US 5,512,952 AGranted

Picture signal encoding and/or decoding apparatus

AssigneeSony Corporation

InventorRyuichi Iwamura

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Abstract

Apparatus for compressing a motion picture signal divided into blocks, in which circuits perform the following operations: subtracting the blocks of the motion picture signal from corresponding prediction blocks of a prediction picture to provide prediction error blocks. Orthogonally transforming the error blocks to provide transform coefficients. Quantizing the transform coefficients to provide quantized transform coefficients, and coding the quantized transform coefficients to provide coded transform coefficients. A local decoder expands the quantized transform coefficients to provide an additional prediction picture. A motion detector calculates a motion vector for each of plural subblocks obtained by dividing each block by at least four. A representative motion vector generator generates plural representative vectors from the motion vectors of the subblocks constituting each block. The representative vectors are fewer in number than the number of subblocks per block, and represent the motion vectors of the subblocks. In response to the representative vectors, a motion compensator applies motion compensation to the prediction picture to produce the prediction blocks. In a complementary expander, a demultiplexer separates coded transform coefficients and coded vector data, including the representative vectors, from the compressed picture block. A vector decoder detects and decodes the representative vectors in the coded vector data, decoding fewer representative vectors than the number of subblocks. A calculating circuit calculates the motion vectors of the subblocks from the representative vectors, and a circuit derives a block of the output picture signal from the coded transform coefficients and the motion vectors.

Claims19

Dependent claims

Apparatus for compressing a motion picture signal, the motion picture signal being divided into blocks including a current block, the apparatus comprising:

motion detecting means for segmenting the current block into subblocks numbering at least four, and for calculating, from a prediction picture and each of the subblocks constituting the current block, a motion vector for each of the subblocks constituting the current block;
subtracting means for subtracting the current block from a prediction block of the prediction picture to provide a prediction error block;
means for orthogonally transforming the prediction error block to provide transform coefficients;
means for quantizing the transform coefficients to provide quantized transform coefficients;
means for coding the quantized transform coefficients to provide coded quantized transform coefficients;
local decoding means for locally decoding the quantized transform coefficients to provide a block of an additional prediction picture;
representative motion vector generating means, operating when a difference between motion vectors of at least two of the subblocks constituting the current block is below a predetermined threshold, for generating, from the motion vectors of the subblocks constituting the current block, at least one or more representative motion vectors, a single one of said at least one or more representative motion vectors representing said motion vectors below the predetermined threshold, said at least one or more representative motion vectors collectively representing the motion vectors of all the subblocks constituting the current block, the representative motion vector generating means generating fewer representative motion vectors than a number of subblocks constituting the current block;
and
motion compensating means for producing the prediction block from the prediction picture, the prediction block being constituted of a prediction subblock corresponding to each of the subblocks constituting the current block, the motion compensating means producing each prediction subblock by applying motion compensation to the prediction picture in response to a motion vector derived for the prediction subblock from the at least one or more representative motion vectors.

6 more elements

Apparatus for compressing a motion picture signal, the motion picture signal being divided into blocks including a current block, the apparatus comprising:

motion detecting means for segmenting the current block into subblocks numbering at least four, and for calculating, from a prediction picture and each of the subblocks constituting the current block, a motion vector for each of the subblocks constituting the current block;
means for subtracting the current block from a prediction block of the prediction picture to provide a prediction error block;
means for orthogonally transforming the prediction error block to provide transform coefficients;
means for quantizing the transform coefficients to provide quantized transform coefficients;
means for coding the quantized transform coefficients to provide coded quantized transform coefficients;
local decoding means for locally decoding the quantized transform coefficients to provide a block of an additional prediction picture;
representative motion vector generating means, operating when a difference between motion vectors of at least two of the subblocks constituting the current block is below a predetermined threshold, for generating, for the current block from the motion vectors of the subblocks constituting the current block, at least one or more representative motion vectors, a single one of said at least one or more representative motion vectors representing said motion vectors below the predetermined threshold, said at least one or more representative motion vectors collectively representing the motion vectors of all the subblocks constituting the current block, the representative motion vector generating means generating fewer representative motion vectors than a number of subblocks constituting the block, the representative motion vector generating means including:
means for selecting, as a selected pattern for the current block, one of plural predetermined patterns each of the plural predetermined patterns indicating an arrangement within the current block of the subblocks whose motion vectors are all collectively represented by the at least one or more representative motion vectors, and
means for adopting ones of the motion vectors of the subblocks indicated by the selected pattern as the at least one or more representative motion vectors for the current block;
and
motion compensating means for producing the prediction block from the prediction picture, the prediction block being constituted of a prediction subblock corresponding to each of the subblocks constituting the current block, the motion compensating means producing each prediction subblock by applying motion compensation to the prediction picture in response to a motion vector derived for the prediction subblock from the at least one or more representative motion vectors.

8 more elements

Apparatus for compressing a motion picture signal, the motion picture signal being divided into blocks including a current block, the apparatus comprising:

motion detecting means for segmenting the current block into subblocks numbering at least four, and for calculating, from a prediction picture and each of the subblocks constituting the current block, a motion vector for each of the subblocks constituting the current block;
means for subtracting the current block from a prediction block of the prediction picture to provide a prediction error block;
means for orthogonally transforming the prediction error block to provide transform coefficients;
means for quantizing the transform coefficients to provide quantized transform coefficients;
means for coding the quantized transform coefficients to provide coded quantized transform coefficients;
local decoding means for locally decoding the quantized transform coefficients to provide a block of an additional prediction picture;
representative motion vector generating means, operating when a difference between motion vectors of at least two of the subblocks constituting the current block is below a predetermined threshold, for generating, for the current block from the motion vectors of the subblocks constituting the current block, at least one or more representative motion vectors, a single one of said at least one or more representative motion vectors representing said motion vectors below the predetermined threshold, said at least one or more representative motion vectors collectively representing the motion vectors of all the subblocks constituting the current block, the subblocks whose motion vectors are represented by each of the at least one or more representative motion vectors collectively forming a pattern within the current block;
pattern indicating means for generating a selected pattern signal indicating the pattern of the subblocks whose motion vectors are collectively represented by the at least one or more representative motion vectors;
and
motion compensating means for producing the prediction block from the prediction picture, the prediction block being constituted of a prediction subblock corresponding to each of the subblocks constituting the current block, the motion compensating means producing each prediction subblock by applying motion compensation to the prediction picture in response to a motion vector derived for the prediction subblock from the at least one or more representative motion vectors.

7 more elements

demultiplexing means for separating the coded transform coefficients and the coded vector data from the compressed picture block;
vector decoding means for detecting and for decoding the plural representative motion vectors in the coded vector data, the vector decoding means decoding fewer representative motion vectors than the number of subblocks;
calculating means for calculating the motion vectors of all of the subblocks from the representative motion vectors, the calculating means calculating, from a single representative motion vector, the motion vectors for at least two of the subblocks whose difference between the motion vectors is below a predetermined threshold;
and
deriving means for deriving a block of the output picture signal from the coded transform coefficients and the motion vectors.

2 more elements

An apparatus for expanding a compressed motion picture signal including a compressed picture block obtained by compressing a block of a motion picture signal, the compressed picture block including coded transform coefficients and coded vector data representing the block of the motion picture signal, the coded vector data including at least one representative motion vector for the block, the at least one representative motion vector representing motion vectors of all of a number of subblocks obtained by dividing the block of the motion picture signal by at least four, the coded vector information additionally including coded pattern information for the block, the coded pattern information indicating an arrangement within the block of the subblocks whose motion vectors are all collectively represented by the at least one representative motion vector, the apparatus comprising:

demultiplexing means for separating the coded transform coefficients and the coded vector data from the compressed picture block;
vector decoding means for decoding the coded vector data to provide the pattern information and the at least one representative motion vector, the vector decoding means decoding fewer representative motion vectors than the number of subblocks, and for calculating the motion vectors of each of the subblocks constituting the block from the representative motion vectors in response to the pattern information such that the motion vectors for at least two of the subblocks whose difference between the motion vectors is below a predetermined threshold are calculated from a single representative motion vector;
and
deriving means for deriving a block of the output picture signal from the coded transform coefficients and the motion vectors.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/289,999Filed 12 Aug 1994 · continuation
Priority: JP 3-27028620 Sep 1991
Granted: 30 Apr 1996
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

H04N 19/59
Using predictive coding: involving spatial sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. alteration of picture size or resolution
H04N 19/12
Characterised by the element, parameter or selection affected or controlled by the adaptive coding: selection from among a plurality of transforms…
H04N 19/132
Characterised by the element, parameter or selection affected or controlled by the adaptive coding: sampling, masking or truncation of coding…
H04N 19/14
Incoming video signal characteristics or properties: coding unit complexity, e.g. amount of activity or edge presence estimation