JP2009246539A - Encoding device, encoding method, encoding program, decoding device, decoding method, and decoding program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a processing delay from image input to image output. <P>SOLUTION: An image processing system connects and outputs encoded data, in an order of inputting image data or in an order of arranging image blocks in the encoded data, every time the encoded data in the arrangement order of the image blocks is generated by a plurality of encoding units allocated to a plurality of divided image areas corresponding to a target delay time of encoding. Further, the image processing system divides an image area corresponding to a target delay time of decoding in the order of arranging the image blocks in the encoded data or in the order of outputting the source image data obtained by decoding to a display device, and allocates them to a plurality of decoding units, and stores the decoded image data by the plurality of allocated decoding units every time the encoded data in the order of arranging the image blocks or in the output order to the display device is decoded, and outputs the image data in the output order to the display device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention includes a plurality of encoding units that divide an inputted input image into a plurality of regions and encode the divided images of the plurality of regions to generate encoded data, and the screen order and encoding of the input images A plurality of encoding devices, encoding methods, encoding programs, and encoded encoded data that receive the same screen order in the data, and decode the received encoded data to generate original image data The present invention relates to a decoding apparatus, a decoding method, and a decoding program that include a decoding unit and that have the same screen order in the encoded data and the screen order of output images.

  Conventionally, there is a technique of dividing and encoding a moving image into a plurality of regions (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-234043). For example, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, when a screen is divided into four areas (1/4 screen) and each is encoded in parallel by an encoding device capable of encoding in one time, one screen However, the processing can be performed in one time (if it is not divided, an encoding device having a quadruple performance is required).

  Here, using FIG. 14 as an example, the divided image data is encoded using the encoding apparatus shown in FIG. 16 and the decoding apparatus shown in FIG. A process until the original image data is obtained by decoding the encoded data and transmitted is specifically described. When an image is input, the encoding device (encoder) divides the input image into four regions as shown in FIG. Then, the encoding device encodes each of the four divided areas with separate encoding units (the processing capability is the same), and when encoding is completed for all image blocks, the encoded data is sent to the decoding device. Send.

  Then, the decoding apparatus (decoder) decodes the encoded data received from the encoding apparatus, using four decoding units having the same processing capability as in the encoding apparatus. Here, since both the encoding apparatus and the decoding apparatus are provided with four encoding or decoding processing units, the decoding apparatus performs encoding in the same manner as the region divided by the encoding apparatus. Data will be executed in 4 parallel. When the decoding apparatus decodes all of the received encoded data, the decoding apparatus outputs image data obtained by decoding to a monitor, another apparatus, or the like.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-234043

  However, the above-described conventional technique has a problem that the encoding (encoding) delay and the decoding (decoding) delay cannot be shortened.

  Specifically, even when the input device divides the input image, the encoding device can transmit encoded data to the decoding device only after all the image blocks in the image are encoded. In addition, even if the decoding apparatus can process the received encoded data in parallel, it can output the image data obtained by decoding only after decoding all the encoded data. Can not.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and an encoding device, an encoding method, and an encoding method capable of shortening a processing delay from image input to image output. It is an object to provide a program, a decoding device, a decoding method, and a decoding program.

  The encoding device according to the present invention includes a plurality of encoding units that divide an input image that has been input into a plurality of regions, encode encoded images of the plurality of regions, and generate encoded data. An encoding device in which a screen order of an image and a screen order in encoded data are equal, and the target encoding is performed in the input order of the image data in the input image or the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data. Encoded data in the arrangement order of the image blocks is generated by an image dividing unit that divides the image region corresponding to the delay time into a plurality of pieces and a plurality of encoding units to which the images divided by the image dividing unit are distributed. And encoded data output means for connecting and outputting the generated encoded data in the arrangement order each time.

  The decoding apparatus according to the present invention further includes a plurality of decoding units that receive encoded data and decode the received encoded data to generate original image data. A decoding device in which the screen order in the data and the screen order of the output image are the same, and the display device outputs the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data or the original image data obtained by the decoding In this output order, an image region corresponding to a target decoding delay time is divided into a plurality of parts, and an image dividing unit that distributes the divided images to a plurality of decoding units, and an image divided by the image dividing unit Each time the encoded data in the arrangement order of the image blocks or the output order to the display device is decoded by the distributed plurality of decoding units, the decoded image data is stored, and the display device Going to Sequentially comprising: the image data output means for outputting the image data.

  According to the present invention, the image region corresponding to the target encoding delay time is divided into a plurality of images in the input order of the image data in the input image or the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data. Each time encoded data in the arrangement order of the image blocks is generated by the plurality of encoding units to which the image blocks are allocated, the generated encoded data in the arrangement order is connected and output. (Delay from image input to encoded data output) can be shortened.

  Further, according to the present invention, the target decoding delay time is supported in the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data or the output order to the display device that outputs the original image data obtained by decoding. The divided image area is divided into a plurality of parts, the divided images are distributed to a plurality of decoding units, and the plurality of decoding units to which the divided images are distributed are used to code the arrangement order of the image blocks or the output order to the display device. Each time the encoded data is decoded, the decoded image data is stored, and the image data is output in the order of output to the display device. Therefore, a decoding processing delay (delay from encoded data input to image output) ) Can be shortened.

  Exemplary embodiments of an encoding device, an encoding method, an encoding program, a decoding device, a decoding method, and a decoding program according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following, the outline and features of the image processing system configured by the encoding device and the decoding device according to the present embodiment, the configuration of the image processing system and the flow of processing will be described in order, and finally the present embodiment will be described. Various modifications will be described.

[Explanation of terms]
First, terms used in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. An “image block” used in the present embodiment is a processing unit of an encoding device (encoder) or a decoding device (decoder) determined by an encoding method such as MPEG-2 or H.264, as shown in FIG. FIG. 4 shows an image showing the entire video composing the entire screen, in which pixels, which are the minimum unit of image constituent elements, are collected in blocks. In FIG. 19, the image block is composed of 4 pixels × 4 pixels. However, the relationship between the image block and the pixel is not limited to this configuration, and depends on the processing unit in the encoding method such as MPEG-2 or H.264. Determined. Further, “row” used in the present embodiment refers to a collection of the above-described image blocks in a band shape as shown in FIG. FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining an image block and a row.

  The “order of image blocks” used in the present embodiment is, as shown in FIG. 20, the order of image blocks in the encoded data with respect to an image showing the entire video constituting the entire screen. It is shown. The “scan order” used in the present embodiment indicates the scan order of an input device for inputting an image such as a video camera or a display device for outputting an image such as a monitor. As shown, after going from left to right, the order is to wrap to the left of the next line at the right end. Furthermore, the input order of image data from the input device to the encoding device and the output order of image data from the decoding device to the display device are generally equal to the scan order. 20 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement order of the image blocks, and FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining the scan order.

[Image processing system overview and features]
Next, the outline and features of the image processing system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the outline and features of the image processing system according to the first embodiment.

  The image processing system includes a plurality of encoding units that divide an inputted input image into a plurality of regions and generate encoded data by encoding the divided images of the plurality of regions. Encoding apparatus (encoder) having the same screen order in the encoded data, and a plurality of decoding units that receive the encoded data and decode the received encoded data to generate the original image data And a decoding device (decoder) in which the screen order in the encoded data is equal to the screen order of the output image.

  In the present embodiment, for the sake of explanation, the four processing units that have the same processing performance as the encoding device that generates the encoded data by encoding with the four encoding units (partial region encoding units 1 to 4) having the same processing performance. A description will be given of an image processing system including a decoding device that generates original image data by decoding with a decoding unit (partial region decoding units 1 to 4). However, the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, this system can be applied to various encoding methods such as MPEG-2 and H.264.

  In such a configuration, as described above, the image processing system divides the inputted input image into a plurality of regions, and encodes the divided images of the plurality of regions with four encoding units to generate encoded data. The encoded image data is received, and the encoded image data is received, and the received image data is decoded by four decoding units to generate the original image data. The main feature is that processing delay from image input to image output can be shortened.

  This main feature will be described in detail. The encoding device of this image processing system, as shown in FIG. 1, determines the target in the input order of the image data in the input image or the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data. The image region corresponding to the encoding delay time is divided into a plurality of images, and the divided images are distributed to a plurality of encoding units. As a specific example, the encoding device divides the image block into four in the arrangement order of the image blocks in the input image shown in FIG. Distribution, partial region 2 is distributed to partial region encoding unit 2, partial region 3 is distributed to partial region encoding unit 3, and partial region 4 is distributed to partial region encoding unit 4. That is, the encoding device distributes the image block “0, 1, 8, 9, 16, 17, 24, 25” in the input image to the partial region encoding unit 1 and sets the image block “2, 3, 10, 11, 18, 19, 26, 27 ”are allocated to the partial region encoding unit 2, and the image block“ 4, 5, 12, 13, 20, 21, 28, 29 ”in the input image is The partial region encoding unit 3 distributes the image blocks “6, 7, 14, 15, 22, 23, 30, 31” in the input image to the partial region encoding unit 4.

  Then, each time the encoded data in the arrangement order of the image blocks is generated by the plurality of encoding units to which the divided images are distributed, the encoding device concatenates the generated encoded data in the arrangement order. And output. More specifically, in the above example, each encoding unit of the encoding device sequentially encodes the input image blocks. That is, the partial area encoding unit 1 encodes the image blocks “0, 1, 8, 9, 16, 17, 24, 25” in the input image in this order. The partial area encoding unit 2 sequentially encodes the image blocks “2, 3, 10, 11, 18, 19, 26, 27” in the input image. Similarly, the partial area encoding unit 3 sequentially encodes the image blocks “4, 5, 12, 13, 20, 21, 28, 29” in the input image, and the partial area encoding unit 4 The image blocks “6, 7, 14, 15, 22, 23, 30, 31” are sequentially encoded. Each partial area encoding unit operates independently and in parallel.

  Then, when the encoding unit encodes the image blocks “0 to 7” that are the arrangement order of the divided image blocks, each encoding unit encodes the image blocks “8” and the subsequent blocks. Without waiting, the encoded data of the image block “0-7” is transmitted to the decoding device. In this way, the encoding apparatus encodes each sequence of “0-7”, “8-15”, “16-23”, “24-31”, which is the sequence of the divided image blocks. Then, the encoded data of the encoded sequence is transmitted to the decoding device.

  After that, the decoding apparatus corresponds to the target decoding delay time in the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data or the output order to the display device that outputs the original image data obtained by the decoding. The divided image area is divided into a plurality of parts, and the divided images are distributed to a plurality of decoding units. More specifically, in the above example, when the decoding apparatus receives the encoded data of the image blocks “0 to 7” of the input image from the encoding apparatus, the decoding apparatus performs partial region decoding on the image blocks “0 and 1”. The image block “2, 3” is distributed to the partial region decoding unit 2, the image block “4, 5” is distributed to the partial region decoding unit 3, and the image block “6, 7” is allocated to the partial region. The data is distributed to the decryption unit 4. In this way, the decoding apparatus divides the encoded data received from the encoding apparatus in the arrangement order of the image blocks or the output order to the display apparatus that outputs the original image data obtained by decoding, and divides the data. The image is distributed to four decoding units.

  Then, each time the encoded data in the arrangement order of the image blocks or the output order to the display device is decoded by the plurality of decoding units to which the divided images are distributed, the decoding device The decoded image data is stored, and the decoded data is displayed and output on a monitor or the like. Specifically, in the above example, when the decoding apparatus decodes the encoded data of the image blocks “0 to 7”, which is the arrangement order of the image blocks received from the encoding apparatus, the decoding data is converted into the decoded data. Connect to display on monitor. In other words, the decoding apparatus encodes the encoded data in each sequence of “0 to 7”, “8 to 15”, “16 to 23”, and “24 to 31”, which is the arrangement order of the divided image blocks. Each time the encoded data in each sequence is decoded, the image data is stored, and the image data is output in the order of output to the display device.

  As described above, the image processing system according to the first embodiment performs encoding in the arrangement order of the image blocks in the input image divided by the encoding device without waiting for encoding all the input images. Each time the encoded data is transmitted to the decoding device, and the encoded data in the order of arrangement of the image blocks received by the decoding device or the output order to the display device is decoded, the decoding is performed. As a result of storing the processed image data and outputting the image data in the order of output to the display device, the processing delay from image input to image output can be shortened as described above.

[Configuration of image processing system]
Next, the configuration of the image processing system shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the encoding device of the image processing system according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the decoding device of the image processing system according to the first embodiment.

(Configuration of encoding device)
As shown in FIG. 2, the encoding apparatus 10 includes an input image buffer 11, an input image control unit 12, partial region encoding units 1 to 4, a reference image control unit / image buffer 13, and a partial image region. The encoded data buffer 14 and the encoded data connection control unit 15 are configured.

  The input image buffer 11 stores input image data. Specifically, the input image buffer 11 is connected to an input image control unit 12 described later, and stores image data input from an image input device such as a video camera.

  The input image control unit 12 divides the image region corresponding to the target encoding delay time into a plurality of images in the input order of the image data in the input image or the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data. Are assigned to a plurality of encoding units. As a specific example, the input image control unit 12 divides the image data stored in the input image buffer 11 in the arrangement order of the image blocks in the image data, and each of the divided image data is described later. To the partial region encoding units 1 to 4 to be performed. For example, when the image data “0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7” as shown in FIG. 1A is input, the input image control unit 12 “0, 1” in the region 1 is assigned to the partial region encoding unit 1, “2, 3” in the partial region 2 is assigned to the partial region encoding unit 2, and “4, 5” in the partial region 3 is assigned. "Is distributed to the partial region encoding unit 3, and" 6, 7 "in the partial region 4 is distributed to the partial region encoding unit 4. Similarly, when image data “8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15” is input, “8, 9” is input to the partial region encoding unit 1 and “10, 11” is input. The partial region encoding unit 2 is allocated to the partial region encoding unit 3 for “12, 13” and the partial region encoding unit 4 for “14, 15”. The image data “16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23” and “24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31” are also distributed in the same manner.

  The partial region encoding units 1 to 4 encode the partial region image data input by the input image control unit 12. As a specific example, the partial region encoding units 1 to 4 may perform a reference image control unit / image buffer on image data of the partial region of the input image input by the input image control unit 12 as necessary. The reference image stored in 13 is read and encoded, and stored in the partial image region encoded data buffer 14 in order from the encoded data. In the example described above, the partial region encoding unit 1 first sets the image block “0” for “0, 1, 8, 9, 16, 17, 24, 25” input by the input image control unit 12. Is encoded and stored in the partial image area encoded data buffer 14, and then the image block “1” is encoded and stored in the partial image area encoded data buffer 14. Further, the partial region encoding units 1 to 4 create partial region reference images based on the data encoded by the respective partial region encoding units as necessary, and store them in the reference image control unit / image buffer 13. As described above, the partial area encoding unit 1 sequentially encodes “0, 1, 8, 9, 16, 17, 24, 25” input from the input image control unit 12 from the image block “0”. It will become. The partial region encoding units 2 to 3 also perform the encoding process in parallel with the partial region encoding unit 1, sequentially encode the input image blocks, and store them in the partial image region encoded data buffer 14. Therefore, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  The reference image control unit / image buffer 13 holds and controls a reference image used for the encoding process of the partial region encoding units 1 to 4. For example, when receiving a reference image acquisition request from the partial region encoding units 1 to 4, the reference image control unit / image buffer 13 holds a reference image corresponding to the acquisition request. Obtained from the reference image and provided to the requesting partial region encoding unit. Further, the reference image control unit / image buffer 13 holds the partial reference image data created by the partial region encoding units 1 to 4 as a reference image that can be referred to in later encoding.

  The partial image area encoded data buffer 14 stores the encoded data that has been encoded. As a specific example, the partial image region encoded data buffer 14 is connected to an encoded data connection control unit 15 described later, and is encoded data output from the partial region encoding units 1 to 4. Accept and hold.

  The encoded data connection control unit 15 generates the encoded data in the arrangement order of the image blocks by the partial region encoding units 1 to 4 to which the images divided by the input image control unit 12 are distributed. The generated encoded data in the arrangement order is concatenated and output. To give a specific example, the encoded data connection control unit 15 has encoded data obtained by encoding the image blocks “0 to 7” that are the arrangement order of the image blocks divided by the input image control unit 12. When stored in the partial image area encoded data buffer 14, the encoded data of the image block “0-7” is encoded with the partial image area encoding without waiting for the subsequent image blocks “8” to be encoded. Acquired from the data buffer 14, the acquired encoded data of the image blocks “0 to 7” are concatenated and transmitted to the decoding device 30. As described above, the encoded data connection control unit 15 encodes each sequence of “0 to 7”, “8 to 15”, “16 to 23”, and “24 to 31”, which is the sequence of the divided image blocks. The encoded data of the encoded sequence is concatenated and transmitted to the decoding device 30 each time.

(Configuration of decoding device)
As shown in FIG. 3, the decoding device 30 includes an encoded data division control unit 31, partial region decoding units 1 to 4, a reference image control unit / image buffer 32, an output partial image buffer 33, And an output image control unit 34.

  The encoded data division control unit 31 sets the target in the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data received from the encoding device 10 or the output order to the display device that outputs the original image data obtained by the decoding. The image area corresponding to the decoding delay time is divided into a plurality of parts, and the divided images are distributed to the partial area decoding units 1 to 4. Specifically, the encoded data division control unit 31 receives the encoded data of the image blocks “0 to 7” of the input image shown in FIG. 1A from the encoding device 10. The image block “0, 1” is distributed to the partial region decoding unit 1, the image block “2, 3” is distributed to the partial region decoding unit 2, and the image block “4, 5” is allocated to the partial region decoding unit 3. And the image block “6, 7” is distributed to the partial area decoding unit 4. Similarly, when the encoded data division control unit 31 receives the encoded data of the image blocks “8 to 15” of the input image shown in FIG. 8 and 9 ”are allocated to the partial region decoding unit 1, the image block“ 10 and 11 ”is allocated to the partial region decoding unit 2, the image block“ 12 and 13 ”is allocated to the partial region decoding unit 3, and the image block “14, 15” are distributed to the partial region decoding unit 4. Note that, in this example, the case where the division at the time of encoding and the division at the time of decoding are the same is taken as an example, but the division by the encoded data division control unit 31 is performed at the time of encoding. The division is not necessarily the same.

  The partial area decoding units 1 to 4 decode the encoded data input by the encoded data division control unit 31. For example, the partial region decoding units 1 to 4 store the encoded data input by the encoded data division control unit 31 in the reference image control unit / image buffer 32 as necessary. The reference image to be read is read and decoded, and the decoded partial area image data is sequentially stored in the output partial image buffer 33. In the example described above, the partial area decoding unit 1 first calculates the image block “0, 1, 8, 9, 16, 17, 24, 25” input by the encoded data division control unit 31. “0” is decoded and stored in the output partial image buffer 33, and then the image block “1” is decoded and stored in the output partial image buffer 33. As described above, the partial region encoding unit 1 starts from the image block “0” with respect to “0, 1, 8, 9, 16, 17, 24, 25” input by the encoded data division control unit 31. Decrypt in order. The partial region decoding units 2 to 4 also perform decoding processing in parallel with the partial region decoding unit 1, sequentially decode input image blocks, and store them in the output partial image buffer 33. Therefore, detailed description thereof is omitted here. Further, the partial area decoding units 1 to 4 store the partial area image data decoded by the respective partial area decoding units in the reference image control unit / image buffer 32 as necessary.

  The reference image control unit / image buffer 32 holds and controls a reference image used for the decoding process of the partial region decoding units 1 to 4. Specifically, when receiving a reference image acquisition request from the partial region decoding units 1 to 4, the reference image control unit / image buffer 32 holds a reference image corresponding to the acquisition request. Obtained from the reference image and provided to the requesting partial region decoding unit. Further, the reference image control unit / image buffer 32 holds the partial region images decoded by the partial region decoding units 1 to 4 as reference images that can be referred to in later decoding.

  The output partial image buffer 33 stores the decoded partial area image data. As a specific example, the output partial image buffer 33 is connected to an output image control unit 34 described later, and receives and holds the image data decoded from the partial region decoding units 1 to 4.

  The output image control unit 34 determines that the amount of image data decoded by the partial region decoding units 1 to 4 and stored in the output partial image buffer 33 is an amount that can be output. Image data is output in the scanning order of the apparatus. Specifically, in the above example, the output image control unit 34 decodes the image blocks “0 to 7”, which are the arrangement order of the image blocks received from the encoding device, by the partial region decoding units 1 to 4. When the image data is stored in the output partial image buffer 33, the original image data “0-7” obtained by decoding is acquired from the output partial image buffer 33 and displayed on a monitor or the like. In other words, the output image control unit 34 decodes each sequence of “0 to 7”, “8 to 15”, “16 to 23”, and “24 to 31”, which is the sequence of the divided image blocks. Each time, the original image data obtained by the decoding is output.

[Processing by image processing system]
Next, processing by the image processing system will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the encoding process in the encoding apparatus of the image processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is the flow of the decoding process in the decoding apparatus of the image processing system according to the first embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows.

(Encoding process flow)
As shown in FIG. 4, when an image is input (Yes at Step S101), the encoding apparatus 10 divides the input image according to the arrangement order of the image blocks (Step S102). To give a specific example, the encoding device 10 includes partial region encoding units 1 to 4, and when one row of an image block is set as a delay allowable range, one row of the input image that is input Divide into four.

  Then, the encoding device 10 sequentially encodes the divided image blocks (step S103). As a specific example, the encoding device 10 inputs the image blocks of each of the four divided regions to the partial region encoding units 1 to 4 and executes the partial region encoding units 1 to 4 in parallel. The image block is encoded, and the obtained encoded data is stored in the partial image area encoded data buffer 14. Furthermore, the partial region encoding units 1 to 4 create partial region reference image data based on the data encoded by the respective partial region encoding units as necessary, and store the partial region reference image data in the reference image control unit / image buffer 13. .

  Thereafter, the encoding device 10 determines whether or not the image blocks in the range that can be transmitted to the decoding device 30 have been encoded (step S104). As a specific example, the encoding device 10 determines whether or not encoded data for one row or more is stored in the partial image area encoded data buffer 14. In the example described above, the encoding device 10 encodes encoded data of “0-7”, “8-15”, “16-23”, “24-31”, which is an array of image blocks of the input image that has been input. Is stored in the partial image area encoded data buffer 14.

  When it is determined that the image blocks in the range that can be transmitted to the decoding device 30 have been encoded (Yes in step S104), the encoding device 10 decodes the image blocks in the range that can be transmitted by connecting them. It transmits to the apparatus 30 (step S105). To give a specific example, when the encoded data for one row or more is stored in the partial image region encoded data buffer 14, the encoding device 10 outputs one row from the partial image region encoded data buffer 14. The encoded data is acquired and concatenated, and the concatenated encoded data is transmitted to the decoding device 30. In the above-described example, the encoding device 10 stores the encoded data of the image blocks “0 to 7”, which is an array of image blocks of the input image that is input, stored in the partial image region encoded data buffer 14. The encoded data of the image blocks “0 to 7” is acquired from the partial image area encoded data buffer 14 and connected, and the connected encoded data is transmitted to the decoding device 30.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the image blocks in the range that can be transmitted to the decoding device 30 have not been encoded (No at Step S104), the encoding device 10 returns to Step S103, and the image blocks in the range that can be transmitted are Repeat until encoding is complete.

  When the encoding apparatus 10 completes the transmission for all the image blocks of the input image (Yes at Step S106), the encoding apparatus 10 ends the encoding process, and if the transmission has not been completed for all the image blocks of the input image (Step S106). (No at S106), the processing after step S103 is repeated.

(Decoding process flow)
As illustrated in FIG. 5, when the encoded data transmitted from the encoding device 10 is received (Yes in step S201), the decoding device 30 is obtained by arranging or decoding the image blocks in the encoded data. The image data is divided in the order of output to the display device, and the divided images are distributed to a plurality of decoding units (step S202).

  Specifically, when the decoding apparatus 30 includes the partial area decoding units 1 to 4 and receives the encoded data “image block (0 to 7)” with one row as an allowable delay range, The image block “0, 1” is allocated to the partial region decoding unit 1, the image block “2, 3” is allocated to the partial region decoding unit 2, and the image block “4, 5” is allocated to the partial region decoding unit 3. Distribution and distribution of the image block “6, 7” to the partial area decoding unit 4. Thereafter, when the encoded data “image block (8 to 15)” is received, the image block “8, 9” is distributed to the partial region decoding unit 1, and the image block “10, 11” is allocated to the partial region decoding unit 2. The image block “12, 13” is distributed to the partial area decoding unit 3, and the image block “14, 15” is distributed to the partial region decoding unit 4. As described above, the decoding apparatus 30 sequentially divides the received encoded data and distributes the divided encoded data to the partial region decoding units 1 to 4.

  Then, the decoding device 30 sequentially decodes the received encoded data (step S203). Specifically, in the above example, the decoding device 30 sequentially decodes the image blocks “0, 1, 8, 9...” Using the partial area decoding unit 1 and outputs them to the output partial image buffer 33. In parallel with the storage, the partial block decoding unit 2 is used to sequentially decode the image blocks “2, 3, 10, 11...” And store them in the output partial image buffer 33. The partial block decoding unit 3 is sequentially decoded and stored in the output partial image buffer 33, and the partial block decoding unit 4 is used to store the image blocks “6, 7, 14, 15... ”Are sequentially decoded and stored in the output partial image buffer 33. Furthermore, the partial area decoding units 1 to 4 store the partial area image data decoded by the respective partial area decoding units in the reference image control unit / image buffer 32 as necessary.

  Thereafter, the decoding device 30 determines whether or not decoding of an image block in a range that can be transmitted to a monitor or the like has been completed (step S204). As a specific example, the decoding device 30 determines whether or not image data for one row or more is stored in the output partial image buffer 33. In the example described above, the decoding device 30 outputs image data of “0-7”, “8-15”, “16-23”, “24-31”, which is a sequence of image blocks in the encoded data. It is determined whether it is stored in the partial image buffer 33.

  If it is determined that the image block within the transmittable range has been decoded (Yes at Step S204), the decoding device 30 outputs the image data within the transmittable range (Step S205). To give a specific example, when the decoding device 30 stores image data for one row or more in the output partial image buffer 33, the decoding device 30 outputs the image data for one row to the output partial image. Obtained from the buffer 33 and output to a monitor or the like. In the above example, the decoding device 30 outputs the output portion when the image data of the image blocks “0 to 7”, which is the arrangement order of the image blocks in the received encoded data, is stored in the output portion image buffer 33. Image data “0 to 7” is acquired from the image buffer 33 and output to a monitor or the like.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the image blocks in the transmittable range have not been decoded (No in step S204), the decoding apparatus 30 returns to step S202 until the image blocks in the transmittable range are completely decoded. stand by.

  When the decoding apparatus 30 completes the output for all the received encoded data (Yes in step S206), the decoding apparatus 30 ends the encoding process, and if the output has not been completed for all the received encoded data (step S206). (No at S206), the process from step S202 is repeated.

[Effects of Example 1]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, the image area corresponding to the target encoding delay time is divided into a plurality of parts in the input order of the image data in the input image or the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data. Each time the encoded data in the arrangement order of the image blocks is generated by the partial area encoding units 1 to 4 to which the divided images are distributed, the generated encoded data in the arrangement order is connected and output. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the output time from image input to encoded data output.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, the target decoding delay time in the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data or in the output order to the display device that outputs the original image data obtained by the decoding. Is divided into a plurality of decoding units, the divided images are distributed to a plurality of decoding units, and the partial block decoding units 1 to 4 to which the divided images are allocated are sent to an image block arrangement order or a display device. Each time the encoded data in the output order is decoded, the decoded image data is stored, and the image data is output in the output order to the display device, so the output time from the encoded data input to the image output Can be shortened.

  In addition, by using the image processing system using the encoding device 10 and the decoding device 30 described above, from image input to image output as compared to the case where neither device is used or one of them is used. It is possible to shorten the processing delay.

  In the first embodiment, the encoding apparatus has described the case where the input image is divided into four. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various division formats can be used. Note that the processing until the divided images are distributed and encoded to a plurality of encoding units and the encoded data is output to the decoding device is the same as that in the first embodiment. A detailed description is omitted, and how the input image is divided will be described.

  In the second embodiment, an example in which an input image is divided in various formats will be described. For example, when the encoding apparatus includes six partial region encoding units and allows a delay of one row of an image block, as shown in FIG. 6, the encoding device divides the image block into six in the arrangement order of the image blocks. The image divided into six can be distributed to six partial area encoding units. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the input image is divided into six.

  Further, the encoding device can also divide in units of two rows as shown in FIG. In this case, regarding the image input to encoding to decoding to image output, the image processing system has a delay of 2 rows if the areas “1 to 3” shown in FIG. Will occur. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example in which an input image is divided in units of 2 rows.

  Also, the encoding device does not necessarily have to be divided into rectangles as shown in FIGS. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, it can also divide | segment in formats other than a rectangle. In this case, if the areas “1 to 3” shown in FIG. 8 are encoded in parallel, a delay of one row occurs. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a division format other than a rectangle.

  In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the encoding apparatus can also divide a region in units of image blocks in the input image. In this case, if the areas “1 to 3” shown in FIG. 9 are encoded in parallel, a delay of 3 image blocks (1/2 rows) occurs. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a division format in units of image blocks.

  As described above, regardless of the format, it is possible to transmit each time the divided arrangement order is encoded without waiting until the encoding of all the one screen is completed. A delay in units of rows or blocks can be used instead of a delay, and a processing delay from image input to image output can be shortened.

  By the way, in the first and second embodiments, the description has been given of the case where the encoding apparatus equally divides the input image and distributes each of the input images equally to the partial region encoding unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, the partial area encoding unit with high processing performance can be divided so as to allocate a large number of areas.

  Thus, in the third embodiment, an encoding device that divides a partial region encoding unit with high processing performance so as to distribute a large number of regions will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the encoding device according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a divided input image.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the encoding apparatus 10 includes an input image buffer 11, an input image control unit 12, partial region encoding units 1 to 3, a reference image control unit / image buffer 13, and a partial image region. The encoded data buffer 14 and the encoded data connection control unit 15 are configured.

  Among these, the input image buffer 11, the reference image control unit / image buffer 13, the partial image region encoded data buffer 14, and the encoded data connection control unit 15 are the input images described in FIG. Since it has the same functions as the buffer 11, the reference image control unit / image buffer 13, the partial image region encoded data buffer 14, and the encoded data connection control unit 15, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Here, the input image control unit 12 and the partial area encoding units 1 to 3 having functions different from those of the first embodiment will be described.

  The partial area encoding units 1 to 3 encode the image data input by the input image control unit 12 as in the first embodiment. Specifically, the partial area encoding units 1 to 3 store the image data of the partial area of the input image input by the input image control unit 12 in the reference image control unit / image buffer 13. The reference image is read and encoded, and stored in the partial image region encoded data buffer 14 in order from the encoded data. Further, the partial region encoding units 1 to 3 create partial region reference image data based on the data encoded by the respective partial region encoding units as necessary, and store the partial region reference image data in the reference image control unit / image buffer 13. . Here, the difference from the first embodiment is that the partial region encoding unit 2 has twice the processing performance as compared to the partial region encoding unit 1 and the partial region encoding unit 3. That is, in other words, the partial region encoding unit 2 can encode two image blocks at the same time that the partial region encoding unit 1 and the partial region encoding unit 3 encode one image block.

  The input image control unit 12 divides the divided image according to the processing performance of the partial region encoding units 1 to 3 in the input order of the image data in the input image or the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data. It distributes to the area | region encoding parts 1-3. Specifically, in the example described above, the input image is based on the fact that the partial region encoding unit 2 has twice the processing performance as compared with the partial region encoding unit 1 and the partial region encoding unit 3. As shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 12 is configured so that the number of processed image blocks of the partial region encoding unit 2 is twice the number of processed image blocks of the partial region encoding unit 1 and the partial region encoding unit 3. Divide in the order of image blocks in the input image. Then, the input image control unit 12 distributes the partial region 1 illustrated in FIG. 11 to the partial region encoding unit 1, and distributes the partial region 2 that is twice the partial region 1 to the partial region encoding unit 2, The partial area 3 having the same number of processing blocks as the partial area 1 is allocated to the partial area encoding unit 3.

  As described above, the encoding apparatus according to the third embodiment divides in the input order of the image data in the input image or the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data according to the processing performance of the partial region encoding units 1 to 3. Since the divided images are distributed to the partial area encoding units 1 to 3, the divided areas can be allocated in accordance with the processing performance of the partial area encoding units 1 to 3, and each encoding unit is wasted such as waiting. As a result, it is possible to reduce unnecessary processing in the encoding processing for encoding the input image.

  For example, the encoding apparatus as shown in FIG. 10 ignores the processing performance of the partial area encoding units 1 to 3 and divides the divided image equally in the order of the image blocks in the input image, and the divided image is divided into partial area codes. Since the partial area encoding units 1 to 3 are executed in parallel, a time during which the partial area encoding unit 2 is not always processing occurs. Processing delay from input to image output becomes longer. However, according to the processing performance of the partial region encoding units 1 to 3, the present apparatus divides the image blocks in the order of the image blocks in the input image, distributes the divided images to the partial region encoding units 1 to 3, and inputs them. As a result of reducing unnecessary processing in the encoding processing for encoding an image, it is possible to shorten the processing delay from image input to image output as a whole system.

  By the way, this invention can implement the same process as Example 1 even if it is an encoding part from which the encoding method of the some encoding part with which an encoding apparatus is provided differs. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, an encoding device that is an intra-dedicated encoding unit in which one of a plurality of encoding units included in the encoding device is intra-screen encoding will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. . FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the encoding device according to the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of assigning intra regions.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the encoding apparatus 10 includes an input image buffer 11, an input image control unit 12, partial region encoding units 1 to 4, a reference image control unit / image buffer 13, and a partial image region. The encoded data buffer 14 and the encoded data connection control unit 15 are configured.

  Among these, the input image buffer 11, the reference image control unit / image buffer 13, the partial image region encoded data buffer 14, and the encoded data connection control unit 15 are the input images described in FIG. Since it has the same functions as the buffer 11, the reference image control unit / image buffer 13, the partial image region encoded data buffer 14, and the encoded data connection control unit 15, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Here, the input image control unit 12 having an encoding method different from that in the first embodiment and the partial region encoding units 1 to 4 will be described.

  The partial area encoding units 1 to 4 encode the image data input by the input image control unit 12 as in the first embodiment. As a specific example, the partial region encoding units 1 to 4 store the image data of the partial region of the input image input by the input image control unit 12 in the reference image control unit / image buffer 13. The reference image is read and encoded, and stored in the partial image region encoded data buffer 14 in order from the encoded data. Here, the difference from the first embodiment is that the partial area encoding unit 1 is an intra-dedicated encoding unit, and generates encoded data from received image data without reading a reference image.

  The input image control unit 12 divides the image blocks in the order of arrangement of the image blocks in the input image, and distributes them to the partial region encoding units 1 to 4 so that the intra region of the divided images changes. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, the input image control unit 12 sets the leftmost end of the input image divided into four with respect to the input image at time t as a target region for intra processing. In this case, the leftmost end is allocated to the partial area encoding unit 1 (for intra), and other areas are sequentially allocated to the partial area encoding unit 2, the partial region encoding unit 3, and the partial region encoding unit 4. . Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 13, the input image control unit 12 applies the second from the left, which is obtained by dividing the input image into four, for the input image at time t + 1 (the image input next to the image at time t). The second region from the left is assigned to the partial region encoding unit 1 (for intra), the leftmost end is the partial region encoding unit 2, the second from the right is the partial region encoding unit 3, The right is distributed to the partial region encoding unit 4.

  As described above, the image blocks are divided in the arrangement order of the image blocks in the input image, and are distributed to the partial area encoding units 1 to 4 so that the intra area of the divided images is changed. Therefore, the input image that requires the intra area is encoded. Even in this case, the processing delay from image input to image output can be shortened.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms other than the embodiments described above. Therefore, as shown below, (1) variations of the decoding device, (2) a division format according to the processing performance, (3) a method of allocating to the partial region encoding unit or the partial region decoding unit, (4) Different embodiments will be described by dividing the system configuration into (5) programs.

(1) Variations of Decoding Device For example, in Embodiments 1 to 4, various variations of the encoding device have been described. However, Embodiments 1 to 4 can be similarly applied to a decoding device. Specifically, the division format described in the second embodiment can be applied when the encoded data received from the encoding apparatus is divided.

  In addition, the method of allocating a double area to an encoding unit having a processing performance of twice described in the third embodiment is applied to a decoding device including a decoding unit having a processing performance of twice, and the encoding device When allocating the encoded data received from No. 1, it is sufficient to allocate twice as many areas as in the third embodiment. In addition, the method of assigning the intra area to be changed as described in the fourth embodiment is applied to a decoding apparatus including a decoding unit dedicated to the intra area, and when the encoded data received from the encoding apparatus is allocated. Similarly to the fourth embodiment, the allocation may be performed so that the intra area transitions.

(2) Division format according to processing performance Further, in the third embodiment, an example of an encoding device including an encoding unit having a processing performance of twice has been described. However, this processing performance is merely an example, and It is not limited. For example, in the case of an encoding device including an encoding unit having a processing performance of 3 times, an input image is assigned so that an area three times as large as an area to be allocated to another encoding unit is allocated to an encoding unit having a processing performance of 3 times. Can be divided. This can be similarly applied to the above-described decoding apparatus.

(3) Distributing method to partial region encoding unit or partial region decoding unit The description so far has been given of the case where the distribution of image blocks to the partial region encoding unit has been determined in advance. It is not limited to this, and a partial area encoding unit that is a distribution destination may be determined every time an image block is input. For example, since the processing time of each partial region encoding unit is not always constant, when an image block is input without deciding on a distribution destination in advance, the partial region encoding unit dynamically distributes it to a free partial region encoding unit. May be. Also, for example, when there are a plurality of partial region encoding units having different encoding methods, the encoding method is determined from the input image block data without determining the allocation destination in advance, and the corresponding partial region encoding unit is moved to. You may sort it.

  In the above description, the case where the allocation of the image block to the partial region decoding unit is determined in advance has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and every time encoded data is input. The partial area decoding unit that is the distribution destination may be determined. For example, since the processing time of each partial area decoding unit is not always constant, when encoded data is input without deciding the allocation destination in advance, the free partial area decoding unit is dynamically You may distribute. Also, for example, when there are a plurality of partial region decoding units having different decoding methods, the decoding method is determined from the input encoded data without determining the allocation destination in advance, and the corresponding partial region decoding unit is moved to. You may sort it.

(4) System configuration etc. In addition, among the processes described in the present embodiment, all or a part of the processes described as being automatically performed (for example, the image input process) can be manually performed. . In addition, the processing procedure, control procedure, specific name, and information including various data and parameters shown in the above-described document and drawings can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified.

  Further, each component of each illustrated apparatus is functionally conceptual, and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of distribution / integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or a part thereof may be functionally or physically distributed or arbitrarily distributed in arbitrary units according to various loads or usage conditions. For example, the input image control unit may be divided into a division unit and a distribution unit. Further, all or any part of each processing function performed in each device may be realized by a CPU and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU, or may be realized as hardware by wired logic.

(5) Program The image processing method described in the present embodiment can be realized by executing a prepared program on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. This program can be distributed via a network such as the Internet. The program can also be executed by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD and being read from the recording medium by the computer.

  As described above, the encoding device, the encoding method, the encoding program, the decoding device, the decoding method, and the decoding program according to the present invention divide the input image into a plurality of regions, A region image is encoded by a plurality of encoding units to generate encoded data, the encoded data is received, and the received encoded data is decoded by a plurality of decoding units. This is useful for generating the image data, and is particularly suitable for shortening the processing delay from image input to image output.

1 is a diagram for explaining an overview and characteristics of an image processing system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an encoding device of an image processing system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a decoding device of an image processing system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of encoding processing in the encoding device of the image processing system according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of decoding processing in the decoding device of the image processing system according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example at the time of dividing an input image into 6 parts. It is a figure which shows the example at the time of dividing | segmenting an input image per 2 rows. It is a figure which shows the example of the division formats other than a rectangle. It is a figure which shows the example of the division format of an image block unit. It is a figure which shows the structure of the encoding apparatus which concerns on Example 3. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the divided | segmented input image. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an encoding apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example which distributes an intra area | region. It is a figure which shows the example of a division | segmentation of the input image in a prior art. It is a figure which shows the example of a division | segmentation of the input image in a prior art. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the encoding apparatus which concerns on a prior art. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the decoding apparatus which concerns on a prior art. It is a figure which shows the flow of a process of the image processing system comprised from the encoding apparatus and decoding apparatus which concern on a prior art. It is a figure for demonstrating an image block and a low. It is a figure for demonstrating the arrangement | sequence order of an image block. It is a figure for demonstrating a scanning order.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Encoding apparatus 11 Input image buffer 12 Input image control part 13 Reference image control part / Image buffer 14 Partial image area coding data buffer 15 Encoded data connection control part 30 Decoding apparatus 31 Encoded data division | segmentation control part 32 Reference image Control unit / image buffer 33 Output partial image buffer 34 Output image control unit

Claims (12)

A plurality of encoding units that divide the input image into a plurality of regions and generate encoded data by encoding the divided images of the plurality of regions, the screen order of the input images and the screen within the encoded data; An encoding device having the same order,
An image dividing means for dividing an image region corresponding to a target encoding delay time in a plurality of image data input order or image block arrangement order in the encoded data in the input image;
Each time the encoded data in the arrangement order of the image blocks is generated by the plurality of encoding units to which the images divided by the image dividing means are distributed, the generated encoded data in the arrangement order is connected. Encoded data output means for outputting,
An encoding device comprising: The plurality of encoding units are encoding units having different processing performance for generating the encoded data,
The image dividing unit divides the input image according to the processing performance of the plurality of encoding units in the input order of the image data in the input image or the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data. The encoding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the encoding apparatus is assigned to an encoding unit. The plurality of encoding units are encoding units having different encoding methods for generating the encoded data,
The image dividing means divides the input image in the input order of the image data or the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data, and distributes the divided images to a plurality of encoding units having different encoding methods. The encoding device according to claim 1.   The encoding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image dividing unit dynamically determines and distributes a distribution destination of the divided image. A plurality of decoding units that receive the encoded data and decode the received encoded data to generate the original image data, and the screen order in the encoded data and the screen order of the output image Is a decryption device in which
A plurality of image regions corresponding to a target decoding delay time in the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data or the output order to the display device that outputs the original image data obtained by the decoding. Image dividing means for dividing and distributing the divided images to a plurality of decoding units;
Each time the encoded data in the order of arrangement of the image blocks or the order of output to the display device is decoded by the plurality of decoding units to which the images divided by the image dividing unit are distributed, the decoding is performed. Image data output means for storing the image data and outputting the image data in the order of output to the display device;
A decoding apparatus comprising: The plurality of decoding units are decoding units having different processing performance for decoding the encoded data,
The image dividing means outputs to the display device that outputs the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data or the original image data obtained by the decoding according to the processing performance of the plurality of decoding units. 6. The decoding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the decoding device is divided in order, and the divided images are distributed to a plurality of partial decoding units. The plurality of decoding units are decoding units having different decoding methods for generating the image data,
The image dividing means divides the image blocks in the encoded data in the arrangement order of the image blocks or in the output order to the display device that outputs the original image data obtained by the decoding. 6. The decoding device according to claim 5, wherein the decoding device is assigned to a plurality of different decoding units.   The decoding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image dividing unit dynamically determines and distributes a distribution destination of the divided image. A plurality of encoding units that divide the input image into a plurality of regions and generate encoded data by encoding the divided images of the plurality of regions, the screen order of the input images and the screen within the encoded data; An encoding method suitable for encoding apparatuses having the same order,
An image dividing step of dividing the image region corresponding to a target encoding delay time into a plurality of images in the input order of the image data in the input image or the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data;
Each time the encoded data in the arrangement order of the image blocks is generated by the plurality of encoding units to which the images divided in the image dividing step are distributed, the generated encoded data in the arrangement order is connected. Encoded data output process to output,
The encoding method characterized by including. A plurality of encoding units that divide the input image into a plurality of regions and generate encoded data by encoding the divided images of the plurality of regions, the screen order of the input images and the screen within the encoded data; An encoding program to be executed by a computer as an encoding device having the same order,
An image division procedure for dividing an image region corresponding to a target encoding delay time in the input order of the image data in the input image or the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data;
Each time the encoded data in the arrangement order of the image blocks is generated by the plurality of encoding units to which the images divided by the image division procedure are distributed, the generated encoded data in the arrangement order is connected. Encoded data output procedure to output,
An encoding program for causing a computer to execute. A plurality of decoding units that receive the encoded data and decode the received encoded data to generate the original image data, and the screen order in the encoded data and the screen order of the output image A decoding method suitable for a decoding device with equal
A plurality of image regions corresponding to a target decoding delay time in the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data or the output order to the display device that outputs the original image data obtained by the decoding. An image dividing step of dividing and distributing the divided images to a plurality of decoding units;
Each time the encoded data in the arrangement order of the image blocks or the output order to the display device is decoded by the plurality of decoding units to which the images divided in the image dividing step are distributed, the decoding is performed. Image data output step of storing the image data and outputting the image data in the order of output to the display device;
The decoding method characterized by including. A plurality of decoding units that receive the encoded data and decode the received encoded data to generate the original image data, and the screen order in the encoded data and the screen order of the output image A decoding program to be executed by a computer as a decoding device in which
A plurality of image regions corresponding to a target decoding delay time in the arrangement order of the image blocks in the encoded data or the output order to the display device that outputs the original image data obtained by the decoding. An image division procedure for dividing and distributing the divided images to a plurality of decoding units;
Each time the encoded data in the arrangement order of the image blocks or the output order to the display device is decoded by the plurality of decoding units to which the images divided by the image dividing procedure are distributed, the decoding is performed. Image data output procedure for storing the received image data and outputting the image data in the order of output to the display device;
A decryption program that causes a computer to execute the above.

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