System and method for tiled multiresolution encoding/decoding and communication with lossless selective regions of interest via data reuse

• US 6,904,176 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2001
• Issued: 06/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: LightSurf Technologies, Inc. (VeriSign, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Haishan, Chui, Charles K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alavi, Amir
• Application Number:
  US09/999,760
• Time in Patent Office: 1,315 Days
• Field of Search: 382/220, 382/232, 382/233, 382/240, 382/244, 382/246, 382/250, 382/253, 382/284, 382/298, 382/300, 348/14.01, 375/240.19, 375/240.2, 375/240.21, 375/240.22, 375/240.25, 358/426.13, 358539-540
• US Class Current: 382/240
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/103 Selection of coding mode or of prediction mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/17 the unit being an image region, e.g. an object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/587 involving temporal sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. decimation or subsequent interpolation of pictures in a video sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/63 using sub-band based transform, e.g. wavelets

Abstract

A method and apparatus for processing an image is described. In one embodiment, the method comprises: receiving a portion of an encoded version of a downsized image and one or more encoded residual images, decoding the portion of the encoded version of the downsized image to create a decoded portion of the downsized image, decoding a portion of at least one or more encoded residual images, enlarging the decoded portion of the portion of the downsized image, and combining the enlarged and decoded portion of the downsized image with a first decoded residual image to create a new image.

Claims

1. A method for processing an image comprising:

receiving a portion of an encoded version of a downsized image and one or more encoded residual images;

decoding the portion of the encoded version of the downsized image to create a decoded portion of the downsized image;

decoding a portion of at least one of the one or more encoded residual images;

enlarging the decoded portion of the portion of the downsized image; and

combining the enlarged and decoded portion of the downsized image with at least a first decoded residual image to create a new image.

2. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

enlarging the new image;

combining the enlarged new image with a second decoded residual image to create another image.

3. The method defined in claim 2 wherein combining the enlarged new image with a second decoded residual image comprises decoding at least one encoded image to create the second decoded residual image.

4. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the encoded version of the downsized image is a JPEG encoded version of the downsized image, and the encoded version of the at least one residual image is a JPEG encoded version of the at least one residual image in which JPEG encoding used an MPEG Huffman table.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein enlarging the decoded downsized image comprises performing bilinear interpolation on the decoded downsized image.

6. The method defined in claim 1 wherein decoding the encoded version of the downsized image comprises JPEG decoding of the downsized image.

7. The method defined in claim 1 wherein decoding the encoded version of the downsized image comprises MPEG decoding the at least one encoded residual image.

8. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the decoded version of the downsized image comprises a bit stream of encoded dictionary look up information;

and further wherein decoding the encoded version of the downsized image comprises performing entropy encoding using a dictionary and applying a spline based high-frequency content matching/compensation.

9. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising repeating the operations for all tiles.

10. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising repeating the operations for all tile portions in a tile.

11. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the at least a portion of the encoded version of the downsized image results in creating a thumbnail version of the image.

12. The method defined in claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the encoded version of the downsized image comprises a tile.

13. The method defined in claim 1 wherein at least a portion of encoded version of the downsized image comprises a quarter of a tile.

14. The method defined in claim 1 wherein creation of the new image occurs in response to a signal to zoom in on a viewed image.

15. The method defined in claim 1 wherein creation of the new image occurs in response to a signal to pan a viewed image.

16. The method defined in claim 1 wherein creation of the new image occurs on a cell phone.

17. The method defined in claim 1 wherein creation of the new image occurs on a portable device.

18. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the portion of the first residual image comprises a tile.

19. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the portion of the first residual image comprises a quarter square section of a tile.

20. An apparatus comprising:

communication circuitry operable to receive a portion of an encoded version of a downsized image and one or more encoded residual images;

a memory coupled to store information received using the communication circuitry;

data processing circuitry to decode the portion of the encoded version of the downsized image to create a decoded portion of the downsized image, decode a portion of at least one of the one or more encoded residual images, enlarge the decoded portion of the portion of the downsized image, and combine the enlarged and decoded portion of the downsized image with at least a first decoded residual image to create a new image; and

a display coupled to the data processing circuitry to display the new image.

21. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein the data processing circuitry enlarges the new image and combines the enlarged new image with a second decoded residual image to create another image.

22. The apparatus defined in claim 21 wherein the data processing circuitry combines the enlarged new image with a second decoded residual image comprises decoding at least one encoded image to create the second decoded residual image.

23. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein the encoded version of the downsized image is a JPEG encoded version of the downsized image, and the encoded version of the at least one residual image is a JPEG encoded version of the at least one residual image in which JPEG encoding used an MPEG Huffman table.

24. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein the data processing circuitry enlarges the decoded downsized image by performing bilinear interpolation on the decoded downsized image.

25. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein the data processing circuitry includes a JPEG decoder and decodes the encoded version of the downsized image by JPEG decoding the downsized image.

26. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein the data processing circuitry comprises an MPEG decoder and decodes the encoded version of the downsized image by MPEG decoding the at least one encoded residual image.

27. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein the decoded version of the downsized image comprises a bit stream of encoded dictionary look up information;

and further wherein the data processing circuitry comprises a spline-wavelet based dequantizer and decodes the encoded version of the downsized image comprises performing entropy encoding using a dictionary and applying the spline-wavelet based high-frequency content matching/compensation.

28. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein the communication circuitry comprises a wireless communication circuitry.

29. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein the communication circuitry comprises a personal digital assistant (PDA) communication circuitry.

30. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein the communication circuitry receives a portion of a second residual image, and the data processing circuitry decodes the portion of the second residual image to create a decoded portion of the second residual image.

31. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein creation of the new image occurs in response to a signal to zoom in on a viewed image.

32. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein creation of the new image occurs in response to a signal to pan a viewed image.

33. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein creation of the new image occurs on a cell phone.

34. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein creation of the new image occurs on a portable device.

35. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein the portion of the first residual image comprises a tile.

36. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein the portion of the first residual image comprises a quarter square section of a tile.