image information together.

A bistable electro-optic display has a plurality of pixels, each of which is capable of displaying at least three gray levels. The display is driven by a method comprising: storing a look-up table containing data representing the impulses necessary to convert an initial gray level to a final gray level; storing data representing at least an initial state of each pixel of the display; receiving an input signal representing a desired final state of at least one pixel of the display; and generating an output signal representing the impulse necessary to convert the initial state of said one pixel to the desired final state thereof, as determined from said look-up table. The invention also provides a method for reducing the remnant voltage of an electro-optic display.

An imaging module in one embodiment includes at least one multiple color emitting light source comprising a plurality of different colored LED dies each independently driveable so that the overall color emitted by the light source can be controlled and varied. The multiple color emitting light source can be controlled so that the color emitted by the light source is optimized for imaging or reading in a present application environment of the module. Further, the module can be configured so that control of the multiple color emitting light source automatically varies depending on a sensed condition, such a color present in a field of view of the module, the distance of the module to a target, and / or a predetermined criteria being met so that feedback is provided to a user. The module in a further aspect can include illumination light sources and aiming light sources which project light in different wavelength emission bands.

Various methods, systems and apparatus for displaying alternate content in a digital mapping system, are disclosed. One such method may include detecting a change in a zoom level of an electronic map displaying geographic content (e.g. tile-based digital map, satellite image, etc.) on a computing device (e,g. desktop / laptop, smart phone, etc, running Windows®, Linux®, Mac OS®, iOS®. Android®, etc.); determining a predetermined (eg. maximum) zoom level has been reached; retrieving alternate content, and displaying the alternate content in addition to, or in place of, some-or-all of the geographic content. The method may further include detecting a zoom-out command while the alternate content is being displayed, and in response, restoring the display of the geographic content (e.g. at the maximum zoom level and / or last state of the geographic content display prior to displaying the alternate content.) Alternate content may be associated with any portion of geographic content displayed (e.g. the portion of the geographic content visible at the maximum zoom level) and may be selected via various algorithms and be manipulate-able via map display application controls.

A method and apparatus for allowing the user of an electronic device to enhance privacy over a display with the use of software, are disclosed. A security window including a translucent graphical effects region may be displayed on the electronic device such that it overlays content the user may choose to protect. The security window allows the protected content to remain discernable for the user of the device yet substantially indiscernible to a person at a further distance and / or greater viewing angle from the screen of the device. One or more security windows, each of which may be of any size, shape, texture, translucency level and any other graphical or behavioral properties may be displayed on the display associated with the electronic device. The user may control the size, shape, texture, translucency level and any other graphical or behavioral properties of the security window and graphical effects region. The user may invoke or terminate a security window with the single click of a button. Security windows may automatically attach to applications in focus, or be attached in response to a user command, and allow uninterrupted usability of those applications.

A cell phone is equipped with a 2D optical sensor, enabling a variety of applications. For example, such a phone may also be provided with a digital watermark decoder, permitting decoding of steganographic data on imaged objects. Movement of a phone may be inferred by sensing movement of an imaged pattern across the optical sensor's field of view, allowing use of the phone as a gestural input device through which a user can signal instructions to a computer-based process. A variety of other arrangements by which electronic devices can interact with the physical world are also detailed, e.g., involving sensing and responding to digital watermarks, bar codes, RFIDs, etc.

An adaptive interface for a programmable system, for predicting a desired user function, based on user history, as well as machine internal status and context. The apparatus receives an input from the user and other data. A predicted input is presented for confirmation by the user, and the predictive mechanism is updated based on this feedback. Also provided is a pattern recognition system for a multimedia device, wherein a user input is matched to a video stream on a conceptual basis, allowing inexact programming of a multimedia device. The system analyzes a data stream for correspondence with a data pattern for processing and storage. The data stream is subjected to adaptive pattern recognition to extract features of interest to provide a highly compressed representation which may be efficiently processed to determine correspondence. Applications of the interface and system include a VCR, medical device, vehicle control system, audio device, environmental control system, securities trading terminal, and smart house. The system optionally includes an actuator for effecting the environment of operation, allowing closed-loop feedback operation and automated learning.

An interactive display table has a display surface for displaying images and upon or adjacent to which various objects, including a user's hand(s) and finger(s) can be detected. A video camera within the interactive display table responds to infrared (IR) light reflected from the objects to detect any connected components. Connected component correspond to portions of the object(s) that are either in contact, or proximate the display surface. Using these connected components, the interactive display table senses and infers natural hand or finger positions, or movement of an object, to detect gestures. Specific gestures are used to execute applications, carryout functions in an application, create a virtual object, or do other interactions, each of which is associated with a different gesture. A gesture can be a static pose, or a more complex configuration, and / or movement made with one or both hands or other objects.

An adaptive strobe illumination control process for use in a digital image capture and processing system. In general, the process involves: (i) illuminating an object in the field of view (FOV) with several different pulses of strobe (i.e. stroboscopic) illumination over a pair of consecutive video image frames; (ii) detecting digital images of the illuminated object over these consecutive image frames; and (iii) decode processing the digital images in an effort to read a code symbol graphically encoded therein. In a first illustrative embodiment, upon failure to read a code symbol graphically encoded in one of the first and second images, these digital images are analyzed in real-time, and based on the results of this real-time image analysis, the exposure time (i.e. photonic integration time interval) is automatically adjusted during subsequent image frames (i.e. image acquisition cycles) according to the principles of the present disclosure. In a second illustrative embodiment, upon failure to read a code symbol graphically encoded in one of the first and second images, these digital images are analyzed in real-time, and based on the results of this real-time image analysis, the energy level of the strobe illumination is automatically adjusted during subsequent image frames (i.e. image acquisition cycles) according to the principles of the present disclosure.

An imaging system for a vehicle includes an imaging array sensor and a control. The image array sensor comprises a plurality of photo-sensing pixels and is positioned at the vehicle with a field of view exteriorly of the vehicle. The imaging array sensor is operable to capture an image of a scene occurring exteriorly of the vehicle. The captured image comprises an image data set representative of the exterior scene. The control algorithmically processes the image data set to a reduced image data set of the image data set. The control processes the reduced image data set to extract information from the reduced image data set. The control selects the reduced image data set based on a steering angle of the vehicle.

Method of and system for reading visible and / or invisible code symbols in a user-transparent manner using visible / invisible illumination switching during data capture and processing operations.

The system includes a housing having a light transmission window and produces an extremely-elongated laser beam having an elongation ratio (ER) that is defined as greater than 4.5 for any point within the working range of the laser scanning bar code symbol reading system. A laser scanning mechanism is provided for scanning the extremely-elongated laser beam out the light transmission window and across a scanning field defined external to the housing, in which a bar code symbol is present for scanning by the extremely-elongated laser scanning beam.

Devices, methods, and software are disclosed for an interactive user interface for capturing a frame of image data having a representation of a feature. In an illustrative embodiment, a device includes an imaging subsystem, one or more memory components, and one or more processors. The imaging subsystem is capable of providing image data representative of light incident on said imaging subsystem. The one or more memory components include at least a first memory component operatively capable of storing an input frame of the image data. The one or more processors may be enabled for performing various steps. One step may include receiving the image data from the first memory component. Another step may include attempting to identify linear features defining a candidate quadrilateral form in the image data. Another step may include providing user-perceptible hints for guiding a user to alter positioning of the device to enhance a capability for identifying the linear features defining a candidate quadrilateral form in the image data.

A digital-imaging based system for and method of reading graphical indicia, including code symbols, on objects such as, but not limited to, code symbol menus by the user simply pointing his or her finger at the particular code symbol on the code symbol menu to be read, while digital images of the code symbol menu and the pointing finger are automatically captured, buffered and processed.