Image data encoding and decoding using plural different encoding circuits

• US 6,798,977 B2
• Filed: 02/02/1999
• Issued: 09/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Maeda, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHIEU, PO LIN
• Application Number:
  US09/241,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20030147462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,065 Days
• Field of Search: 386/111-112, 386/33, 375/240.03, 375/240.08, 375/240.1, 375/240-1-2, 382/232, 382/234, 382/236, 382/238, 382/251
• US Class Current: 386/341
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/115 Selection of the code volume for a coding unit prior to coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/126 Details of normalisation or weighting functions, e.g. normalisation matrices or variable uniform quantisers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/152 by measuring the fullness of the transmission buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/159 Prediction type, e.g. intra-frame, inter-frame or bidirectional frame prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/17 the unit being an image region, e.g. an object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/20 using video object coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/23 with coding of regions that are present throughout a whole video segment, e.g. sprites, background or mosaic
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/573 Motion compensation with multiple frame prediction using two or more reference frames in a given prediction direction

Abstract

In an image processing apparatus and method, a plurality of objects are separated from input moving image data. The separated first object is encoded by a first encoding method. The separated second object is encoded by a second encoding method. The encoding process for the second object is controlled in accordance with encoded data of the first object.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a) input means for inputting moving image data;

b) separating means for separating a plurality of objects from the input moving image data from said input means;

c) first encoding means for encoding a first object, separated by said separating means, by a first encoding method;

d) second encoding means for encoding a second object, separated by said separating means, by a second encoding method, wherein said first encoding means and said second encoding means are arranged independently of each other;

e) control means for controlling a code amount of the second object in accordance with a code amount of the first object generated by said first encoding means, while said control means does not control the code amount of the first object in accordance with the code amount of the second object; and

f) synthesizing means for synthesizing first encoded data which is encoded by said first encoding means, and second encoded data which is encoded by said second encoding means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said second encoding means comprises quantizing means, and

said control means comprises setting means for setting a frame rate and controls a quantization step of said quantizing means in accordance with an output from said setting means.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said second encoding means comprises quantizing means and recording means for recording the encoded data generated by said first and second encoding means on a recording medium, and

said control means controls a quantization step of said quantizing means in accordance with a capacity of said recording medium.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said second encoding means comprises quantizing means and communicating means for communicating the encoded data, generated by said first and second encoding means, by using an external transmission path, and

said control means controls a quantization step of said quantizing means in accordance with a communication data rate of said communicating means.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said separating means discriminates and separates a plurality of objects in accordance with movement of image data.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said separating means discriminates and separates a plurality of objects in accordance with a pixel value difference between frames.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said separating means separates at least a background image and a remaining image.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first encoding means performs hierarchical encoding.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first encoding means performs JPEG encoding.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second encoding means performs encoding by selectively using intra-frame encoding and inter-frame encoding.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said synthesizing means divisionally synthesizes encoded data of the first object.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said synthesizing means also synthesizes information indicating an attribute of each object.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising recording means for recording encoded data obtained by said synthesizing means.

14. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising interface means for communicating encoded data obtained by said synthesizing means.

15. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input means comprises a video camera.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said separating means receives imaging information indicating an imaging state from said video camera and separates objects of the same kind from the image data in accordance with the imaging information.

17. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input means comprises a video recorder.

18. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first object is a background image in the image data.

19. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

a) separating a plurality of objects from input moving image data;

b) encoding a separated first object by a first encoding method using first encoding means;

c) encoding a separated second object by a second encoding method using second encoding means, wherein the first encoding means and the second encoding means are arranged independently of each other;

d) controlling a code amount of the second object in accordance with a code amount of the first object while not controlling the code amount of the first object in accordance with the code amount of the second object; and

e) synthesizing first encoded data which is encoded in said encoding step using the first encoding means, and second encoded data which is encoded in said encoding step using the second encoding means.

20. An image decoding apparatus for decoding synthetic encoded data obtained by separating first and second objects from input moving image data, encoding the first object by a first encoding method using first encoding means, encoding the second object by a second encoding method using second encoding means which is arranged independently of the first encoding means while a code amount of the second object is controlled in accordance with a code amount of the first object and the code amount of the first object is not controlled in accordance with the code amount of the second object, synthesizing the encoded data of the first object and the encoded data of the second object, and transmitting synthetic data, comprising:

a) separating means for separating the synthetic encoded data into the encoded data of the first object and the encoded data of the second object;

b) first decoding means for decoding the encoded data of the first object separated by said separating means; and

c) second decoding means for decoding the encoded data of the second object separated by said separating means.

21. An apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising synthesizing means for synthesizing outputs from said first and second decoding means.

22. An apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising display means for displaying synthetic data generated by said synthesizing means.

23. An image decoding method of decoding synthetic encoded data obtained by separating first and second objects from input moving image data, encoding the first object by a first encoding method using first encoding means, encoding the second object by a second encoding method using second encoding means which is arranged independently of the first encoding means while a code amount of the second object is controlled in accordance with a code amount of the first object and the code amount of the first object is not controlled in accordance with the code amount of the second object, synthesizing the encoded data of the first object and the encoded data of the second object, and transmitting synthetic data, comprising the steps of:

a) separating the synthetic encoded data into the encoded data of the first object and the encoded data of the second object;

b) decoding the encoded data of the separated first object; and

c) decoding the encoded data of the separated second object.

24. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a) input means for inputting moving image data;

b) separating means for separating a plurality of objects from the input moving image data from said input means;

c) first encoding means for encoding a first object, separated by said separating means, by a first encoding method;

d) second encoding means for encoding a second object, separated by said separating means, by a second encoding method; and

e) control means for controlling a code amount of the second object in accordance with a code amount of the first object generated by said first encoding means, while said control means does not control the code amount of the first object in accordance with the code amount of the second object.

25. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

a) inputting moving image data;

b) separating a plurality of objects from the input moving image data provided in said inputting step;

c) encoding a first object, separated in said separating step, by a first encoding method;

d) encoding a second object, separated in said separating step, by a second encoding method; and

e) controlling a code amount of the second object in accordance with a code amount of the first object generated in said first object encoding step, while said control means does not control the code amount of the first object in accordance with the code amount of the second object.

26. A storage medium which computer-readably stores a program for executing an image processing method, said image processing method comprising the steps of:

a) inputting moving image data;

b) separating a plurality of objects from the input moving image data provided in said inputting step;

c) encoding a first object, separated in said separating step, by a first encoding method;

d) encoding a second object, separated in said separating step, by a second encoding method; and

e) controlling a code amount of the second object in accordance with a code amount of the first object generated in said first object encoding step, while said control means does not control the code amount of the first object in accordance with the code amount of the second object.

27. A storage medium which computer-readably stores a program for executing an image decoding method of decoding synthetic encoded data obtained by separating first and second objects from input moving image data, encoding the first object by a first encoding method using first encoding means, encoding the second object by a second encoding method using second encoding means which is arranged independently of the first encoding means while a code amount of the second object is controlled in accordance with a code amount of the first object and the code amount of the first object is not controlled in accordance with the code amount of the second object, synthesizing the encoded data of the first object and the encoded data of the second object, and transmitting synthetic data, said image decoding method comprising the steps of:

a) separating the synthetic encoded data into the encoded data of the first object and the encoded data of the second object;

b) decoding the encoded data of the separated first object; and

c) decoding the encoded data of the separated second object.