Image encoding apparatus and method
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsMamoru Sato, Hidefumi Osawa
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An image processing apparatus is provided which can shape codes and omit buffers at a decoding side as well as omit an image memory at an encoding side by providing code buffers for respective encoders. An image encoding apparatus for encoding image information in a hierarchical form includes encoders provided for respective hierarchies and code buffers provided after the respective encoders. Furthermore, it is possible to use a common code buffer memory for respective hierarchies at the encoding side. In such a case, by arranging so that a hierarchical tag can identify to which hierarchy a code belongs, a simplified encoding apparatus is provided.
Claims22
An image encoding apparatus, comprising:
- input means for inputting image data;
- first reduction means for reducing the input image data and for generating first reduced image data;
- first encoding means for encoding the input image data in accordance with the first reduced image data and for outputting first encoded image data;
- second reduction means for reducing the first reduced image data and for generating second reduced image data;
- and
- second encoding means for encoding the first reduced image data in accordance with the second reduced image data and for outputting second encoded image data,
- wherein said input means, said first reduction means, said second reduction means, said first encoding means and said second encoding means operate in parallel on different pixels of image data.
An image encoding method, comprising the steps of:
- inputting image data;
- reducing the input image data to generate first reduced image data;
- encoding the input image data in accordance with the first reduced image data and outputting first encoded image data;
- reducing the first reduced image data to generate second reduced image data;
- and
- encoding the first reduced image data in accordance with the second reduced image data and outputting second encoded image data,
- wherein said inputting step, said first reducing step, said second reducing step, said first encoding step and said second encoding step are performed in parallel for different pixels of image data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.