# US 12,603,981 B2 · Image data encoding/decoding method and apparatus

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,603,981 B2
- Document ID: US12603981B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/673,266
- Filed: 2024-05-23
- Published: 2024-09-19
- Granted: 2026-04-14
- Earliest claimed: 2016-10-04
- Assignees: B1 Institute of Image Technology, Inc.
- Applicants: B1 Institute of Image Technology, Inc.
- Inventors: Ki Baek Kim
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12603981B2

## CPC

- H04N 13/161: Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components (for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597)
- G06T 3/40: Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
- H04N 19/103: Selection of coding mode or of prediction mode
- H04N 19/105: Selection of the reference unit for prediction within a chosen coding or prediction mode, e.g. adaptive choice of position and number of pixels used for prediction
- H04N 19/11: among a plurality of spatial predictive coding modes
- H04N 19/119: Adaptive subdivision aspects, e.g. subdivision of a picture into rectangular or non-rectangular coding blocks
- H04N 19/124: Quantisation
- H04N 19/129: Scanning of coding units, e.g. zig-zag scan of transform coefficients or flexible macroblock ordering [FMO]
- H04N 19/13: Adaptive entropy coding, e.g. adaptive variable length coding [AVLC] or context adaptive binary arithmetic coding [CABAC]
- H04N 19/134: characterised by the element, parameter or criterion affecting or controlling the adaptive coding
- H04N 19/157: Assigned coding mode, i.e. the coding mode being predefined or preselected to be further used for selection of another element or parameter
- H04N 19/159: Prediction type, e.g. intra-frame, inter-frame or bidirectional frame prediction
- H04N 19/167: Position within a video image, e.g. region of interest [ROI]
- H04N 19/172: the region being a picture, frame or field
- H04N 19/174: the region being a slice, e.g. a line of blocks or a group of blocks
- H04N 19/176: the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
- H04N 19/55: Motion estimation with spatial constraints, e.g. at image or region borders
- H04N 19/597: specially adapted for multi-view video sequence encoding
- H04N 19/625: using discrete cosine transform [DCT]
- H04N 19/70: characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards
- H04N 23/698: for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
- H04N 19/61: in combination with predictive coding
- H04N 19/96: Tree coding, e.g. quad-tree coding
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for decoding an image. A method includes receiving a bitstream obtained by encoding the image; dividing a first coding block into a plurality of second coding blocks; generating a prediction block of a second coding block based on syntax information obtained from the bitstream; and reconstructing the second coding block based on the prediction block and a residual block of the second coding block, the residual block being obtained by performing a dequantization and an inverse-transform on quantized transform coefficients from the bitstream. The first coding block has a recursive division structure. The first coding block is divided based on at least one of a quad tree division, a binary tree division or a triple tree division.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of decoding a 360-degree image, the method comprising:
receiving a bitstream obtained by encoding the 360-degree image;
generating a predicted image with reference to syntax information acquired from the received bitstream;
acquiring a decoded image by combining the generated predicted image with a residual image acquired by inversely quantizing and inversely transforming the bitstream; and
reconstructing the decoded image to produce a 360-degree image corresponding to a projection format,
wherein the generating of the predicted image comprises:
obtaining a reference image acquired by restoring the bitstream and by performing image expansion on the reference image; and
generating a predicted image with reference to the reference image on which the image expansion is performed,
wherein the reference image on which the image expansion is performed includes an expansion region,
wherein a size of the expansion region is determined as a value indicated by size information obtained from the bitstream,
wherein a number of syntax elements for the size information varies according to the projection format, the projection format being one among a plurality of projection formats including an ERP format in which the 360-degree image is projected in a two-dimensional plane and a CMP format in which the 360-degree image is projected in a cube,
wherein sample values in the expansion region are determined according to a padding method selected among a plurality of padding methods, and
wherein the padding method for a right side of the expansion region is determined separately from the padding method for a left side of the expansion region, information explicitly indicating the padding method for the right side and the padding method for the left side being obtained from the bitstream.

### Claim 2

A method of encoding a 360-degree image, the method comprising:
generating a predicted image, syntax information for the predicted image being encoded into a bitstream;
acquiring a residual image based on the predicted image; and
encoding the residual image into the bitstream by transforming and quantizing the residual image,
wherein the residual image and the predicted image being used to reconstruct a decoded image which is used to produce a 360-degree image corresponding to a projection format,
wherein the generating of the predicted image comprises:
obtaining a reference image among previous images and by performing image expansion on the reference image; and
generating a predicted image with reference to the reference image on which the image expansion is performed,
wherein the reference image on which the image expansion is performed includes an expansion region,
wherein a size of the expansion region is determined as a value indicated by size information encoded into the bitstream,
wherein a number of syntax elements for the size information varies according to the projection format, the projection format being one among a plurality of projection formats including an ERP format in which the 360-degree image is projected in a two-dimensional plane and a CMP format in which the 360-degree image is projected in a cube,
wherein sample values in the expansion region are determined according to a padding method selected among a plurality of padding methods, and
wherein the padding method for a right side of the expansion region is determined separately from the padding method for a left side of the expansion region, information explicitly indicating the padding method for the right side and the padding method for the left side being encoded into the bitstream.

### Claim 3

A method of transmitting a bitstream that is generated by a method of encoding a 360-degree image, the method comprising:
generating a predicted image, syntax information for the predicted image being encoded into a bitstream;
acquiring a residual image based on the predicted image;
encoding the residual image into the bitstream by transforming and quantizing the residual image; and
transmitting the bitstream,
wherein the residual image and the predicted image being used to reconstruct a decoded image which is used to produce a 360-degree image corresponding to a projection format,
wherein the generating of the predicted image comprises:
obtaining a reference image among previous images and by performing image expansion on the reference image; and
generating a predicted image with reference to the reference image on which the image expansion is performed,
wherein the reference image on which the image expansion is performed includes an expansion region,
wherein a size of the expansion region is determined as a value indicated by size information encoded into the bitstream,
wherein a number of syntax elements for the size information varies according to the projection format, the projection format being one among a plurality of projection formats including an ERP format in which the 360-degree image is projected in a two-dimensional plane and a CMP format in which the 360-degree image is projected in a cube,
wherein sample values in the expansion region are determined according to a padding method selected among a plurality of padding methods, and
wherein the padding method for a right side of the expansion region is determined separately from the padding method for a left side of the expansion region, information explicitly indicating the padding method for the right side and the padding method for the left side being encoded into the bitstream.