Image coding apparatus with segment classification and segmentation-type motion prediction circuit

Abstract

A segmenting section divides an input image into a plurality of segments. A hierarchizing section determines classes of the respective segments according to a predetermined criterion, and produces a class identification signal indicating the classes of the respective segments. A coding section encodes the segmented image signal into code data while changing the value of a coding control parameter for each of the segments in accordance with the class identification signal. Examples of the coding control parameter are a coding time interval and precision of quantization.

1 . An image coding apparatus, comprising: 
 a memory for storing a prediction source image signal and an image signal having an arbitrary shape and size from the prediction source image signal;    a prediction section for reading the prediction source image signal from the memory and generating a prediction signal using a prediction function based on the prediction source image signal;    a prediction error extractor for outputting a prediction error signal extracted from the image signal to be coded and the prediction signal;    a coder for coding the prediction error signal to provide a coded data output;    a decoder for decoding the coded data and outputting a decoded prediction error signal;    a signal synthesizer for combining the decoded prediction error signal with the prediction signal output from the prediction section to generate a decoded image signal; and    a controller for storing the decoded image signal to the memory,    wherein the prediction section interpolates or extrapolates the prediction source image signal within the image frame of the prediction source image signal to generate a processed prediction source image signal, and generates the prediction signal based on the processed prediction source image signal if the prediction source image signal is different in shape and size from the image signal to be coded.    
   
   
       2 . A method for coding a prediction error signal, comprising: 
 inputting a prediction source image signal having an arbitrary shape and size and an image signal to be coded, the image signal to be coded being similar to the prediction source image signal but varies in shape or size from the prediction source image signal;    interpolating or extrapolating the prediction source image signal within the image frame of the prediction source image signal to obtain a processed prediction source image signal;    obtaining a prediction error signal based on the processed prediction source image signal and the image signal to be coded; and    predictively coding the prediction error signal.    
   
   
       3 . A method for coding a prediction error signal, comprising: 
 inputting a prediction source image signal having an arbitrary shape and size and an image signal to be coded, the image signal to be coded being similar to the prediction source image signal but varies in shape or size from the prediction source image signal;    interpolating or extrapolating the prediction source image signal within the image frame of the prediction source image signal to obtain a processed prediction source image signal;    generating a prediction signal from the processed prediction source image signal even if the prediction source image signal is different in shape and size from the image signal to be coded;    obtaining a prediction error signal based on the processed prediction source image signal and the image signal to be coded; and    predictively coding the prediction error signal.    
   
   
       4 . An image coding apparatus, comprising: 
 a memory for storing a prediction source image signal having an arbitrary shape and size and an image signal having an arbitrary shape and size different from the prediction source image signal;    a prediction section for reading the prediction source image signal from the memory and generating a processed prediction source image signal;    a prediction error extractor for outputting a prediction error signal extracted from the image signal to be coded and the processed prediction source image signal; a coder for coding the prediction error signal to provide a coded data output;    a decoder for decoding the coded data and outputting a decoded prediction error signal;    a signal synthesizer for combining the decoded prediction error signal with the processed prediction source image signal output from the prediction section to generate a decoded image signal; and    a controller for storing the decoded image signal to the memory,    wherein the prediction section interpolates or extrapolates the prediction source image signal within the image frame of the prediction source image signal to generate a processed prediction source image signal.    
   
   
       5 . An image coding apparatus, comprising: 
 a memory for storing a prediction source image signal having an arbitrary shape and size and an image signal having an arbitrary shape and size different from the prediction source image signal;    a prediction section for reading the prediction source image signal from the memory and generating a processed prediction source image signal;    a prediction error extractor for outputting a prediction error signal extracted from the image signal to be coded and the processed prediction source image signal;    a coder for coding the prediction error signal to provide a coded data output;    a decoder for decoding the coded data and outputting a decoded prediction error signal;    a signal synthesizer for combining the decoded prediction error signal with the processed prediction source image signal output from the prediction section to generate a decoded image signal; and    a controller for storing the decoded image signal to the memory,    wherein the prediction section interpolates or extrapolates the prediction source image signal within the image frame of the prediction source image signal to generate a processed prediction source image signal, even if the prediction source image signal is different in shape and size from the image signal to be coded.    
   
   
       6 . An image coding apparatus, comprising: 
 a segmenting section for dividing an image signal to be coded into a plurality of segments and outputting an image signal having segmentation information, where a segment of the plurality of segments is of an arbitrary shape and size;    a prediction section for reading a prediction source image signal having an image signal similar to the image signal to be coded in each segment of the plurality of segments from any one of a plurality of image memories, the prediction section generating a prediction signal using a prediction function based on the prediction source image signal;    a prediction error extractor for extracting a prediction error signal from the segmented image signal to be coded and the prediction signal obtained by the prediction section, the prediction error extractor outputting the prediction error signal;    a coder for, in each segment, coding the prediction error signal obtained by the prediction error extractor, a number of the image memory in which a similar image used for the prediction has been stored and an address of that similar image on the image memory;    a decoder for, in each segment, decoding the coded data output from the coder and outputting a decoded prediction error signal;    a signal synthesizer for, in each segment, synthesizing the decoded prediction error signal with the prediction signal to generate a decoded image signal; and    a controller for storing the decoded image signal of each segment synthesized by the signal synthesizer to the image memory.    
   
   
       7 . An image decoding apparatus for decoding input coded data, comprising: 
 a decoder for decoding the coded data and outputting a prediction error signal, the prediction error signal obtained from a segmented image signal having an arbitrary shape and size and a prediction source image signal having an arbitrary shape and size different from the segmented image signal;    a prediction section for decoding an address and a number of an image memory and generating a prediction signal from a decoded image stored in the image memory based on the address and the number of the image memory; and    a signal synthesizer for synthesizing the prediction error signal output from the decoder and the prediction signal output from the prediction section to generate a decoded image signal.    
   
   
       8 . A method for coding a prediction error signal, comprising: 
 inputting a prediction source image signal and an image signal to be coded, the image signal having an arbitrary shape and size and varies in shape and size from the prediction source image signal;    interpolating or extrapolating the prediction source image signal within the image frame of the prediction source image signal to obtain a processed prediction source image signal;    generating a prediction signal based on the processed prediction source image signal even if the prediction source image signal is different in shape and size from the image signal to be coded;    obtaining a prediction error signal based on the prediction signal and the image signal to be coded; and    predictively coding the prediction error signal.