Lossy method for compressing images and video

• US 20050190980A1
• Filed: 04/25/2005
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Hall Aluminum LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Bright, Walter G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,812,993 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/240
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/001 Model-based coding, e.g. wire frame

Abstract

A recursive scheme is employed to compress image data, wherein areas of a pixel grid corresponding to the image data are divided into increasingly smaller triangles based on the level of detail contained within each triangle. Data is stored defining each of the triangles and actual/predicted component values corresponding to pixels within each triangle. For each triangle, a set of predicted component values are determined, based on actual component values at the vertices of the triangle or actual component values on or proximate to the edges of the triangle. The predicted component values for the pixels are compared with the corresponding actual component values to see if a similarity threshold is met. If met, the processing of a current triangle is complete and the processing of a next triangle begins. If not, the current triangle is divided, and the foregoing process is then repeated. Texture mapping may also be applied.

Claims

1-31. -31. (canceled)

32. A method, comprising:

predicting one or more pixel component values for one or more pixels of an area of an image, the image including one or more pixels with associated pixel component values to be compressed; and

determining whether the predicted component values of the one or more pixels of the area of the image are similar to actual component values of the one or more pixels of the area of the image.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the predicting of the one or more pixel component values for one or more pixels of an area of an image comprises predicting the one or more pixel component values for one or more pixels of the area based at least in part on pixel component values of one or more pixels located at one or more boundary locations of the area.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the area comprises an triangle, and the one or more boundary locations comprise one or more vertices of the triangle.

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising dividing the area of the image into a plurality of sub-areas if the predicted component values are not similar to the actual component values.

36. The method of claim 32, further comprising dividing a region of the image into a plurality of areas.

37. The method of claim 32, further comprising dividing the image into a plurality of regions.

38. The method of claim 32, wherein the image comprises a grayscale image, and the predicted and/or actual component values comprise grayscale intensity levels.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein the image comprises a color image, and the one or more component values comprise three color component values, a Red component value, a Green component value, and/or a Blue component value, and the method further comprising converting the Red, Green, and/or Blue component values into luminance/chrominance component values.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the determining of whether the predicted component values of the one or more pixels of the area of the image are similar to actual component values of the one or more pixels of the area of the image comprises comparing predicted and actual luminance component values and comparing predicted and actual chrominance component values, giving greater weight to the comparison of predicted and actual luminance component values.

47. An article of manufacture comprising

storage medium;

and

a plurality of programming instructions stored in the storage medium, designed to program an apparatus to enable the apparatus to perform the method set forth in claim 32.

41. An apparatus, comprising:

a first module configured to predict one or more predicted pixel component values for one or more pixels of an area of an image having a number of pixels with associated pixel component values to be compressed; and

a second module operatively coupled to the first module, and configured to determine whether the predicted component values of the one or more pixels of the area of the image are similar to actual component values of the one or more pixels of the area of the image.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the first module is configured to determine the one or more predicted pixel component values for one or more pixels of the area based at least in part on pixel component values of one or more pixels located at one or more boundary locations of the area.

43. The apparatus of claim 41, further comprising a third module operatively coupled to the second module, and configured to divide the area of the image into a plurality of sub-areas if the predicted component values are not similar to the actual component values.

44. The apparatus of claim 41, further comprising a third module operatively coupled to the first module, and configured to divide a region of the image into a plurality of areas.

45. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the image comprises a color image, and the one or more component values comprise three color component values, a Red component value, a Green component value, and/or a Blue component value, and the method further comprising converting the Red, Green, and/or Blue component values into luminance/chrominance component values;

and the second module is configured to compare predicted and actual luminance component values, and predicted and actual chrominance component values, giving greater weight to the comparison of predicted and actual luminance component values.

46. The apparatus of claim 41 further comprising one or more processors, and at least one of the first and second modules is configured to be operated by the one or more processors.

48. A component comprising

first logic configured to predict one or more predicted pixel component values for one or more pixels of an area of an image having a number of pixels with associated pixel component values to be compressed;

and

second logic operatively coupled to the first logic, and configured to determine whether the predicted component values of the one or more pixels of the area of the image are similar to actual component values of the one or more pixels of the area of the image.

49. The component of claim 48, wherein the first logic is configured to determine the one or more predicted pixel component values for one or more pixels of the area based at least in part on pixel component values of one or more pixels located at one or more boundary locations of the area.

50. The component of claim 48, further comprising third logic operatively coupled to the second logic, and configured to divide the area of the image into a plurality of sub-areas if the predicted component values are not similar to the actual component values.