Image information encoding/decoding system

• US 6,016,364 A
• Filed: 07/21/1998
• Issued: 01/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Mimura, Hideki, Kikuchi, Shinichi, Taira, Kazuhiko, Kitamura, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Couso, Jose L.
• Application Number:
  US09/119,732
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 382/232, 382/233, 382/236, 382/238, 382/239, 382/240, 382/245, 382/246, 382/247, 382/248, 348/420, 348/421, 358/261.1, 358/432, 358/433
• US Class Current: 382/232
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00007 Time or data compression or expansion audio compression based on psychoacoustics G10L19/00; data processing for reproducing audio data at different playback speeds G10L21/04; video compression H04N19/00; data compression per se H03M7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1217 on discs
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/46 Conversion to or from run-length codes, i.e. by representing the number of consecutive digits, or groups of digits, of the same kind by a code word and a digit indicative of that kind
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/93 Run-length coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/236 Assembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. transport stream, by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, e.g. inserting a URL [Uniform Resource Locator] into a video stream, multiplexing software data into a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bit-rate; Assembling of a packetised elementary stream multiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A bit train of a plurality of continuous pixels is compressed according to a new run-length compression scheme. In this run-length compression scheme, the run information of one unit compression includes run-length information indicating the continuous number of the same pixel data blocks, or the number of pixels followed, and pixel data having a two-bit configuration for discriminating three or more colors of the pixels.

Claims

1. A system of encoding and decoding an integral body of information which is formed of a plurality of pixel data each defined by a predetermined number of bits, wherein a data block, containing same continuous pixel data, is compressed as one unit of compression and a bit train of the compressed data block is then expanded, the system comprising a combination of:

(a) encoding processing including;

generating a compressed unit data block in accordance with a coding header corresponding to a continuing number of the same pixel data in the data block of the one compression unit, with a number of pixels followed indicating the continuing number of the same pixel data, and with data representing the same pixel data in the data block of the one compression unit, and

(b) decoding processing including;

coding header detecting for detecting the coding header from the data block of the one compression unit generated by the generating of the compressed unit data block of the encoding processing, wherein the coding header indicates the number of pixels followed, or indicates a group of the number of pixels followed and the same pixel data;

continuous pixel number detecting for detecting from the data block the number data of the pixels followed, after the coding header is detected;

pixel data determining for determining a content of the pixel data in an uncompressed data block of the one compression unit, in accordance with a remainder of the data block of the one compression unit, from which are removed the detected coding header detected by the coding header detecting and the detected number data of the pixels followed detected by the continuous pixel number detecting; and

pixel pattern restoration for arranging bit data of the determined content determined by the pixel data determining, by a number indicated by the detected number data of the pixels followed detected by the continuous pixel number detecting, so as to restore a pattern of uncompressed pixel data of the one compression unit, wherein

the integral body of information includes a specific header comprising information of a size of the integral body of information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said integral body of information is represented by contents of a group of data packets, each of the data packets including sub-picture data relating to said pixel data and a packet header thereof.

3. A decoding apparatus for decoding a bit train of a unit of a compressed data block, which is obtained by compressing same continuous pixel data as one unit of compression, wherein the compressed data block corresponds to at least part of an information integral body formed by a plurality of pixel data each defined by a predetermined number of bits, and wherein the compressed data block includes either a coding header indicating data of a number of pixels followed, which number data corresponds to the number of the same continuous pixel data, or a coding header indicating the number data of pixels followed as well as the same continuous pixel data, the decoding apparatus comprising:

a coding header detecting means for detecting the coding header from the data block of the one compression unit contained in the information integral body;

a continuous pixel number detecting means for detecting the number data of the pixels followed, from the data block of the one compression unit, in accordance with a content of the coding header detected by the coding header detecting means;

a pixel data determining means for determining a content of the pixel data in an uncompressed data block of the one compression unit, in accordance with a remainder of the data block of the one compression unit, from which removed are the coding header detected by the coding header detecting means and the number data of the pixels followed detected by the continuous pixel number detecting means; and

a pixel pattern restoration means for arranging bit data of the content determined by the pixel data determining means, by a number indicated by the number data of the pixels followed detected by the continuous pixel number detecting means, so as to restore a pattern of uncompressed pixel data of the one compression unit, wherein

the information integral body includes a specific header comprising information of a size of the information integral body.