Method of reducing quantization noise generated during a decoding process of image data and device for decoding image data

• US 5,949,908 A
• Filed: 11/21/1995
• Issued: 09/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
• Original Assignee: Victor Company of Japan Limited (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugahara, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Couso, Jose L.
• Application Number:
  US08/561,350
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 382/232, 382/233, 382/236, 382/238, 382/239, 382/240, 348/402, 348/405, 348/412, 348/415, 348/416, 348/417, 348/413, 348/420
• US Class Current: 382/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/117 Filters, e.g. for pre-processing or post-processing sub-band filter banks H04N19/635
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/126 Details of normalisation or weighting functions, e.g. normalisation matrices or variable uniform quantisers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/137 Motion inside a coding unit, e.g. average field, frame or block difference
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/139 Analysis of motion vectors, e.g. their magnitude, direction, variance or reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/159 Prediction type, e.g. intra-frame, inter-frame or bidirectional frame prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• 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 19/527 Global motion vector estimation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/86 involving reduction of coding artifacts, e.g. of blockiness

Abstract

A device for decoding coded image data divided into a plurality of blocks so as to generate decoded image data by applying an inverse orthogonal transformation to each block of the plurality of blocks includes a quantization-information detecting unit detecting block-quantization-step-size information indicative of quantization step sizes used for the plurality of blocks. The device also includes a variable-gain-low-pass filter reducing high frequency components of the decoded image data in a predetermined proximity of borders of the plurality of blocks based on the block-quantization-step-size information, the high frequency components having frequencies higher than a predetermined frequency.

Claims

1. A device for decoding coded image data divided into a plurality of blocks so as to generate decoded image data by applying an inverse orthogonal transformation to each block of said plurality of blocks, said device comprising:

a quantization-information detecting unit detecting block-quantization-step-size information indicative of quantization step sizes used for said plurality of blocks;

a variable-gain-low-pass filter reducing high frequency components of said decoded image data located in a predetermined proximity of borders of said plurality of blocks based on said block-quantization-step-size information so as to take into account said quantization step sizes of a given block as well as differences in said quantization step sizes between said given block and adjacent blocks thereof, said high frequency components having frequencies higher than a predetermined frequency; and

a control-signal generating unit generating a control signal by using said block-quantization-step-size information on a given block and adjacent blocks thereof, said control signal being indicative of said quantization step sizes used for said given block differences in said quantization step sizes between said given block and said adjacent blocks, and wherein

said variable-gain-low-pass filter, operating based on said control signal, reduces said high frequency components in said given block by an increased amount as said quantization step sizes used for said given block increase in size, and reduces said high frequency components in said given block by an increased amount as said differences in said quantization step sizes increase.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said variable-gain-low-pass filter comprises:

border determining means for determining whether a currently processed pixel is within said predetermined proximity of said borders;

low-frequency separating means for separating low frequency components of said decoded image data, said low frequency components having frequencies lower than said predetermined frequency;

high-frequency separating means for separating said high frequency components;

reducing means for reducing said high frequency components according to said control signal when said currently processed pixel is within said predetermined proximity of said borders; and

combining means for combining said low frequency components and an output of said reducing means.

3. A device for reducing quantization noise from decoded image data which is decoded from coded image data divided into a plurality of blocks by applying an inverse orthogonal transformation to each block of said plurality of blocks, said device comprising:

a quantization-information detecting unit detecting block-quantization-step-size information indicative of quantization step sizes of said plurality of blocks;

a variable-gain-low-pass filter reducing high frequency components of said decoded image data in a predetermined proximity of borders of said plurality of blocks based on said block-quantization-step-size information so as to take into account said quantization step sizes of a given block as well as differences in said quantization step sizes between said given block and adjacent blocks thereof, said high frequency components having frequencies higher than a predetermined frequency; and

a control-signal generating unit generating a control signal by using said block-quantization-step-size information on a given block and adjacent blocks thereof, said control signal being indicative of said quantization step sizes used for said given block and differences in said quantization step sizes between said given block and said adjacent blocks, and wherein

said variable-gain-low-pass filter, operating based on said control signal, reduces said high frequency components in said given block by an increased amount as said quantization step sizes used for said given block increase in size, and reduces said high frequency components in said given block by an increased amount as said differences in said quantization step sizes increase.

4. A method of reducing quantization noise from decoded image data which is decoded from coded image data divided into a plurality of blocks by applying an inverse orthogonal transformation to each block of said plurality of blocks, said method comprising the steps of:

a) detecting block-quantization-step-size information indicative of quantization step sizes of said plurality of blocks; and

b) reducing high frequency components of said decoded image data in a predetermined proximity of borders of said plurality of blocks based on said block-quantization-step-size information so as to take into account said quantization step sizes of a given block as well as differences in said quantization step sizes between said given block and adjacent blocks thereof, said high frequency components having frequencies higher than a predetermined frequency,

wherein said step b) comprises;

b-1) generating a control signal by using said block-quantization-step-size information on a given block and adjacent blocks thereof, said control signal being indicative of said quantization step sizes used for said given block and differences in said quantization step sizes between said given block and said adjacent blocks; and

b-2) reducing said high frequency components in said given block by an increased amount as said quantization step sizes used for said given block increase, and reducing said high frequency components in said given block by an increased amount as said differences increase, according to said control signal.