Image processing apparatus and method, and system thereof

An image processing method comprising:

• input step for inputting moving-picture information including a plurality of frames;
• processing step for obtaining a difference between successive frames on each pixel of the moving-picture information;
• summation step for obtaining the sum of the difference between the successive frames on each pixel;
• thinning step for thinning out frames of the input moving-picture information;
• determination step for determining whether the sum of the difference obtained by said summation step is less than a threshold;
• output step for outputting compressed information for the input moving-picture information;
• and
• control step for controlling said output step so as to output moving-picture information thinned out by said thinning step as the compressed information where the sum of the difference is determined to be less than the threshold by said determination step and so as to output the difference obtained by said processing step as the compressed information where the sum of the difference is determined not to be less than the threshold by said determination step,
• wherein said processing step and said thinning step process the same moving-picture information simultaneously, and said control step controls said output step to select one of the results of processing by said processing step and said thinning step as the output.

An image processing apparatus comprising:

• input means for inputting moving-picture information including a plurality of frames;
• processing means for obtaining a difference between successive frames on each pixel of the moving-picture information;
• summation means for obtaining the sum of the difference between the successive frames on each pixel;
• checking means for checking the number of pixels on which the difference between the successive frames is not zero;
• thinning means for thinning out frames of the moving-picture information;
• first determination means for determining whether the sum of the difference obtained by said summation means is less than a first threshold;
• second determination means for determining whether the number checked by said checking means is less than a second threshold;
• output means for outputting compressed information for the input moving-picture information;
• and
• controlling means for controlling said output means so as to output moving-picture information thinned out by said thinning means as the compressed information where the sum of the difference is determined to be less than the first threshold by said first determination means and so as to output the difference obtained by said processing means as the compressed information where the sum of the difference is determined not to be less than the first threshold by said first determination means and the number is determined to be less than the second threshold by said second determination means,
• wherein said processing means and said thinning means process the same moving picture information simultaneously, and said control means for controlling said output means to select one of the result of processing by said processing means and said thinning means as the output.

An image processing system comprising:

• a transmission-side image processing apparatus including:
• first input means for inputting moving-picture information including a plurality of frames;
• processing means for obtaining a difference between successive frames on each pixel of the moving-picture information;
• summation means for obtaining the sum of the difference between the successive frames on each pixel;
• thinning means for thinning out frames of the moving-picture information;
• determination means for determining whether the sum of the difference obtained by said summation means is less than a threshold;
• first output means for outputting the compressed moving-picture information and information indicative of a decompression procedure to decompress the compressed moving-picture information;
• and
• control means for controlling said first output means so as to output moving-picture information thinned out by said thinning means as the compressed information where the sum of the difference is determined to be less than the threshold and so as to output the difference obtained by said processing means as the compressed information where the sum of the difference is determined not to be less than the threshold by said determination means;
• and
• a reception-side image processing apparatus including:
• second input means for inputting the information which is output from said first output means;
• decompression means for decompressing moving-picture information based on the information indicative of the procedure input by said second input means and reproducing the moving-picture information before the compression;
• and
• second output means for outputting the moving-picture information decompressed by said decompression means,
• wherein said processing means and said thinning means process the same moving picture information simultaneously, and said control means controls said first output means to select one of the results of processing by said processing means and said thinning means as the output.

An image processing system comprising:

• a transmission-side image processing apparatus including:
• an image processing apparatus comprising:
• first input means for inputting moving-picture information including a plurality of frames;
• processing means for obtaining a difference between successive frames on each pixel of the moving-picture information;
• summation means for obtaining the sum of the difference between the successive frames on each pixel;
• checking means for checking the number of pixels on which the difference between the successive frames is not zero;
• thinning means for thinning out frames of the moving-picture information;
• first determination means for determining whether the sum of the difference obtained by said summation means is less than a first threshold;
• second determination means for determining whether the number checked by said checking means is less than a second threshold;
• first output means for outputting the compressed moving-picture information and information indicative of a decompression procedure to decompress the compressed moving-picture information;
• and
• control means for controlling said first output means so as to output moving-picture information thinned out by said thinning means when the sum of the difference is determined to be less than the first threshold by said first determination means and so as to output the difference obtained by said processing means when the sum of the difference is determined not to be less than the first threshold by said first determination means and the number is determined to be less than the second threshold by said second determination means;
• and
• a reception-side image processing apparatus including:
• second input means for inputting the information which is output from said first output means;
• decompression means for decompressing moving-picture information based on the information indicative of the procedure input by said second input means and reproducing the moving-picture information before the compression;
• and
• second output means for outputting the moving-picture information decompressed by said decompression means,
• wherein said processing means and said thinning means process the same moving picture information simultaneously, and said control means controls said first output means to select one of the results of processing by said processing means and said thinning means as the output.

An image processing method comprising:

• input step for inputting moving-picture information including a plurality of frames;
• processing step for obtaining a difference between successive frames on each pixel of the moving-picture information;
• summation step for obtaining the sum of the difference between the successive frames on each pixel;
• checking step for checking the number of pixels on which the difference between the successive frames is not zero;
• thinning step for thinning out frames of the input moving-picture information;
• first determination step for determining whether the difference obtained at said summation step is less than a first threshold;
• second determination step for determining whether the number checked at said checking step is less than a second threshold;
• output step for outputting compressed information for the input moving-picture information;
• and
• controlling step for controlling said output step so as to output moving-picture information thinned out at said thinning step when the sum of the difference is determined to be less than the first threshold in said first determination step as the compressed information and so as to output the difference obtained at said processing step as compressed information when the sum of the difference is determined not to be less than the first threshold by said first determination step and the number is determined to be less then the second threshold in said second determination step,
• wherein said processing step and said thinning step process the same moving picture information simultaneously, and said control step for controlling said output step to select one of the results of processing by said processing step and said thinning step as the output.