Showing papers on "Smart camera published in 1995"

Electronic imaging system using a removable software-enhanced storage device

Abstract: An electronic imaging system includes a digital electronic camera for capturing and storing images in a removable storage device, which is also preloaded with enhancement files for effecting the operation of the system. The camera includes an optical section for establishing the optical parameters of image capture, an image sensing section for electrically capturing the image, and a signal processing section for operating upon the electrically captured image prior to storage. The several sections of the camera are coordinated and controlled by a programmable processor, which is capable of receiving the enhancement files preloaded into the storage device. These files may contain software for updating the operating code of the camera, for modifying the electrically captured image in selected ways, for modifying camera in special situations, or for communicating non-captured image-like data, such as text and image overlays, to the camera.

Accurate internal camera calibration using rotation, with analysis of sources of error

Abstract: Describes a simple and accurate method for internal camera calibration based on tracking image features through a sequence of images while the camera undergoes pure rotation. A special calibration object is not required and the method can therefore be used both for laboratory calibration and for self calibration in autonomous robots. Experimental results with real images show that focal length and aspect ratio can be found to within 0.15 percent, and lens distortion error can be reduced to a fraction of a pixel. The location of the principal point and the location of the center of radial distortion can each be found to within a few pixels. We perform a simple analysis to show to what extent the various technical details affect the accuracy of the results. We show that having pure rotation is important if the features are derived from objects close to the camera. In the basic method accurate angle measurement is important. The need to accurately measure the angles can be eliminated by rotating the camera through a complete circle while taking an overlapping sequence of images and using the constraint that the sum of the angles must equal 960 degrees. >

Interactive camera for network processing of captured images

Abstract: A digital still camera and interactive system and method for video display or reproduction of captured images employing an image processing system on an interactive network for receiving and converting a captured raw, digitized image information set into a display image format for display as a video image, storage, and/or reproduction as a print. A simplified digital camera without signal compensating and processing circuits is employed by a user to capture an image and to transmit the raw image information sets along with a camera identification code through an interactive television network to an interactive control node for processing with color correction and pixel defect correction using the cameras correction and defect maps and other image enhancement, and to convert the processed image data to the specified display image format. The processed video display signal is transmitted back to the user's or other designated receiver's interactive television home interface controller. The camera specific, correction maps and the color and defect correction algorithms may be provided by the camera manufacturer to the network on registration of the camera and accessed or downloaded by the user or the user's designee. Processing of the raw image information sets may be at a control node within the network or in the user's home interface controller.

The MVP sensor planning system for robotic vision tasks

Abstract: The MVP (machine vision planner) model-based sensor planning system for robotic vision is presented. MVP automatically synthesizes desirable camera views of a scene based on geometric models of the environment, optical models of the vision sensors, and models of the task to be achieved. The generic task of feature detectability has been chosen since it is applicable to many robot-controlled vision systems. For such a task, features of interest in the environment are required to simultaneously be visible, inside the field of view, in focus, and magnified as required. In this paper, we present a technique that poses the vision sensor planning problem in an optimization setting and determines viewpoints that satisfy all previous requirements simultaneously and with a margin. In addition, we present experimental results of this technique when applied to a robotic vision system that consists of a camera mounted on a robot manipulator in a hand-eye configuration. >

Video camera apparatus with compression system responsive to video camera adjustment

Abstract: A video camera apparatus and a video surveillance system having a video camera are provided with a video compression unit which utilizes quantization for spatial processing and motion vectors for temporal processing. The camera apparatus and surveillance system include a camera with an adjustment mechanism which allows panning, tiring, zooming and focusing of the camera. The adjustment mechanism has a device for generating adjustment indication signals which indicate the state of adjustment of the camera. The adjustment indication signals are generated by a remote control panel or by means of transducers which detect the state of panning, tilting, zooming or focusing. A processor generates an instruction to the compression unit to adjust the degree of compression processing by video compression unit in response to the adjustment indication signals. Spatial or temporal processing are traded off, depending on whether the adjustment indication signals indicate movement of the camera or zooming or focusing of the lens. The video surveillance system has a camera station containing a video camera, a compression unit and a line interface to allow the camera station to be connected to a monitoring station via a communication channel. The monitoring station has a control panel, a decompression unit and a line interface. Control signals including adjustment indication signals are generated at the control panel and transmitted to the camera station via the communication channel. Compressed video signals are received by the monitoring station for decompression and display.

CamDroid: a system for implementing intelligent camera control

Abstract: In this paper, a method of encapsulation camera tasks into well defined units called “camera modules” is described. Through this encapsulation, camera modules can be programmed and sequenced, and thus can be used as the underlying framework for controlling the virtual camera in the widely disparate types of graphical environments. Two examples of the camera framework are shown: an agent which can film a conversation between two virtual actors and a visual programming language for filming a virtual football game.

Teleconferencing imaging system with automatic camera steering

Abstract: An automatic, voice-directional video camera image steering system specifically for use for teleconferencing that electronically selects segmented images from a selected panoramic video scene typically around a conference table so that the participant in the conference currently speaking will be the selected segmented image in the proper viewing aspect ratio, eliminating the need for manual camera movement or automated mechanical camera movement. The system includes an audio detection circuit from an array of microphones that can instantaneously determine the direction of a particular speaker and provide directional signals to a video camera and lens system that provides a panoramic display that can electronically select portions of that image and, through warping techniques, remove any distortion from the most significant portions of the image which lie from the horizon up to approximately 30 degrees in a hemispheric viewing area.

Apparatus and method for controlling configuration of video camera

Abstract: A camera control system for displaying a video image inputted from a plurality of cameras, wherein in order to easily control each camera, a map showing positions of cameras is prepared. Along with the map, icons indicating the positions of cameras are displayed on the map so that the directions of the cameras can be identified on the map. An operator is able to select a camera referring to the map and see the video image of the selected camera. When each of the cameras is to be operated, an operator uses a pointing device to operate an icon for a camera on the map. In this camera control system, a camera corresponding to each icon can be controlled for zooming, panning, tilting and focusing by operating the icon for each camera. An operator may delete, add or move the icon for a camera according to an actual structure of the camera system.

Light-directed ranging system implementing single camera system for telerobotics applications

Abstract: A laser-directed ranging system has utility for use in various fields, such as telerobotics applications and other applications involving physically handicapped individuals. The ranging system includes a single video camera and a directional light source such as a laser mounted on a camera platform, and a remotely positioned operator. In one embodiment, the position of the camera platform is controlled by three servo motors to orient the roll axis, pitch axis and yaw axis of the video cameras, based upon an operator input such as head motion. The laser is offset vertically and horizontally from the camera, and the laser/camera platform is directed by the user to point the laser and the camera toward a target device. The image produced by the video camera is processed to eliminate all background images except for the spot created by the laser. This processing is performed by creating a digital image of the target prior to illumination by the laser, and then eliminating common pixels from the subsequent digital image which includes the laser spot. A reference point is defined at a point in the video frame, which may be located outside of the image area of the camera. The disparity between the digital image of the laser spot and the reference point is calculated for use in a ranging analysis to determine range to the target.

Camera lens control system and method

Abstract: The system includes distance measuring capability for use in the local and remote control of a camera lens for automatic and programmable control of ZOOM perspective, FOCUS, IRIS and other functions of the camera in conjunction with the programming of an included microcomputer-controlled automatic tracking system.

Camera support and stabilizing device

Abstract: A video camera support device that lessons the dependence on the individual skill and stamina of the operator in producing quality video recordings. The invention overcomes the problems of the prior art, by providing that all operator movements are isolated from the camera. The device includes a pivoting joint between a handle and the camera that allows the camera to tilt freely about the handle, except the pivoting joint does not allow for free rotation of the camera. The handle has a bearing member coupled to a panning control that turns the pivoting joint as a unit and the camera. Further, the device has a balancing assembly that includes struts that may be positioned outside the zone of the plane containing the handle and the camera to improve roll stability. A monitor is mounted for improved visibility to the operator, and a monopod pole may be used to support the weight of the device or to raise it overhead.

Automatic sensor placement

Abstract: Active sensing is the process of exploring the environment using multiple views of a scene captured by sensors from different points in space under different sensor settings. Applications of active sensing are numerous and can be found in the medical field (limb reconstruction), in archeology (bone mapping), in the movie and advertisement industry (computer simulation and graphics), in manufacturing (quality control), as well as in the environmental industry (mapping of nuclear dump sites). In this work, the focus is on the use of a single vision sensor (camera) to perform the volumetric modeling of an unknown object in an entirely autonomous fashion. The camera moves to acquire the necessary information in two ways: (a) viewing closely each local feature of interest using 2D data; and (b) acquiring global information about the environment via 3D sensor locations and orientations. A single object is presented to the camera and an initial arbitrary image is acquired. A 2D optimization process is developed. It brings the object in the field of view of the camera, normalizes it by centering the data in the image plane, aligns the principal axis with one of the camera's axes (arbitrarily chosen), and finally maximizes its resolution for better feature extraction. The enhanced image at each step is projected along the corresponding viewing direction. The new projection is intersected with previously obtained projections for volume reconstruction. During the global exploration of the scene, the current image as well as previous images are used to maximize the information in terms of shape irregularity as well as contrast variations. The scene on the borders of occlusion (contours) is modeled by an entropy-based objective functional. This functional is optimized to determine the best next view, which is recovered by computing the pose of the camera. A criterion based on the minimization of the difference between consecutive volume updates is set for termination of the exploration procedure. These steps are integrated into the design of an off-line Autonomous Model Construction System AMCS, based on data-driven active sensing. The system operates autonomously with no human intervention and with no prior knowledge about the object. The results of this work are illustrated using computer simulation applied to intensity images rendered by ray-tracing software package.

Applications of polarization camera technology

Abstract: Significant developments in polarization camera technology have led to a number of practical outdoor and underwater image understanding applications for polarization vision. With these cameras, humans now have a comprehensive sensory view of a whole new visual domain, which may be as much of an extension to conventional vision as color vision is to intensity vision. >

Apparatus for and a method of communicating between a camera and external equipment

Abstract: A camera system including a camera which performs data communication with external equipment. The external equipment is connected to a communication terminal in the camera via a connector, such as a cable. The camera and the external equipment initially perform communication at a predetermined initial communication speed via the communication terminal and cable. The camera system includes a device to transmit a communication speed change command to the camera at the initial value of communication speed, and a device to change the initial value of communication speed to a high speed based upon the received communication speed change command. The camera system further includes a device to restore the communication speed to the original initial value of communication speed by generating a communication end command which is transmitted to the camera during communication with the external equipment.

A miniaturized space-variant active vision system: Cortex-I

Abstract: We have developed a prototype miniaturized active vision system whose sensor architecture is based on a logarithmically structured space-variant pixel geometry. A space-variant image's resolution changes across the image. Typically, the central part of the image has a very high resolution, and the resolution falls off gradually in the periphery. Our system integrates a miniature CCD-based camera, pan-tilt actuator, controller, general purpose processors and display. Due to the ability of space-variant sensors to cover large work-spaces, yet provide high acuity with an extremely small number of pixels, space-variant active vision system architectures provide the potential for radical reductions in system size and cost. We have realized this by creating an entire system that takes up less than a third of a cubic foot. In this thesis, we describe a prototype space-variant active vision system (Cortex-I) which performs such tasks as tracking moving objects and license plate reading, and functions as a video telephone. We report on the design and construction of the camera (which is 8 x 8 x 8mm), its readout, and a fast mapping algorithm to convert the uniform image to a space-variant image. We introduce a new miniature pan-tilt actuator, the Spherical Pointing Motor (SPM), which is 4 x 5 x 6cm. The basic idea behind the SPM is to orient a permanent magnet to the magnetic field induced by three orthogonal coils by applying the appropriate ratio of currents to the coils. Finally, we present results of integrating the system with several applications. Potential application domains for systems of this type include vision systems for mobile robots and robot manipulators, traffic monitoring systems, security and surveillance, telerobotics, and consumer video communications. The long-range goal of this project is to demonstrate that major new applications of robotics will become feasible when small low-cost machine vision systems can be mass-produced. This notion of "commodity robotics" is expected to parallel the impact of the personal computer, in the sense of opening up new application niches for what has until now been expensive and therefore limited technology.

Video camera system for use in fixed and free modes in which, when coupled to a base in the fixed mode, video functions are automatically set by a control

Abstract: A video camera system for recording an image of an subject. The video camera system includes; a video camera body for recording the image of the subject; a supporting base for supporting a coupling member; the coupling member for coupling the video camera with the supporting base so that the video camera is mounted on the supporting base, and for releasing the video camera from the supporting base; and a controller for setting functions of the video camera, such as the exposure level, the focusing point adjustment mode, the angle of view, the white balance, and the automatic gain control level, to record the image of the subject within a predetermined focal range when the video camera is mounted on the supporting base.

Star-Field Identification for Autonomous Attitude Determination

Abstract: A six-feature all-sky star-field identification algorithm has been developed for autonomous attitude determination. The minimum identifiable star pattern element consists of an oriented star triplet defined by three stars, their celestial coordinates, and their visual magnitudes. This algorithm has been integrated with a charge-coupleddevice- (CCD-) based imaging camera and tested in an observatory environment. The autonomous intelligent camera identifies in real time any star field without a priori knowledge. Observatory tests on star fields with this intelligent camera are described.

Digital video camera for application of particle image velocimetry in high-speed flows

Abstract: A high-speed digital camera based on video technology for application of particle image velocimetry in wind tunnels is described. The camera contains two independently triggerable interline CCD sensors which are mounted on two faces of a cube beam splitter permitting the use of a single lens. Each of the sensors has a minimal exposure time of 0.8 microsecond(s) with a trigger response time of less than 1 microsecond(s) . The asynchronous reset capability permits the camera to trigger directly off a pulsed laser with a repetition rate differing from the standard 25 Hz CCIR video frame rate. Captured images are digitized within and stored in RAM the camera which can be read through the parallel port of a computer. The camera is software configurable with the settings being non-volatile. Technical aspect such as sensor alignment and calibration through software are described. Close-up PIV measurements on a free jet illustrated that, in the future, the camera can be successfully utilized at imaging high-speed flows over a small field of view covering several cm2, such as the flow between turbine blades. Further, the electronic shutter permits its use in luminous environments such as illuminated laboratories, wind tunnels or flames.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Prototype of a vision-based gaze-driven man-machine interface

Abstract: This paper describes preliminary work on a non-intrusive gaze-driven interface for man-machine interaction based on vision techniques. The current computer screen location pointed at by the user is evaluated using a linear model of image-to-screen mapping, which can be easily auto-calibrated at run-time on the basis of the current relative position of camera and user and camera settings. A simple active deformable model of the eye is defined, which is used both to track user's movements and estimate the current position of the user's pupil in the image in a decoupled fashion. Experiments show that the proposed approach is fast and accurate enough for the design of low-cost man-machine interfaces, with applications ranging from the assistance to the disabled people to multimedia systems.

Information processing system for audio and visual transmission system

Abstract: In an information processing system provided with a camera and a microphone, for transmitting and receiving information of a user to and from another information processing system through a transmission lime, image data of the user obtained by a camera is stored in a memory in advance. When one user communicates another user, image data of the one user is obtained by the camera and is synthesized with the image data stored in the memory in advance by image-processing. The clothes, hair, background, make-up etc. of the one user are made different to reality and the image data are transmitted to the another user in the communication.

Computer-controlled ultra-high-speed video camera system

Abstract: The programmable electronic high-speed camera announced at the 20th ICHSPP has now been progressed to initial production stage and tested in several applications. The whole camera system consists of a camera body with a single interchangeable standard objective lens, an eight channel frame grabber integrated in an industrial computer, and eight channel light pulser (for backlight mode only), a programmable sequencer and a high-resolution SVGA monitor plus 1 to 8 video monitors for immediate frame observation. The camera operates in backlight as well as in frontlight mode providing a sequence of up to eight high resolution images. A framing rate of up to 1 million fps (frontlight) or 10 million fps (backlight) can be achieved. The system and some application results are described.

Kodak DCS200: a camera for high-accuracy measurements?

Abstract: The digital high-resolution stillvideo camera Kodak DCS200 has reached a high degree of popularity among photogrammetrists within a very short time. Consisting of a mirror reflex camera, a high resolution CCD sensor, A/D conversion, power supply, and data storage capacity for 50 images, it can basically be considered a comfortable, autonomous device for digital image data acquisition, especially for industrial applications and for architectural photogrammetry. First tests of the camera showed a high precision potential: 1/20-1/30 pixel in image space could be achieved in several applications, and with large self-calibrating networks relative precisions of 1:100,000 and better have been reported. To be able to make more detailed statements on the accuracy potential of the camera, a thorough accuracy test was performed at ETH Zurich by taking 150 images of a 186 target 3D testfield. Although the precision estimates of this large block were exceptionally good, strong systematic object deformations were found in comparison with theodolite-measured reference coordinates of the testfield points. The reasons for these deformations are most probably temporal instabilities of some camera parameters, which could make the use of this camera very problematic for high accuracy applications. It is argued that these instabilities are caused by the weak fixture of the CCD-chip to the camera body. In this context it is often overlooked that this camera was not developed for precise measurement applications but rather for professional photographers.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Supervisory camera system

Abstract: PURPOSE:To make the supervision efficient, to make the system configuration small in size and to reduce the cost. CONSTITUTION:The system is provided with plural intelligent cameras 11-1c, 21-2d each including a supervisory camera, and each intelligent camera is provided with a moving body sensor sensing a fault of a supervisory area, an encoder compressing the supplied signal, a CPU controlling the transmission of an output signal for the supervisory camera depending on the sensing output of the sensor and a network interface respectively. A signal sent from each intelligent camera is recorded/reproduced by a video/audio data server 5 and the signal from the server 5 is sent to supervisory terminal equipments 7-9, where the signal is monitored.

Sequential estimation in robot vision

Abstract: Highly time-constrained robot vision applications require a careful tuning and optimized interaction of a system's hardware components, algorithmic complexity, software engineering, and task performance. The high accuracy processing of full-frame image sequences for image analysis and object space feature positioning is very time consuming. In both of these processes, sequential estimation algorithms offer valuable alternatives to simultaneous approaches. This paper introduces an efficient estimation algorithm based on Givens transformations for use in point positioning and updating camera orientation data. In a test, an easy-to-use standard video camera has been applied for image frame generation. The results of camera calibration and an accuracy test using a 3D testfield are presented. The computing times of sequential point positioning and camera orientation are given and in part compared to the values for the simultaneous adjustment. This clearly indicates the superior performance of the sequential procedure

A sub-pixel stereo vision system for cost-effective intelligent vehicle applications

Abstract: A variety of vision systems for intelligent vehicle applications have utilized multiple cameras While the performance benefits of these multi-sensor systems are great, the hardware cost of these systems will prove to be challenging, if not prohibitive in production One avenue to cost reduction is the use of sub-pixel processing techniques, combined with dedicated, mixed processing technology We have successfully applied sub-pixel processing techniques to a proven multiple camera vision system This work supports the premise that a sub-pixel vision system will occupy an attractive position on the price/performance curve for intelligent vehicle applications

Digital camera, image pickup device and image pickup means controller

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the handling and to reduce the power consumption. SOLUTION: A personal computer 150 connecting to a digital camera unit 100 receives an image and only when a key of a key board 154 of the personal computer 150 is depressed, the digital camera unit 100 executes image pickup. A CPU 151 of the personal computer 150 controls so as to select the mode of power supply 110 of the digital camera unit 100 or power consumption reduction except the time during the camera setting processing or during display onto a display device 153 or during execution of still image pickup processing.

Active camera control from compressed image streams

Abstract: In this paper we describe a new framework to control an active camera platform in order to improve the performance of tasks such as active stereo vision. This framework encompasses both calibrated and uncalibrated operations. We show how to control the camera system by making measurements as much as possible on compressed video streams. Coarse depth information, object segmentation, and focus and zoom control can be obtained from JPEG/MPEG streams without complete image stream decompression. When better accuracy is required, finer resolution depth maps can be reconstructed in the usual way by completely recovering the pixel information in the frames of the video stream. Our experimental results show the potential of these strategies for active vision systems.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Intelligent camera equipment

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate the need for an exclusive operator by allowing an image recognition means to recognize movement of an object and allowing a voice recognition means to recognize a desired direction along which a camera optical axis is desired to be moved. SOLUTION: An information processing unit (CPU) 110 transfers sound and image information received from a microphone 140 and a camera 130 to other information processing unit via a communication line and the sound and image information transferred from other information processing unit is outputted to a speaker and a monitor 120. The CPU 110 stores an image of an object in front of a camera and when the object is moved, the image recognition means calculates the moving amount to control a moving stage 150 so as to track the object in a way that the object is caught in the center of the screen. When the tracking is failed because the object is moved too fast or the size is too large or the like, the object makes a command in voice such as 'right' or 'left' and the CPU 110 allows the voice recognition means to recognize the command and to turn the moving stage 150 in a designated direction.

Real-time colour recognition in symbolic programming for machine vision systems

Abstract: It is impossible to collect more than a tiny proportion of all of the possible examples of a given hue to form a training set for a machine that learns to discriminate colours. In view of this, it is argued that colour generelization is essential. Three mechanisms for learning colours, as defined by a human being, are described. One of these is based upon an idea developed by A.P. Plummer and is implemented in a commercial device known as the “intelligent camera”. This implementation can learn the characteristics of coloured scenes presented to it and can segment a video image in real-time. This paper presents four procedures that allow the range of colours learned by such a system to be broadened so that recognition is made more reliable and less prone to generating noisy images that are difficult to analyse. Three of the procedures can be used to improve colour discrimination, while a fourth procedure is used when a single and general colour concept has to be learned. Several experiments were devised to demonstrate the effectiveness of colour generelization. These have shown that it is indeed possible to achieve reliable colour discrimination / recognition for such tasks as inspecting packaging and fruit. A practical system based upon the intelligent camera and controlled by software written in PROLOG has been developed by the authors and is being used in a study of methods for declarative programming of machine vision systems for industrial applications.