Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.V.

U.S. Philips Corporation

Ferran Marques

Antoni Gasull

Cristina Gomila

Lionel Bouchard

Philippe Salembier

Sylvie Jeannin

Montse Pardas

Beatriz Marcotegui

Fernand Meyer

Isabelle Corset

Ramon Morros

The invention relates to a method of coding segmented pictures, or partitions, divided into homogeneous regions. Said method, called intra-mode coding process, comprises, for each successive partition, the steps of translating the picture of the labels associated to the regions into a description in terms of a contour element chain in which the elements are defined by means of their movements through successive basic cells, tracking inside each successive cell each contour from its initial contour point, previously extracted, to its end by storing chain symbols corresponding both to input, internal and output contour elements of said cell and to priorities between possible multiple outputs elements, and repeating these steps up to the end of each successive contour segment of the concerned partition. The information corresponding in each cell to the initial point of each contour segment and to the associated chain of movements between that initial point and the initial one of the following cell is finally coded.

Partition coding method and device

The invention relates to a method of decoding coded signals corresponding to successive segmented pictures, or partitions, divided into homogeneous regions to which specific labels are respectively associated. The partitions have been previously coded by means of a coding method comprising, for each partition to be coded, the steps of translating the picture of labels into a chain in which the elements are defined by means of their movements through successive basic cells, tracking inside each cell each contour from its initial point to its end by storing symbols corresponding both to the elements of said cell and to priorities between them, and repeating these two steps up to the end of each contour of the partition and coding the information corresponding to the chains of movements. The corresponding decoding method then comprises (A) a forward decoding step, provided for decoding within said chain symbols all contour points that are sure in the decoded partition and detecting local inconsistencies, and (B) a backward decoding step, provided for tracking in a backwards manner the decoded contours and solving said inconsistencies on the basis of marks introduced during the detection of these inconsistencies.

Partition decoding method and device

The invention relates to a method and system for coding segmented pictures, and to corresponding decoding method and system. In the coding system, a first sub-system defines the time evolution of said segmented pictures, or partitions, and a second one encodes both contours and textures of the regions of the successive partitions. The time evolution definition leads to a partition tree (PT) from which regions are extracted during an analysis step (AS) in order to form a decision tree (DT). A decision operation allows to select during a choice step (CS) distinct regions R.sub.S from various levels of said partition tree, in order to construct an optimal final partition (BFP) and, simultaneously, to choose the coding technique (BCT) that is the best one for each region of said optimal partition. Reciprocally the decoding method and system comprise means for defining the coding strategy chosen for each of said regions and decoding correspondingly the coded information.

Segmented picture coding method and system, and corresponding decoding

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Barcelona, Spain

Ferran Marques