JP2015180038A - Image encoder, image decoder, image processing system, image encoding method and image decoding method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image encoder that can refer to a proper reference image for inter-face prediction.SOLUTION: An image encoder for encoding plural display target images constituting a picture by using inter-face prediction has an obtaining part 71 for obtaining a reference dedicated image as an image which is different from the plural display target images and plural reconstructed images of the plural display target images and used for only reference in inter-face prediction, and an encoding part 72 for encoding one or more display target images out of the plural display target images by referring to the reference dedicated image as a reference image in the inter-face prediction.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image encoding device or the like that encodes a plurality of display target images constituting a video by using inter prediction.

  As a technique related to an image encoding method for encoding an image (including a moving image) or an image decoding method for decoding an image, there is a technique described in Non-Patent Document 1.

  Moreover, there exists a technique of patent document 1 as a technique regarding the image coding method using a background image.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-23423

Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC) of ITU-T SG16 WP3 and ISO / IEC JTC1 / SC29 / WG11 12th Meeting: Geneva, CH, 14-23 Jan. 2013 JCTVC-L1003_v34.doc, High Efficiency Video Coding ( HEVC) text specification draft 10 (for FDIS & Last Call) http://phenix.it-sudparis.eu/jct/doc_end_user/documents/12_Geneva/wg11/JCTVC-L1003-v34.zip

  However, there is a possibility that an image encoding device or the like according to the related art cannot refer to an appropriate reference image in inter-plane prediction (inter-screen prediction).

  Therefore, the present invention provides an image encoding device and the like that can refer to an appropriate reference image in inter-surface prediction.

  An image encoding apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is an image encoding apparatus that encodes a plurality of display target images constituting a video by using inter prediction, and the plurality of display target images are the plurality of display target images. An acquisition unit that acquires a reference-only image that is different from a plurality of reconstructed images of the display target image and is used as a reference-only image in the inter-frame prediction; and the reference-only image is a reference image in the inter-surface prediction And an encoding unit that encodes one or more display target images among the plurality of display target images.

  Note that these comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized by a system, apparatus, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM. The present invention may be realized by any combination of an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

  An image encoding device or the like according to an aspect of the present invention can refer to an appropriate reference image in inter prediction.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow of the image processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a code string in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of background image generation processing in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a background image in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another background image in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a flow of background image selection processing in the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a flow of background image update processing in the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram mainly illustrating a configuration of a processing unit of the encoder in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flow of the encoding process in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the scaling process in the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the conversion process in the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an entire vector in the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the scaling process in the first embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating integer pixel accuracy and decimal pixel accuracy in the first embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the code string in the first embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow of the image processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram mainly illustrating a configuration of a processing unit of the decoder according to the second embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a flow of decoding processing in the second embodiment. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the operation of the image processing system in the third embodiment. FIG. 23 is an overall configuration diagram of a content supply system that implements a content distribution service. FIG. 24 is an overall configuration diagram of a digital broadcasting system. FIG. 25 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a television. FIG. 26 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an information reproducing / recording unit that reads and writes information from and on a recording medium that is an optical disk. FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating a structure example of a recording medium that is an optical disk. FIG. 28A is a diagram illustrating an example of a mobile phone. FIG. 28B is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a mobile phone. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a structure of multiplexed data. FIG. 30 is a diagram schematically showing how each stream is multiplexed in the multiplexed data. FIG. 31 is a diagram showing in more detail how the video stream is stored in the PES packet sequence. FIG. 32 is a diagram showing the structure of TS packets and source packets in multiplexed data. FIG. 33 shows the data structure of the PMT. FIG. 34 shows the internal structure of multiplexed data information. FIG. 35 shows the internal structure of stream attribute information. FIG. 36 is a diagram showing steps for identifying video data. FIG. 37 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an integrated circuit that realizes the moving picture coding method and the moving picture decoding method according to each embodiment. FIG. 38 is a diagram showing a configuration for switching the drive frequency. FIG. 39 is a diagram illustrating steps for identifying video data and switching between driving frequencies. FIG. 40 is a diagram illustrating an example of a look-up table in which video data standards are associated with drive frequencies. FIG. 41A is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration for sharing a module of a signal processing unit. FIG. 41B is a diagram illustrating another example of a configuration for sharing a module of a signal processing unit.

(Knowledge that became the basis of the present invention)
The present inventor has found a problem with respect to the image encoding method for encoding an image or the image decoding method for decoding an image described in the “Background Art” section. This will be specifically described below.

  In recent years, technological progress of digital video equipment has been remarkable, and an opportunity to compress and encode video signals (a plurality of pictures arranged in time series) input from a video camera or a TV tuner and record them on a recording medium such as a DVD or a hard disk Is increasing. As an image coding standard, H.264 is used. Although there is a standard called H.264 / AVC (MPEG-4 AVC), a standard called HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) (Non-Patent Document 1) has been studied as a next-generation standard.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for increasing coding efficiency by storing a background image for a long period of time and using the stored background image as a reference image in inter prediction.

  The HEVC standard (Non-Patent Document 1) has a mechanism called a long-term reference image to which the technique described in Patent Document 1 can be applied. The decoded image designated as the long-term reference image is stored in the frame memory for a long time. Therefore, in the subsequent decoding, a long-term reference to the decoded image designated as the long-term reference image becomes possible.

  However, an appropriate reference image may not exist in the video. In such a case, it is difficult to refer to an appropriate reference image in inter-surface prediction. Therefore, in such a case, encoding efficiency may be reduced.

  Further, for example, when an image captured by a camera capable of panning, tilting, and zooming is encoded, there is a possibility that the encoding efficiency may not be improved even if the techniques of Non-Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 1 are used. Specifically, the background changes greatly by panning, tilting, or zooming. Therefore, even if one background image is stored as a long-term reference image, there is a possibility that the encoding target image that has been panned, tilted, or zoomed does not match the background image. Therefore, the accuracy of prediction is not improved, and the encoding efficiency may not be improved.

  Therefore, the present invention provides an image encoding device and the like that can refer to an appropriate reference image in inter-surface prediction.

  For example, an image encoding device according to an aspect of the present invention is an image encoding device that encodes a plurality of display target images constituting a video by using inter prediction, and the plurality of display target images An acquisition unit that acquires a reference-only image that is an image different from a plurality of reconstructed images of the plurality of display target images and is used as a reference-only in the inter-frame prediction; and the reference-only image in the inter-surface prediction And an encoding unit that encodes one or more display target images among the plurality of display target images with reference to a reference image.

  Thereby, the image coding apparatus can refer to a reference-only image that is different from the display target image or the like in the inter prediction. Therefore, the image coding apparatus can refer to an appropriate reference image in inter-plane prediction.

  For example, the acquisition unit may acquire the reference-only image that is larger than each of the plurality of display target images.

  Thereby, the image coding apparatus can code an image with reference to a reference-only image including a background corresponding to, for example, pan, tilt, or zoom.

  Further, for example, the acquisition unit may acquire the reference-only image in which a plurality of captured images that are a plurality of images obtained by capturing are integrated.

  Thereby, the image coding apparatus can refer to a reference-only image in which a plurality of images obtained by panning, tilting, zooming, or the like or a plurality of images obtained by a plurality of cameras are integrated, for example. . Therefore, the image coding apparatus can refer to a more appropriate reference image.

  For example, the acquisition unit may acquire the reference-only image before the first display target image is encoded in the encoding order among the plurality of display target images.

  As a result, the image encoding device can prepare in advance for encoding the video, and can smoothly encode the video.

  Further, for example, the acquisition unit acquires the reference-only image partially or entirely by receiving the reference-only image from an image management apparatus partially or entirely, and the encoding unit includes a partial The one or more display target images may be encoded with reference to the reference-only image acquired manually or entirely.

  Thereby, the image coding apparatus can acquire an appropriate reference-only image for inter-plane prediction from the image management apparatus.

  In addition, for example, the acquisition unit converts each of a plurality of reference dedicated images including a first reference dedicated image corresponding to the first shooting situation and a second reference dedicated image corresponding to the second shooting situation to the reference dedicated image. The encoding unit encodes the one or more display target images with reference to the first reference-only image as the reference-only image when the shooting state of the video is the first shooting state. If the shooting situation of the video is the second shooting situation, the one or more display target images may be encoded with reference to the second reference-only image as the reference-only image.

  As a result, the image encoding device can switch between a plurality of reference-dedicated images depending on the video shooting situation.

  For example, the acquisition unit further updates the reference-only image using one or more reconstructed images among the plurality of reconstructed images of the plurality of display target images, and the encoding unit includes: The one or more display target images may be encoded with reference to the updated reference-only image.

  Thereby, the image coding apparatus can appropriately update the reference-only image in accordance with the video.

  Further, for example, when the encoding unit encodes an encoding target image among the one or more display target images, the encoding unit selects the reference dedicated image so that the reference dedicated image corresponds to the encoding target image. The converted reference-only image may be referred to as the reference image.

  Thereby, the image coding apparatus can refer to the reference-only image converted according to the coding target image. Therefore, the image coding apparatus can refer to a more appropriate reference image in the inter prediction.

  For example, the encoding unit scales the reference-only image so that the size of the subject in the reference-only image corresponds to the size of the subject in the encoding-target image, and scales the reference-only image. An image may be referred to as the reference image.

  Thereby, the image encoding apparatus can refer to the reference-only image scaled according to the encoding target image. Therefore, the image coding apparatus can refer to a more appropriate reference image in the inter prediction.

  Further, for example, the encoding unit uses the shooting information of each of the reference-dedicated image and the encoding target image, or the position of the feature point in each of the reference-dedicated image and the encoding target image, and Reference-only images may be scaled.

  As a result, the image encoding device can appropriately scale the reference-dedicated image based on the shooting information and the like.

  Further, for example, the encoding unit may scale the reference-only image according to the accuracy of a motion vector used in the inter-plane prediction.

  Thereby, the image coding apparatus can scale the reference-only image so that, for example, the information of the decimal pixel indicated by the motion vector is maintained.

  Further, for example, the encoding unit may further encode a conversion parameter that is a parameter used for conversion of the reference-only image.

  As a result, the image decoding apparatus can convert the reference-only image in the same manner as the image encoding apparatus.

  For example, the encoding unit may further encode an entire vector indicating a position of a region corresponding to the encoding target image among the one or more display target images in the reference-only image.

  Thereby, the image coding apparatus can code information indicating a region used for inter-surface prediction in a reference-only image. Therefore, the image decoding apparatus can also use the same region for inter-plane prediction.

  Further, for example, the encoding unit uses the shooting information of each of the reference-dedicated image and the encoding target image, or the position of the feature point in each of the reference-dedicated image and the encoding target image, and A total vector may be calculated and the calculated total vector may be encoded.

  Thereby, the image coding apparatus can calculate the region used for inter-surface prediction in the reference-only image.

  For example, the encoding unit may encode the one or more display target images to generate a code sequence including the one or more display target images separately from the code sequence including the reference-only image. Good.

  Thereby, the image coding apparatus can acquire a reference-dedicated image at an appropriate timing separately from the video.

  For example, the encoding unit may further encode the reference-only image as a non-display image.

  Thereby, the image encoding apparatus can encode the reference-only image by distinguishing it from the display target image.

  In addition, for example, an image decoding device according to an aspect of the present invention is an image decoding device that decodes a plurality of display target images constituting a video using inter-frame prediction, and the plurality of display target images are both the above-described display target images. An acquisition unit that acquires a reference-only image that is different from a plurality of reconstructed images of a plurality of display target images and is used as a reference-only in the inter-plane prediction, and the reference-only image is referred to in the inter-plane prediction An image decoding apparatus including a decoding unit that decodes one or more display target images among the plurality of display target images may be referred to as an image.

  Thereby, the image decoding apparatus can refer to a reference-only image that is different from the display target image or the like in the inter prediction. Therefore, the image decoding apparatus can refer to an appropriate reference image in the inter prediction.

  In addition, for example, an image processing system according to an aspect of the present invention is an image processing system that performs encoding and decoding of a plurality of display target images constituting a video by using inter prediction, and the plurality of displays An image management device that acquires a reference-only image that is a different image from a target image and a plurality of reconstructed images of the plurality of display target images and is used exclusively for reference in the inter-plane prediction, and using the inter-surface prediction An image encoding device that encodes the plurality of display target images, and an image decoding device that decodes the plurality of display target images using the inter-frame prediction, and the image encoding device includes: A first acquisition unit that acquires the reference-only image acquired by the image management device from the image management device; and the reference-only image acquired by the first acquisition unit is a reference image in the inter-plane prediction; An encoding unit that encodes one or more display target images of the plurality of display target images, and the image decoding device uses the reference-dedicated image acquired by the image management device as the reference dedicated image. A second acquisition unit acquired from the image management device, and the reference-only image acquired by the second acquisition unit is referred to as a reference image in the inter-plane prediction, and one or more displays among the plurality of display target images An image processing system including a decoding unit that decodes the target image may be used.

  As a result, the image encoding device and the image decoding device in the image processing system can refer to a reference-only image that is different from the display target image or the like in the inter prediction. Therefore, the image encoding device and the image decoding device in the image processing system can refer to an appropriate reference image in the inter prediction.

  Note that these comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized by a system, apparatus, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM. , An apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or any combination of recording media.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that each of the embodiments described below shows a comprehensive or specific example. The numerical values, shapes, materials, constituent elements, arrangement positions and connecting forms of the constituent elements, steps, order of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in the independent claims indicating the highest concept are described as optional constituent elements.

  In the following description, a decoded image and a decoded block may mean a reconstructed image and a reconstructed block, respectively. A decoded image of image x means a decoded image x. Similarly, the reconstructed image of the image x means the reconstructed image x.

(Embodiment 1)
<Overall configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image processing system according to the present embodiment. The image processing system 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a server 20, encoders 30a, 30b, and 30c, and cameras 35a, 35b, and 35c. Although three encoders 30a, 30b, and 30c are shown in FIG. 1, the number of encoders may be one, two, or four or more. Similarly, the number of cameras may be one, two, or four or more.

  The server 20 includes a background image database 21, a control unit 22, a processing unit 23, and a communication unit 24. The background image database 21 is a database for accumulating background images. The control unit 22 controls the operation of each component in the server 20. The processing unit 23 performs information processing. The operation of the server 20 is basically performed by the processing unit 23. The communication unit 24 communicates with the encoders 30a, 30b, 30c and the like. The communication unit 24 may communicate with an external device via the Internet.

  The server 20 may further include a storage unit. The background image database 21 may be included in a storage unit in the server 20.

  The encoder 30a includes a storage unit 31a, a control unit 32a, a processing unit 33a, and a communication unit 34a. The storage unit 31a stores an image from the camera 35a, an encoded image, and the like. The control unit 32a controls the operation of each component in the encoder 30a. The processing unit 33a performs information processing. The operation of the encoder 30a is basically performed by the processing unit 33a. In particular, the processing unit 33a encodes an input image from the camera 35a. The communication unit 34 a communicates with the server 20.

  The encoder 30b includes a storage unit 31b, a control unit 32b, a processing unit 33b, and a communication unit 34b. The encoder 30c includes a storage unit 31c, a control unit 32c, a processing unit 33c, and a communication unit 34c. These are the same components as the components of the encoder 30a. The encoder 30a encodes an image obtained from the camera 35a, the encoder 30b encodes an image obtained from the camera 35b, and the encoder 30c encodes an image obtained from the camera 35c.

  For example, the encoder 30 a encodes an input image from the camera 35 a and stores the encoded input image in the server 20. Specifically, the captured image of the camera 35a is input as an input image to the encoder 30a. The encoder 30 a encodes the input image by the processing unit 33 a and transmits the encoded input image to the server 20.

  Further, the server 20 transmits the background image in the background image database 21 to the encoder 30a. The encoder 30a encodes the input image using the background image transmitted from the server 20. Further, the server 20 acquires various information from the Internet.

  Here, the configuration of the encoder 30a, the operation of the encoder 30a, and the operation performed between the server 20 and the encoder 30a are mainly shown.

  The configuration of the encoder 30b, the operation of the encoder 30b, and the operation performed between the server 20 and the encoder 30b are also the configuration of the encoder 30a, the operation of the encoder 30a, and the operation performed between the server 20 and the encoder 30a. It is the same. The configuration of the encoder 30c, the operation of the encoder 30c, and the operation performed between the server 20 and the encoder 30c are also the configuration of the encoder 30a, the operation of the encoder 30a, and the operation performed between the server 20 and the encoder 30a. It is the same.

<Operation (overall)>
Next, the overall coding flow will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the image processing system 10 shown in FIG.

  First, the server 20 and the encoder 30a transmit and receive data to generate a background image (S201 and S210). Then, the server 20 and the encoder 30a select a plurality of background images used for encoding (S202 and S211). Details will be described later.

  Next, the server 20 transmits an encoding start request to the encoder 30a (S203). The encoder 30a receives the start request (S212).

  Next, the encoder 30a determines a background image to be used for encoding (S213). Here, the encoder 30a determines one of the plurality of background images selected in the selection process (S211) as the background image to be used. Specifically, the encoder 30a uses time information indicating a time point when photographing is performed to determine a background image. The current time point at which encoding is performed may be used as the time point when shooting is performed. For example, the encoder 30a uses the first background image at time t and uses the second background image at time t + 1.

  Next, when the background image determined in the determination process (S213) is switched from the previous background image, the encoder 30a encodes the background image and transmits the code string of the background image to the server 20 (S214 and S215). .

  Next, the encoder 30a encodes the camera image with reference to the background image. Then, the encoder 30a transmits the code sequence of the camera image to the server 20 (S216). Details will be described later.

  The server 20 receives the code sequence of the background image and the code sequence of the camera image from the encoder 30a (S204). For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the server 20 concatenates these code strings and stores them in a memory (storage unit) in the server 20.

  In FIG. 3, I (x) represents an image on which intra-frame coding (in-plane prediction) is performed, and P (x) represents an image on which one-way reference coding (one-way inter-plane prediction) is performed. B (x) indicates an image for which bi-directional reference coding (bi-directional inter prediction) is performed. x indicates an encoding order (encoding order). The arrows between the images in FIG. 3 indicate the reference relationship. For example, P (1) is encoded using I (0) as a reference image, and B (3) is encoded using I (0), P (1) and B (2) as reference images. The

  Further, I (0), P (7) and I (t) are background images, and since these are referred to for a long time, they are encoded as a long-term reference image.

  Next, the encoder 30a updates the used background image (S217). At that time, the encoder 30a updates the background image using the camera image obtained by decoding the camera image included in the code string generated in the encoding process (S216). For example, a part of the background may be hidden by the moving object included in the background image, and the background image may not include the entire background. Therefore, the encoder 30a updates the background image using the camera image.

  Specifically, for example, the moving object moves to various places without staying at one place. Therefore, the background pixel value can be specified by the average value of the pixels in a plurality of camera images. Therefore, the encoder 30a calculates the average pixel value for each pixel between the used background image and the decoded camera image. Then, the encoder 30a can artificially delete the moving object from the background image by updating the background image with the average calculated for each pixel.

  The background changes with time. The background image may be updated so as to follow such a change. For example, the background image may be updated according to the background that becomes darker as the night approaches. Again, the background image may be updated using the decoded camera image. Specifically, as described above, an average calculated for each pixel may be applied to the pixel value of the background image.

  Next, the server 20 updates the background image (S205). Here, unlike the update process (S217) in the encoder 30a, the server 20 updates the background image in the background image database 21 with the camera image. If a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous transmission of the background image to the encoder 30a, the server 20 transmits the current background image to the encoder 30a (S207). When the background image is transmitted from the server 20 (Yes in S218), the encoder 30a receives the background image transmitted from the server 20 (S219).

  The server 20 repeats the above processing (S204 to S207) until receiving an encoding stop request from the user (No in S208). When the server 20 receives the stop request (Yes in S208), the server 20 transmits an encoding stop request to the encoder 30a, and ends the process (S209). The encoder 30a repeats the above processing (S213 to S219) until it receives an encoding stop request from the server 20 (No in S220). When the encoder 30a receives the stop request (Yes in S220), the encoder 30a finishes the process.

<Operation (Create background image)>
Next, a flow of background image generation processing (S201 and S210) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of the generation processing (S201 and S210) shown in FIG.

  First, the server 20 acquires date, time, and weather (weather) from the Internet (S301). Further, the server 20 acquires camera images and camera information from the encoder 30a and the other encoders 30b and 30c (S302 and S308). Here, the camera information indicates control data such as a camera installation position, a pan / tilt angle (an angle corresponding to at least one of pan and tilt), zoom magnification, and the like. Camera information is also expressed as shooting information.

  Next, the server 20 selects a background image to be created using the date, time, weather at the camera installation position, camera image, and camera information (S303). More specifically, the server 20 uses the plurality of items as search keys to select one background image from the background image database 21 as a background image to be created. Alternatively, the server 20 may select a background image that best matches the camera image as a creation target background image according to image matching.

  Next, the server 20 creates a background image using the camera information corresponding to the plurality of camera images and the image feature points of the plurality of camera images (S304). Here, the server 20 creates a background image having a size larger than each camera image, such as a panoramic image.

  Then, the server 20 repeats the above processing (S301 to S304) at regular time intervals until receiving a background image creation stop request from the user. When the server 20 receives the stop request, the server 20 transmits a background image creation stop request to the encoder 30a, and ends the processing (S305, S306, and S307). Further, the encoder 30a repeats the transmission process (S308) at regular time intervals until receiving a background image creation stop request from the server 20. When the encoder 30a receives the stop request, the encoder 30a finishes the process (S309 and S310).

  With the above operation, a large-size background image is generated from a plurality of images obtained by panning, tilting, zooming, and the like of the camera 35a. Examples are shown in FIGS. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of camera images are acquired by panning, tilting, zooming, and the like on a clear day of March 15 at 10:00. Then, a large background image is generated from these camera images.

  More specifically, a background image such as a panoramic image is generated from a plurality of images obtained by panning and tilting. In addition, a clear background image with higher resolution is generated from the image obtained by zooming.

  The resolution of the background image may be adjusted to the image with the largest zoom-in. Then, the resolution may be adjusted by performing enlargement processing on the other image that has not been zoomed in to the largest extent. The server 20 roughly estimates the position of each of the plurality of camera images with respect to the background image using the pan / tilt angle or zoom magnification, and combines the plurality of images with high accuracy using the image feature points, thereby obtaining the background image. May be created.

  Moreover, the server 20 produces | generates another background image from the camera image obtained by imaging | photography on another date and another weather like FIG. That is, the server 20 creates a plurality of background images according to a plurality of situations.

<Operation (background image selection)>
Next, the flow of background image selection processing (S202 and S211) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a flow of the selection process (S202 and S211) shown in FIG.

  First, the server 20 acquires the date, time, and weather from the Internet (S401). Further, the server 20 acquires a camera image and camera information from the encoder 30a (S402 and S407).

  Then, the server 20 selects the most suitable background image using the date, time, weather at the camera installation position, camera image, and camera information (pan tilt angle and zoom magnification) (S403). The server 20 may select a background image by image matching using a camera image. Then, the server 20 transmits the selected background image to the encoder 30a (S404). The encoder 30a receives the background image transmitted from the server 20 (S408).

  Then, the server 20 advances the time used for the background image selection process (S403) by a predetermined time (S405). The background image selection process (S403), the transmission process (S404), the reception process (S408), and the time change process (S405) are repeated (S406 and S406) until transmission / reception of the designated number of background images is completed. S409).

  Thus, the encoder 30a corresponds to time t, time t + α, time t + α × 2,..., Time t + α × m among a plurality of background images that match the weather at the camera installation position, the camera image, and the camera information. Receive multiple background images.

<Operation (Update background image)>
Next, a flow of background image update processing (S205) in the server 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the flow of the update process (S205) shown in FIG.

  First, the server 20 acquires the decoded camera image by decoding the encoded camera image in the code string (S501).

  Next, the server 20 acquires the date, time, and weather from the Internet (S502). The server 20 selects a background image using the information acquired from the Internet, the decoded camera image, and the camera information (S503).

  The server 20 uses the camera information and the image feature points of the camera image to update the background image in the same manner as the background image creation process (S304) (S504). In the update process, specifically, the server 20 may update the pixel value of the background image by the average of the pixel value of the existing background image and the pixel value of the new camera image, or the background image by the weighted average. The pixel value may be updated.

  Further, the server 20 may recognize a subject (object) in the camera image and update only the background region excluding the subject region. At that time, the server 20 may recognize the moving subject and update only the background region excluding the moving subject region.

<Encoding configuration>
FIG. 9 is a diagram mainly showing a configuration of the processing unit 33a of the encoder 30a shown in FIG. The processing unit 33a includes a dividing unit 41, a subtracting unit 42, a converting unit 43, a variable length encoding unit 44, an inverse converting unit 45, an adding unit 46, a frame memory 47, and a predicting unit 48. The frame memory 47 may be included in the storage unit 31a.

  The dividing unit 41 divides the camera image or the background image into a plurality of blocks. The subtraction unit 42 outputs the difference block by subtracting the prediction block from the block obtained by the division. The conversion unit 43 performs frequency conversion on the difference block and outputs a coefficient. The variable length coding unit 44 performs variable length coding on the coefficients. The inverse transform unit 45 performs inverse frequency transform on the coefficient and outputs a difference block.

  The adding unit 46 generates a decoded block (reconstructed block) by adding the prediction block and the difference block. The frame memory 47 stores an image composed of decoded blocks. The background image may be directly stored in the frame memory 47 without going through the dividing unit 41 or the like. The prediction unit 48 generates a prediction block using the block obtained by the division and the image stored in the frame memory 47.

<Operation (encoding)>
Next, the flow of the camera image encoding process (S216) in the encoder 30a will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flow of the encoding process (S216) shown in FIG.

  First, the encoder 30a scales the background image and encodes the scaling parameter used for the scaling process (S701). Here, the encoder 30a scales the background image so that the resolution of the background image matches the resolution of the current camera image (encoding target image).

  An example of the scaling process is shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the scaling process (S701) shown in FIG.

  For example, the resolution of the background image corresponds to the resolution of the image that has been zoomed in the most. Therefore, basically, the resolution of the background image is higher than the resolution of the encoding target image. Therefore, the encoder 30a adapts the resolution of the background image to the resolution of the encoding target image by scaling the background image so that the background image can be used as a reference image of the encoding target image.

  For example, the encoder 30a performs matching of image feature points using SIFT or SURF used in image recognition or the like in scaling, and the size of the subject of the background image becomes equal to the size of the subject of the encoding target image. So resize the background image.

  Next, the encoder 30a converts the background image (image processing), and encodes the conversion parameter used for the conversion processing (S702). Thereby, the encoder 30a adapts the background image to the current camera image.

  An example of the conversion process is shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the conversion process (S702) shown in FIG.

  The angle of one background image obtained by integrating a plurality of camera images obtained from the plurality of cameras 35a, 35b, and 35c does not necessarily match the angle of the encoding target image obtained from the camera 35a. Also, depending on the weather or lighting, the overall brightness of the background image and the overall brightness of the encoding target image may differ from each other. Therefore, the encoder 30a performs projective transformation and luminance conversion on the background image so that the subject of the background image matches the subject of the encoding target image.

  Similar to the scaling process (S701), the encoder 30a uses SIFT or SURF to perform matching of image feature points and calculate conversion parameters.

  Next, the encoder 30a calculates a total vector and encodes the calculated total vector (S703). The whole vector represents a deviation between the background image and the encoding target image. In other words, it indicates the relative position of the encoding target image with respect to the background image.

  An example of the entire vector is shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the entire vector calculated in the calculation process (S703) of FIG.

  The background image is generated from a plurality of camera images obtained by pan / tilt. Therefore, basically, the image size of the background image is larger than the image size of the encoding target image. Therefore, the encoder 30a calculates a deviation between the background image and the encoding target image as an entire vector. Then, the encoder 30a can suppress the coding amount of the motion vector by encoding the motion vector of each block using the entire vector as a base.

  For example, the same motion vector may be encoded in each block of the encoding target image. By using the whole vector, the code amount in this case is suppressed.

  Similar to the scaling process (S701), the encoder 30a performs matching of image feature points using SIFT or SURF, and calculates an entire vector.

  Next, in the encoder 30a, the dividing unit 41 divides the encoding target image into a plurality of blocks (S704). The prediction unit 48 generates a prediction block of the processing target block (S705). The subtraction unit 42 generates a difference block between the prediction block and the code block (S706). And the conversion part 43 performs frequency conversion with respect to a difference block, and produces | generates a conversion coefficient (S707).

  Next, in the encoder 30a, the variable length coding unit 44 performs variable length coding on the transform coefficient (S708). The inverse transform unit 45 performs inverse frequency transform on the transform coefficient (S709). The adding unit 46 adds the block obtained by the inverse frequency transform and the prediction block, and generates a decoded block (S710).

  Note that the prediction unit 48 refers to a background image, a decoded image (reference image), or a decoded block in the same image when generating a prediction block. Further, the encoder 30a encodes a difference between the vector used for generating the prediction block and the entire vector as a motion vector using the entire vector calculated in the calculation process (S703) as a base. As in the example of FIG. 13, a vector obtained by adding the entire vector to the motion vector to be encoded is used as a vector for generating a prediction block.

  The encoder 30a repeats the block encoding process (S705 to S710) until the encoding of all the blocks is completed (S711).

<Effect>
As described above, in this embodiment, a wide range and high resolution background image is used. Thereby, especially when the camera 35a performs panning, tilting, or zooming, the encoding efficiency can be improved.

  More specifically, the image processing system 10 generates a background image in advance from a plurality of images obtained by performing shooting by panning, tilting, or zooming by the camera 35a or the like. The image processing system 10 uses the generated background image as a reference image for encoding a camera image.

  Thus, the background area of the camera image to be encoded is highly likely to be included in the background image even when panning, tilting, or zooming is performed. Therefore, the image processing system 10 can assign a large code amount to the moving object in the encoding target camera image.

  In addition, it is possible to prepare a background image that does not include a moving object by photographing in advance. Therefore, a higher quality background image can be used.

  The image processing system 10 updates the background image so that the background image matches the current camera image by updating the background image using the decoded image (reconstructed image) of the already encoded image. be able to. That is, the image processing system 10 can bring the background image closer to the encoding target image, and can improve the accuracy of prediction.

  For example, when the background image includes a moving object, a part of the background is hidden. Therefore, there is a possibility that not all backgrounds are included in one background image. The image processing system 10 can supplement a background image that does not include a portion of the background with a camera image that includes a portion of the background by updating the background image using a plurality of camera images. Also, the background may change over time. For example, the background image may be updated when the background becomes darker as the night approaches.

  Further, the image processing system 10 can quickly follow changes in the background when, for example, the arrangement of the chair changes by updating the background image. Further, the image processing system 10 can reduce the number of times of transmission / reception of the background image between the server 20 and the encoder 30a by updating the background image using the decoded image.

  The image processing system 10 may share the background image update process between the encoder 30a and the decoder. Thus, the updated background image may not be included in the code string. Therefore, the overall code amount is reduced.

  Further, the encoder 20a updates the background image, so that the server 20 does not have to hold a large number of various background images. Therefore, the capacity of the memory (storage unit) in the server 20 can be reduced.

  Further, the image processing system 10 generates a background image with a plurality of images obtained from a plurality of cameras. Thereby, even when a part of the background is hidden by the moving object, a background image showing the entire background can be created. Specifically, when the background behind the person is not reflected in the image obtained with the camera 35a, the background behind the person may be reflected in the image obtained with the camera 35b. In such a case, the image processing system 10 may generate a background image including the background behind the person using the image obtained by the camera 35b.

  Further, the image processing system 10 may create a plurality of background images corresponding to a plurality of shooting situations (a plurality of seasons, a plurality of times, and a plurality of weathers). For example, the image processing system 10 adaptively switches the background image according to the shooting situation. Thereby, encoding efficiency improves.

  Specifically, the image processing system 10 switches the background image to be created according to time or weather as shown in FIGS. Further, as shown in the flow of FIG. 7, the image processing system 10 selects the most appropriate background image from the shooting situation and the camera image at the time of encoding. As a result, the image processing system 10 can bring the background image closer to the encoding target image. Thereby, the image processing system 10 can reduce the prediction error.

  In addition, there is a high possibility that the background image changes according to the season, time, or weather. For example, the background around 17:00 in winter is dark, but the background around 17:00 in summer is not so dark. The background also changes depending on the weather such as sunny, cloudy, rain and snow. Therefore, the image processing system 10 can improve the encoding efficiency by switching a plurality of background images in the shooting state at the time of encoding (shooting time).

  Further, the image processing system 10 converts a background image as shown in FIG. 12, and uses the converted background image as a reference image. As a result, the background image approaches the encoding target image, and the prediction error is reduced. Thereby, the capacity of the frame memory 47 for storing the background image can be reduced.

  The prediction error may be reduced without preparing each background image by preparing a large number of background images. However, in this case, the frame memory 47 having a large capacity is used. In this case, the processing amount for selecting the background image is also large. In addition, according to the switching of the background image, transmission / reception of the background image occurs between the server 20 and the encoder 30a. Therefore, in this case, the communication amount is large. In addition, the background image is encoded in accordance with the switching of the background image. Therefore, in this case, the processing amount of encoding is large and the code amount of the code string is also large.

  Therefore, by converting the background image, it is possible to reduce the capacity of the frame memory 47, the processing amount, the communication amount, and the code amount.

  Further, since the background image is stored in the server 20, the frame memory 47 having a large capacity in the encoder 30a may not be used. That is, the encoders 30a, 30b, and 30c can share the background image in the server 20. Also, by collecting the camera images in the server 20, the influence of the moving object is suppressed, and a wide range and high resolution background image can be generated.

  The server 20 transmits a plurality of background images to the encoder 30a in advance. Then, the encoder 30 a switches the background image to be used among the plurality of background images transmitted in advance from the server 20 according to the time. As a result, the amount of communication between the server 20 and the encoder 30a is reduced during encoding, and the communication load is distributed.

  In the present embodiment, a background image is created in advance before encoding. The timing at which the background image is created is not limited to this. The background image may not be created in advance. In that case, the encoder 30a creates (updates) the background image while encoding the camera image (S217). The server 20 creates (updates) a background image in the background image database 21 according to the creation (update) of the background image by the encoder 30a (S205).

  Thereby, the image processing system 10 can immediately perform encoding of a camera image without creating a background image in advance. Therefore, encoding delay is suppressed.

  Further, when creating, selecting, and updating the background image, both the camera information and the camera image may be used, or only one of them may be used.

  For example, the server 20 or the encoder 30a may specify the position corresponding to the camera image in the background image based only on the camera information (pan tilt angle and zoom magnification). That is, there are cases where a highly accurate background image can be created, selected, and updated based only on camera information. In addition, for a camera image in which it is difficult to perform background image creation, selection, and update processing using image feature points, these processing may be performed using camera information.

  Conversely, these processes may be performed using only the image feature points of the camera image. In this case, camera information such as the pan / tilt angle and zoom magnification may not be acquired from the camera 35a. Therefore, the configuration is simplified and the amount of communication is also reduced. In addition, the server 20 or the encoder 30a uses only the image feature points of the camera image regardless of the magnitude of the error included in the camera information such as the pan / tilt angle and the zoom magnification, and performs processing for creating, selecting, and updating the background image May be performed.

  In addition, the server 20 transmits the background image to the encoder 30a. Here, the server 20 may not transmit the entire background image. The server 20 may transmit only a part of the entire background image that has a possibility of being used by the encoder 30a. For example, the server 20 may transmit only a part of the background image to the encoder 30a based on the pan and tilt movable range (possible shooting range) of the camera 35a and the possible zoom magnification of the camera 35a.

  As a result, the amount of communication between the server 20 and the encoder 30a is reduced, and the capacity of the frame memory 47 of the encoder 30a can be reduced.

  Further, the encoder 30a scales the background image so that the size of the subject of the background image matches the size of the subject of the encoding target image as shown in FIG. Furthermore, the encoder 30a may change the scaling ratio so as to match the accuracy allowed for the motion vector. 14 and 15 will be described as an example.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a modification of the scaling process shown in FIG. Specifically, FIG. 14 shows an example of the scaling process in the case where the motion vector is allowed up to ¼ pixel accuracy as defined in HEVC (Non-Patent Document 1). In this case, the encoder 30a scales the background image so that the subject of the background image is four times the subject of the encoding target image in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  That is, when the width of the second tree from the right in the encoding target image in FIG. 14 is 384 pixels, the width of the second tree from the right, which is the same subject in the background image, is 1536 pixels (384 pixels × 4). Scaling is done to match. Then, the encoder 30a refers to each pixel of the background image at intervals of 4 pixels in the prediction block generation process.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing integer pixel accuracy and decimal pixel accuracy in the present embodiment. FIG. 15 shows each pixel of the background image after scaling. FIG. 15 shows pixels referred to by motion vectors with integer pixel accuracy and pixels referred to by motion vectors with decimal pixel accuracy.

  In HEVC (Non-Patent Document 1), when a motion vector with decimal pixel accuracy is used, a pixel value with decimal pixel accuracy is estimated by performing filter processing on pixel values with integer pixel accuracy. In this method, an error occurs between the estimated pixel value and the original pixel value.

  However, in the example of FIG. 14, the encoder 30 a generates a pixel value with decimal pixel accuracy using a high-resolution background image generated from a camera image obtained by zooming in. Therefore, an error hardly occurs between the generated pixel value and the original pixel value. Therefore, the encoder 30a can reduce the prediction error.

  The encoder 30a may switch between the scaling process of FIG. 11 and the scaling process of FIG. For example, the encoder 30a may use an image size smaller than the image size used in the scaling process of FIG. 14 by using the scaling process of FIG. 11 in order to reduce the capacity of the frame memory 47. Further, the encoder 30a may use the scaling process of FIG. 14 so as to increase the prediction accuracy with decimal pixel accuracy in order to reduce the prediction error (in order to improve the encoding efficiency).

  The encoder 30a may perform processing such as background image scaling, background image conversion, and overall vector calculation using image feature points, or camera information such as pan / tilt angle and zoom magnification. These processes may be performed. For example, the encoder 30a may perform these processes using camera information on an image that is difficult to perform these processes using image feature points. In order to simplify the configuration of the camera 35a, the encoder 30a may perform these processes using only the image feature points.

  In addition, for the matching between images, the sum of absolute differences of pixels may be used instead of the image feature points. It is assumed that the two images having the smallest sum of absolute differences of pixels are most suitable for each other. This simplifies the matching process and enables parallel processing in the SIMD arithmetic device.

  In the examples of FIGS. 5 and 6, a background image is created from a plurality of camera images. The server 20 may use not only an image obtained from the same camera 35a but also a plurality of images obtained from different cameras 35b and 35c for generating one background image. For example, the server 20 may perform projective transformation on an image obtained by photographing from another angle with another camera 35b, and use the image subjected to the projective transformation for generation of a background image for the camera 35a. Thereby, the server 20 can acquire the background part hidden by the moving object, and can acquire the background image in which the influence of the moving object is suppressed.

  FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of a code string including each image. In FIG. 3, the first background image, the second background image, and the third background image may be the same image. For example, even when the video is played back in the middle and decoding is started from the middle of the code string, the encoder 30a periodically uses the background image, which is a long-term reference image, as the code string so that the decoded image is displayed correctly. It may be inserted.

  Thereby, for example, the decoder can start decoding from I (t) when displaying the image after I (t). Therefore, decoding processing is reduced and display delay is also suppressed.

  In FIG. 3, one code string includes a camera image and a background image. However, the encoder 30a may generate a code string including a camera image and a code string including a background image separately as shown in FIG. Thereby, the image size in one code string is unified. Therefore, the encoding process and the decoding process are simplified. In addition, the encoder 30a can separately provide the code string of the background image to the decoder before the decoding of the camera image in the decoder. Thereby, the communication load in the distribution of the code string is distributed.

  In the above, the encoder 30a encodes the background image and includes the encoded background image in the code string. However, the encoder 30a may not include the encoded background image in the code string. The code string may be configured only by the encoded camera image. In that case, a background image is separately transmitted to the decoder. In the transmission of the background image, the background image encoded with high efficiency may be transmitted, or the pixel value of the background image itself may be transmitted.

  In the transmission of the background image from the server 20 to the encoder 30a, the pixel value of the background image itself may be transmitted, or obtained by encoding the background image using HEVC (Non-patent Document 1) or JPEG. Code strings may be transmitted. The encoder 30a encodes the background image by the encoding process (S215). The encoder 30a may skip the process of encoding and transmitting the background image (S215) by using the code string itself received from the server 20 as the encoded background image.

  The server 20 may generate a code string as shown in FIG. 3 or a code string as shown in FIG. Further, the encoder 30a may generate a code string as shown in FIG. 3 or a code string as shown in FIG. Further, one code string as shown in FIG. 3 may be separated into a plurality of code strings as shown in FIG. Further, the server 20 or the encoder 30a may transmit the code string to the decoder, or store the code string in a recording medium. Also, a plurality of code strings as shown in FIG. 16 may be separately output to a communication medium or a recording medium.

  Here, “background” means a subject that has not moved for a certain period of time. For example, a person who has not moved for a while or a car that has stopped may be included in the “background”.

  Furthermore, the processing in the present embodiment may be executed by software. This software may be distributed by downloading or the like. The software may be recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM and distributed. In addition, regarding these, other embodiment in this specification is also the same.

(Embodiment 2)
<Overall configuration>
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image processing system in the present embodiment. The image processing system 11 illustrated in FIG. 17 includes a server 20 and decoders 50a and 50b. Although two decoders 50a and 50b are shown in FIG. 17, the number of decoders may be one, or three or more.

  The server 20 includes a background image database 21, a control unit 22, a processing unit 23, and a communication unit 24. These components are the same as those in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 24 communicates with the decoders 50a and 50b and the like.

  The decoder 50a includes a storage unit 51a, a control unit 52a, a processing unit 53a, a communication unit 54a, and a display unit 55a. The storage unit 51a stores an encoded image, a decoded image, and the like. The control unit 52a controls the operation of each component in the decoder 50a. The processing unit 53a performs information processing. The operation of the decoder 50a is basically performed by the processing unit 53a. In particular, the processing unit 53a decodes an image from the server 20. The communication unit 54 a communicates with the server 20.

  The display unit 55a displays the decoded image. A display device outside the decoder 50a may be used. For example, the control unit 52a may display the decoded image on an external display device.

  The decoder 50b includes a storage unit 51b, a control unit 52b, a processing unit 53b, a communication unit 54b, and a display unit 55b. These are the same components as the components of the decoder 50a.

  For example, the server 20 transmits an image encoded using the background image in the background image database 21 to the decoder 50a. The decoder 50a decodes the encoded image and displays the decoded image on the display unit 55a.

  Here, the configuration of the decoder 50a, the operation of the decoder 50a, and the operation performed between the server 20 and the decoder 50a are mainly shown. The configuration of the decoder 50b, the operation of the decoder 50b, and the operation performed between the server 20 and the decoder 50b are the same as the configuration of the decoder 50a, the operation of the decoder 50a, and the operation performed between the server 20 and the decoder 50a. It is the same.

<Operation (overall)>
Next, the entire decoding flow will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the image processing system 11 shown in FIG.

  First, the decoder 50a transmits a decoding start request to the server 20 (S804). The server 20 receives the decryption start request (S801).

  Next, the server 20 transmits the code sequence of the background image or the code sequence of the camera image to the decoder 50a (S802). The decoder 50a receives the code string (S805).

  Next, the decoder 50a determines whether or not the code string received from the server 20 is the code string of the background image (S806). When the code string received from the server 20 is the code string of the background image (Yes in S806), the decoder 50a decodes the encoded background image included in the code string (S807). Note that the background image is an image used only for reference from other images and is not displayed.

  When the code string received from the server 20 is not the code string of the background image (No in S806), the code string received from the server 20 is the code string of the camera image. In this case, the decoder 50a determines a background image used for decoding the camera image (S808). Specifically, the decoder 50a determines the background image using the time information of the camera image to be decoded. For example, the decoder 50a determines the first background image as the background image to be used for the camera image at time t, and determines the second background image as the background image to be used for the camera image at time t + 1.

  Then, the decoder 50a decodes the encoded camera image included in the code string (S809). Then, the decoder 50a displays the decoded camera image (S810).

  Next, the decoder 50a updates the used background image (S811). Here, the background image is updated using the camera image decoded in the decoding process (S809). For example, a part of the background may be hidden by the moving object included in the background image, and the background image may not include the entire background. Therefore, the decoder 50a updates the background image using the camera image.

  Specifically, for example, the moving object moves to various places without staying at one place. Therefore, the background pixel value can be specified by the average value of the pixels in a plurality of camera images. Therefore, the decoder 50a calculates an average of pixel values for each pixel between the used background image and the decoded camera image. Then, the decoder 50a can artificially delete the moving object from the background image by updating the background image with the average calculated for each pixel.

  The background changes with time. The background image may be updated so as to follow such a change. For example, the background image may be updated according to the background that becomes darker as the night approaches. Again, the background image may be updated using the decoded camera image. Specifically, as described above, an average calculated for each pixel may be applied to the pixel value of the background image.

  The background image update process is performed in the same manner as the encoder 30a and the like. As a result, the updated background image obtained on the encoding side and the updated background image obtained on the decoding side match each other, and mismatch of the reference images on the encoding side and the decoding side is suppressed.

  The decoder 50a repeats the above processing (S805 to S811) until a decoding stop request is received from the user (No in S812). When receiving the stop request (Yes in S812), the decoder 50a transmits a stop request for decoding to the server 20, and ends the process (S813). The server 20 repeats the transmission process (S802) of the code sequence of the background image or the code sequence of the camera image until receiving a decoding stop request from the decoder 50a (No in S803). When the server 20 receives the stop request (Yes in S803), the server 20 ends the process.

<Decryption configuration>
FIG. 19 is a diagram mainly showing a configuration of processing unit 53a of decoder 50a shown in FIG. The processing unit 53 a includes a variable length decoding unit 61, an inverse conversion unit 65, an addition unit 66, a frame memory 67, and a combining unit 68. The frame memory 67 may be included in the storage unit 51a.

  The variable length decoding unit 61 performs variable length decoding on the code string and outputs coefficients. The inverse transform unit 65 performs inverse frequency transform on the coefficient, and outputs a difference block indicating the difference between the processing target block and the prediction block. The adding unit 66 reconstructs the processing target block by adding the difference block and the prediction block, and generates a decoded block. The combining unit 68 combines a plurality of decoded blocks and outputs a camera image obtained by combining. In the frame memory 67, the camera image output from the combining unit 68 is stored.

<Operation (decoding)>
Next, the flow of the camera image decoding process (S809) in the decoder 50a will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a flow of the decoding process (S809) shown in FIG.

  First, the decoder 50a decodes the scaling parameter and scales the background image according to the decoded scaling parameter (S901). For example, the decoder 50a obtains a scaled background image by scaling the background image as shown in FIG.

  Next, the decoder 50a decodes the conversion parameter, and converts the background image according to the decoded conversion parameter (S902). For example, the decoder 50a acquires the converted background image by converting the background image as shown in FIG.

  Next, the decoder 50a decodes the entire vector and acquires the entire vector as shown in FIG. 13 (S903).

  Next, in the decoder 50a, the variable length decoding unit 61 performs variable length decoding on the code string (S904). The inverse transform unit 65 performs inverse frequency transform on the coefficient obtained by variable length decoding (S905). The adding unit 66 generates a decoded block by adding the block obtained by the inverse frequency transform and the prediction block (S906).

  The decoder 50a repeats the above processing (S904 to S906) until decoding of all the blocks is completed (No in S907). After the decoding of all the blocks is completed (Yes in S907), the combining unit 68 combines all the blocks and acquires the decoded image (S908).

  Note that when a prediction block is generated, a background image, a decoded image (reference image), or a decoded block in the same image is referred to. The decoder 50a uses the entire vector as a base, as in the first embodiment. Then, the decoder 50a uses a vector obtained by adding the entire vector to the decoded motion vector as a vector for generating a prediction block (see FIG. 13).

<Effect>
As described above, in the present embodiment, the image processing system 11 uses a wide-range and high-resolution background image. Thereby, the image processing system 11 can decode the image encoded with high encoding efficiency. In particular, the image processing system 11 can appropriately decode an image obtained by panning, tilting, or zooming.

  Further, the image processing system 11 can update the background image according to the current camera image by updating the background image using the decoded camera image. Therefore, the image processing system 11 can bring the background image closer to the decoding target image, and can improve the accuracy of prediction.

  For example, when the background image includes a moving object, a part of the background is hidden. Therefore, there is a possibility that not all backgrounds are included in one background image. The image processing system 11 can supplement a background image that does not include a part of the background with a camera image that includes a part of the background by updating the background image using a plurality of camera images. Also, the background may change over time. For example, the background image may be updated when the background becomes darker as the night approaches.

  Further, the image processing system 11 can quickly follow changes in the background when the arrangement of the chair changes by updating the background image. Further, the image processing system 11 can reduce the number of times of transmission / reception of the background image between the server 20 and the decoder 50a by updating the background image using the decoded image.

  Further, the image processing system 11 may share the background image update process between the encoder (for example, the encoder 30a of the first embodiment) and the decoder 50a. Thus, the updated background image may not be included in the code string. Therefore, the overall code amount is reduced.

  Further, the decoder 50a updates the background image, so that the server 20 does not have to hold a large number of various background images. Therefore, the capacity of the memory (storage unit) in the server 20 can be reduced.

  Further, the image processing system 11 converts the background image as shown in FIG. 12, and uses the converted background image as a reference image. As a result, the background image approaches the decoding target image, and the prediction error is reduced. Thereby, the capacity of the frame memory 67 for storing the background image can be reduced.

  The prediction error may be reduced without preparing each background image by preparing a large number of background images. However, in this case, the frame memory 67 having a large capacity is used. Also, the amount of processing for selecting a background image is large. The background image is inserted into the code string in accordance with the switching. Therefore, in this case, the code amount is large and the communication amount is large.

  Therefore, by converting the background image, it is possible to reduce the capacity of the frame memory 67, the processing amount, the communication amount, and the code amount.

  Further, since the background image is stored in the server 20, the frame memory 67 having a large capacity may not be used in the decoder 50a. That is, the decoders 50a and 50b can share the background image in the server 20.

  The server 20 transmits a plurality of background images to the decoder 50a in advance. Then, the decoder 50 a switches the background image to be used among the plurality of background images transmitted in advance from the server 20 according to the time. As a result, the amount of communication between the server 20 and the decoder 50a is reduced during decoding, and the communication load is distributed.

  In the determination process (S806), the decoder 50a determines whether the code string received from the server 20 is the code string of the background image or the code string of the camera image. The decoder 50a may use a non-display flag indicating whether or not to display the decoded image in the determination process. The non-display flag is used when the reference image is deleted in moving image editing or the like and the image is not decoded correctly.

  An image used only for reference like the background image of the present embodiment may be designated as an image that is not displayed by the non-display flag. The decoder 50a may determine that the image designated as the image that is not displayed is the background image. The image processing system 11 can suppress an increase in the code amount by using an existing non-display flag without using a new additional flag. Of course, the image processing system 11 may use a new flag indicating whether or not the image is a background image.

  In addition, the decoder 50a scales the background image so that the size of the subject of the background image matches the size of the subject of the encoding target image (decoding target image) as shown in FIG. The decoder 50a may change the scaling ratio so as to match the accuracy allowed for the motion vector. 14 and 15 will be described as an example.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a modification of the scaling process shown in FIG. Specifically, FIG. 14 shows an example of the scaling process in the case where the motion vector is allowed up to ¼ pixel accuracy as defined in HEVC (Non-Patent Document 1). In this case, the decoder 50a scales the background image so that the subject of the background image is four times the subject of the encoding target image (decoding target image) in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  That is, when the horizontal width of the second tree from the right in the encoding target image (decoding target image) in FIG. 14 is 384 pixels, the horizontal width of the second tree from the right that is the same subject in the background image is 1536 pixels by scaling. Scaling is performed so as to be (384 pixels × 4). Then, the decoder 50a refers to each pixel of the background image at intervals of 4 pixels in the prediction block generation process.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing integer pixel accuracy and decimal pixel accuracy in the present embodiment. FIG. 15 shows each pixel of the background image after scaling. FIG. 15 shows pixels referred to by motion vectors with integer pixel accuracy and pixels referred to by motion vectors with decimal pixel accuracy.

  In HEVC (Non-Patent Document 1), when a motion vector with decimal pixel accuracy is used, a pixel value with decimal pixel accuracy is estimated by performing filter processing on pixel values with integer pixel accuracy. In this method, an error occurs between the estimated pixel value and the original pixel value.

  However, in the example of FIG. 14, the decoder 50a generates a pixel value with decimal pixel accuracy using a high-resolution background image generated from a camera image obtained by zooming in. Therefore, an error hardly occurs between the generated pixel value and the original pixel value. Therefore, the decoder 50a can reduce the prediction error.

  The decoder 50a may switch between the scaling process of FIG. 11 and the scaling process of FIG. For example, the decoder 50 a may use an image size smaller than the image size used in the scaling process of FIG. 14 by using the scaling process of FIG. 11 in order to reduce the capacity of the frame memory 67. Further, the decoder 50a may use the scaling process of FIG. 14 so as to increase the prediction accuracy with decimal pixel accuracy in order to reduce the prediction error (in order to improve the encoding efficiency).

  FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of a code string including each image. In FIG. 3, the first background image, the second background image, and the third background image may be the same image. For example, even when a video is played from the middle and decoding is started from the middle of the code string, a background image that is a long-term reference image is periodically inserted into the code string so that the decoded image is displayed correctly. Good. Thereby, for example, the decoder 50a can start decoding from I (t) when displaying an image after I (t). Therefore, decoding processing is reduced and display delay is also suppressed.

  In FIG. 3, one code string includes a camera image and a background image. However, as shown in FIG. 16, the code string including the camera image and the code string including the background image may be generated separately. Thereby, the image size in one code string is unified. Therefore, the encoding process and the decoding process are simplified. In addition, the decoder 50a can separately acquire the code sequence of the background image before decoding the code sequence of the camera image. Thereby, the communication load in the distribution of the code string is distributed.

  In the above, the encoded background image is included in the code string. However, the background image may not be included in the code string. That is, the code string may be configured only with the encoded camera image. In that case, a background image is separately transmitted to the decoder 50a. In the transmission of the background image, the background image encoded with high efficiency may be transmitted, or the pixel value of the background image itself may be transmitted.

  Further, the decoder 50a may acquire a code string as illustrated in FIG. 3 or a code string as illustrated in FIG. 16 from the server 20. Further, the decoder 50a may acquire a code string as shown in FIG. 3 or an code string as shown in FIG. 16 from an encoder (encoder 30a or the like). The decoder 50a may acquire a code string as shown in FIG. 3 or a code string as shown in FIG. 16 from the recording medium. The decoder 50a may acquire a plurality of code strings as shown in FIG. 16 separately from a communication medium or a recording medium.

  Here, “background” means a subject that has not moved for a certain period of time. For example, a person who has not moved for a while or a car that has stopped may be included in the “background”.

(Embodiment 3)
The present embodiment shows a characteristic configuration and a characteristic operation of the image processing system shown in the first and second embodiments. The configuration and operation shown in this embodiment basically correspond to the configuration and operation shown in Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing system according to the present embodiment. The image processing system 12 illustrated in FIG. 21 includes an image encoding device 70, an image decoding device 80, and an image management device 90. The image encoding device 70 includes an acquisition unit 71 and an encoding unit 72. The image decoding device 80 includes an acquisition unit 81 and a decoding unit 82.

  The image encoding device 70 encodes a plurality of display target images constituting a video using inter prediction. The acquisition unit 71 acquires a reference-only image. The encoding unit 72 encodes one or more display target images among a plurality of display target images constituting the video with reference to the reference-only image as a reference image in the inter prediction.

  Here, the reference-dedicated image is an image that is different from both the plurality of display target images and the plurality of reconstructed images of the plurality of display target images, and is an image used exclusively for reference in inter-plane prediction. The reference only image is, for example, the background image shown in the first embodiment and the second embodiment. The display target image is, for example, the camera image shown in the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

  The image decoding device 80 decodes a plurality of display target images constituting the video by using inter prediction. The acquisition unit 81 acquires a reference-only image. The decoding unit 82 decodes one or more display target images among the plurality of display target images constituting the video with reference to the reference-only image as a reference image in the inter prediction.

  The image management apparatus 90 is an arbitrary component in the image processing system 12. The image management device 90 acquires a reference-only image. The acquisition unit 71 of the image encoding device 70 may acquire the reference-only image acquired by the image management device 90 from the image management device 90. Similarly, the acquisition unit 81 of the image decoding device 80 may acquire the reference-only image acquired by the image management device 90 from the image management device 90.

  The image encoding device 70 corresponds to the encoder 30a and the like shown in the first embodiment. The acquisition unit 71 and the encoding unit 72 of the image encoding device 70 correspond to the processing unit 33a and the like shown in the first embodiment. The image decoding device 80 corresponds to the decoder 50a or the like shown in the second embodiment. The acquisition unit 81 and the decoding unit 82 of the image decoding device 80 correspond to the processing unit 53a and the like shown in the second embodiment. The image management apparatus 90 corresponds to the server 20 shown in the first and second embodiments.

  FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the operation of the image processing system 12 shown in FIG.

  In the image encoding device 70, first, the acquisition unit 71 acquires a reference-only image (S111). The acquisition unit 71 may acquire a reference-only image from the image management device 90. In this case, the image management apparatus 90 first acquires a reference-only image (S101). Next, the acquisition unit 71 acquires the reference-only image acquired by the image management apparatus 90 from the image management apparatus 90.

  Next, in the image encoding device 70, the encoding unit 72 encodes one or more display target images among a plurality of display target images constituting the video with reference to the reference-only image as a reference image in inter prediction. (S112).

  In the image decoding device 80, first, the acquisition unit 81 acquires a reference-only image (S121). The acquisition unit 81 may acquire a reference-only image from the image management device 90. In this case, the image management apparatus 90 first acquires a reference-only image (S101). Next, the acquisition unit 81 acquires the reference-only image acquired by the image management apparatus 90 from the image management apparatus 90.

  Next, in the image decoding apparatus 80, the decoding unit 82 refers to the reference-only image as a reference image in inter-frame prediction, and decodes one or more display target images among a plurality of display target images constituting the video ( S122).

  Accordingly, the image encoding device 70 and the image decoding device 80 can refer to a reference-only image that is different from the display target image or the like in the inter-frame prediction. Therefore, the image encoding device 70 and the image decoding device 80 can refer to an appropriate reference image in the inter prediction.

  The reference-only image may be larger than each of the plurality of display target images. That is, the number of pixels of the reference-only image may be larger than the number of pixels of each of the plurality of display target images.

  The reference-only image may be an image in which a plurality of captured images are integrated. Here, the photographed image is an image obtained by photographing. A plurality of captured images may be obtained by panning, tilting, and zooming, or may be obtained from a plurality of cameras. The reference-dedicated image may be an image obtained by integrating a plurality of captured images using shooting information or feature points of each captured image.

  The acquisition unit 71 may acquire the reference-only image before the first display target image is encoded in the encoding order among the plurality of display target images constituting the video. Similarly, the acquisition unit 81 may acquire the reference-only image before the first display target image is decoded in the decoding order among the plurality of display target images constituting the video.

  The acquisition units 71 and 81 may acquire the reference-only image partially or wholly by receiving the reference-only image from the image management apparatus 90 partially or entirely. The encoding unit 72 may encode one or more display target images with reference to the reference-only images acquired partially or entirely. The decoding unit 82 may decode one or more display target images with reference to the reference-only images acquired partially or entirely.

  The acquisition units 71 and 81 acquire, as reference-only images, each of a plurality of reference-only images including a first reference-only image corresponding to the first shooting situation and a second reference-only image corresponding to the second shooting situation. May be. The acquisition units 71 and 81 may selectively acquire a plurality of reference-only images based on video shooting conditions. Each photographing situation includes, for example, time at the time of photographing, weather or season.

  For example, when the shooting situation of the video is the first shooting situation, the acquisition units 71 and 81 may acquire the first reference-only image. In this case, the encoding unit 72 may encode one or more display target images with reference to the first reference dedicated image as the reference dedicated image. In this case, the decoding unit 82 may decode one or more display target images with reference to the first reference-only image as a reference-only image.

  In addition, for example, when the shooting situation of the video is the second shooting situation, the acquisition units 71 and 81 may acquire the second reference dedicated image. In this case, the encoding unit 72 may encode one or more display target images with reference to the second reference dedicated image as the reference dedicated image. In this case, the decoding unit 82 may decode one or more display target images with reference to the second reference-only image as a reference-only image.

  The acquisition units 71 and 81 may update the reference-only image using one or more reconstructed images among the plurality of reconstructed images of the plurality of display target images. The encoding unit 72 may encode one or more display target images with reference to the updated reference-only image. The decoding unit 82 may decode one or more display target images with reference to the updated reference-only image.

  When the encoding unit 72 encodes the encoding target image among the one or more display target images, the encoding unit 72 converts the reference dedicated image so that the reference dedicated image corresponds to the encoding target image, and the converted reference dedicated image An image may be referred to as a reference image. When decoding the decoding target image among the one or more display target images, the decoding unit 82 converts the reference dedicated image so that the reference dedicated image corresponds to the decoding target image, and the converted reference dedicated image is used as the reference image. You may refer to as The conversion may be projective conversion, luminance conversion, or scaling.

  The encoding unit 72 scales the reference-only image so that the size of the subject in the reference-only image corresponds to the size of the subject in the encoding-target image, and refers to the scaled reference-only image as a reference image. Also good. The decoding unit 82 may scale the reference-only image so that the size of the subject in the reference-only image corresponds to the size of the subject in the decoding-target image, and refer to the scaled reference-only image as a reference image. .

  The encoding unit 72 may scale the reference-only image using the shooting information of each of the reference-only image and the encoding target image or the position of the feature point in each of the reference-only image and the encoding target image. . The decoding unit 82 may scale the reference-only image using the shooting information of each of the reference-only image and the decoding target image, or the position of the feature point in each of the reference-only image and the decoding target image. The decoding unit 82 may estimate the position of the feature point of the decoding target image from the decoded image.

  The encoding unit 72 and the decoding unit 82 may scale the reference-only image according to the accuracy of the motion vector used in the inter prediction.

  The encoding unit 72 may encode the conversion parameter. The decoding unit 82 may decode the conversion parameter. The conversion parameter is a parameter used for conversion of the reference-only image. The conversion parameter may include a scaling ratio.

  The encoding unit 72 may encode the entire vector. The decoding unit 82 may decode the entire vector. The overall vector is a vector indicating the position of the region corresponding to the encoding target image among the one or more display target images in the reference-only image.

  The encoding unit 72 calculates the entire vector using the shooting information of each of the reference-dedicated image and the encoding target image or the position of the feature point in each of the reference-dedicated image and the encoding target image. The entire vector may be encoded. The decoding unit 82 may decode the entire vector calculated and encoded using the shooting information or the position of the feature point.

  The encoding unit 72 may encode one or more display target images and generate a code string including one or more display target images separately from the code string including the reference-only image. The decoding unit 82 may decode one or more display target images included in a code string different from the code string including the reference-only image.

  The encoding unit 72 may encode the reference-only image as a non-display image. The decoding unit 82 may decode the reference-only image encoded as a non-display image. In other words, the decoding unit 82 may decode a non-display image as a reference-only image.

  The image encoding device 70, the image decoding device 80, and the image management device 90 may be connected to each other via a communication network.

  Note that the image processing system 12 and the image management apparatus 90 described above may be expressed as an image distribution system and an image distribution apparatus, respectively. Further, the image management device 90 may be included in the image encoding device 70 or may be included in the image decoding device 80. The image processing system 12 and the like shown above are particularly useful for a system that processes an image with a small background change, and for example, a security camera system or a fixed point observation camera system.

  In each of the embodiments described above, each component is realized by a circuit including an MPU, a memory, and the like, for example. Further, the processing executed by each component may be executed by software (program). The software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. Such software may be distributed by downloading or the like, or may be distributed by being recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. Of course, each component can be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  That is, in each of the above embodiments, each component may be configured by dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory.

  In other words, the image encoding device, the image decoding device, and the like include a processing circuit (Processing Circuit) and a storage device (Storage) that is electrically connected to the processing circuit (accessible from the processing circuit). The processing circuit includes at least one of dedicated hardware and a program execution unit, and executes processing using a storage device. Further, when the processing circuit includes a program execution unit, the storage device stores a software program executed by the program execution unit.

  Here, the software that realizes the image encoding device, the image decoding device, and the like according to each of the above embodiments is the following program.

  That is, this program is an image encoding method for encoding a plurality of display target images constituting a video by using inter-plane prediction on a computer, and both the plurality of display target images are the plurality of display target images. An acquisition step of acquiring a reference-only image that is an image different from the plurality of reconstructed images and is used as a reference-only image in the inter-frame prediction, and referring to the reference-only image as a reference image in the inter-surface prediction. An image encoding method including an encoding step of encoding one or more display target images among the plurality of display target images is executed.

  Further, the program is an image decoding method for decoding a plurality of display target images constituting a video by using inter prediction in a computer, wherein the plurality of display target images are a plurality of the display target images. An acquisition step of obtaining a reference-only image that is an image different from the reconstructed image and used as a reference-only in the inter-frame prediction, and referring to the reference-only image as a reference image in the inter-frame prediction, An image decoding method including a decoding step of decoding one or more display target images among a plurality of display target images may be executed.

  Each component may be a circuit as described above. These circuits may constitute one circuit as a whole, or may be separate circuits. Each component may be realized by a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor.

  Moreover, another component may perform the process which a specific component performs. In addition, the order in which the processes are executed may be changed, or a plurality of processes may be executed in parallel. Further, the image encoding / decoding device may include an image encoding device and an image decoding device.

  Further, the processing described in each embodiment may be executed as centralized processing executed using a single device (system), or as distributed processing executed using a plurality of devices. May be executed. Moreover, the computer which performs said program may be single, and plural may be sufficient as it. That is, in the execution of the program, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

  As described above, the image encoding device and the image decoding device according to one or a plurality of aspects have been described based on the embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Unless it deviates from the gist of the present invention, various modifications conceived by those skilled in the art have been made in this embodiment, and forms constructed by combining components in different embodiments are also within the scope of one or more aspects. May be included.

(Embodiment 4)
By recording a program for realizing the configuration of the moving image encoding method (image encoding method) or the moving image decoding method (image decoding method) shown in each of the above embodiments on a storage medium, each of the above embodiments It is possible to easily execute the processing shown in the form in the independent computer system. The storage medium may be any medium that can record a program, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, an IC card, and a semiconductor memory.

  Furthermore, application examples of the moving picture coding method (picture coding method) and the moving picture decoding method (picture decoding method) shown in the above embodiments and a system using the same will be described. The system has an image encoding / decoding device including an image encoding device using an image encoding method and an image decoding device using an image decoding method. Other configurations in the system can be appropriately changed according to circumstances.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a content supply system ex100 that implements a content distribution service. A communication service providing area is divided into desired sizes, and base stations ex106, ex107, ex108, ex109, and ex110, which are fixed wireless stations, are installed in each cell.

  The content supply system ex100 includes a computer ex111, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) ex112, a camera ex113, a mobile phone ex114, and a game machine ex115 via the Internet ex101, the Internet service provider ex102, the telephone network ex104, and the base stations ex106 to ex110. Etc. are connected.

  However, the content supply system ex100 is not limited to the configuration as shown in FIG. 23, and any element may be combined and connected. In addition, each device may be directly connected to the telephone network ex104 without going from the base station ex106, which is a fixed wireless station, to ex110. In addition, the devices may be directly connected to each other via short-range wireless or the like.

  The camera ex113 is a device capable of shooting a moving image such as a digital video camera, and the camera ex116 is a device capable of shooting a still image and moving image such as a digital camera. The mobile phone ex114 is a GSM (registered trademark) (Global System for Mobile Communications) system, a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) system, a W-CDMA (Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access) system, or LTE (Long Term Evolution). It may be a system, a HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) mobile phone, a PHS (Personal Handyphone System), or the like.

  In the content supply system ex100, the camera ex113 and the like are connected to the streaming server ex103 through the base station ex109 and the telephone network ex104, thereby enabling live distribution and the like. In live distribution, content that is shot by a user using the camera ex113 (for example, music live video) is encoded as described in each of the above embodiments (that is, in one aspect of the present invention). Functions as an image encoding device), and transmits it to the streaming server ex103. On the other hand, the streaming server ex103 stream-distributes the content data transmitted to the requested client. Examples of the client include a computer ex111, a PDA ex112, a camera ex113, a mobile phone ex114, and a game machine ex115 that can decode the encoded data. Each device that receives the distributed data decodes the received data and reproduces it (that is, functions as an image decoding device according to one embodiment of the present invention).

  Note that the captured data may be encoded by the camera ex113, the streaming server ex103 that performs data transmission processing, or may be shared with each other. Similarly, the decryption processing of the distributed data may be performed by the client, the streaming server ex103, or may be performed in common with each other. In addition to the camera ex113, still images and / or moving image data captured by the camera ex116 may be transmitted to the streaming server ex103 via the computer ex111. The encoding process in this case may be performed by any of the camera ex116, the computer ex111, and the streaming server ex103, or may be performed in a shared manner.

  These encoding / decoding processes are generally performed by the computer ex111 and the LSI ex500 included in each device. The LSI ex500 may be configured as a single chip or a plurality of chips. It should be noted that moving image encoding / decoding software is incorporated into some recording medium (CD-ROM, flexible disk, hard disk, etc.) that can be read by the computer ex111 and the like, and encoding / decoding processing is performed using the software. May be. Furthermore, when the mobile phone ex114 is equipped with a camera, moving image data acquired by the camera may be transmitted. The moving image data at this time is data encoded by the LSI ex500 included in the mobile phone ex114.

  The streaming server ex103 may be a plurality of servers or a plurality of computers, and may process, record, and distribute data in a distributed manner.

  As described above, in the content supply system ex100, the client can receive and reproduce the encoded data. Thus, in the content supply system ex100, the information transmitted by the user can be received, decrypted and reproduced by the client in real time, and personal broadcasting can be realized even for a user who does not have special rights or facilities.

  In addition to the example of the content supply system ex100, as shown in FIG. 24, the digital broadcasting system ex200 also includes at least the moving image encoding device (image encoding device) or the moving image decoding according to each of the above embodiments. Any of the devices (image decoding devices) can be incorporated. Specifically, in the broadcast station ex201, multiplexed data obtained by multiplexing music data and the like on video data is transmitted to a communication or satellite ex202 via radio waves. This video data is data encoded by the moving image encoding method described in each of the above embodiments (that is, data encoded by the image encoding apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention). Receiving this, the broadcasting satellite ex202 transmits a radio wave for broadcasting, and this radio wave is received by a home antenna ex204 capable of receiving satellite broadcasting. The received multiplexed data is decoded and reproduced by an apparatus such as the television (receiver) ex300 or the set top box (STB) ex217 (that is, functions as an image decoding apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention).

  Also, a reader / recorder ex218 that reads and decodes multiplexed data recorded on a recording medium ex215 such as a DVD or a BD, or encodes a video signal on the recording medium ex215 and, in some cases, multiplexes and writes it with a music signal. It is possible to mount the moving picture decoding apparatus or moving picture encoding apparatus described in the above embodiments. In this case, the reproduced video signal is displayed on the monitor ex219, and the video signal can be reproduced in another device or system using the recording medium ex215 on which the multiplexed data is recorded. Alternatively, a moving picture decoding apparatus may be mounted in a set-top box ex217 connected to a cable ex203 for cable television or an antenna ex204 for satellite / terrestrial broadcasting and displayed on the monitor ex219 of the television. At this time, the moving picture decoding apparatus may be incorporated in the television instead of the set top box.

  FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a television (receiver) ex300 that uses the video decoding method and the video encoding method described in each of the above embodiments. The television ex300 obtains or outputs multiplexed data in which audio data is multiplexed with video data via the antenna ex204 or the cable ex203 that receives the broadcast, and demodulates the received multiplexed data. Alternatively, the modulation / demodulation unit ex302 that modulates multiplexed data to be transmitted to the outside, and the demodulated multiplexed data is separated into video data and audio data, or the video data and audio data encoded by the signal processing unit ex306 Is provided with a multiplexing / demultiplexing unit ex303.

  The television ex300 also decodes the audio data and the video data, or encodes the information, the audio signal processing unit ex304, the video signal processing unit ex305 (the image encoding device or the image according to one embodiment of the present invention) A signal processing unit ex306 that functions as a decoding device), a speaker ex307 that outputs the decoded audio signal, and an output unit ex309 that includes a display unit ex308 such as a display that displays the decoded video signal. Furthermore, the television ex300 includes an interface unit ex317 including an operation input unit ex312 that receives an input of a user operation. Furthermore, the television ex300 includes a control unit ex310 that performs overall control of each unit, and a power supply circuit unit ex311 that supplies power to each unit. In addition to the operation input unit ex312, the interface unit ex317 includes a bridge unit ex313 connected to an external device such as a reader / recorder ex218, a recording unit ex216 such as an SD card, and an external recording unit such as a hard disk. A driver ex315 for connecting to a medium, a modem ex316 for connecting to a telephone network, and the like may be included. Note that the recording medium ex216 is capable of electrically recording information by using a nonvolatile / volatile semiconductor memory element to be stored. Each part of the television ex300 is connected to each other via a synchronous bus.

  First, a configuration in which the television ex300 decodes and reproduces multiplexed data acquired from the outside by the antenna ex204 or the like will be described. The television ex300 receives a user operation from the remote controller ex220 or the like, and demultiplexes the multiplexed data demodulated by the modulation / demodulation unit ex302 by the multiplexing / demultiplexing unit ex303 based on the control of the control unit ex310 having a CPU or the like. Furthermore, in the television ex300, the separated audio data is decoded by the audio signal processing unit ex304, and the separated video data is decoded by the video signal processing unit ex305 using the decoding method described in each of the above embodiments. The decoded audio signal and video signal are output from the output unit ex309 to the outside. At the time of output, these signals may be temporarily stored in the buffers ex318, ex319, etc. so that the audio signal and the video signal are reproduced in synchronization. Also, the television ex300 may read multiplexed data from recording media ex215 and ex216 such as a magnetic / optical disk and an SD card, not from broadcasting. Next, a configuration in which the television ex300 encodes an audio signal or a video signal and transmits the signal to the outside or to a recording medium will be described. The television ex300 receives a user operation from the remote controller ex220 and the like, encodes an audio signal with the audio signal processing unit ex304, and converts the video signal with the video signal processing unit ex305 based on the control of the control unit ex310. Encoding is performed using the encoding method described in (1). The encoded audio signal and video signal are multiplexed by the multiplexing / demultiplexing unit ex303 and output to the outside. When multiplexing, these signals may be temporarily stored in the buffers ex320, ex321, etc. so that the audio signal and the video signal are synchronized. Note that a plurality of buffers ex318, ex319, ex320, and ex321 may be provided as illustrated, or one or more buffers may be shared. Further, in addition to the illustrated example, data may be stored in the buffer as a buffer material that prevents system overflow and underflow, for example, between the modulation / demodulation unit ex302 and the multiplexing / demultiplexing unit ex303.

  In addition to acquiring audio data and video data from broadcasts, recording media, and the like, the television ex300 has a configuration for receiving AV input of a microphone and a camera, and performs encoding processing on the data acquired from them. Also good. Here, the television ex300 has been described as a configuration capable of the above-described encoding processing, multiplexing, and external output, but these processing cannot be performed, and only the above-described reception, decoding processing, and external output are possible. It may be a configuration.

  In addition, when reading or writing multiplexed data from a recording medium by the reader / recorder ex218, the decoding process or the encoding process may be performed by either the television ex300 or the reader / recorder ex218, The reader / recorder ex218 may share with each other.

  As an example, FIG. 26 shows a configuration of an information reproducing / recording unit ex400 when data is read from or written to an optical disk. The information reproducing / recording unit ex400 includes elements ex401, ex402, ex403, ex404, ex405, ex406, and ex407 described below. The optical head ex401 irradiates a laser spot on the recording surface of the recording medium ex215 that is an optical disk to write information, and detects information reflected from the recording surface of the recording medium ex215 to read the information. The modulation recording unit ex402 electrically drives a semiconductor laser built in the optical head ex401 and modulates the laser beam according to the recording data. The reproduction demodulator ex403 amplifies the reproduction signal obtained by electrically detecting the reflected light from the recording surface by the photodetector built in the optical head ex401, separates and demodulates the signal component recorded on the recording medium ex215, and is necessary To play back information. The buffer ex404 temporarily holds information to be recorded on the recording medium ex215 and information reproduced from the recording medium ex215. The disk motor ex405 rotates the recording medium ex215. The servo control unit ex406 moves the optical head ex401 to a predetermined information track while controlling the rotational drive of the disk motor ex405, and performs a laser spot tracking process. The system control unit ex407 controls the entire information reproduction / recording unit ex400. In the reading and writing processes described above, the system control unit ex407 uses various types of information held in the buffer ex404, and generates and adds new information as necessary. The modulation recording unit ex402, the reproduction demodulation unit This is realized by recording / reproducing information through the optical head ex401 while operating the ex403 and the servo control unit ex406 in a coordinated manner. The system control unit ex407 includes, for example, a microprocessor, and executes these processes by executing a read / write program.

  In the above, the optical head ex401 has been described as irradiating a laser spot. However, the optical head ex401 may be configured to perform higher-density recording using near-field light.

  FIG. 27 shows a schematic diagram of a recording medium ex215 that is an optical disk. Guide grooves (grooves) are formed in a spiral shape on the recording surface of the recording medium ex215, and address information indicating the absolute position on the disc is recorded in advance on the information track ex230 by changing the shape of the groove. This address information includes information for specifying the position of the recording block ex231 that is a unit for recording data, and the recording block is specified by reproducing the information track ex230 and reading the address information in a recording or reproducing apparatus. Can do. Further, the recording medium ex215 includes a data recording area ex233, an inner peripheral area ex232, and an outer peripheral area ex234. The area used for recording user data is the data recording area ex233, and the inner circumference area ex232 and the outer circumference area ex234 arranged on the inner or outer circumference of the data recording area ex233 are used for specific purposes other than user data recording. Used. The information reproducing / recording unit ex400 reads / writes encoded audio data, video data, or multiplexed data obtained by multiplexing these data with respect to the data recording area ex233 of the recording medium ex215.

  In the above description, an optical disk such as a single-layer DVD or BD has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and an optical disk having a multilayer structure and capable of recording other than the surface may be used. Also, an optical disc with a multi-dimensional recording / reproducing structure, such as recording information using light of different wavelengths in the same place on the disc, or recording different layers of information from various angles. It may be.

  In the digital broadcasting system ex200, the car ex210 having the antenna ex205 can receive data from the satellite ex202 and the like, and the moving image can be reproduced on the display device such as the car navigation ex211 that the car ex210 has. Note that the configuration of the car navigation ex211 may be, for example, a configuration in which a GPS receiving unit is added in the configuration illustrated in FIG.

  FIG. 28A is a diagram illustrating the mobile phone ex114 using the video decoding method and the video encoding method described in the above embodiment. The mobile phone ex114 includes an antenna ex350 for transmitting and receiving radio waves to and from the base station ex110, a camera unit ex365 capable of capturing video and still images, a video captured by the camera unit ex365, a video received by the antenna ex350, and the like Is provided with a display unit ex358 such as a liquid crystal display for displaying the decrypted data. The mobile phone ex114 further includes a main body unit having an operation key unit ex366, an audio output unit ex357 such as a speaker for outputting audio, an audio input unit ex356 such as a microphone for inputting audio, a captured video, In the memory unit ex367 for storing encoded data or decoded data such as still images, recorded audio, received video, still images, mails, or the like, or an interface unit with a recording medium for storing data A slot ex364 is provided.

  Furthermore, a configuration example of the mobile phone ex114 will be described with reference to FIG. 28B. The mobile phone ex114 has a power supply circuit part ex361, an operation input control part ex362, and a video signal processing part ex355 with respect to a main control part ex360 that comprehensively controls each part of the main body including the display part ex358 and the operation key part ex366. , A camera interface unit ex363, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) control unit ex359, a modulation / demodulation unit ex352, a multiplexing / demultiplexing unit ex353, an audio signal processing unit ex354, a slot unit ex364, and a memory unit ex367 are connected to each other via a bus ex370. ing.

  When the end call and the power key are turned on by a user operation, the power supply circuit ex361 starts up the mobile phone ex114 in an operable state by supplying power from the battery pack to each unit.

  The cellular phone ex114 converts the audio signal collected by the audio input unit ex356 in the voice call mode into a digital audio signal by the audio signal processing unit ex354 based on the control of the main control unit ex360 having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. Then, this is subjected to spectrum spread processing by the modulation / demodulation unit ex352, digital-analog conversion processing and frequency conversion processing are performed by the transmission / reception unit ex351, and then transmitted via the antenna ex350. The mobile phone ex114 also amplifies the received data received via the antenna ex350 in the voice call mode, performs frequency conversion processing and analog-digital conversion processing, performs spectrum despreading processing by the modulation / demodulation unit ex352, and performs voice signal processing unit After being converted into an analog audio signal by ex354, this is output from the audio output unit ex357.

  Further, when an e-mail is transmitted in the data communication mode, the text data of the e-mail input by operating the operation key unit ex366 of the main unit is sent to the main control unit ex360 via the operation input control unit ex362. The main control unit ex360 performs spread spectrum processing on the text data in the modulation / demodulation unit ex352, performs digital analog conversion processing and frequency conversion processing in the transmission / reception unit ex351, and then transmits the text data to the base station ex110 via the antenna ex350. . In the case of receiving an e-mail, almost the reverse process is performed on the received data and output to the display unit ex358.

  When transmitting video, still images, or video and audio in the data communication mode, the video signal processing unit ex355 compresses the video signal supplied from the camera unit ex365 by the moving image encoding method described in the above embodiments. Encode (that is, function as an image encoding device according to an aspect of the present invention), and send the encoded video data to the multiplexing / demultiplexing unit ex353. The audio signal processing unit ex354 encodes the audio signal picked up by the audio input unit ex356 while the camera unit ex365 images a video, a still image, etc., and sends the encoded audio data to the multiplexing / separating unit ex353. To do.

  The multiplexing / demultiplexing unit ex353 multiplexes the encoded video data supplied from the video signal processing unit ex355 and the encoded audio data supplied from the audio signal processing unit ex354 by a predetermined method, and is obtained as a result. The multiplexed data is subjected to spread spectrum processing by the modulation / demodulation unit (modulation / demodulation circuit unit) ex352, digital-analog conversion processing and frequency conversion processing by the transmission / reception unit ex351, and then transmitted via the antenna ex350.

  Decode multiplexed data received via antenna ex350 when receiving video file data linked to a homepage, etc. in data communication mode, or when receiving e-mail with video and / or audio attached Therefore, the multiplexing / separating unit ex353 separates the multiplexed data into a video data bit stream and an audio data bit stream, and performs video signal processing on the video data encoded via the synchronization bus ex370. The encoded audio data is supplied to the audio signal processing unit ex354 while being supplied to the unit ex355. The video signal processing unit ex355 decodes the video signal by decoding using the video decoding method corresponding to the video encoding method described in each of the above embodiments (that is, an image according to an aspect of the present invention). For example, video and still images included in the moving image file linked to the home page are displayed from the display unit ex358 via the LCD control unit ex359. The audio signal processing unit ex354 decodes the audio signal, and the audio is output from the audio output unit ex357.

  In addition to the transmission / reception type terminal having both the encoder and the decoder, the terminal such as the mobile phone ex114 is referred to as a transmission terminal having only an encoder and a receiving terminal having only a decoder. There are three possible mounting formats. Furthermore, in the digital broadcasting system ex200, it has been described that multiplexed data in which music data or the like is multiplexed with video data is received and transmitted, but data in which character data or the like related to video is multiplexed in addition to audio data It may be video data itself instead of multiplexed data.

  As described above, the moving picture encoding method or the moving picture decoding method shown in each of the above embodiments can be used in any of the above-described devices / systems. The described effect can be obtained.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications or corrections can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

(Embodiment 5)
The moving picture coding method or apparatus shown in the above embodiments and the moving picture coding method or apparatus compliant with different standards such as MPEG-2, MPEG4-AVC, and VC-1 are appropriately switched as necessary. Thus, it is also possible to generate video data.

  Here, when a plurality of video data compliant with different standards are generated, it is necessary to select a decoding method corresponding to each standard when decoding. However, since it is impossible to identify which standard the video data to be decoded complies with, there arises a problem that an appropriate decoding method cannot be selected.

  In order to solve this problem, multiplexed data obtained by multiplexing audio data and the like on video data is configured to include identification information indicating which standard the video data conforms to. A specific configuration of multiplexed data including video data generated by the moving picture encoding method or apparatus shown in the above embodiments will be described below. The multiplexed data is a digital stream in the MPEG-2 transport stream format.

  FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a structure of multiplexed data. As shown in FIG. 29, multiplexed data is obtained by multiplexing one or more of a video stream, an audio stream, a presentation graphics stream (PG), and an interactive graphics stream. The video stream indicates the main video and sub-video of the movie, the audio stream (IG) indicates the main audio portion of the movie and the sub-audio mixed with the main audio, and the presentation graphics stream indicates the subtitles of the movie. Here, the main video indicates a normal video displayed on the screen, and the sub-video is a video displayed on a small screen in the main video. The interactive graphics stream indicates an interactive screen created by arranging GUI components on the screen. The video stream is encoded by the moving image encoding method or apparatus described in the above embodiments, or the moving image encoding method or apparatus conforming to the conventional standards such as MPEG-2, MPEG4-AVC, and VC-1. ing. The audio stream is encoded by a method such as Dolby AC-3, Dolby Digital Plus, MLP, DTS, DTS-HD, or linear PCM.

  Each stream included in the multiplexed data is identified by PID. For example, 0x1011 for video streams used for movie images, 0x1100 to 0x111F for audio streams, 0x1200 to 0x121F for presentation graphics, 0x1400 to 0x141F for interactive graphics streams, 0x1B00 to 0x1B1F are assigned to video streams used for sub-pictures, and 0x1A00 to 0x1A1F are assigned to audio streams used for sub-audio mixed with the main audio.

  FIG. 30 is a diagram schematically showing how multiplexed data is multiplexed. First, a video stream ex235 composed of a plurality of video frames and an audio stream ex238 composed of a plurality of audio frames are converted into PES packet sequences ex236 and ex239, respectively, and converted into TS packets ex237 and ex240. Similarly, the data of the presentation graphics stream ex241 and interactive graphics ex244 are converted into PES packet sequences ex242 and ex245, respectively, and further converted into TS packets ex243 and ex246. The multiplexed data ex247 is configured by multiplexing these TS packets into one stream.

  FIG. 31 shows in more detail how the video stream is stored in the PES packet sequence. The first row in FIG. 31 shows a video frame sequence of the video stream. The second level shows a PES packet sequence. As shown by arrows yy1, yy2, yy3, and yy4 in FIG. 31, a plurality of Video Presentation Units in a video stream are divided into pictures, stored in the payload of the PES packet. . Each PES packet has a PES header, and a PTS (Presentation Time-Stamp) that is a picture display time and a DTS (Decoding Time-Stamp) that is a picture decoding time are stored in the PES header.

  FIG. 32 shows the format of a TS packet that is finally written in the multiplexed data. The TS packet is a 188-byte fixed-length packet composed of a 4-byte TS header having information such as a PID for identifying a stream and a 184-byte TS payload for storing data. The PES packet is divided and stored in the TS payload. The In the case of a BD-ROM, a 4-byte TP_Extra_Header is added to a TS packet, forms a 192-byte source packet, and is written in multiplexed data. In TP_Extra_Header, information such as ATS (Arrival_Time_Stamp) is described. ATS indicates the transfer start time of the TS packet to the PID filter of the decoder. Source packets are arranged in the multiplexed data as shown in the lower part of FIG. 32, and the number incremented from the head of the multiplexed data is called SPN (source packet number).

  In addition, TS packets included in multiplexed data include PAT (Program Association Table), PMT (Program Map Table), PCR (Program Clock Reference), and the like in addition to video, audio, and subtitle streams. PAT indicates what the PID of the PMT used in the multiplexed data is, and the PID of the PAT itself is registered as 0. The PMT has the PID of each stream such as video / audio / subtitles included in the multiplexed data and the attribute information of the stream corresponding to each PID, and has various descriptors related to the multiplexed data. The descriptor includes copy control information for instructing permission / non-permission of copying of multiplexed data. In order to synchronize ATC (Arrival Time Clock), which is the time axis of ATS, and STC (System Time Clock), which is the time axis of PTS / DTS, the PCR corresponds to the ATS in which the PCR packet is transferred to the decoder. Contains STC time information.

  FIG. 33 is a diagram for explaining the data structure of the PMT in detail. A PMT header describing the length of data included in the PMT is arranged at the head of the PMT. After that, a plurality of descriptors related to multiplexed data are arranged. The copy control information and the like are described as descriptors. After the descriptor, a plurality of pieces of stream information regarding each stream included in the multiplexed data are arranged. The stream information includes a stream descriptor in which a stream type, a stream PID, and stream attribute information (frame rate, aspect ratio, etc.) are described to identify a compression codec of the stream. There are as many stream descriptors as the number of streams existing in the multiplexed data.

  When recording on a recording medium or the like, the multiplexed data is recorded together with the multiplexed data information file.

  As shown in FIG. 34, the multiplexed data information file is management information of multiplexed data, has a one-to-one correspondence with the multiplexed data, and includes multiplexed data information, stream attribute information, and an entry map.

  As shown in FIG. 34, the multiplexed data information includes a system rate, a reproduction start time, and a reproduction end time. The system rate indicates the maximum transfer rate of multiplexed data to the PID filter of the system target decoder described later. The ATS interval included in the multiplexed data is set to be equal to or less than the system rate. The playback start time is the PTS of the first video frame of the multiplexed data, and the playback end time is set by adding the playback interval for one frame to the PTS of the video frame at the end of the multiplexed data.

  As shown in FIG. 35, in the stream attribute information, attribute information about each stream included in the multiplexed data is registered for each PID. The attribute information has different information for each video stream, audio stream, presentation graphics stream, and interactive graphics stream. The video stream attribute information includes the compression codec used to compress the video stream, the resolution of the individual picture data constituting the video stream, the aspect ratio, and the frame rate. It has information such as how much it is. The audio stream attribute information includes the compression codec used to compress the audio stream, the number of channels included in the audio stream, the language supported, and the sampling frequency. With information. These pieces of information are used for initialization of the decoder before the player reproduces it.

  In the present embodiment, among the multiplexed data, the stream type included in the PMT is used. Also, when multiplexed data is recorded on the recording medium, video stream attribute information included in the multiplexed data information is used. Specifically, in the video encoding method or apparatus shown in each of the above embodiments, the video encoding shown in each of the above embodiments for the stream type or video stream attribute information included in the PMT. There is provided a step or means for setting unique information indicating that the video data is generated by the method or apparatus. With this configuration, it is possible to discriminate between video data generated by the moving picture encoding method or apparatus described in the above embodiments and video data compliant with other standards.

  FIG. 36 shows steps of the moving picture decoding method according to the present embodiment. In step exS100, the stream type included in the PMT or the video stream attribute information included in the multiplexed data information is acquired from the multiplexed data. Next, in step exS101, it is determined whether or not the stream type or the video stream attribute information indicates multiplexed data generated by the moving picture encoding method or apparatus described in the above embodiments. To do. When it is determined that the stream type or the video stream attribute information is generated by the moving image encoding method or apparatus described in the above embodiments, in step exS102, the above embodiments are performed. Decoding is performed by the moving picture decoding method shown in the form. If the stream type or the video stream attribute information indicates that it conforms to a standard such as conventional MPEG-2, MPEG4-AVC, or VC-1, in step exS103, Decoding is performed by a moving image decoding method compliant with the standard.

  In this way, by setting a new unique value in the stream type or video stream attribute information, whether or not decoding is possible with the moving picture decoding method or apparatus described in each of the above embodiments is performed. Judgment can be made. Therefore, even when multiplexed data conforming to different standards is input, an appropriate decoding method or apparatus can be selected, and therefore decoding can be performed without causing an error. In addition, the moving picture encoding method or apparatus or the moving picture decoding method or apparatus described in this embodiment can be used in any of the above-described devices and systems.

(Embodiment 6)
The moving picture encoding method and apparatus and moving picture decoding method and apparatus described in the above embodiments are typically realized by an LSI that is an integrated circuit. As an example, FIG. 37 shows a configuration of the LSI ex500 that is made into one chip. The LSI ex500 includes elements ex501, ex502, ex503, ex504, ex505, ex506, ex507, ex508, and ex509 described below, and each element is connected via a bus ex510. The power supply circuit unit ex505 is activated to an operable state by supplying power to each unit when the power supply is on.

  For example, when performing the encoding process, the LSI ex500 uses the AV I / O ex509 to perform the microphone ex117 and the camera ex113 based on the control of the control unit ex501 including the CPU ex502, the memory controller ex503, the stream controller ex504, the drive frequency control unit ex512, and the like. The AV signal is input from the above. The input AV signal is temporarily stored in an external memory ex511 such as SDRAM. Based on the control of the control unit ex501, the accumulated data is divided into a plurality of times as appropriate according to the processing amount and the processing speed and sent to the signal processing unit ex507. Signal encoding is performed. Here, the encoding process of the video signal is the encoding process described in the above embodiments. The signal processing unit ex507 further performs processing such as multiplexing the encoded audio data and the encoded video data according to circumstances, and outputs the result from the stream I / Oex 506 to the outside. The output multiplexed data is transmitted to the base station ex107 or written to the recording medium ex215. It should be noted that data should be temporarily stored in the buffer ex508 so as to be synchronized when multiplexing.

  In the above description, the memory ex511 is described as an external configuration of the LSI ex500. However, a configuration included in the LSI ex500 may be used. The number of buffers ex508 is not limited to one, and a plurality of buffers may be provided. The LSI ex500 may be made into one chip or a plurality of chips.

  In the above description, the control unit ex501 includes the CPU ex502, the memory controller ex503, the stream controller ex504, the drive frequency control unit ex512, and the like, but the configuration of the control unit ex501 is not limited to this configuration. For example, the signal processing unit ex507 may further include a CPU. By providing a CPU also in the signal processing unit ex507, the processing speed can be further improved. As another example, the CPU ex502 may be configured to include a signal processing unit ex507 or, for example, an audio signal processing unit that is a part of the signal processing unit ex507. In such a case, the control unit ex501 is configured to include a signal processing unit ex507 or a CPU ex502 having a part thereof.

  Here, although LSI is used, it may be called IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI depending on the degree of integration.

  Further, the method of circuit integration is not limited to LSI's, and implementation using dedicated circuitry or general purpose processors is also possible. An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) that can be programmed after manufacturing the LSI, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connection and setting of circuit cells inside the LSI may be used. Such a programmable logic device typically loads or reads a program constituting software or firmware from a memory or the like, so that the moving image encoding method or the moving image described in each of the above embodiments is used. An image decoding method can be performed.

  Furthermore, if integrated circuit technology comes out to replace LSI's as a result of the advancement of semiconductor technology or a derivative other technology, it is naturally also possible to carry out function block integration using this technology. Biotechnology can be applied.

(Embodiment 7)
When decoding video data generated by the moving picture encoding method or apparatus described in the above embodiments, video data compliant with standards such as MPEG-2, MPEG4-AVC, and VC-1 is decoded. It is conceivable that the amount of processing increases compared to the case. Therefore, in LSI ex500, it is necessary to set a driving frequency higher than the driving frequency of CPU ex502 when decoding video data compliant with the conventional standard. However, when the drive frequency is increased, there is a problem that power consumption increases.

  In order to solve this problem, moving picture decoding apparatuses such as the television ex300 and the LSI ex500 are configured to identify which standard the video data conforms to and switch the driving frequency according to the standard. FIG. 38 shows a configuration ex800 in the present embodiment. The drive frequency switching unit ex803 sets the drive frequency high when the video data is generated by the moving image encoding method or apparatus described in the above embodiments. Then, the decoding processing unit ex801 that executes the moving picture decoding method described in each of the above embodiments is instructed to decode the video data. On the other hand, when the video data is video data compliant with the conventional standard, compared to the case where the video data is generated by the moving picture encoding method or apparatus shown in the above embodiments, Set the drive frequency low. Then, it instructs the decoding processing unit ex802 compliant with the conventional standard to decode the video data.

  More specifically, the drive frequency switching unit ex803 includes the CPU ex502 and the drive frequency control unit ex512 in FIG. Also, the decoding processing unit ex801 that executes the moving picture decoding method described in each of the above embodiments and the decoding processing unit ex802 that conforms to the conventional standard correspond to the signal processing unit ex507 in FIG. The CPU ex502 identifies which standard the video data conforms to. Then, based on the signal from the CPU ex502, the drive frequency control unit ex512 sets the drive frequency. Further, based on the signal from the CPU ex502, the signal processing unit ex507 decodes the video data. Here, for identification of video data, for example, the identification information described in the fifth embodiment may be used. The identification information is not limited to that described in the fifth embodiment, and any information that can identify which standard the video data conforms to may be used. For example, it is possible to identify which standard the video data conforms to based on an external signal that identifies whether the video data is used for a television or a disk. In some cases, identification may be performed based on such an external signal. In addition, the selection of the driving frequency in the CPU ex502 may be performed based on, for example, a lookup table in which video data standards and driving frequencies are associated with each other as shown in FIG. The look-up table is stored in the buffer ex508 or the internal memory of the LSI, and the CPU ex502 can select the drive frequency by referring to the look-up table.

  FIG. 39 shows steps for executing a method in the present embodiment. First, in step exS200, the signal processing unit ex507 acquires identification information from the multiplexed data. Next, in step exS201, the CPU ex502 identifies whether the video data is generated by the encoding method or apparatus described in each of the above embodiments based on the identification information. When the video data is generated by the encoding method or apparatus shown in the above embodiments, in step exS202, the CPU ex502 sends a signal for setting the drive frequency high to the drive frequency control unit ex512. Then, the drive frequency control unit ex512 sets a high drive frequency. On the other hand, if the video data conforms to the standards such as MPEG-2, MPEG4-AVC, and VC-1, the CPU ex502 drives the signal for setting the drive frequency low in step exS203. This is sent to the frequency control unit ex512. Then, in the drive frequency control unit ex512, the drive frequency is set to be lower than that in the case where the video data is generated by the encoding method or apparatus described in the above embodiments.

  Furthermore, the power saving effect can be further enhanced by changing the voltage applied to the LSI ex500 or the device including the LSI ex500 in conjunction with the switching of the driving frequency. For example, when the drive frequency is set low, it is conceivable that the voltage applied to the LSI ex500 or the device including the LSI ex500 is set low as compared with the case where the drive frequency is set high.

  In addition, the setting method of the driving frequency may be set to a high driving frequency when the processing amount at the time of decoding is large, and to a low driving frequency when the processing amount at the time of decoding is small. It is not limited to the method. For example, the amount of processing for decoding video data compliant with the MPEG4-AVC standard is larger than the amount of processing for decoding video data generated by the moving picture encoding method or apparatus described in the above embodiments. It is conceivable that the setting of the driving frequency is reversed to that in the case described above.

  Further, the method for setting the drive frequency is not limited to the configuration in which the drive frequency is lowered. For example, when the identification information indicates that the video data is generated by the moving image encoding method or apparatus described in the above embodiments, the voltage applied to the LSIex500 or the apparatus including the LSIex500 is set high. However, if the video data conforms to the standards such as MPEG-2, MPEG4-AVC, VC-1, etc., it may be considered to set the voltage applied to the device including LSIex500 or LSIex500 low. It is done. As another example, when the identification information indicates that the video data is generated by the moving image encoding method or apparatus described in the above embodiments, the driving of the CPU ex502 is stopped. If the video data conforms to the standards such as MPEG-2, MPEG4-AVC, VC-1, etc., the CPU ex502 is temporarily stopped because there is enough processing. Is also possible. Even when the identification information indicates that the video data is generated by the moving image encoding method or apparatus described in each of the above embodiments, if there is a margin for processing, the CPU ex502 is temporarily driven. It can also be stopped. In this case, it is conceivable to set the stop time shorter than in the case where the video data conforms to the standards such as MPEG-2, MPEG4-AVC, and VC-1.

  In this way, it is possible to save power by switching the drive frequency according to the standard to which the video data complies. In addition, when the battery is used to drive the LSI ex500 or the device including the LSI ex500, it is possible to extend the life of the battery with power saving.

(Embodiment 8)
A plurality of video data that conforms to different standards may be input to the above-described devices and systems such as a television and a mobile phone. As described above, the signal processing unit ex507 of the LSI ex500 needs to support a plurality of standards in order to be able to decode even when a plurality of video data complying with different standards is input. However, when the signal processing unit ex507 corresponding to each standard is used individually, there is a problem that the circuit scale of the LSI ex500 increases and the cost increases.

  In order to solve this problem, a decoding processing unit for executing the moving picture decoding method shown in each of the above embodiments and a decoding conforming to a standard such as conventional MPEG-2, MPEG4-AVC, or VC-1 The processing unit is partly shared. An example of this configuration is shown as ex900 in FIG. 41A. For example, the moving picture decoding method shown in the above embodiments and the moving picture decoding method compliant with the MPEG4-AVC standard are processed in processes such as entropy coding, inverse quantization, deblocking filter, and motion compensation. Some contents are common. For the common processing content, the decoding processing unit ex902 corresponding to the MPEG4-AVC standard is shared, and for other processing content specific to one aspect of the present invention that does not correspond to the MPEG4-AVC standard, a dedicated decoding processing unit A configuration using ex901 is conceivable. In particular, since one aspect of the present invention is characterized by inter prediction, for example, a dedicated decoding processing unit ex901 is used for inter prediction, and other entropy decoding, deblocking filter, inverse processing, and the like are performed. For any or all of the quantization processes, it is conceivable to share the decoding processing unit. Regarding the sharing of the decoding processing unit, regarding the common processing content, the decoding processing unit for executing the moving picture decoding method described in each of the above embodiments is shared, and the processing content specific to the MPEG4-AVC standard As for, a configuration using a dedicated decoding processing unit may be used.

  Further, ex1000 in FIG. 41B shows another example in which processing is partially shared. In this example, a dedicated decoding processing unit ex1001 corresponding to the processing content specific to one aspect of the present invention, a dedicated decoding processing unit ex1002 corresponding to the processing content specific to another conventional standard, and one aspect of the present invention And a common decoding processing unit ex1003 corresponding to the processing contents common to the moving image decoding method according to the above and other conventional moving image decoding methods. Here, the dedicated decoding processing units ex1001 and ex1002 are not necessarily specialized in one aspect of the present invention or processing content specific to other conventional standards, and can execute other general-purpose processing. Also good. Also, the configuration of the present embodiment can be implemented by LSI ex500.

  As described above, the processing content common to the moving picture decoding method according to one aspect of the present invention and the moving picture decoding method of the conventional standard reduces the circuit scale of the LSI by sharing the decoding processing unit, In addition, the cost can be reduced.

  The present invention is applicable to, for example, a television receiver, a digital video recorder, a car navigation system, a mobile phone, a digital camera, a digital video camera, a security camera system, a fixed point observation camera system, or a content distribution system.

10, 11, 12 Image processing system 20 Server 21 Background image database 22, 32a, 32b, 32c, 52a, 52b Control unit 23, 33a, 33b, 33c, 53a, 53b Processing unit 24, 34a, 34b, 34c, 54a, 54b Communication unit 30a, 30b, 30c Encoder 31a, 31b, 31c, 51a, 51b Storage unit 35a, 35b, 35c Camera 41 Division unit 42 Subtraction unit 43 Conversion unit 44 Variable length encoding unit 45, 65 Inverse conversion unit 46, 66 Adder 47, 67 Frame memory 48 Prediction unit 50a, 50b Decoder 55a, 55b Display unit 61 Variable length decoding unit 68 Coupling unit 70 Image encoding device 71, 81 Acquisition unit 72 Encoding unit 80 Image decoding device 82 Decoding unit 90 Image Management device

Claims (20)

An image encoding device that encodes a plurality of display target images constituting a video using inter-surface prediction,
An acquisition unit that acquires a reference-only image that is an image that is different from both the plurality of display target images and the plurality of reconstructed images of the plurality of display target images and is used exclusively for reference in the inter-plane prediction;
An image encoding apparatus comprising: an encoding unit configured to encode one or more display target images among the plurality of display target images with reference to the reference dedicated image as a reference image in the inter-frame prediction. The image encoding device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the reference-only image that is larger than each of the plurality of display target images. The image encoding device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the reference-only image obtained by integrating a plurality of captured images that are a plurality of images obtained by capturing. The acquisition unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the reference-only image before the first display target image is encoded in the encoding order among the plurality of display target images. Image encoding device. The obtaining unit obtains the reference-only image partially or entirely by receiving the reference-only image from an image management device partially or entirely.
The image encoding according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the encoding unit encodes the one or more display target images with reference to the reference-only image acquired partially or entirely. Device. The acquisition unit acquires each of a plurality of reference dedicated images including a first reference dedicated image corresponding to the first shooting situation and a second reference dedicated image corresponding to the second shooting situation as the reference dedicated image,
The encoding unit includes:
When the shooting situation of the video is the first shooting situation, the first reference-only image is referred to as the reference-only image, and the one or more display target images are encoded,
The one or more display target images are encoded by referring to the second reference-dedicated image as the reference-dedicated image when the shooting state of the video is the second shooting state. The image encoding device according to item 1. The acquisition unit further updates the reference-only image using one or more reconstructed images among the plurality of reconstructed images of the plurality of display target images,
The image encoding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the encoding unit encodes the one or more display target images with reference to the updated reference-only image. The encoding unit converts the reference-only image so that the reference-only image corresponds to the encoding-target image when encoding the encoding-target image among the one or more display-target images. The image encoding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the reference-only image that has been used is referred to as the reference image. The encoding unit scales the reference-only image so that the size of the subject in the reference-only image corresponds to the size of the subject in the encoding-target image, and refers to the scaled reference-only image. The image encoding device according to claim 8, which is referred to as an image. The encoding unit uses the shooting information of each of the reference-dedicated image and the encoding target image, or the position of the feature point in each of the reference-dedicated image and the encoding target image, to generate the reference-dedicated image. The image encoding device according to claim 9, wherein the image encoding device is scaled. The image encoding device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the encoding unit scales the reference-dedicated image according to an accuracy of a motion vector used in the inter-plane prediction. The image encoding device according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the encoding unit further encodes a conversion parameter that is a parameter used for conversion of the reference-only image. The encoding unit further encodes an entire vector indicating a position of a region corresponding to the encoding target image of the one or more display target images in the reference-only image. The image encoding device according to item. The encoding unit calculates the entire vector using shooting information of each of the reference-dedicated image and the encoding target image, or a position of a feature point in each of the reference-dedicated image and the encoding target image. The image encoding device according to claim 13, wherein the calculated entire vector is encoded. The encoding unit generates the code string including the one or more display target images separately from the code string including the reference-only image by encoding the one or more display target images. The image encoding device according to any one of claims. The image encoding device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the encoding unit further encodes the reference-only image as a non-display image. An image decoding device that decodes a plurality of display target images constituting a video using inter-surface prediction,
An acquisition unit that acquires a reference-only image that is an image that is different from both the plurality of display target images and the plurality of reconstructed images of the plurality of display target images and is used exclusively for reference in the inter-plane prediction;
An image decoding apparatus comprising: a decoding unit configured to decode one or more display target images among the plurality of display target images with reference to the reference dedicated image as a reference image in the inter prediction. An image processing system that encodes and decodes a plurality of display target images constituting a video by using inter prediction,
An image management device that acquires a reference-only image that is an image different from both the plurality of display target images and a plurality of reconstructed images of the plurality of display target images and is used exclusively for reference in the inter-plane prediction;
An image encoding device that encodes the plurality of display target images using the inter-plane prediction;
An image decoding device that decodes the plurality of display target images using the inter-plane prediction,
The image encoding device includes:
A first acquisition unit that acquires the reference-only image acquired by the image management device from the image management device;
An encoding unit that encodes one or more display target images of the plurality of display target images with reference to the reference-only image acquired by the first acquisition unit as a reference image in the inter-frame prediction. ,
The image decoding device includes:
A second acquisition unit that acquires the reference-only image acquired by the image management apparatus from the image management apparatus;
A decoding unit that decodes one or more display target images of the plurality of display target images with reference to the reference-only image acquired by the second acquisition unit as a reference image in the inter-frame prediction. system. An image encoding method for encoding a plurality of display target images constituting a video using inter-surface prediction,
An acquisition step of acquiring a reference-only image that is an image that is different from both the plurality of display target images and a plurality of reconstructed images of the plurality of display target images and is used exclusively for reference in the inter-plane prediction;
An image encoding method comprising: an encoding step of encoding one or more display target images among the plurality of display target images with reference to the reference-only image as a reference image in the inter prediction. An image decoding method for decoding a plurality of display target images constituting a video using inter-surface prediction,
An acquisition step of acquiring a reference-only image that is an image that is different from both the plurality of display target images and a plurality of reconstructed images of the plurality of display target images and is used exclusively for reference in the inter-plane prediction;
And a decoding step of decoding one or more display target images of the plurality of display target images with reference to the reference-only image as a reference image in the inter-frame prediction.

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