Intelligent water ring scan apparatus and method based on quality factor, and video encoding/decoding apparatus and method using the same

Abstract

Provided are intelligent water ring scan apparatus and method thereof, image encoding/decoding apparatus using the water ring scanning and method thereof, and a computer-readable recording medium for recording a program that implements the methods. The apparatus or method of this research selectively improves the image quality of a particular image part that needs to be encoded with priority by transmitting the image data of the particular image part suitably for a human visual system so as to provide a visually improved image. The encoding apparatus of this research differentiates the amount of image data depending on the significance of a certain image part to process the image in various qualities suitably for the human visual system. The methods of this research can be applied to an image encoding/decoding process.

1 . An image encoding system for performing water ring scan encoding, comprising:
 a water ring origin point determining means for determining a water ring origin point, a water ring ( 0 ), in an image frame;   a water ring location determining means for determining the location of the i th  water ring, a water ring (i) that surrounds the water ring origin point, i being an integer;   a water ring quality factor (QF) determining means for determining QF values of the water ring origin point and the water ring (i) based on significance of the water ring origin point and the water ring; and   a data processing means for performing encoding the image frame on a bit-plane by bit-plane basis, using on the QF value as a bit shift factor, generating water ring scan encoded data and for transmitting the water ring scan encoded data to an image decoding system.   
   
   
       2 . The image encoding system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the water ring origin point is predetermined and stored in the image encoding/decoding system. 
   
   
       3 . The image encoding system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the water ring origin point is determined with respect to all the image frames that constitutes an image sequence in the image encoding system and transmitted to the image decoding system. 
   
   
       4 . The image encoding system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the water ring origin point is determined with respect to each image frame in the image encoding system and transmitted to the image decoding system. 
   
   
       5 . The image encoding system as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the water ring origin point is expressed as absolute coordinates in the image frame. 
   
   
       6 . The image encoding system as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the water ring origin point is expressed as relative coordinates from the central point of the image frame. 
   
   
       7 . The image encoding system as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the water ring origin point is expressed as relative coordinates from the water ring origin point of the preceding image frame previously transmitted from the image encoding system to the image decoding system. 
   
   
       8 . The image encoding system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the QF values corresponding to the water ring origin point and the location of each water ring are already determined and arranged in a table, and the table is stored in the encoding/decoding system. 
   
   
       9 . The image encoding system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the QF values for the water ring origin point and each of the water rings of all the image frames that constitute an image sequence are determined in the image encoding system and transmitted to the image decoding system. 
   
   
       10 . The image encoding system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the QF values for the water ring origin point and each of the water rings of the image frame are determined in the image encoding system and transmitted to the image decoding system. 
   
   
       11 . The image encoding system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the QF value includes:
 the maximum number of water rings having the QF value in the image frame;   the maximum QF value; and   a QF compensation value for each water ring having the QF value, which is obtained by subtracting the QF value of the current water ring from the QF value of the preceding water ring, and wherein the QF value is encoded by flexible length encoding and transmitted from the image encoding system.   
   
   
       12 . The image encoding system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the QF value is determined based on the maximum QF value and a QF variance which is a variance value of the QF values and predetermined and stored in the image encoding/decoding system. 
   
   
       13 . The image encoding system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the QF values of the water rings of all the image frames that constitute an image sequence are determined based on the maximum QF value and a QF variance which is a variance value of the QF values, wherein the maximum QF value and the QF variance are determined in the encoding and transmitted to the decoding system. 
   
   
       14 . The image encoding system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the QF values of the water rings of an image frame are determined based on the maximum QF value and a QF variance, which is a variance value of the QF values, wherein the maximum QF value and the QF variance are determined in the encoding and transmitted to the decoding system. 
   
   
       15 . The image encoding system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the data processing means performs encoding on a bit-plane basis by using the QF value determined in each water ring (i) as a bit shift factor, and shifting the binary value of the original data to the left as much as the determined QF value. 
   
   
       16 . An image decoding system for performing water ring scan decoding, comprising:
 a water ring origin point determining means for determining a water ring origin point, a water ring ( 0 ), in an image frame of water ring scan encoded data received from an image encoding system;   a water ring location determining means for determining the location of the i th  water ring, a water ring (i) that surrounds the water ring origin point, i being an integer;   a water ring quality factor (QF) determining means for determining QF values of the water ring origin point and the water ring (i) based on significance of the water ring origin point and the water ring; and   a data processing means for performing decoding the image frame of the water ring scan encoded data on a bit-plane by bit-plane basis, using the QF value as a bit shift factor.   
   
   
       17 . The image decoding system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the water ring origin point is predetermined and stored in the image encoding/decoding system. 
   
   
       18 . The image decoding system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the water ring origin point is determined with respect to all the image frames that constitutes an image sequence in the image encoding system and transmitted to the image decoding system. 
   
   
       19 . The image decoding system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the water ring origin point is determined with respect to each image frame in the image encoding system and transmitted to the image decoding system. 
   
   
       20 . The image decoding system as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the water ring origin point is expressed as absolute coordinates in the image frame. 
   
   
       21 . The image decoding system as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the water ring origin point is expressed as relative coordinates from the central point of the image frame. 
   
   
       22 . The image decoding system as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the water ring origin point is expressed as relative coordinates from the water ring origin point of the preceding image frame previously transmitted from the image encoding system to the image decoding system. 
   
   
       23 . The image decoding system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the QF values corresponding to the water ring origin point and the location of each water ring are already determined and arranged in a table, and the table is stored in the encoding/decoding system. 
   
   
       24 . The image decoding system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the QF values for the water ring origin point and each of the water rings of all the image frames that constitute an image sequence are determined in the image encoding system and transmitted to the image decoding system. 
   
   
       25 . The image decoding system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the QF values for the water ring origin point and each of the water rings of the image frame are determined in the image encoding system and transmitted to the image decoding system. 
   
   
       26 . The image decoding system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the QF value includes:
 the maximum number of water rings having the QF value in the image frame;   the maximum QF value; and   a QF compensation value for each water ring having the QF value, which is obtained by subtracting the QF value of the current water ring from the QF value of the preceding water ring, and wherein the QF value is encoded by flexible length encoding and transmitted from the image encoding system.   
   
   
       27 . The image decoding system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the QF value is determined based on the maximum QF value and a QF variance which is a variance value of the QF values and predetermined and stored in the image encoding/decoding system. 
   
   
       28 . The image decoding system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the QF values of the water rings of all the image frames that constitute an image sequence are determined based on the maximum QF value and a QF variance which is a variance value of the QF values, wherein the maximum QF value and the QF variance are determined in the encoding and transmitted to the decoding system. 
   
   
       29 . The image decoding system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the QF values of the water rings of an image frame are determined based on the maximum QF value and a QF variance, which is a variance value of the QF values, wherein the maximum QF value and the QF variance are determined in the encoding and transmitted to the decoding system. 
   
   
       30 . The image decoding system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the data processing means performs encoding/decoding on a bit-plane basis by using the QF value determined in each water ring (i) as a bit shift factor, and shifting the binary value of the original data to the left as much as the determined QF value. 
   
   
       31 . A method for performing water ring scan encoding of an image, which is applied to an image encoding system, comprising the steps of:
 a) determining a water ring origin point, a water ring ( 0 ), in an image frame;   b) determining the location of the i th  water ring, a water ring (i) that surrounds the water ring origin point, i being an integer;   c) determining QF values of the water ring origin point and the water ring (i) based on significance of the water ring origin point and the water ring; and   d) encoding the image frame on a bit-plane by bit-plane basis, using on the QF value as a bit shift factor, generating water ring scan encoded data and for transmitting the water ring scan encoded data to an image decoding system.   
   
   
       32 . A method for performing water ring scan decoding of water ring scan encoded image, which is applied to an image decoding system, comprising the steps of:
 a) determining a water ring origin point, a water ring ( 0 ), in an image frame of water ring scan encoded data received from an image encoding system;   b) determining the location of the i th  water ring, a water ring (i) that surrounds the water ring origin point, i being an integer;   c) determining QF values of the water ring origin point and the water ring (i) based on significance of the water ring origin point and the water ring; and   d) decoding the image frame of the water ring scan encoded data on a bit-plane by bit-plane basis, using the QF value as a bit shift factor.