IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20170127015A1
• Filed: 10/21/2016
• Published: 05/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: MOCHIZUKI, SHIGEKI
• Granted Patent: US 10,063,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/648 Transmitting or storing the primary (additive or subtractive) colour signals; Compression thereof H04N1/642 - H04N1/646 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/115 Selection of the code volume for a coding unit prior to coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/15 by monitoring actual compressed data size at the memory before deciding storage at the transmission buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/186 the unit being a colour or a chrominance component
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/436 using parallelised computational arrangements

Abstract

In an image processing apparatus and an image processing method for encoding image data in parallel with each other with a plurality of encoding units, the output rates of the encoding units can be dynamically controlled. The image data is converted to a plurality of pixel planes, and the plurality of encoding units 103c encode the pixel planes. An output rate control unit 103d controls the output rates to a shared memory from the plurality of encoding units 103c by controlling an access request that is to be output to a memory I/F unit 105, in accordance with at least one of a pixel plane conversion mode and available capacities of buffers 103b.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a conversion unit configured to convert image data to a plurality of pixel planes;

a plurality of first storage units configured to respectively store one of the plurality of pixel planes;

a plurality of encoding units configured to respectively encode a pixel plane stored in a corresponding one of the plurality of first storage units;

a rate control unit configured to control output rates from the plurality of encoding units to a second storage unit; and

an access control unit configured to grant an access request for access to the second storage unit,

wherein the rate control unit controls the output rates by controlling an access request that is to be output to the access control unit among access requests to the second storage unit from the plurality of encoding units, in accordance with a conversion mode of the conversion unit and/or available capacities of the first storage units.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the rate control unit controls the output rates such that in a case where the conversion mode is a second conversion mode, the output rate of an encoding unit among the plurality of encoding units that encodes a particular pixel plane is larger than in a case where the conversion mode is a first conversion mode.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the conversion unit converts the image data to a red pixel plane, a green pixel plane, and a blue pixel plane in the first conversion mode, and converts the image data to a luminance component pixel plane and a color difference component pixel plane in the second conversion mode.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the particular pixel plane is the luminance component pixel plane.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the rate control unit prioritizes output of the access request to the access control unit from the encoding unit corresponding to a first storage unit having a smallest available capacity among the plurality of first storage units.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the rate control unit periodically outputs, to the access control unit, one of the access requests to the second storage unit from the plurality of encoding units.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the image data is RAW data having a primary color Bayer pattern.

8. An image capture apparatus comprising:

an image sensor;

a conversion unit configured to convert image data obtained by the image sensor to a plurality of pixel planes;

a plurality of first storage units configured to respectively store one of the plurality of pixel planes;

a plurality of encoding units configured to respectively encode a pixel plane stored in a corresponding one of the plurality of first storage units;

a rate control unit configured to control output rates from the plurality of encoding units to a second storage unit; and

an access control unit configured to grant an access request for access to the second storage unit,

wherein the rate control unit controls the output rates by controlling an access request that is to be output to the access control unit among access requests to the second storage unit from the plurality of encoding units, in accordance with a conversion mode of the conversion unit and/or available capacities of the first storage units.

9. An image processing method executed by an image processing apparatus that comprises:

a conversion unit configured to convert image data to a plurality of pixel planes;

a plurality of first storage units configured to respectively store one of the plurality of pixel planes;

a plurality of encoding units configured to respectively encode a pixel plane stored in a corresponding one of the plurality of first storage units;

a second storage unit shared by the plurality of encoding units; and

an access control unit configured to grant an access request for access to the second storage unit, the method comprising;

controlling the output rates from the plurality of encoding units to the second storage unit, by controlling an access request that is to be output to the access control unit among access requests to the second storage unit from the plurality of encoding units, in accordance with a conversion mode of the conversion unit and/or available capacities of the first storage units.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as an image processing apparatus comprising:

a conversion unit configured to convert image data to a plurality of pixel planes;

a plurality of first storage units configured to respectively store one of the plurality of pixel planes;

a plurality of encoding units configured to respectively encode a pixel plane stored in a corresponding one of the plurality of first storage units;

a rate control unit configured to control output rates from the plurality of encoding units to a second storage unit; and

an access control unit configured to grant an access request for access to the second storage unit,

wherein the rate control unit controls the output rates by controlling an access request that is to be output to the access control unit among access requests to the second storage unit from the plurality of encoding units, in accordance with a conversion mode of the conversion unit and/or available capacities of the first storage units.