A surface cleaning apparatus comprises a body including a rear compartment, a forward compartment and an intermediate compartment arranged between the rear and forward compartments. An elongate rotatable brush arrangement is positioned within and extends across the forward compartment. An electric motor is positioned in the rear compartment, and drive means extends between the rotatable brush arrangement and the electric motor.

Surface cleaning apparatus

The present disclosure pertains to an image-processing device and method that make it possible to suppress block noise. A βLUT_input calculator and a clip processor determine βLUT_input, which is a value inputted to an existing-β generator and an expanded-β generator. When the value of βLUT_input qp from the clip processor is 51 or less, the existing-β generator determines β using a LUT conforming to the HVEC standard, and supplies same to a filter process determination unit. When the value of βLUT_input qp from the clip processor is larger than 51, the expanded-β generator determines the expanded β and supplies same to the filter process determination part. This disclosure, for example, can be applied to an image processing device.

Image processing device and method

A method analyzes the visual content of media such as videos for collecting together visually-similar appearances in their constituent images (e.g. same scenes, same objects, faces of the same people.) As a result, the most relevant and salient (of clearest and largest presence) visual appearances depicted in the videos are presented to the user, both for the sake of summarizing the video content for the users to “see before they watch” (that is, judge by the depicted video content in a filmstrip-like summary whether they want to mouse-click on the video and actually spend time watching it), as well as for allowing to users to further refine their video search result set according to the most relevant and salient video content returned (e.g. largest screen-time faces).

Apparatus and software system for and method of performing a visual-relevance-rank subsequent search

A multimedia file and methods of generating, distributing and using the multimedia file are described. Multimedia files in accordance with embodiments of the present invention can contain multiple video tracks, multiple audio tracks, multiple subtitle tracks, a complete index that can be used to locate each data chunk in each of these tracks and an abridged index that can enable the location of a subset of the data chunks in each track, data that can be used to generate a menu interface to access the contents of the file and ‘meta data’ concerning the contents of the file. Multimedia files in accordance with several embodiments of the present invention also include references to video tracks, audio tracks, subtitle tracks and ‘meta data’ external to the file. One embodiment of a multimedia file in accordance with the present invention includes a series of encoded video frames, a first index that includes information indicative of the location within the file and characteristics of each encoded video frame and a separate second index that includes information indicative of the location within the file of a subset of the encoded video frames.

Multimedia distribution system

The image coding method is used to code images to generate a coded stream. The image coding method includes: writing, into a sequence parameter set in the coded stream to be generated, a first parameter representing a first bit-depth that is a bit-depth of a reconstructed sample in the images; and writing, into the sequence parameter set, a second parameter which is different from the first parameter and represents a second bit-depth that is a bit-depth of an Intra Pulse Code Modulation (IPCM) sample in the images.

Image coding method, image decoding method, image coding apparatus, image decoding apparatus, and image coding and decoding apparatus

A post processing de-blocking filter includes a threshold determination unit for adaptively determining a plurality of threshold values according to at least differences in quantization parameters QPs of a plurality of adjacent blocks in a received video stream and to a user defined offset (UDO) allowing the threshold levels to be adjusted according to the UDO value; an interpolation unit for performing an interpolation operation to estimate pixel values in an interlaced field if the video stream comprises interlaced video; and a de-blocking filtering unit for determining a filtering range specifying a maximum number of pixels to filter around a block boundary between the adjacent blocks, determining a region mode according to local activity around the block boundary, selecting one of a plurality of at least three filters, and filtering a plurality of pixels around the block boundary according to the filtering range, the region mode, and the selected filter.

Adaptive de-blocking filtering apparatus and method for MPEG video decoder

A video encoder controlling rate of each frame in a current frame set (Group of Picture, GOP), and method thereof. The video encoder comprises a frame grouping device, a GOP initialization device, and a GOP encoding device. The frame grouping device allocates a target bit budget R GOP to the current frame set. The GOP initialization device is coupled to the frame grouping device, and estimates a first quantization parameter QP 1 based on the target bit budget R GOP and complexity of the current frame set. The GOP encoding device is coupled to the GOP initialization device, and encoding a frame in the current frame set with the second quantization parameter QP 2 to generate output data.

Rate control method with frame-layer bit allocation and video encoder

A method for detecting an image corresponding to at least a monetary banknote is provided. The method includes selecting a detection procedure from a plurality of different detection procedures, and verifying the image according to the selected detection procedure. A method for performing a currency type analysis operation on an image corresponding to at least a monetary banknote is provided. The method includes respectively assigning a plurality of bit values to a plurality of currency types to create a currency type definition table, performing a color analysis operation on the image to generate a color analysis operation result, and determining a currency type of the monetary banknote according to the color analysis operation result and the currency type definition table.

Method for detecting monetary banknote and performing currency type analysis operation

A frame-layer rate control method, and a video encoding method and system. In a first-step encoding stage, a QP of a previous frame is used to determine MVs and MB modes for all MBs in a current frame through R-D optimization, and the residual signal is encoded and then decoded for intra prediction. The residual signal is stored and the number of header bits is estimated from the determined MB modes and MVs. Given a target bit-rate for the current frame, a new QP is determined by a rate model. In a second-step encoding stage, the residual signal is encoded and reconstructed for both intra-prediction of subsequent MBs and inter prediction of subsequent frames using the new QP.

Method and apparatus for operational frame-layer rate control in video encoder

A sports video retrieval method involves segregation of the video into multiple segments of different indexing conditions based on audience cheers recorded; the exciting intensity of the cheers being scored as the audio level of the cheers being in proportion of the wonderful performance of the athletes; cheer segments being retrieved and given rank depending on the score to each segment to provide the sports video segmental indexing with simple audio even including contents of video features.

Chung-Chieh Kuo

Papers

Adaptive de-blocking filtering apparatus and method for MPEG video decoder

Rate control method with frame-layer bit allocation and video encoder

Method for detecting monetary banknote and performing currency type analysis operation

Method and apparatus for operational frame-layer rate control in video encoder

Sports video retrieval method