Method For Efficient Compression and Decoding of Single Sensor Color Image Data

• US 20110286514A1
• Filed: 08/02/2011
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
• Original Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
• Inventors: Newman, David A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,345,969 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/00 Image coding bandwidth or redundancy reduction for static pictures H04N1/41; coding or decoding of static colour picture signals H04N1/64; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00
• 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 19/117 Filters, e.g. for pre-processing or post-processing sub-band filter banks H04N19/635
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/136 Incoming video signal characteristics or properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/186 the unit being a colour or a chrominance component
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/44 Decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video decoders which are asymmetric with respect to the encoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/85 using pre-processing or post-processing specially adapted for video compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing

Abstract

A method is described to greatly improve the efficiency of and reduce the complexity of image compression when using single-sensor color imagers for video acquisition. The method in addition allows for this new image compression type to be compatible with existing video processing tools, improving the workflow for film and television production.

Claims

1. A method for compressing color imagery from a single sensor of interleaved color primaries comprising:

retrieving, from a memory buffer of an imaging device, an image plane including a plurality of pixel values of spatially-interleaved color primaries;

separating the spatially-interleaved color primaries into a plurality of independent color channels;

encoding each of the plurality of independent color channels into a compressed form; and

storing each of the compressed forms in a memory.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subtracting the pixel values from a first independent color channel from the pixel values of a second independent color channel; and

encoding the resulting pixel value differences into a compressed form.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first independent color channel and the second independent color channel represent the same color in different color planes.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first independent color channel and the second independent color channel represent the color green.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding the pixel values from a first independent color channel to the pixel values of a second independent color channel; and

encoding the resulting pixel value sums into a compressed form.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first independent color channel and the second independent color channel represent the same color in different color planes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first independent color channel and the second independent color channel represent the color green.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the separation of the spatially-interleaved color primaries into a plurality of independent color channels is performed directly upon the source image plane.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of independent color channels are encoded into a compressed form using DCT or wavelet compression.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

decoding the compressed forms into a plurality of independent color channels; and

combining the plurality of independent color channels into a full color display memory.

11. A system for compressing color imagery from a single sensor of interleaved color primaries comprising:

a retrieval module configured to retrieve, from a memory buffer of an imaging device, an image plane including a plurality of pixel values of spatially-interleaved color primaries;

a color channel module configured to separate the spatially-interleaved color primaries into a plurality of independent color channels;

an encoder configured to encode each of the plurality of independent color channels into a compressed form; and

a storage module configured to store each of the compressed forms in a memory.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising;

a difference module configured to subtract the pixel values from a first independent color channel from the pixel values of a second independent color channel;

wherein the encoder is further configured to encode the resulting pixel value differences into a compressed form.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first independent color channel and the second independent color channel represent the same color in different color planes.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first independent color channel and the second independent color channel represent the color green.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising;

a summation module configured to add the pixel values from a first independent color channel to the pixel values of a second independent color channel;

wherein the encoder is further configured to encode the resulting pixel value sums into a compressed form.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first independent color channel and the second independent color channel represent the same color in different color planes.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first independent color channel and the second independent color channel represent the color green.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the separation of the spatially-interleaved color primaries into a plurality of independent color channels is performed directly upon the source image plane.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of independent color channels are encoded into a compressed form using DCT or wavelet compression.

20. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

a decoder configured to decode the compressed forms into a plurality of independent color channels; and

a combination module configured to combine the plurality of independent color channels into a full color display memory.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions thereon for compressing color imagery from a single sensor of interleaved color primaries that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

retrieving, from a memory buffer of an imaging device, an image plane including a plurality of pixel values of spatially-interleaved color primaries;

separating the spatially-interleaved color primaries into a plurality of independent color channels;

encoding each of the plurality of independent color channels into a compressed form; and

storing each of the compressed forms in a memory.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions for:

subtracting the pixel values from a first independent color channel from the pixel values of a second independent color channel; and

encoding the resulting pixel value differences into a compressed form.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions for:

adding the pixel values from a first independent color channel to the pixel values of a second independent color channel; and

encoding the resulting pixel value sums into a compressed form.