# US 7,613,819 B2 · Image reproduction apparatus, control method thereof, program and storage medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,613,819 B2 - Document ID: US7613819B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/200,030 - Filed: 2005-08-10 - Published: 2006-03-02 - Granted: 2009-11-03 - Earliest claimed: 2004-08-24 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Akio Fujii - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7613819B2 ## CPC - G11B 20/10527: {Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements (G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence)} - G11B 2020/10685: {input interface, i.e. the way data enter the buffer, e.g. by informing the sender that the buffer is busy} - G11B 2020/10694: {output interface, i.e. the way data leave the buffer, e.g. by adjusting the clock rate} - G11B 2020/10722: {wherein the size of the buffer is variable, e.g. by adding additional memory cells for coping with input streams that have high bit rates} - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) ## Abstract An object of this invention is to suppress discontinuity of a moving image as much as possible. In order to achieve this object, an image reproduction apparatus includes a buffer which temporarily stores an encoded image data stream, a buffer size setting circuit which sets the storage size of the buffer, a decoding time calculation circuit which calculates a decoding time at which the encoded image data stream is output from the buffer to a decoder, and a control circuit which controls to set the storage size of the buffer to at least twice the maximum value of a storage size required by an encoded data stream reproducible by the image reproduction apparatus, start fetching a second encoded image data stream in the buffer immediately after fetch of a first encoded image data stream in the buffer is ended, and calculate the decoding time of the second image data stream on the basis of a time when fetch of the first image data stream in the buffer is ended. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image reproduction apparatus, comprising: a reproducing device which continuously reproduces a plurality of image data streams each encoded by using inter-frame encoding; a buffer memory which temporarily stores the encoded image data stream reproduced by said reproducing device; a decoding time calculation device which calculates a decoding time as a timing at which the encoded image data stream is output from the buffer memory to a decoder; a buffer size setting device which sets an amount of the buffer memory for storing the encoded image data stream on the basis of an amount required by the encoded image data stream reproduced by the reproducing device, the buffer size setting device setting the amount of the buffer memory to at least twice a maximum value of the amount required by the encoded image data stream reproduced by the reproducing device; a control device which controls the buffer memory, so as to succeedingly start storing a second encoded image data stream in the buffer memory after storage of a first encoded image data stream in the buffer memory is ended, and to continuously output the first encoded image data stream and the second encoded image data stream stored in the buffer memory to the decoder according to the decoding time calculated by the decoding time calculation device, the first encoded image data stream and the second encoded image data stream being included in the plurality of image data streams reproduced by said reproducing device, the decoding time calculation device calculating a first decoding time of the second encoded image data stream on the basis of a time when storage of the first encoded image data stream in said buffer memory is ended and a first vbv_Delay value of the second encoded image data stream. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the encoded image data stream is an MPEG data stream. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said decoding time calculation device calculates the decoding time on the basis of storage amount information contained in the encoded image data stream and a bit rate of the encoded image data stream. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the storage amount information contained in the encoded image data stream is vbv_buffer_size. ### Claim 5 An image reproduction apparatus, comprising: a reproducing device which continuously reproduces a plurality of image data streams each encoded by using inter-frame encoding; a buffer memory which temporarily stores the encoded image data stream reproduced by the reproduction device; a decoding time calculation device which calculates a decoding time as a timing at which the encoded image data stream is output from the buffer memory to a decoder; a buffer size setting device which sets an amount of the buffer memory for storing the encoded image data stream on the basis of an amount required by the encoded image data stream reproduced by the reproducing device; a control device which controls said buffer memory so as to succeedingly start storing a second encoded image data stream in the buffer memory after storage of a first encoded image data stream in the buffer memory is ended and, and to continuously output the first encoded image data stream and the second encoded image data stream stored in the buffer memory to the decoder according to the decoding time calculated by the decoding time calculation device, the first encoded image data stream and the second encoded image data stream being included in the plurality of image data streams reproduced by said reproducing device, wherein said control device controls such that the buffer size setting device sets the amount of the buffer memory based on an amount required by the first encoded image data stream and the first encoded image data stream is stored in the buffer memory, and resets the amount of the buffer memory based on a sum of a value of the amount required by the first encoded image stream and a value of an amount required by the second encoded image data stream after storage of the first encoded image data stream in said buffer memory is ended, and the first encoded image data stream and the second encoded image data stream are succeedingly stored in the buffer memory, and the decoding time calculation device calculates a first decoding time of the second encoded image data stream on the basis of a time when storage of the first encoded image data stream in said buffer memory device is ended and a first vbv_Delay value of the second encoded image data stream. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the encoded image data stream is an MPEG data stream. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said decoding time calculation device calculates the decoding time on the basis of storage amount information contained in the encoded image data stream and a bit rate of the encoded image data stream. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the storage amount information contained in the encoded image data stream is vbv_buffer_size. ### Claim 9 A method of controlling an image reproduction apparatus including a reproducing device which continuously reproduces a plurality of image data streams each encoded by using inter-frame encoding, a buffer memory which temporarily stores encoded image data stream reproduced by said reproducing device, a buffer size setting device which sets an amount of the buffer memory for storing the encoded image data stream, and a decoding time calculation device which calculates a decoding time at which the encoded image data stream is output from the buffer memory to a decoder, said method comprising: a buffer size setting step of causing the buffer size setting device to set the amount of the buffer memory to at least twice an amount required by an encoded image data stream reproducible by the reproducing device; a control step of controlling the buffer memory so as to succeedingly start storing a second encoded image data stream in the buffer memory after storage of a first encoded image data stream in the buffer memory is ended, and to continuously output the first encoded image data stream and the second encoded image data stream stored in the buffer memory to the decoder according to the decoding time calculated by decoding time calculation device, the first encoded image data stream and the second encoded image data stream being included in the plurality of image data streams reproduced by the reproducing device; and a decoding time calculation step of causing the decoding time calculation device to calculate a first decoding time of the second encoded image data stream on the basis of a time when storage of the first encoded image data stream in the buffer memory is ended and a first vbv_Delay value of the second encoded image data stream. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, wherein the encoded image data stream is an MPEG data stream. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, wherein in the decoding time calculation step, the decoding time is calculated on the basis of storage amount information contained in the encoded image data stream and a bit rate of the encoded image data stream. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the storage amount information contained in the encoded image data stream is vbv_buffer_size. ### Claim 13 A method of controlling an image reproduction apparatus including a reproducing device which continuosly reproduces a plurality of image data streams each encoded by using inter-frame encoding, a buffer memory which temporarily stores an encoded image data stream reproduced by said reproduction device, a buffer size setting device which sets an amount of the buffer memory for storing the encoded image data stream, and a decoding time calculation device which calculates a decoding time at which the encoded image data stream is output from the buffer memory to a decoder, said method comprising: a buffer size setting step of causing the buffer size setting device to set an amount of the buffer memory for storing the encoded image data stream on the basis of an amount required by the encoded image data stream reproduced by the reproducing device; a control step of controlling the buffer memory so as to succeedingly start storing a second encoded image data stream in the buffer memory after storage of a first encoded image data stream in the buffer memory is ended, and to continuously output the first encoded image data stream and the second encoded image data stream stored in the buffer memory to the decoder according to the decoding time calculated by the decoding time calculation device, the first encoded image data stream and the second encoded image data stream being included in the plurality of image data streams reproduced by the reproducing device; a buffer size re-setting step of resetting the amount of the buffer memory based on a sum of a value of the amount required by the first encoded image data stream and a value of an amount required by the second encoded image data stream after storage of the first encoded image data stream in the buffer memory is ended and the first encoded image data stream and the second encoded image data stream are succeedingly stored in the buffer memory; and a decoding time calculation step of causing the decoding time calculation device to calculate a first decoding time of the second encoded image data stream on the basis of a time when storage of the first encoded image data stream in the buffer memory is ended and a first vbv_Delay value of the second encoded image data stream. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein the encoded image data stream is an MPEG data stream. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein in the decoding time calculation step, the decoding time is calculated on the basis of storage amount information contained in the encoded image data stream and a bit rate of the encoded image data stream. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15, wherein the storage amount information contained in the encoded image data stream is vbv_buffer_size.