Digital watermarking image signals on-chip

• US 8,457,346 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2005
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Tony F., Brundage, Trent J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Edward
• Application Number:
  US11/051,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20050169499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,043 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0064 Geometric transfor invariant watermarking, e.g. affine transform invariant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/28 involving image processing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32144 embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32149 Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data

Abstract

The disclosure describes methods and apparatus for providing digital watermarks or steganographic indicia in image or video data. One implementation embeds digital watermarks on-chip with respect to a CMOS or CCD image array. Some implementations introduce a watermark component during image capture, the watermark being introduced through variations in physical characteristics of a set of pixels. Other implementations are provided and claimed as well.

Claims

1. A CMOS imager comprising:

a plurality of pixels arranged in columns and rows, wherein each of the pixels includes;

a photodetector;

a color filter portion; and

a microlens; and

a communications bus to selectively read out image data from the plurality of pixels, wherein the plurality of pixels includes at least a first set of pixels, with the first set of pixels having physical properties so as to introduce a hidden or concealed digital watermark component to image data during image capture by the CMOS imager, wherein each of the plurality of pixels communicates with different amplifiers, and wherein the physical properties comprise varied gain of different amplifiers associated with the first set of pixels.