EP0261561A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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High resolution color video image aquisition and compression system
Assignee: Frederiksen & Shu Laboratories Inc
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Filing: 1987-09-15
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2007-09-15
Abstract
Abstract A digital color image digitizing and communication process comprises the steps of dividing digital data representing the overall picture information for a image into sets of data representing shape and color information for blocks of the image with the color information including the major colors for the corresponding block and the variation in shades or hues of the colors within the block, separating each of the data sets into a first group of data representing the major colors constituting the block and a second group of data comprising the remaining data in the data sets, transmitting the first group of data and the second group of data to a decoder, processing the received first data group to display the encoded image in its major colors, and combining the first group of data with the selected data from the second data group and processing the combined data to display the encoded image with the variations in shades of the major colors.
Inventors
- 👤 Jeffrey E. Frederiksen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 20:43
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N11/00; H04N11/04; H04N11/042; G; G06; G06T; G06T9/00; G06T9/005; H04N1/00; H04N1/41; H04N1/411; H04N1/413; H04N1/415; H04N1/46; H04N1/64; H04N1/646
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
255 words
A color video image acquisition and compression process for encoding and decoding color images, said process comprising the steps of: acquiring digital data representing luminance and chrominance components of a color video image, dividing the digital data representing the color video image into data sets representing blocks of the color image, each block containing a plurality of pixels each of which has a luminance value Y and a plurality of chrominance values, calculating the average luminance value Yav for all pixels in the block, determining a representative luminance value Y1 within a range extending between the maximum and average luminance values of pixels having luminance values above the average value Yav in each block, and determining a representative luminance value Y0 within a range extending between the minimum and average luminance values of pixels having luminance values below the average lumi nance value Yav in each block, generating picture shape information for each of said blocks by identifying and encoding a contour associated with said representative luminance values Y0 and Y1, said contour representing clusters of pixels having the same representative luminance value Y0 or Y1, comparing said encoded contour for each block with a series of predetermined encoded contours and selecting the predetermined encoded contour which corresponds most closely to the actual contour encoded for the block, transmitting to a decoder encoded data comprising said representative luminance values Y1 and Y0, corresponding chrominance values, and the selected predetermined encoded contour for each block, and decoding the transmitted data to reproduce the original color image.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
255 words
A color video image acquisition and compression process for encoding and decoding color images, said process comprising the steps of: acquiring digital data representing luminance and chrominance components of a color video image, dividing the digital data representing the color video image into data sets representing blocks of the color image, each block containing a plurality of pixels each of which has a luminance value Y and a plurality of chrominance values, calculating the average luminance value Yav for all pixels in the block, determining a representative luminance value Y1 within a range extending between the maximum and average luminance values of pixels having luminance values above the average value Yav in each block, and determining a representative luminance value Y0 within a range extending between the minimum and average luminance values of pixels having luminance values below the average lumi nance value Yav in each block, generating picture shape information for each of said blocks by identifying and encoding a contour associated with said representative luminance values Y0 and Y1, said contour representing clusters of pixels having the same representative luminance value Y0 or Y1, comparing said encoded contour for each block with a series of predetermined encoded contours and selecting the predetermined encoded contour which corresponds most closely to the actual contour encoded for the block, transmitting to a decoder encoded data comprising said representative luminance values Y1 and Y0, corresponding chrominance values, and the selected predetermined encoded contour for each block, and decoding the transmitted data to reproduce the original color image.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 1 which includes the step of calculating at least one representative pair of chrominance values for each block.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said chrominance values comprise at least one set of red, blue and green values for each block.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
73 words
The process of claim 1 which includes the steps of calculating a first measure of error resulting from the encoding of the luminance information for a block, determining whether said first error exceeds a first predetermined threshold value, said if said first error exceeds said first threshold value, transmitting to said decoder all said luminance values Y for that block to produce a higher resolution reproduction of that portion of the original image.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
131 words
The process of claim 1 which includes the steps of processing the luminance information for a block to produce a bit map capable of reproducing that portion of the original image with a higher resolution then said encoded contour but a lower resolution then all said luminance values for that block, said bit map corresponding to the array of pixels within a block and representing partial luminance information for the different pixels, if said first measure of error does not exceed said first threshold value, calculating a second measure of error resulting from the encoding of the luminance information for a block, determining whether said second error exceeds a second predetermined threshold value, said if said second error exceeds said second threshold value, transmitting to said decoder said encoded luminance data.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
156 words
A digital color video image encoding and decoding process comprising the steps of: dividing digital data representing the overall color information for a video image into sets of data representing color information for blocks of the image, separating each color-information data set into (i) a first sub-set of encoded data representing sufficient luminance and chrominance information to permit a mosaic reproduction of the original image, (the "mosaic data"), said mosaic data including a representative luminance value for an entire block, and (ii) a second sub-set of encoded data representing additional luminance information to permit the original image to be reproduced with a greater degree of color resolution than said mosaic reproduction (the "high-resolution data"), transmitting and decoding said mosaic data to display a mosaic reproduction of the original image, and periodically transmitting and decoding said high-resolution part to display a reproduction of the original image with a greater degree of color resolution than said mosaic reproduction.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
156 words
A digital color video image encoding and decoding process comprising the steps of: dividing digital data representing the overall color information for a video image into sets of data representing color information for blocks of the image, separating each color-information data set into (i) a first sub-set of encoded data representing sufficient luminance and chrominance information to permit a mosaic reproduction of the original image, (the "mosaic data"), said mosaic data including a representative luminance value for an entire block, and (ii) a second sub-set of encoded data representing additional luminance information to permit the original image to be reproduced with a greater degree of color resolution than said mosaic reproduction (the "high-resolution data"), transmitting and decoding said mosaic data to display a mosaic reproduction of the original image, and periodically transmitting and decoding said high-resolution part to display a reproduction of the original image with a greater degree of color resolution than said mosaic reproduction.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
The process of claim 6 wherein said high-resolution data is stored in a color table, and said mosaic data is used as the address of the color table location containing the corresponding high-resolution data.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
The process of claim 7 wherein all the high-resolution data having a common address in the color table is averaged to compress the amount of data stored in the color table.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The process of claim 6 wherein said mosaic data inc ludes the most significant chrominance information for a block, and said high-resolution data includes the least significant chrominance information for a block.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
89 words
The process of claim 6 wherein said high-resolution data includes information for determining a representative luminance value Y0 within a range extending between the maximum and average luminance values of pixels having luminance values above the average value Yav in each block, and for determining a representative luminance value Y1 within a range extending between the minimum and average luminance values of pixels having luminance values below the average luminance value Yav in each block; and information representing the contour of said Y0 and Y1 values within a block.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
The process of claim 6 wherein said mosaic data represents luminance and chrominance information for a block as a whole, and said high-resolution data represents at least luminance information for different pixels within the block.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
31 words
The process of claim 7 wherein said high-resolution data includes a bit map corresponding to the array of pixels within a block and representing partial luminance information for the different pixels.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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