Image analysis – Image compression or coding – Transform coding
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-15
2002-03-12
Tran, Phuoc (Department: 2621)
Image analysis
Image compression or coding
Transform coding
C382S249000, C382S233000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06356667
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to an encoding method and apparatus, a decoding method and apparatus and recording medium, and more particularly to an encoding method and apparatus, a decoding method and apparatus and a recording medium usable in a system for high efficiency picture encoding or decoding for efficient picture transmission or storage.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has promulgated a standardized system for a conventional picture compression system called Joint Photographic Expert Group (JPEG). This system provides optimal encoding or decoding of pictures by applying a Discrete Cosine Transformation (DCT) to an image to transform that image into DCT coefficients. This system works most efficiently when a relatively large number of bits are to be employed to represent the encoded information. However, if the number of bits to be employed to represent the encoded information is less than a certain predetermined value, block distortion inherent in such a DCT transform becomes prevalent enough to deteriorate the quality of the picture which may be noticed by a viewer.
In response to these deficiencies of the JPEG and DCT procedure, a new Iterated Function System (IFS) picture compression technique has been proposed, and is beginning to gain favor. This IFS technique exploits self-similarity between portions of pictures and is based on fractal geometry. IFS works on the assumption that various portions of a particular picture are analogous, even though they may be of a different size, position, perspective, or orientation. IFS utilizes this redundancy in pictures to efficiently encode the picture without resulting block distortion, as may be generated in the JPEG system. Therefore, IFS is not nearly as dependent upon the number of bits to be used to represent the encoded information, and therefore the resolution during decoding does not suffer when a relatively smaller number of bits are to be used to represent the encoded information.
The basic structure of IFS is set forth in Arnaud E. Jaquin's thesis entitled “Image Coding Based on a Fractal Theory of Iterated Contractive Image Transformations”, IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 18-30), and is further set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,347,600; 5,065,447 and 4,941,193, all issued to Barnsley et al. The encoding and decoding devices as generally set forth in these references will now be described with reference to prior art
FIGS. 19 and 20
.
Referring first to
FIG. 19
, the operation of an encoding device according to the prior art is shown. As is set forth in
FIG. 19
, an original picture
300
is entered to a block generating circuit
200
and is therein split into a plurality of blocks
301
. All of blocks
301
together cover the entire original picture
300
, but do not overlap with each other. Original picture
300
is also forwarded to reduced picture generating circuit
202
which produces a picture
307
having a reduced size, such as by way of a reduction scheme known in the art. The reduced picture is forwarded to and stored within reduced picture storage circuit
204
.
Each of blocks
301
is forwarded to a proximate area search circuit
201
which searches reduced size picture
307
stored in reduced picture storage circuit
204
to determine whether any portions of the reduced size picture are analogous to the particular block
301
being searched. As noted above, this search includes searching for portions of reduced size picture
307
which are of different size, position, perspective, or orientation than the block
301
being searched. In accordance with the detected result indicating a successful search for a most similar portion, similar block position information
306
, which specifies the position of the selected portion
305
within the reduced size picture
307
, is transmitted to reduced picture storage circuit
204
. In accordance with this indicated result, selected portion
305
of the reduced size picture
307
stored within reduced picture storage circuit
204
is extracted, and is transmitted to a rotation/inversion/level value conversion circuit
203
.
Rotation/inversion/level value conversion circuit
203
processes portion
305
of reduced size picture
307
by a rotation/inversion/level value transformation in accordance with transformation parameters
304
which are supplied from proximate area search circuit
201
. These transformation parameters
304
are indicative of the transformation which must be performed on selected portion
305
of reduced size picture
307
in order to transform that selected portion into block
301
. These parameters are determined when a particular portion
305
of reduced size picture
307
is found to most closely correspond to block
301
being searched. Upon transformation by rotation/inversion/level value conversion circuit
203
, a transform reduced-size picture
303
is forwarded to proximate area search circuit
201
. There as a result, transformation parameters
304
and similar block position information
306
are output as ISF codes
302
. Thus, a first picture is input to the system, and the output includes at least transformation parameters, for transforming a first block of that first picture into a second similar block of a reduced size picture, and position information, for determining the position of the second block within the encoded picture.
Referring next to
FIG. 20
, a decoding apparatus is provided in which the IFS codes recorded on, for example, a disc
400
, including transformation parameters and similar block position information
302
that are output by the encoding device of
FIG. 19
, are entered into and stored in an IFS code storage circuit
205
. IFS codes
302
are then sequentially read out from IFS code storage circuit
205
for each block, and are forwarded to an IFS code read out circuit
206
. IFS code read out circuit
206
divides the codes into similar block position information
306
and transformation parameters
304
as had been produced by the encoder. Similar block position information
306
is then forwarded to reduced picture storage circuit
204
in order to reproduce the area of the reduced-size picture specified by similar block position information
306
. The portion
305
of the reduced size picture stored in reduced picture storage circuit
204
corresponding to the specified area is then transmitted to a rotation/inversion/level value conversion circuit
203
, and is transformed in accordance with transformation parameters
304
which are supplied from IFS code read out circuit
206
. The resulting transformed picture
303
forwarded from rotation/inversion/level conversion circuit
203
is stored within decoded picture storage circuit
208
. This procedure is performed for each block in the picture for which IFS codes are provided.
After all of the IFS codes for all of the blocks have been read out, IFS read out circuit
206
sends a READ OUT END notification signal
310
to duplication control circuit
207
. It is then determined by duplication control circuit
207
whether information for all blocks has been obtained. If not, a repeat command
309
is sent to IFS code read out circuit
206
, the IFS codes
302
are input once again, and the procedure begins again. The information for all blocks has been read out, and decoding continues through a recursive decoding procedure. Duplication control circuit
207
counts the number of recursive decoding/duplicating operations that have been executed, and if this count has not reached a predetermined value, duplication control circuit
207
sends a reprocessing command signal
311
to a switch
209
in order to send partially decoded picture
313
to reduced picture generating circuit
202
via information path
314
. Reduced picture generating circuit
202
generates a partially decoded reduced size picture
315
of decoded picture
313
in a manner similar to that as in the encoding device in order to re-write the contents of the picture stored
Frommer William S.
Frommer & Lawrence & Haug LLP
Kessler Gordon
Sony Corporation
Tran Phuoc
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