# US 11,443,456 B2 · Data compression method and device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,443,456 B2 - Document ID: US11443456B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/816,468 - Filed: 2020-03-12 - Published: 2020-09-24 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2019-03-18 - Assignees: Denso Corporation - Applicants: Denso Corporation - Inventors: Tadashi Kawagoe; Kazuyoshi Suzuki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11443456B2 ## CPC - 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) - H04L 1/0076: {Distributed coding, e.g. network coding, involving channel coding (coding in both space and time H04L1/0618; cooperative diversity H04B7/022)} - H04N 19/00: Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals - G16Y 40/35: Management of things, i.e. controlling in accordance with a policy or in order to achieve specified objectives - H04L 2001/0097: {Relays} - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G16Y: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE INTERNET OF THINGS [IoT] ## Abstract In a data compression method of compressing data including at least one of a character and a number, the data is converted into character string data composed of 0s and 1s. Each of the 0s and 1s included in the character string data is treated as 1-bit data, and the 1-bit data is arranged in a data region having a two-dimensional array. Lossless compression of the data arranged in the data region is performed by using an image processing method. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A data compression method of compressing data including at least one character and at least one number, the data compression method comprising the steps of: converting the data including the at least one character and the at least one number into binary string data composed of only 1s and 1s; converting the binary string data into pseudo image data by dividing the binary string data into a sequence of segments each having a predefined number of bits and storing the sequence of segments in a two-dimensional array of pixels, with each pixel corresponding to a segment from the sequence of segments and having a color value based on the predefined number of bits of the corresponding segment; and performing lossless compression on the pseudo image data by using an image processing method. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The data compression method according to claim 1, wherein the image processing method is a PNG-format image processing method. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The data compression method according to claim 1, wherein: the data includes a plurality of comma characters with each comma character of the plurality of comma characters indicating separation between individual pieces of the data; and converting the data into the binary string data includes deleting the plurality of comma characters. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The data compression method according to claim 1, wherein: converting the data into the binary string data includes converting the at least one number into a binary number having a fixed bit width. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The data compression method according to claim 1, wherein: the data is transmitted from a programmable logic controller and includes ON and OFF characters each indicating a state of a relay; and converting the data into the binary string data includes assigning the ON and OFF characters to 1 and 0, respectively, and replacing the ON and OFF characters with 1 and 0, respectively, in the binary string data. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The data compression method according to claim 1, wherein: the data is transmitted from a programmable logic controller and includes at least one time stamp for a control cycle; and converting the data into the binary string data includes deleting the at least one time stamp. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The data compression method according to claim 1, wherein: the data is transmitted from a programmable logic controller and includes data indicating a state of a relay; and a timing at which the state of the relay is switched is stored. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The data compression method according to claim 1, wherein: the data is transmitted from a programmable logic controller and includes a time stamp for a control cycle; and when the data compressed by lossless compression is saved, an earliest time stamp is used as a file name of a file storing the compressed pseudo image data. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The data compression method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined number of bits is 24 bits. ### Claim 10 A data compression device for compressing data including at least one character and at least one number, the data compression device comprising: a conversion unit configured to convert the data including the at least one character and the at least one number into binary string data composed of only 0s and 1s; an arrangement unit configured to convert the binary string data into pseudo image data by dividing the binary string data into a sequence of segments each having a predefined number of bits and storing the sequence of segments in a two-dimensional array of pixels, with each pixel corresponding to a segment from the sequence of segments and having a color value based on the predefined number of bits of the corresponding segment; and a compression unit configured to perform lossless compression on the pseudo image data by using an image processing method. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The data compression device according to claim 10, wherein the image processing method is a PNG-format image processing method. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The data compression device according to claim 10, wherein: the data includes a plurality of comma characters with each comma character of the plurality of comma characters indicating separation between individual pieces of the data; and the conversion unit is configured to delete the plurality of comma characters when converting the data into the binary string data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The data compression device according to claim 10, wherein: the conversion unit is configured to convert the at least one number into a binary number having a fixed bit width. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The data compression device according to claim 10, wherein: the data is transmitted from a programmable logic controller and includes ON and OFF characters each indicating a state of a relay; and the conversion unit is configured to assign the ON and OFF characters to 1 and 0, respectively, and to replace the ON and OFF characters and to convert the data into the binary string data by replacing the ON and OFF characters with 1 and 0, respectively. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The data compression device according to claim 10, wherein: the data is transmitted from a programmable logic controller and includes a time stamp for a control cycle; and the conversion unit is configured to delete the time stamp from the data when converting the data to the binary string data. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The data compression device according to claim 10, wherein: the data is transmitted from a programmable logic controller and includes data indicating a state of a relay; and a timing at which the state of the relay is switched is stored. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The data compression device according to claim 9, wherein: the data is transmitted from a programmable logic controller and includes a time stamp for a control cycle; and when the data compressed by lossless compression is saved, an earliest time stamp is used as a file name of a file storing the compressed pseudo image data. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The data compression device according to claim 10, wherein the predefined number of bits is 24 bits.