INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20110193729A1
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ashida, Jumpei
• Granted Patent: US 8,421,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/67
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/30 Compression speech analysis-synthesis for redundancy reduction G10L19/00; for image communication H04N; Expansion; Suppression of unnecessary data, e.g. redundancy reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/40 Conversion to or from variable length codes, e.g. Shannon-Fano code, Huffman code, Morse code

Abstract

An information processing apparatus for converting fixed-length codes into variable-length codes comprises: an input unit configured to obtain each of the fixed-length codes as an input code; a determination unit configured to determine a fixed length encoding method of the input code; a conversion unit configured to perform variable length encoding, by using a first variable length encoding method, on the input code encoded by a first fixed length encoding method, and perform variable length encoding, by using a second variable length encoding method, on the input code encoded by a second fixed length encoding method; and an output unit configured to output a variable-length code obtained by the conversion unit.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for converting fixed-length codes into variable-length codes, each of the fixed-length codes being generated by performing fixed length encoding, by using one of a plurality of fixed length encoding methods, on each divided image obtained by dividing an original image, comprising:

an input unit configured to obtain each of the fixed-length codes as an input code;

a determination unit configured to determine a fixed length encoding method of the input code;

a conversion unit configured to perform variable length encoding, by using a first variable length encoding method, on the input code encoded by a first fixed length encoding method, and perform variable length encoding, by using a second variable length encoding method, on the input code encoded by a second fixed length encoding method; and

an output unit configured to output a variable-length code obtained by said conversion unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the fixed-length code encoded by the first fixed length encoding method includes a plurality of fields;

and

the conversion unit is further configured to perform the variable length encoding as the first variable length encoding method by comparing a coefficient in the field included in the input code with a coefficient in a corresponding field included in a compared code, wherein the compared code is generated by performing fixed length encoding on the divided image by the first fixed length encoding method.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the conversion unit is further configured to perform the variable length encoding as the second variable length encoding method by replacing continuation of predetermined values in the input code with a value indicating a length of the continuous values.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the input code obtained by encoding the divided image by the first fixed length encoding method contains a first pixel value, a second pixel value, and a value indicating which of the first pixel value and the second pixel value each pixel of the divided image has, and

the input code obtained by encoding the divided image by the second fixed length encoding method contains a DC component value of the divided image, and an AC component value of the divided image.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said conversion unit comprises a plurality of encoders,

each of the plurality of encoders is associated with predetermined fixed length encoding methods, and

when the input code is encoded by the associated fixed length encoding method, said encoder converts the input code into a variable-length code by using a variable length encoding method, which is preset in said encoder as a method of performing variable length encoding on the input code encoded by the fixed length encoding method.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program which causes a computer to function as an information processing apparatus cited in claim 1.

6. An information processing apparatus for converting fixed-length codes into variable-length codes, each of the fixed-length codes being generated by performing fixed length encoding, by using one of a plurality of fixed length encoding methods, on each divided image obtained by dividing an original image, comprising:

an input unit configured to obtain the fixed-length code as an input code;

a determination unit configured to determine a fixed length encoding method of the input code;

a conversion unit comprising a plurality of converters each configured to convert the input fixed-length code into a variable-length code based on the fixed length encoding method determined by said determination unit, and output the variable-length code as an output code, or directly output the input fixed-length code as an output code; and

a selection unit configured to input the input code obtained by said input unit to each converter of said conversion unit, and thereafter selectively output an output code having a smallest code amount among the output codes output from said converters,

wherein said converters are individually set to convert fixed-length codes encoded by different fixed length encoding methods into variable-length codes, and each converter converts the input fixed-length code into a variable-length code and outputs the variable-length code as an output code if a fixed length encoding method of the input fixed-length code is the set fixed length encoding method, and directly outputs the input fixed-length code as an output code if a fixed length encoding method of the input fixed-length code is not the set fixed length encoding method.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program which causes a computer to function as an information processing apparatus cited in claim 6.

7. An information processing method for converting fixed-length codes into variable-length codes, each of the fixed-length codes being generated by performing fixed length encoding, by using one of a plurality of fixed length encoding methods, on each divided image obtained by dividing an original image, comprising the steps of:

obtaining each of the fixed-length codes as an input code;

determining a fixed length encoding method of the input code;

performing variable length encoding, by using a first variable length encoding method, on the input code encoded by a first fixed length encoding method, and performing variable length encoding, by using a second variable length encoding method, on the input code encoded by a second fixed length encoding method; and

outputting a variable-length code obtained in said performing step.

8. An information processing method for converting fixed-length codes into variable-length codes, each of the fixed-length codes being generated by performing fixed length encoding, by using one of a plurality of fixed length encoding methods, on each divided image obtained by dividing an original image, comprising:

a step of obtaining the fixed-length code as an input code;

a step of determining a fixed length encoding method of the input code;

a plurality of converting steps of converting the input fixed-length code into a variable-length code based on the fixed length encoding method determined in said determining step and outputting the variable-length code as an output code, or directly outputting the input fixed-length code as an output code; and

a step of selectively outputting an output code having a smallest code amount among the output codes,

wherein each converting step is individually predetermined for converting fixed-length codes encoded by different fixed length encoding methods into variable-length codes, and in each converting step the input fixed-length code is converted into a variable-length code and output as an output code if a fixed length encoding method of the input fixed-length code is the predetermined fixed length encoding method, and the input fixed-length code is directly output as an output code if a fixed length encoding method of the input fixed-length code is not the predetermined fixed length encoding method.