METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONCEALING AN ERROR OF AN IMAGE USING RESIDUAL DATA

• US 20080267296A1
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shin, Seung-Woo, Kwon, So-an
• Application Number:
  US11/923,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20080267296A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.24
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/188 the unit being a video data packet, e.g. a network abstraction layer [NAL] unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/51 Motion estimation or motion compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/54 using feature points or meshes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/66 involving data partitioning, i.e. separation of data into packets or partitions according to importance
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/895 in combination with error concealment

Abstract

A method and apparatus for concealing an error of an image, the method including: detecting a block in which the error occurs from a current picture; searching a reference picture decoded before the current picture using residual data of the detected block; and concealing an error of the detected block based on the searching of the reference picture and information about a location of the detected block in the current picture. Accordingly, the block in which the error occurs can be effectively restored without a receiver receiving image data or performing complex operations.

Claims

1. A method of concealing an error of an image, the method comprising:

detecting a block in which the error occurs from a current picture;

searching a reference picture decoded before the current picture using residual data of the detected block; and

concealing the error of the detected block based on the searching of the reference picture and information about a location of the detected block in the current picture.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the searching of the reference picture comprises:

generating feature points of the reference picture; and

restoring a motion vector of the detected block by comparing the generated feature points of the reference picture and the residual data of the detected block.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the generating of the feature points comprises generating the feature points by applying a Gaussian filter to the reference picture.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the restoring of the motion vector comprises:

searching only the feature points of the reference picture, using the residual data, for a block corresponding to the detected block; and

generating the motion vector between the detected block and the block corresponding to the detected block.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the searching of the feature points of the reference picture for the block corresponding to the detected block comprises:

generating feature points of a second reference picture, decoded before the reference picture;

calculating a first optical flow between the feature points of the reference picture and the feature points of the second reference picture by comparing the feature points of the reference picture and the feature points of the second reference picture;

predicting a second optical flow between the current picture and the reference picture using the first optical flow; and

determining a location of the block corresponding to the detected block according to the predicted second optical flow.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the concealing of the error comprises:

predicting the detected block by searching the reference picture based on the restored motion vector; and

restoring the detected block at a location determined by the information about the location by adding the predicted detected block and the residual data.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information about the location is included in a slice header.

8. An apparatus for concealing an error of an image, the apparatus comprising:

an error detector to detect a block In which the error occurs from a current picture;

a searcher to search a reference picture decoded before the current picture using residual data of the detected block; and

an error concealer to conceal the error of the detected block based on a searching result of the searcher and information about a location of the detected block in the current picture.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the searcher comprises:

a feature point generator to generate feature points of the reference picture; and

a motion vector restorer to restore a motion vector of the detected block by comparing the generated feature points of the reference picture and the residual data of the detected block.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the feature point generator generates the feature points by applying a Gaussian filter to the reference picture.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the motion vector restorer searches only the feature points of the reference picture, using the residual data, for a block corresponding to the detected block, and generates the motion vector between the detected block and the block corresponding to the detected block.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the motion vector restorer searches for the block corresponding to the detected block by generating feature points of a second reference picture decoded before the reference picture, calculating a first optical flow between the feature points of the reference picture and the feature points of the second reference picture by comparing the feature points of the reference picture and the feature points of the second reference picture, predicting a second optical flow between the current picture and the reference picture using the first optical flow, and determining a location of the block corresponding to the detected block according to the predicted second optical flow.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the error concealer comprises:

a predictor to predict the detected block by searching the reference picture based on the restored motion vector; and

a restorer to restore the detected block at a location determined by the information about the location by adding the predicted detected block and the residual data.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the information about the location is included in a slice header.

18. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the residual data is generated according to an inter prediction.

15. A method of transmitting image data, the method comprising:

classifying information about a location of a current block in a current picture into a first image data transmission unit;

classifying a motion vector of the current block into a second image data transmission unit;

classifying residual data of the current block into a third image data transmission unit; and

transmitting the first image data transmission unit in a first packet, the second image data transmission unit in a second packet, and the third image data transmission unit in a third packet.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein each image data transmission unit is a network abstraction layer (NAL) unit.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the information about the location of the current block is included in a slice header.

19. An apparatus for transmitting image data, the apparatus comprising:

a transmission unit generator to classify information about a location of a current block in a current picture into a first image data transmission unit, a motion vector of the current block into a second image data transmission unit, and residual data of the current block into a third image data transmission unit; and

a transmitter to transmit the first image data transmission unit in a first packet, the second image data transmission unit in a second packet, and the third image data transmission unit in a third packet.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein each image data transmission unit is a network abstraction layer (NAL) unit.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the information about the location of the current block is included in a slice header.

22. The apparatus as claimed in 19, wherein the residual data is generated according to an inter prediction.

23. A system to transmit image data and conceal an error occurring in the image during transmission of the image data, the system comprising:

a first apparatus to transmit the image data, the first apparatus comprising;

a transmission unit generator to classify information about a location of a current block in a current picture into a first image data transmission unit, a motion vector of the current block into a second image data transmission unit, and residual data of the current block into a third image data transmission unit, and

a transmitter to transmit the first image data transmission unit in a first packet, the second image data transmission unit in a second packet, and the third image data transmission unit in a third packet; and

a second apparatus to conceal the error in the image data, the second apparatus comprising;

an error detector to detect the current block from the current picture, the error occurring in the current block,

a searcher to search a reference picture decoded before the current picture using the residual data of the detected block, and

an error concealer to conceal the error of the detected block based on a searching result of the searcher and the information about the location of the detected block in the current picture, wherein

the error corresponds to a loss of the second image data transmission unit during the transmission of the image data.

24. The system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the searcher comprises:

a feature point generator to generate feature points of the reference picture; and

a motion vector restorer to restore the motion vector of the detected block by comparing the generated feature points of the reference picture and the residual data of the detected block.

25. The system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the error concealer comprises:

a predictor to predict the detected block by searching the reference picture based on the restored motion vector; and

a restorer to restore the detected block at a location determined by the information about the location by adding the predicted detected block and the residual data.