This invention relates to methods and apparatus for improving communications between humans and devices. The invention provides a method of modulating operation of a device, comprising: providing an attentive user interface for obtaining information about an attentive state of a user; and modulating operation of a device on the basis of the obtained information, wherein the operation that is modulated is initiated by the device. Preferably, the information about the user's attentive state is eye contact of the user with the device that is sensed by the attentive user interface.

Method and Apparatus for Communication Between Humans and Devices

A light source emits a modulated light, and a radio-frequency transceiver disposed therewith emits a radio-frequency signal. A mobile device may receive either or both signals and determine its position based thereon. The light and radio-frequency sources may be disposed in node in a network of said sources, and the nodes may communicate via the radio-frequency transceivers.

System and method for communication with a mobile device via a positioning system including rf communication devices and modulated beacon light sources

System and method for control using face detection or hand gesture detection algorithms in a captured image. Based on the existence of a detected human face or a hand gesture in an image captured by a digital camera, a control signal is generated and provided to a device. The control may provide power or disconnect power supply to the device (or part of the device circuits). The location of the detected face in the image may be used to rotate a display screen to achieve a better line of sight with a viewing person. The difference between the location of the detected face and an optimum is the error to be corrected by rotating the display to the required angular position. A hand gesture detection can be used as a replacement to a remote control for the controlled unit, such as a television set.

System and method for control based on face or hand gesture detection

Systems, methods and devices related to detecting and transmitting images. Imaging systems and devices, as well as methods of using such that are provided herein include flicker detection and/or correction; and/or built-in self test associated with various analog circuitry in the imaging devices; and/or power reduction ability; and/or pixels with charge evacuation functionality; and/or a parallel to serial conversion unit and associated serial output interface; and/or other advanced functionality.

CMOS imager for cellular applications and methods of using such

Systems an methods are provided that disclose providing a positioning service for devices based on light received from one or more light sources. This light based positioning service uses light information transmitted by each light source to determine the position of the device. The positioning information can include three dimension position information in a building that can then be used to deliver services and information to a mobile device. The content delivered to a mobile device can include multimedia, text, audio, and/or pictorial information. The positioning information along with other location or positioning information can be used in providing augmented reality or location aware services. The light sources can be independent beacons that broadcast information in visible light at a rate that is undetectable by the human eye. Content can be retrieved from a server over a communications connection.

Independent beacon based light position system

A video signal including illumination flicker component is integrated at each of unit areas (horizontal lines) in a frame (field) of the video signal. The integrated level at each of the unit areas at the frame and the integrated level at the corresponding unit area of an adjacent frame are averaged. Dividing is effected between results of the averaging and integrating every unit area. It is judged whether flicker exists in the video signal by frequency-analyzing results of the dividing result at the unit areas. The unit area may be plural adjacent lines where flickering are negligible. The averaging circuit may be circulation type of or FIR filter. Threshold level for judging the flicker is changed according to a shutter speed control signal. Flicker compensation may be executed by controlling shutter speed or the AGC according to flicker judging result. A still condition at a block in a frame may be detected from the integration result at plural frames. When the block is judged to be still, the flicker is judged. An ac line frequency detection is also disclosed to detect the frequency of the ac line from a video signal generated under illumination including flicker. An imaging circuit may be provided to generate the video signal therein.

Illumination flicker detection apparatus, an illumination flicker compensation apparatus, and an ac line frequency detection apparatus, methods of detecting illumination flicker, compensating illumination flicker, and measuring ac line frequency

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately detect flicker even when a luminance level of a video signal is changed due to a motion of an object. SOLUTION: The flicker detection and correction device is provided with an integration means 1 that integrates a pixel level of a video signal for each line, an averaging means 3 that averages the outputs of the integration means 1 with respect to lines at the same picture position in frames or fields, a still part extract means 4 that extracts a still part of the picture by using the output of the integration means 1, a division means 5 that divides the integration result for each line by the integration means 1 by an averaging result for each line by the averaging means 3, and a flicker discrimination means 6 that applies frequency analysis of the result of division by the division means 5 to discriminate the flicker.

Flicker detection and correction device, and flicker detection and correction method

An interframe difference signal is generated from the video signal and its one-frame delayed video signal. A filter removes a carrier color signal from the interframe difference signal to output the interframe difference luminance signal. A first motion judging circuit judges a motion in the video signal at a target pixel from the interframe difference luminance signal to output a first motion judging result in accordance with a first edge detection signal. A second motion judging circuit judges a motion in the video signal at the target pixel from a luminance signal and the carrier signal in the interframe difference signal to output a second motion judging result in accordance with a second edge detection circuit. The first and second motion judging results are combined. A majority determining circuit determines majority of the combined result from adjacent Q pixels in accordance with a third edge detection signal. A circular signal generation circuit generates a coefficient K according to the result of the majority determining circuit. The interframe difference signal is multiplied with k to generate a circulation signal. A subtractor subtracts the circulation signal from the video signal to generate an output video signal of which noise is suppressed.

A motion detection circuit and a noise suppression circuit including the same

A video signal processing circuit for processing a video signal including a noise is disclosed which comprises: an edge enhancement signal generation circuit for generating an edge enhancement signal from the video signal; a noise reduction circuit for reducing a level of the noise to generate a noise reduced video signal; and an adder for adding the edge enhancement signal to the noise reduction video signal to output a processed video signal. The apparatus may further comprise an input terminal for receiving the video signal, wherein the edge enhancement signal generation circuit and the noise reduction circuit coupled to the input terminal are in parallel. This apparatus may further comprise a first delay circuit for delaying the video signal by one horizontal line period to generate a 1-H delayed video signal and a second delay circuit responsive to the video signal for generating a 2-H delayed video signal, wherein the edge enhancement signal generation circuit generates the edge enhanced signal from the video signal, the 1-H delayed video signal, and the 2-H delayed video signal and the noise reduction circuit generates the noise reduced video signal from the video signal, the 1-H delayed video signal, and the 2-H-delayed video signal.

Video signal processing apparatus with noise reduction and edge enhancement

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a noise-reducing device that reduces the persistence of vision and non-clarity in contours according to the motion of an image signal and an image signal level for improving S/N ratio, a noise reduction method, and a medium storing a noise reduction program. SOLUTION: A frame cyclic type noise-reducing device 1002, non-cyclic type noise-reducing device 1003, and a controlling device 1004 are provided. The control means 1004 controls the frame cyclic type noise-reducing device 1002 and non-cyclic type noise-reducing device 1003 according to the motion detection signal that is obtained from the frame cyclic type noise-reducing device 1002 and the image signal level, and the noise is reduced by making the best of both characteristics, thus removing the persistence of vision in motion reducing the non-clarity in contours in a stationary state, and at the same time mainly reducing the noise of a signal where an image signal level is small.

Misa Kasahara

Papers

Illumination flicker detection apparatus, an illumination flicker compensation apparatus, and an ac line frequency detection apparatus, methods of detecting illumination flicker, compensating illumination flicker, and measuring ac line frequency

Flicker detection and correction device, and flicker detection and correction method

A motion detection circuit and a noise suppression circuit including the same

Video signal processing apparatus with noise reduction and edge enhancement

Device and method for reducing noise and medium storing noise reduction program