Methods and systems for content processing

• US 9,692,984 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2015
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Lord, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): WYCHE, MYRON
• Application Number:
  US14/681,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20150358525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/40 Software arrangements specially adapted for pattern recognition, e.g. user interfaces or toolboxes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/945 User interactive design; Environments; Toolboxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/96 Management of image or video recognition tasks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3225 of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/10 for generating image signals from different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation

Abstract

Disclosed are technologies are useful in enabling a smart phone to respond to a user'"'"'s environment, e.g., so it can serve as an intuitive hearing and seeing device. Some of the detailed arrangements involve using radio base station SDR equipment (e.g., at a cell tower) to perform image recognition operations for phones; forecasting service needs from remote processors delegating a remote execution task to a service provider chosen in a competitive process; using nearby processors, e.g., in an automobile, another phone, or set-top box, for remote execution tasks; phones with separable camera and/or illumination components; phone camera illumination using different colors of light; using search tree methods with image frames captured at different focuses; using a phone'"'"'s microprojector to aid in object identification; correcting lens aberrations by texture mapping captured imagery onto a corrective polygon surface using a phone GPU; etc. A great variety of other features are also detailed.

Claims

1. A method of operating a camera-equipped mobile phone, the method comprising the acts:

activating a first LED light source of a first visible light color, for a first interval, while capturing image data from a subject using said mobile phone, the subject having previously been printed with an image conveying a steganographic digital watermark that modulates at least one color channel, but does not modulate all color channels of the image as modulation of image luminance;

activating a second LED light source of a second visible light color different than the first, for a second interval different than the first, while capturing image data from said subject using said mobile phone; and

processing the captured image data to extract payload data from said steganographic digital watermark.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein both said activating acts occur during a single frame exposure.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said activating acts occur during different frame exposures.

6. The method of claim 1 that includes:

activating only said first LED light source for said first interval, while capturing image data from the printed subject using said mobile phone; and

activating only said second LED light source for said second interval different than the first, while capturing image data from said printed subject using said mobile phone.

7. The method of claim 6 that further includes activating both said first and second LED light sources, together, for a third interval.

8. The method of claim 1 that further includes:

sensing temporal variations in ambient illumination; and

controlling timing of one of said activating acts in response to said sensed temporal variations in ambient illumination.

9. The method of claim 1 that further includes:

sensing temporal variations in color of ambient illumination; and

controlling timing of one of said activating acts in response to said sensed temporal variations in color of ambient illumination;

wherein the method activates a blue LED light source to increase illumination of the printed subject with light of a blue color, to counteract orangeness of ambient lighting.

10. The method of claim 1 that further includes:

sensing temporal variations in intensity of ambient illumination; and

controlling timing of one of said activating acts in response to said sensed temporal variations in intensity of ambient illumination.

11. The method of claim 1 that further includes:

sensing temporal variations in ambient illumination;

predicting a future state of said ambient illumination, based on said sensed temporal variations; and

controlling timing of one of said activating acts in response to said predicted future state of said ambient illumination.

12. The method of claim 1 that further includes:

sensing temporal variations in ambient illumination; and

capturing a frame of imagery at a time selected based on said sensed temporal variations.

13. The method of claim 1 that further includes:

sensing temporal variations in color of ambient illumination; and

capturing a frame of imagery at a time selected based on said sensed temporal variations in color.

14. The method of claim 1 that further includes:

sensing temporal variations in intensity of ambient illumination; and

capturing a frame of imagery at a time selected based on said sensed temporal variations in intensity.

4. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing programming instructions that, when executed by a processor of a camera-equipped mobile phone that is also equipped with a first LED light source of a first visible light color, and a second LED light source of a second visible light color, cause the mobile phone to perform acts including:

activating only the first LED light source, for a first interval, while capturing image data from a subject using the camera of said mobile phone;

activating only a second LED light source of a second visible light color different than the first, for a second interval different than the first, while capturing image data from said subject using the camera of said mobile phone; and

processing the captured image data to extract payload data from a steganographic digital watermark conveyed by an image printed on said subject, the steganographic digital watermark modulating at least one color channel of the image, but not modulating all color channels of the image as modulation of image luminance.

5. A mobile phone including the non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 4, a processor, a camera, and said first and second LED light sources.

15. A smartphone system comprising a wireless transceiver, a microphone, a display, a battery, a processor, and at least first and second LED light sources of first and second visible light colors, respectively, the processor being configured to control the smartphone system to perform acts including:

activate a first LED light source of a first visible light color, for a first interval, while capturing image data with the camera from a subject, the subject having been previously printed with an image conveying a steganographic digital watermark that modulates at least one color channel, but does not modulate all color channels of the image as modulation of image luminance;

activate a second LED light source of a second visible light color different than the first, for a second interval different than the first, while capturing image data with the camera; and

processing the captured image data to extract payload data from said steganographic digital watermark.

16. The smartphone system of claim 15 in which the processor is further configured to control the smartphone system to perform acts including:

activate only said first LED light source for said first interval, while capturing image data; and

activate only said second LED light source for said second interval different than the first, while capturing image data.

17. The smartphone system of claim 15 in which the processor is further configured to control the smartphone system to:

sense temporal variations in of ambient illumination;

predict a future state of said ambient illumination, based on said sensed temporal variations; and

control timing of one of said activating acts in response to said predicted future state of said ambient illumination.

18. The smartphone system of claim 15 in which the processor is further configured to control the smartphone system to perform acts including:

sense temporal variations in ambient illumination; and

control timing of one of said activating acts in response to said sensed temporal variations in ambient illumination.

19. The smartphone system of claim 15 in which the processor is further configured to control the smartphone system to perform acts including:

sense temporal variations in ambient illumination; and

capture a frame of imagery at a time selected based on said sensed temporal variations.