Low bandwidth encoding scheme for video transmission

Abstract

The invention provides for a method and apparatus for encoding areas of an image that have definable parameters as graphic objects and then encoding the remaining areas of the image, if any, as a raster scanned image. The invention is particularly well suited for the encoding of an image that has areas that can be described as having a particular texture characteristic. Each area of the image, and subsequent images, that have the particular texture characteristic is encoded with an identifier to the texture characteristic, rather than encoded with the details of the texture itself. Regular texture pattern types, such as bricks, marble, woodgrain, satin, velour, etc. are associated with areas of the image, and the encoding of these areas merely contain an identification of the pattern type. Areas of the image that do not contain regular texture pattern types are encoded as conventional raster scanned areas of the image. A decoding device in accordance with this invention processes the conventional raster scanned encoding, then processes the encoding of the textured areas and fills in the details associated with each identified texture pattern type. In a preferred embodiment, the level of detail provided by the decoding device is dependent upon the characteristics of the display device.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A method for encoding video images comprising the steps of: 
 partitioning a first image into a plurality of texture areas, each texture area of the plurality of texture areas having an associated location,    characterizing each texture area of the plurality of texture areas to form a texture type associated with each texture area, and    encoding at least one of the first image and a plurality of subsequent images based on the location and the texture type associated with each texture area.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of encoding the at least one of the first image and the plurality of subsequent images also includes an encoding of an each boundary of each texture area.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the encoding of the at least one of the first image and the plurality of subsequent images also includes an encoding of areas of at least one of the first image and areas of the plurality of subsequent images that are outside the each boundary of each texture area.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the encoding of the texture type associated with each texture area is based on a selection from among a plurality of predefined texture types.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further including the step of associating at least one of: a color value, a luminance value, and a shading value to the each texture area.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , further including the step of encoding details of the texture type associated with at least one of the texture areas.  
     
     
         7 . A method for decoding video images comprising the steps of: 
 processing an encoding of at least one texture area to determine a texture type that is associated with the at least one texture area,    processing an encoding of an image to provide a context within which to render the at least one texture area in the image,    rendering the image on a display based on the context, the at least one texture area, and the texture type that is associated with the at least one texture area.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further including the steps of: 
 rendering the image on the display based also on at least one of a plurality of display characteristics of the display.    
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the encoding of texture areas is based on a selection from among a plurality of predefined texture types.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein: 
 the encoding of texture areas is based on a selection from among a plurality of predefined texture types, and    the rendering of the image on the display is based also on display characteristics of the display.    
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , further including the steps of: 
 processing the encoding of the at least one texture area to determine bounds of the at least one texture area, and    rendering the image on a display based also on the bounds.    
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further including the step of processing the encoding of the at least one texture area to determine texture details for the at least one texture area.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further including the step of processing the encoding of the image to determine image characteristics for areas of the image that are beyond the bounds of the at least one texture area.  
     
     
         14 . A video encoder for encoding a video image from a video source, the encoder comprising: 
 a texture area recognizer, operably coupled to the video source, that determines at least one texture area within the video image,    a texture quantizer, operably coupled to the texture area recognizer, that determines at least one texture type associated the at least one texture area within the video image,    a texture area encoder, operably coupled to the texture quantizer, that encodes the at least one texture area within the video image based upon the at least one texture type,    an image encoder, operably coupled to the video source and to the texture area encoder, that encodes the video image based on the encoding of the at least one texture area within the video image.    
     
     
         15 . The video encoder of  claim 14 , wherein the texture area encoder encodes at least one of: the texture type, a location, a boundary, and a color associated with the at least one texture area.  
     
     
         16 . The video encoder of  claim 14 , wherein the image encoder encodes a predefined null characteristic corresponding to the at least one texture area.  
     
     
         17 . The video encoder of  claim 16 , wherein the texture area encoder encodes at least one of: the texture type, a location, a boundary, and a color associated with the at least one texture area.  
     
     
         18 . The video encoder of  claim 14 , wherein the texture quantizer determines the at least one texture type based on a predefined plurality of texture types.  
     
     
         19 . The video encoder of  claim 14 , also including a texture editor that facilitates a modification of characteristics associated with the at least one texture area within the video image.  
     
     
         20 . A video decoder, comprising: 
 a texture area decoder that processes an encoding of a texture area to determine a texture type and a location associated with the texture area,    a texture area generator, operably coupled to the texture area decoder, that determines texture characteristics associated with the texture area based on the texture type,    an image decoder that processes an encoding of an image to determine rendering characteristics associated with the image,    a combiner, operably coupled to the image decoder and the texture area generator, that produces a video image suitable for rendering on a display based upon the rendering characteristics associated with the image and the texture characteristics associated with the texture area.    
     
     
         21 . The video decoder of  claim 20 , further including: 
 a texture library, operably coupled to the texture area generator, that provides texture patterns to facilitate the determination of the texture characteristics associated with the texture area.    
     
     
         22 . The video decoder of  claim 20 , wherein the texture area generator determines the texture characteristics associated with the texture area based on at least one of a plurality of display characteristics associated with the display.  
     
     
         23 . The video decoder of  claim 20 , wherein the texture area generator includes a function generator that facilitates determination of the texture characteristics based on a parameter associated with the texture type.  
     
     
         24 . The video decoder of  claim 23 , wherein the function generation includes at least one of: a fractal generator, a random noise generator, and a repetition generator.  
     
     
         25 . The video decoder of  claim 21 , wherein the texture library includes a texture scaler that scales the texture patterns to facilitate the determination of the texture characteristics associated with the texture area.