Image processing apparatus and processing method thereof

• US 20070110323A1
• Filed: 11/14/2005
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xueshan Technologies Inc. (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: Yang, Shun-Pin
• Granted Patent: US 7,889,934 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/12 Selection from among a plurality of transforms or standards, e.g. selection between discrete cosine transform [DCT] and sub-band transform or selection between H.263 and H.264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/423 characterised by memory arrangements H04N19/433 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/60 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding

Abstract

An image processing apparatus and method are provided. The apparatus comprises an image input device, an external memory, and an encoder. The image input device captures pictures, and the external memory stores the captured pictures. The encoder further comprises a moving picture compression unit, a still picture compression unit, and a recording unit. The moving picture compression unit and the still picture compression unit share the external memory and work simultaneously when at least one of the captured pictures is to be stored in both video and still image format. The recording unit records the compressed pictures.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

an image input device, capturing pictures;

an external memory, coupled to the image input device, storing the pictures; and

an encoder, compressing the pictures retrieved from the external memory, further comprising;

a moving picture compression unit, capable of compressing the pictures into compressed moving pictures;

a still picture compression unit, capable of compressing the pictures into compressed still pictures; and

a recording unit, coupled to the moving picture compression unit and the still picture compression unit, recording the compressed pictures;

wherein, when the pictures captured by the image input device require both moving and still picture compression, the encoder compresses the pictures simultaneously.

2. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

a first buffer coupled to the moving picture compression unit;

and

a second buffer coupled to the still picture compression unit;

wherein the first buffer stores data retrieved from the external memory while the moving picture compression unit is compressing pictures, and the second buffer stores data retrieved from the external memory while the still picture compression unit is compressing pictures.

3. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a buffer coupled to the moving picture compression unit and the still picture compression unit, wherein the buffer stores data required for the moving and still picture compression units during compression.

4. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a first image signal processor coupled to the image input device and the external memory, applying signal processing to pictures before compression;

a buffer coupled to the external memory, storing data required for the moving and still picture compression units during compression ; and

a second image signal processor coupled to the buffer and the still picture compression unit, applying special photo effects to the data retrieved from the buffer;

wherein the first image signal processor applies signal processing for both compressed moving and still pictures, and the second image signal processor applies signal processing for only the compressed still pictures.

5. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first image signal processor performs at least one of scaling, noise reduction, red eye reduction, color transformation, and white balance, sharpness signal processing.

6. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the external memory stores one or multiple picture frames.

7. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moving picture compression unit is an MPEG compression unit.

8. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said still picture compression unit is a JPEG compression unit.

9. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recording unit records the compressed pictures to a hard disk, an external plugged memory card, DVD, or other types of optical discs.

10. An image processing method, comprising:

capturing pictures for moving or still picture compression, or both;

storing the captured pictures in a memory;

compressing the pictures retrieved from the memory into compressed moving pictures when activating moving picture compression;

compressing the pictures retrieved from the memory into compressed still pictures when activating still picture compression;

when activating both moving and still picture compression, compressing the pictures retrieved from the memory into compressed moving and still pictures simultaneously; and

recording the compressed pictures.

11. The image processing method as claimed in claim 10, wherein blocks of each picture are retrieved from the memory and buffered individually for moving picture compression and still picture compression.

12. The image processing method as claimed in claim 10, wherein blocks of each picture are retrieved from the memory and buffered collectively for moving picture compression and still picture compression.

13. The image processing method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the pictures are signal processed before compression.

14. The image processing method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the pictures to be compressed into compressed still picture are processed by applying special photo effects.

15. The image processing method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the pictures to be compressed are processed by applying at least one of scaling, noise reduction, red eye reduction, color transformation, white balance, and sharpness.