An image processing method and photobooth employing the method are disclosed which produce a composite image using a conventional chroma-key device. The subject in the photobooth is illuminated with low temperature light and is filmed before a backdrop of uniform saturated blue color to provide a foreground image to the chroma-key device. The chroma-key device compares the intensity of the blue color component for each pixel of the foreground image to a threshold intensity level and replaces those pixels of the foreground image that have a blue color component intensity greater than the threshold with a corresponding pixel of a pre-stored background image thereby producing a composite image. By illuminating the subject with low temperature light, the method decreases the intensity of most blue color components in the light reflected from the subject to a level below the threshold level used by the chroma-key device. The output color of the chroma-key device is preferably adjusted to correct for the color-shifting of the subject caused by the illumination with low temperature light. Further, the blue backdrop may be illuminated with a high temperature light to further saturate the blue color and enable the threshold intensity level of the chroma-key device to be increased thereby increasing the likelihood that the chroma-key device will be able to distinguish between the subject and the backdrop in the foreground image. Also disclosed is a photobooth having a separate processor for resetting the photobooth controller in the event it becomes hung-up. Additionally, a photobooth operating system is disclosed that enables an operator to readily add, delete, enable, disable, and update program routines for various user selectable picture-type options in the field without having to replace the photobooth.

Photographic method using chroma-key and a photobooth employing the same

Certain interactive role performance systems and methods are disclosed that allow users to select a role to play in a prerecorded video, such as a movie scene, and to replace an original actor of that role with the user's performance. In certain examples, the user selects a prerecorded scene from which a character has been removed and records his or her performance. The interactive role performance system can insert the user's performance in place of the original character, thereby creating the appearance that the user is interacting, such as in real-time, with the other characters in the movie scene. Moreover, systems and methods can further utilize background subtraction techniques to isolate the user image. In further examples, the recorded user performance is stored separately from the prerecorded video.

Interactive systems and methods for video compositing

The present invention provides a breakdown resistant transistor structure for amplifying communication signals. This structure includes a first NMOS transistor having a source connected to ground and a first gate for receiving the input radio frequency signal. The first gate is disposed above a first insulator and the first NMOS transistor having a first transconductance and a first breakdown voltage associated therewith. Also included is a second NMOS transistor having a source connected to the drain of the first NMOS transistor, a gate connected to the reference DC voltage, and a drain that provides the output for the amplified radio signal, the load being disposed between the reference DC voltage and the drain of the second NMOS transistor. The second gate is disposed above a second insulator, the second NMOS transistor has a second transconductance and a second breakdown voltage associated therewith, and the second insulator may be thicker than the first insulator. This results in the first transconductance being greater than the second transconductance, and the second breakdown voltage being greater than the first breakdown voltage.

CMOS transceiver having an integrated power amplifier

A system capable of detecting changes within an environment in which a known image is displayed. The system includes a computing platform executing a software application being configured for comparing at least a portion of an image captured from the environment to at least a portion of the known image to thereby detect changes in the environment.

System and method for detecting changes in an environment

Adaptive radio transceiver with a power amplifier

An improved push-pull amplifier having a driver circuit for driving a source follower output transistor. The driver circuit includes a replicating transistor having electrical characteristics substantially similar to those of the source follower transistor, a buffer amplifier, and a circuit, coupled to the replicating transistor and the buffer amplifier, for summing the voltage across the replicating transistor and the buffer output signal to provide a gate signal to the source follower output transistor. A cross current feedback circuit regulates the quiescent current flow through the output transistors by adjusting the gate signal provided to the upper, source follower output transistor in response to a sensed current flow through the lower output transistor.

Push-pull amplifier

A chroma-key circuit is described for use in alternately selecting one of two TV camera outputs to provide a composite picture, wherein the selection is controlled by detecting changes between a background color and an object color sensed by one of the two cameras. Keying is accomplished digitally by comparing the phase of the chrominance signal from the one camera with the phase of a reference signal, and by switching the circuitry to transmit the signal from the one camera only when the chrominance and reference signals are out of synchronization.

Digital chroma-key circuitry

A MOS cascode operational amplifier stage includes a bias circuit in which one of the bias transistors is operated in its triode region while a second MOS transistor in the output cascode stage is saturated, thereby to achieve a maximum signal output amplitude at the cascode amplifier output stage, which is substantially unaffected and/or optimized by variations in processing parameters.

Cascode auto bias circuit

A band-pass filter includes an arrangement of individual filter sections and means for weighting and summing the band-pass functions of the filter sections such that the active conjugate pole pairs are arranged in the z plane on a circle concentric to the unit circle and spaced by equal angles with the exception of corrector poles, which are spaced by half-angle increments from the adjacent poles. In the embodiment of the invention described, the filter sections are in the form of digitally controlled switched capacitor filters.

Charles A. Lish

Papers

Push-pull amplifier

Digital chroma-key circuitry

Cascode auto bias circuit

Switched capacitor filter