Image encoding method,image decoding method, and apparatus thereof

• US 20040081241A1
• Filed: 04/29/2003
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kadono, Shinya, Hagai, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 7,664,182 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.23
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/07 Arithmetic codes
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/35 Unequal or adaptive error protection, e.g. by providing a different level of protection according to significance of source information or by adapting the coding according to the change of transmission channel characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/40 Conversion to or from variable length codes, e.g. Shannon-Fano code, Huffman code, Morse code
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/4006 Conversion to or from arithmetic code
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/42 using table look-up for the coding or decoding process, e.g. using read-only memory H03M7/4006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/103 Selection of coding mode or of prediction mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/13 Adaptive entropy coding, e.g. adaptive variable length coding [AVLC] or context adaptive binary arithmetic coding [CABAC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/132 Sampling, masking or truncation of coding units, e.g. adaptive resampling, frame skipping, frame interpolation or high-frequency transform coefficient masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/146 Data rate or code amount at the encoder output
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/157 Assigned coding mode, i.e. the coding mode being predefined or preselected to be further used for selection of another element or parameter
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/174 the region being a slice, e.g. a line of blocks or a group of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/184 the unit being bits, e.g. of the compressed video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/91 Entropy coding, e.g. variable length coding [VLC] or arithmetic coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006

Abstract

A frame coding unit (13) generates individual picture signal information from a moving picture signal Vin, and outputs a frame code value InfVal_F which is a numeric value to be obtained as a result of coding picture signal information of each frame. A variable length coding unit (16) decomposes the frame code value InfVal_F into unit frame code values Val_F which are basic units of coding, converts the unit frame code values Val_F into frame code words Code_F using only a single code table (16a), and constructs a frame stream by combining the converted frame code words Code_F. A multiplexing unit (17) multiplexes a header stream which is constructed through a method equivalent to a conventional method and the frame stream, and constructs a picture coded signal Str.

Claims

1. A picture coding method for coding information including picture signals of each frame, wherein the information to be coded includes information concerning a characteristic of the whole picture signals and information concerning the picture signals of each frame, the picture coding method comprising:

a plural coding step for performing coding by the use of a plurality of coding methods for the information concerning the characteristic of the whole picture signals;

a common coding step for performing coding by the use of a coding method common to each frame for the information concerning the picture signals of each frame; and

a multiplexing coding step for performing coding after multiplexing the coded information concerning the characteristic of the whole picture signals and the coded information concerning the picture signals of each frame.

2. The picture coding method according to claim 1,

wherein the plural coding step is a coding method utilizing a plurality of variable length code tables, and

the common coding step is a coding method utilizing a single variable length code table.

3. The picture coding method according to claim 1,

wherein the plural coding step is a coding method utilizing a plurality of variable length code tables, and

the common coding step is a coding method utilizing an arithmetic coding method.

4. The picture coding method according to claim 1,

wherein coding is performed in the plural coding step by the use of a plurality of fixed length code tables or a plurality of variable length code tables, and

coding is performed in the common coding step by the use of a pre-limited number of fixed length code tables or variable length code tables.

5. The picture coding method according to one of claims 1˜

4,

wherein the information concerning the characteristic of the whole picture signals is header information, and

the information concerning the picture signals of each frame is frame data.

6. The picture coding method according to one of claims 1˜

4,

wherein the information concerning the characteristic of the whole picture signals is header information including slice header information, and

the information concerning the picture signals of each frame is macroblock data of each slice.

19. A program used for a picture coding apparatus that codes information including picture signals of each frame, the program having a computer execute all steps according to one of claims 1˜

6.

21. A computer-readable recording medium that stores a program used for a picture coding apparatus that codes information including picture signals of each frame, the recording medium in which the program according to claim 19 is stored.

7. A picture decoding method for decoding multiplexed information including picture signals of each frame, wherein the information to be decoded includes information concerning a characteristic of the whole picture signals and information concerning the picture signals of each frame, the picture decoding method comprising:

a demultiplexing decoding step for demultiplexing the information concerning the characteristic of the whole picture signals and the information concerning the picture signals of each frame from the multiplexed information;

a plural decoding step for performing decoding by the use of a plurality of decoding methods for the demultiplexed information concerning the characteristic of the whole picture signals; and

a common decoding step for performing decoding by the use of a decoding method common to each frame for the demultiplexed information concerning the picture signals of each frame.

8. The picture decoding method according to claim 7,

wherein the plural decoding step is a decoding method utilizing a plurality of variable length code tables, and

the common decoding step is a decoding method utilizing a single variable length code table.

9. The picture decoding method according to claim 7,

wherein the plural decoding step is a decoding method utilizing a plurality of variable length code tables, and

the common decoding step is a decoding method utilizing arithmetic coding.

10. The picture decoding method according to claim 7,

wherein decoding is performed in the plural decoding step by the use of a plurality of fixed length code tables or a plurality of variable length code tables, and

decoding is performed in the limitation decoding step by the use of a pre-limited number of fixed length code tables or variable length code tables.

11. The picture decoding method according to one of claims 7˜

10,

wherein the information concerning the characteristic of the whole picture signals is header information, and

the information concerning the picture signals of each frame is frame data.

12. The picture decoding method according to one of claims 7˜

10,

wherein the information concerning the characteristic of the whole picture signals is header information including slice header information, and

the information concerning the picture signals of each frame is macroblock data of each slice.

20. A program used for a picture decoding apparatus that decodes information including picture signals of each frame, the program having a computer execute all steps according to one of claims 7˜

12.

22. A computer-readable recording medium that stores a program used for a picture decoding apparatus that decodes information including picture signals of each frame, the recording medium in which the program according to claim 20 is stored.

13. A picture coding apparatus that codes information including picture signals of each frame, wherein the information to be coded includes information concerning a characteristic of the whole picture signals and information concerning the picture signals of each frame, the picture coding apparatus comprising:

a plural coding unit operable to perform coding by the use of a plurality of coding methods for the information concerning the characteristic of the whole picture signals;

a common coding unit operable to perform coding by the use of a coding method common to each frame for the information concerning the picture signals of each frame; and

a multiplexing coding unit operable to perform coding after multiplexing the coded information concerning the characteristic of the whole picture signals and the coded information concerning the picture signals of each frame.

14. The picture coding apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the plural coding unit is a coding method utilizing a plurality of variable length code tables, and

the common coding unit is a coding method utilizing a single variable length code table.

15. The picture coding method according to claim 13,

wherein the plural coding unit is a coding method utilizing a plurality of variable length code tables, and

the common coding unit is a coding method utilizing an arithmetic coding method.

16. A picture decoding apparatus that decodes multiplexed information including picture signals of each frame, wherein the information to be decoded includes information concerning a characteristic of the whole picture signals and information concerning the picture signals of each frame, the picture decoding apparatus comprising:

a demultiplexing decoding unit operable to demultiplex the information concerning the characteristic of the whole picture signals and the information concerning the picture signals of each frame from the multiplexed information;

a plural decoding unit operable to perform decoding by the use of a plurality of decoding methods for the demultiplexed information concerning the characteristic of the whole picture signals; and

a common decoding unit operable to perform decoding by the use of a decoding method common to each frame for the demultiplexed information concerning the picture signals of each frame.

17. The picture decoding apparatus according to claim 16,

wherein the plural decoding unit is a decoding method utilizing a plurality of variable length code tables, and

the common decoding unit is a decoding method utilizing a single variable length code table.

18. The picture decoding apparatus according to claim 16,

wherein the plural decoding unit is a decoding method utilizing a plurality of variable length code tables, and

the common decoding unit is a decoding method utilizing an arithmetic decoding method.