Pulse or digital communications – Bandwidth reduction or expansion – Television or motion video signal
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-26
2003-01-28
Britton, Howard (Department: 2613)
Pulse or digital communications
Bandwidth reduction or expansion
Television or motion video signal
C348S585000, C375S240250, C382S243000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06512793
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to decoding apparatus and method and, more particularly, to data processing apparatus and method which decode code encoded in image object units.
Further, the present invention relates to data processing apparatus and method which process a data array constructing an image with a plurality of coded image objects.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, with advancement in image encoding techniques and progress of computer capabilities, an encoding method to separate an image into objects and encode by each object has been proposed. The image encoding in object units enables optimum encoding by each object, thus improving the coding efficiency. At the same time, a function to generate a new image by editing the objects within the image can be obtained. For example, in the technology of still image, a method to separate an image into “character”, “line”, “frame”, “image”, “table” and “background”, and perform optimum encoding on the respective areas, such as the ACBIS method (by Maeda, and Yoshida in “The 1996 Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers General Conference D-292”) has been proposed. According to this method, the JBIG (Joint Bi-level Image Group) encoding as a binary-image encoding method is performed on the “character”, “line”, “frame” and “table” areas, and in the “background” area, its representative value is encoded.
Further, in a moving image, a method to perform encoding in object units has been studied as an international standard method, MPEG4 (Moving Picture Experts Group phase 4) (Eto, “MPEG4 Standardization” (The Journal of The Institute of Image Electronics Engineers of Japan, vol. 25, No. 3, 1996, pp. 223-228).
FIG. 1
shows an example of a frame of a moving image to be encoded by the MPEG4 coding. In
FIG. 1
, a frame
20
comprises four objects as shown in
FIG. 2
, i.e., a background object
28
, an object
21
representing a helicopter, an object
22
representing a train, and an object
23
representing a car. To indicate the shapes of the objects except the background, each object is masked such that a black part of a rectangular area surrounding the object is an “outer area”, and a white part is an “inner area” (
24
to
26
in FIG.
2
), and by this masking, an arbitrary shaped object can be handled.
FIG. 3
shows a construction for coding in object units. An input image
1
is inputted into an object segmenter
2
, and is separated into respective objects. For example, the image in
FIG. 1
is separated by the object segmenter
2
into the objects
28
,
21
,
22
and
23
, and the objects are independently encoded. That is, an object encoder
3
encodes the object
28
; an object encoder
4
, the object
21
; an object encoder
5
, the object
22
; and an object encoder
6
, the object
23
. A multiplexer
7
multiplexes code data outputted from the object encoders
3
to
6
, and outputs the multiplexed data as code data
8
.
FIG. 4
shows a construction for decoding an image encoded in object units. The code data
8
is inputted into a demultiplexer
9
, and separated into code data corresponding to the respective objects. The separated code data are independently decoded. That is, an object decoder
10
decodes the object
28
; an object decoder
11
, the object
21
; an object decoder
12
, the object
22
; and an object decoder
13
, the object
23
. An object compositer
14
arranges image data outputted from the object decoders
10
to
13
in proper positions for the respective objects, thus composes them as one image, and outputs the image data as a reproduced image
15
.
In moving image coding represented by the MPEG2 (Moving Picture Experts Group phase 2) standard, coding is made in frame or field units. To realize reuse or editing of contents (person, building, voice, sound, background and the like) constructing a video image and audio data of a moving image, the MPEG4 standard is characterized by handling video data and audio data as objects. Further, objects included in a video image area independently encoded, and the objects are independently handled.
FIG. 25
shows an example of the structure of object code data. The moving image code data based on the MPEG4 standard has a hierarchical structure, from the point of improvement in coding efficiency and editing operability. As shown in
FIG. 25
, the head of code data has a visual_object_sequence_start_code (VOSSC in
FIG. 25
) for identification. Then, code data of respective visual objects follows, and visual_object_sequence_end_code (VOSEC in
FIG. 25
) indicative of the rear end of the code data is positioned at the end. As well as obtained moving images, computer graphics (CG) data and the like are defined as visual objects.
The visual object data has visual_object_start_code (Visual Object SC in
FIG. 25
) for identification at its header, then profile_and_level_indication (PLI in
FIG. 25
) indicative of an encoding level. Then, information on visual objects, is_visual_object_identifier (IVOI in FIG.
25
), visual_object_varid (VOVID in FIG.
25
), viausl_object_priority (VOPRI in FIG.
25
), visual_object_type (VOTYPE in
FIG. 25
) and the like follow. These data construct header information of the visual object. “VOTYPE” has a value “0001” if the image is a moving image obtained by image pickup. Then, video object (VO) data as a cluster of moving image code data follows.
The VO data is code data indicative of each object. The VO data has video_object_start_code (VOSC in
FIG. 25
) for identification at its header, further, the VO data has video object layer data (VOL data in
FIG. 25
) to realize scalability. The VOL data has video_object_layer_start_code (VOLSC in
FIG. 25
) and video object plane data (VOP data in
FIG. 25
) corresponding to one frame of moving image. The VOL data has video_object_layer_width (VOL_width in
FIG. 25
) and video_object_layer_height (VOL_height in
FIG. 25
) indicative of size, at its header. Also, the VOP data has video_object_plane_width (VOP_width in
FIG. 25
) and video_object_plane_height (VOP_height in
FIG. 25
) indicative of size, at its header. Further, the header of the VOL data has bit_rate code indicative of bit rate.
Note that in each layer of the code data structure, data of an arbitrary length which starts with user_data_start_code can be inserted by a user. The user data is distinguished from the code data by recognition of start code VOSC and VOLSC or VOPSC following the user data.
Further, arrangement information, which is information to arrange the respective objects on the decoding side, is called a system code. In the system code, similar to VRML (Virtual Reality Markup Language) as a CG language, information describing arrangement of divided objects, reproduction timing or the like is encoded. The system code describes the relation among the respective objects with conception of nodes. Hereinbelow, the nodes will be specifically described with reference to
FIGS. 26 and 27
.
FIG. 26
is an example of an image constructed with a plurality of objects. This image comprises a Background object
2000
, a Balloon object
2001
, a Bird object
2002
, a Jet object
2003
, a Car object
2004
, a Woman object
2005
and a Man object
2006
, respectively representing background, a balloon, a bird, an airplane, a car, a woman and a man.
FIG. 27
shows a node tree in the image in FIG.
26
. The entire image is represented by a Scene node. The Scene node is connected to the Background object
2000
, the Car object
2004
, and a People node indicative of people and a Fly node indicative of things flying in the sky. Further, the People node is connected to the Woman object
2005
and the Man object
2006
. The Fly node is connected to the Balloon object
2001
, the Bird object
2002
and the Jet object
2003
. The relation among the objects is described in the data of the system code.
In this manner, according to the MPEG4 standard, by handling objects in a moving image independently, the decoding side can freely arra
Britton Howard
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
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