392 results about "Hybrid image" patented technology

A method and system for propagation of myocardial infarction from delayed enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI) to cine MRI is disclosed. A reference frame is selected in a cine MRI sequence. Deformation fields are calculated within the cine MRI sequence to register the frames of the cine MRI sequence to the reference frame. A DE-MRI image having an infarction region is registered to the reference frame of the cine MRI sequence. The DE-MRI image may be registered to the infarction region using a hybrid registration algorithm that unifies both intensity and feature points into a single cost function. Infarction information in the DE-MRI image is then propagated cardiac phases of the frames in the cine MRI sequence based on the registration of the DE-MRI image to the reference frame and the plurality of deformation fields calculated within the cine MRI sequence.

A hybrid image sensor includes an infrared detector array and a CMOS readout integrated circuit (ROIC). The CMOS ROIC is coupled to at least one detector of the IR detector array, e.g., via indium bump bonding. Each pixel of the CMOS ROIC includes a first, relatively lower gain, wide dynamic range amplifier circuit which is optimized for a linear response to high light level input signals from the IR detector. Each pixel also includes a second, relatively higher gain, lower dynamic range amplifier circuit which is optimized to provide a high signal to noise ratio for low light level input signals from the IR detector (or from a second IR detector). A first output select circuit is provided for directing the output of the first circuit to a first output multiplexer. A second output select circuit is provided for directing the output of the second circuit to a second output multiplexer. Thus, separate outputs of the first and second circuits are provided for each of the individual pixel sensors of the CMOS imaging array.

Techniques for creating a High Dynamic Range (HDR) image within a consumer grade digital camera from a series of images of a scene captured at different exposure levels, and displaying the HDR image on the camera's built-in display, are provided. The approach employs mixing images of the series to incorporate both scene shadow and highlight details, and the removing of “ghost” image artifacts appearing in the mixed HDR image resulting from movement in the scene over the time the series images are captured. The low computational resource utilization of the present invention's image mixing and ghost removal processing operations, along with the present invention's ability to commence image mixing and ghost removal prior to the acquisition of all series images, can significantly reduce the time required to generate and display a tone mapped HDR image.

A system for estimating orientation of a target based on real-time video data uses depth data included in the video to determine the estimated orientation. The system includes a time-of-flight camera capable of depth sensing within a depth window. The camera outputs hybrid image data (color and depth). Segmentation is performed to determine the location of the target within the image. Tracking is used to follow the target location from frame to frame. During a training mode, a target-specific training image set is collected with a corresponding orientation associated with each frame. During an estimation mode, a classifier compares new images with the stored training set to determine an estimated orientation. A motion estimation approach uses an accumulated rotation/translation parameter calculation based on optical flow and depth constrains. The parameters are reset to a reference value each time the image corresponds to a dominant orientation.

A method and apparatus is described for producing a translucent image over a base image created on the display screen of a computer system by a selected first application program, and conducting image operations either on the base image created by the selected application program with reference to the translucent image produced, or conducting image operations on the translucent image with reference to the base image of the first application program. The first application program runs on a central processing unit (CPU) of a computer system to produce a base image, and another application program referred to as the overlay program is run to produce the translucent image such that portions of the base image which are overlapped by the overlay image are at least partially visible through the translucent image. There is also a mechanism for blending the first video data and the second video data to produce a blended image on the screen assembly.

Techniques for creating a High Dynamic Range (HDR) image within a consumer grade digital camera from a series of images of a scene captured at different exposure levels, and displaying the HDR image on the camera's built-in display are provided. The approach employs mixing images of the series to incorporate both scene shadow and highlight details, and the removing of “ghost” image artifacts appearing in the mixed HDR image resulting from movement in the scene over the time the series images are captured. The low computational resource utilization of the image mixing and ghost removal processing operations, along with the ability to commence image mixing and ghost removal prior to the acquisition of all series images, can significantly reduce the time required to generate and display a tone mapped HDR image.

An automated method of rapidly producing customized 3D graphics images in which various user images and video are merged into 3D computer graphics scenes, producing hybrid images that appear to have been created by a computationally intensive 3D rendering process, but which in fact have been created by a much less computationally intensive series of 2D image operations. To do this, a 3D graphics computer model is rendered into a 3D graphics image using a customized renderer designed to automatically report on some of the renderer's intermediate rendering operations, and store this intermediate data in the form of metafilm. User images and video may then be automatically combined with the metafilm, producing a 3D rendered quality final image with orders of magnitude fewer computing operations. The process can be used to inexpensively introduce user content into sophisticated images and videos suitable for many internet, advertising, cell phone, and other applications.

A Hybrid Compressor (304) and method (500) of compressing a tile (2200) of pixels within an image are disclosed. An Edge Processor (404) of the Hybrid Compressor (304) analyses pixel runs (403) of the tile (2200) and generates boundary data defining one or more regions comprising pixels of substantially identical colour. A Palette Processor (411) of the Hybrid Compressor (304) generates data defining a colour value for each region. An Image Processor (416) of the Hybrid Compressor (304) generates a representation of pixels not included in the one or more regions.

The invention discloses a hybrid image compressing method based on block classification. In the invention, blocks are divided into text/ image block, natural image block and hybrid block according to different features of text/image area and natural image area of original images in the aspect of color and texture; then a compression mode in which palette coding, Hextile coding and LZW coding are combined is used in the text/ image block, a JPEG lossy compression mode is used in the natural image while the algorithm of the combination of the two modes is used in the hybrid block. The invention has the advantages that based on the block classification method, the text/image area and the natural image area can be divided up accurately, and that the blocks are respectively encoded can keep rather acuminate edge of the text/image block so as to enhance visual effect on the basis of ensuring higher compression efficiency and upgrade the peak signal to noise ratio of reconstructed images; the complexity of the algorithm is lower.

A display apparatus for a mixed reality environment includes an image processor for mixing an actual image of an object around a user and a artificial stereo images to produce multiple external image signals, a user information extractor for extracting the user's sight line information including the user's position his/her eye position, direction of a sight line and focal distance; an image creator for creating a stereo image signal based on the extracted user's sight line information; an image mixer for synchronously mixing the multiple external image signals and the stereo image signal; and an image output unit for outputting the mixed image signal to the user.

An image data compression system, for compressing a frame represented as a plurality of blocks, can include: a lossless compression unit to receive the plurality of blocks and to perform lossless compression thereon resulting in a first code; a lossy compression unit to receive the plurality of blocks and to perform lossy compression thereon resulting in a second code; and a code selection circuit to selectively output one of the first and second codes based upon a figure of merit evaluated for at least one of the first and second codes.

The invention relates to a method of stabilizing the images of a scene, acquired by means of an observation device of an imaging system, comprising the step of digital processing of a stream of successive images. It comprises a step of acquiring gyrometric measurements by means of at least one gyrometric sensor secured to the observation device, of using these gyrometric measurements to determine so-called approximate shifts undergone between successive images, and the image processing step comprising a sub-step of using the approximate shifts and the image stream acquired to determine so-called fine shifts undergone between successive images.

An image processor includes a memory that stores image layers, α-layers associated with the image layers, and pointers linking image areas of the image layers with the α-layer. A method for blending multiple image layers includes obtaining a transparency value for an image area by reading a pointer associated with the image area and blending the image layers using the obtained transparency value.

Methods and apparatus for blending regions from multiple images to produce a blended image. An image blending module may obtain multiple digital images of a scene. A base image and a source image are selected, and a stroke is applied to the source image to indicate a desired region which is to be blended with the base image. A region in the source image is identified from the stroke using a segmentation technique such as a graph cut algorithm, and the identified region is blended with the corresponding region of the base image, for example using alpha blending. Additional strokes may be applied to the source image to select other regions to be blended with the base image. A different image may be selected as a source image, and a region from the different image may be selected for blending with the base image.

The invention relates to a hybrid image processing method of extracting the centric line of the structured-light stripe based on the ROI area, belonging to the field of machine vision technique. By combining the image threshold processing, communicated components extraction, shape factor constraint and expansion method, the invention automatically divides the structured light area as the ROI area of light stripe extraction, using the extraction method of fringe center based on Hessian matrix to realize the extraction of sub-pixel image space of the centric line of the structured-light stripe of the ROI area. The method has the advantages of high precision, good robustness, high automation degree and other advantages, avoiding the large formwork Gaussian convolution calculation of the pixel the non-light stripe area, thereby reducing the redundant calculation of the extraction of the structured light stripe and realizing the high speed and precision extraction of the centric line of the light stripe, laying a foundation for the real-time application of the structured light 3D vision measurement.

Three dimensional image data is provided which includes data representing a first image which specifically may be a background image. A mixed image which is a combination of the first image and a second image which specifically may be a foreground image, a transparency map related to the mixed image comprising transparency values for pixels of the mixed image and a depth indication map for the mixed image comprising depth indication values for pixels of the mixed image. The use of a mixed image may allow three dimensional processing while at the same time allowing 2D backwards compatibility. Image quality around image objects may be improved by modifying transparency values in response to depth indication values and/or depth indication values in response to transparency values. Specifically, an improved alignment of transitions of depth indication values and transparency values may provide improved three dimensional foreground image object edge data.

The present invention relates to the field of downscaling and blending of two high resolution images, and particularly to a device and a method allowing for downscaling and blending of a HD JPEG background image and a HD bitmap image, which is overlaid on the JPEG background image. The device comprises means for downscaling the background image by a pre-determined factor n1, n2, . . . n_N; means for uncompressing the downscaled background image and the high-resolution bitmap image; means for dividing the uncompressed high-resolution bitmap image into blocks of n1×n2× . . . ×nN pixels, whereby the size of each block correspond to the size of each pixel of the downscaled background image; and, means (16) for blending each of the blocks of the uncompressed high-resolution bitmap image with each of the pixels of the downscaled background image and thus producing a blended image.

A system and method for creating a combined or mixed-energy image using both low- and high-energy CT data sets acquired using a dual-energy CT system. The low- and high-energy datasets are mixed using desired weighting factors to mimic a “single-energy” image. The low-energy dataset provides data with improved contrast enhancement, but with increased noise level. The high-energy dataset provides data with lower contrast enhancement, but with better noise properties. By combining the low- and high-energy datasets in accordance with the present method, the resulting mixed-energy images utilize the information of full dose of radiation used in the dual-energy scan. A plurality of weighting metrics can be selected, including patient size, dose partitioning, or image quality, to determine the desired weighting factors based on the weighting metrics. By selecting the proper weight factors, image noise can be reduced and/or the contrast to noise ratio can be increased in the mixed-energy image.

The present invention provides a hybrid image processing system, which generally includes an image processing unit for receiving image data corresponding to a set of images, generating commands for processing the image data, and sending the images and the commands to an image processing unit of the hybrid image processing system. Upon receipt, the image processing unit will recognize and interpret the commands, assign and/or schedule tasks for processing the image data to a set of (e.g., special) processing engines based on the commands, and return results and/or processed image data to the image interface unit.

Raman molecular imaging is used to differentiate between normal and diseased cells or tissue. For instance benign and malignant lesions of bladder and other tissues can be distinguished, including epithelial tissues such as lung, prostate, kidney, breast, and colon, and non-epithelial tissues, such as bone marrow and brain. Raman scattering data relevant to the disease state of cells or tissue can be combined with visual image data to produce hybrid images which depict both a magnified view of the cellular structures and information relating to the disease state of the individual cells in the field of view.

A method for reducing noise in images includes utilizing an original image to generate a segmentation mask and a filtered image, and utilizing the filtered image, the original image, the segmentation mask and separate blending parameters for structural and nonstructural portions of the filtered image to generate a blended image. The method further includes contrast matching the blended image with the original image to produce an output image.