Method, medium and apparatus effectively compressing and restoring edge position images

• US 20080175498A1
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Si-hwa, Kim, Do-hyung, Lee, Sang-jo
• Granted Patent: US 8,244,049 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/105 Selection of the reference unit for prediction within a chosen coding or prediction mode, e.g. adaptive choice of position and number of pixels used for prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/11 among a plurality of spatial predictive coding modes
• 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 19/14 Coding unit complexity, e.g. amount of activity or edge presence estimation H04N19/146 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/182 the unit being a pixel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/186 the unit being a colour or a chrominance component
• 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 19/60 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/90 using coding techniques not provided for in groups H04N19/10-H04N19/85, e.g. fractals

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus and method for effectively compressing and restoring edge areas in an image. Therefore, by predicting values of pixels positioned at each directional edge, among pixels constructing a 2×2 block in a current image, using values of neighbor pixels of the pixels positioned at each directional edge, selecting an edge mode corresponding to a directional edge in which the difference between the predicted values and actual values of the pixels is a minimum, and outputting edge mode data indicating the edge mode instead of the predicted values corresponding to the edge mode, it is possible to effectively compress edge areas in which little similarity exists between pixel values, and accordingly improve a compression rate of edge areas.

Claims

1. A pixel value prediction method comprising:

(a) determining pixels positioned at a predetermined directional edge, among pixels constructing a block having a predetermined size in a current image;

(b) determining neighbor pixels positioned in each of two areas divided by the predetermined directional edge; and

(c) predicting values of the pixels positioned at the predetermined directional edge, using values of the determined neighbor pixels.

2. The pixel value prediction method of claim 1, wherein the neighbor pixels are at least two pixels, among the pixels constructing the block and pixels constructing a neighbor block of the block.

3. The pixel value prediction method of claim 1, wherein operation (b) comprises determining neighbor pixels positioned in one area of the two areas divided by the predetermined directional edge and neighbor pixels positioned in the other area of the two areas.

4. The pixel value prediction method of claim 2, wherein operation (a) comprises predicting values of the plurality of pixels positioned at the predetermined directional edge, using an average value of values of neighbor pixels positioned in one area of the two areas divided by the predetermined directional edge and of values of neighbor pixels positioned in the other area of the two areas.

5. An image compression method comprising:

(a) predicting values of pixels positioned at a predetermined directional edge among pixels constructing a block having a predetermined size in a current image, using values of neighbor pixels of the pixels positioned at the predetermined directional edge;

(b) repeating operation (a) with respect to each remaining directional edge except for the predetermined directional edge, among a plurality of directional edges;

(c) selecting an edge mode in which the difference between the values predicted in operations (a) and (b) and actual values of the pixels positioned at the predetermined directional edge is a minimum;

(d) outputting edge mode data indicating the selected edge mode, instead of the predicted values corresponding to the selected edge mode, thereby compressing the values of the pixels positioned at the predetermined directional edge.

6. The image compression method of claim 5, wherein operation (a) comprises predicting a value of a current pixel which is the upper pixel of two pixels positioned at a lower-right directional edge, using an average value of values of pixels to the right and left of and above and below the current pixel, which corresponds to neighbor pixels of the current pixel.

7. The image compression method of claim 6, wherein operation (a) comprises predicting the value of the current pixel which is the upper pixel of the two pixels positioned at the lower-right directional edge, by summing a value of a upper-left pixel of the current pixel and a value gradient from the current pixel to a lower-right pixel of the current pixel.

8. The image compression method of claim 7, wherein operation (a) further comprises selecting a neighbor mode corresponding to neighbor pixels used to obtain a predicted value of the current pixel having a smaller difference from the actual value of the current pixel among predicted values of the current pixel, from among two neighbor modes in which two patterns of neighbor pixels are respectively applied.

9. An image compression method comprising:

(a) compressing values of pixels constructing a block having a predetermined size in a current image, according to a plurality of predetermined image compression methods;

(b) predicting values of pixels positioned at a predetermined directional edge, among the pixels constructing the block, using values of neighbor pixels of the pixels positioned at the predetermined directional edge, thereby compressing the values of the pixels positioned at the predetermined directional edge;

(c) selecting a mode from among a plurality of modes corresponding to the plurality of predetermined image compression methods and an image compression method used in operation (b), on the basis of the results compressed in operations (a) and (b); and

(d) generating a bit stream packet including mode data indicating the selected mode and compressed data corresponding to the selected mode.

10. The image compression method of claim 9, further comprising restoring the values of the pixels constructing the block, using the results compressed in operations (a) and (b), wherein operation (c) comprises calculating differences between values of the restored pixels and actual values of the pixels constructing the block, and selecting a mode indicating an image compression method in which a sum of the differences is a minimum.

11. An image restoring method comprising:

(a) recognizing an edge mode among a plurality of edge modes; and

(b) predicting values of pixels positioned at a predetermined directional edge corresponding to the recognized edge mode, among pixels constructing a block having a predetermined size in a current image, using values of neighbor pixels of the pixels positioned at the predetermined directional edge.

12. The image compression method of claim 11, wherein the neighbor pixels are at least two pixels, among the pixels constructing the block and pixels constructing a neighbor block of the block.

13. The image compression method of claim 11, wherein operation (a) comprises predicting values of the plurality of pixels positioned at the predetermined directional edge, using values of a plurality of neighbor pixels positioned in each of two areas divided by the predetermined directional edge.

14. The image compression method of claim 11, further comprising extracting a compressed value of predetermined pixels of the pixels constructing the block, from compressed data of the block, and adding a predetermined binary value to the compressed value of the predetermined pixel, thereby restoring a value of the predetermined pixel, wherein the neighbor pixels comprise the restored value of the predetermined pixel.

15. An image restoring method comprising:

(a) extracting mode data and compressed data of a block having a predetermined size in a current image, from a bit stream packet;

(b) recognizing a mode corresponding to an image compression method of a plurality of image compression methods, from the mode data; and

(c) predicting values of pixels positioned at a directional edge indicated by the recognized mode, among pixels constructing the block, using values of neighbor pixels of the pixels positioned at the directional edge, according to the recognized mode, thereby restoring the values of the pixels positioned at the directional edge.

16. The image restoring method of claim 15, further comprising restoring the values of the pixels positioned at the directional edge, using the compressed data of the block, if the recognized mode corresponds to an image compression method of a plurality of predetermined image compression methods, wherein operation (c) comprises restoring the values of the pixels positioned at the directional edge using a different image compression method if the recognized mode corresponds to the different image compression method except for the predetermined image compression methods.