Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1

Shigeyuki Okada

Hideki Yamauchi

Noriaki Kojima

Hiroshi Hanafusa

Kazuhiko Taketa

Shinichiro Okada

Tsuyoshi Watanabe

Hayato Nakashima

Naoki Tanahashi

Kouichi Yamada

Mitsuru Suzuki

Yasuo Ishii

Yoshihiro Matsuo

Mamoru Mukuno

Yukio Mori

Haruhiko Murata

Hiroshi Tanaka

Akihiro Maenaka

Haruo Hatanaka

Hideto Fujita

Masayuki Iida

Kazuhiko Kondo

Makoto Yamanaka

Minoru Takeuchi

Tetsu Tarumoto

Keita Kawahara

When a reverse reproduction is instructed, an MPEG video stream is once decoded and is converted to image video signals by a first display circuit. Thereafter, the image video signals are again recoded by an image input circuit and an MPEG video encoder, so as to be overwritten in a storage area of a hard disk. An MPEG video decoder reads out this recoded data sequence in a reverse time-series manner and decodes it successively. Then the thus decoded data are converted to image video signals by a second display circuit, so as to be displayed on a display.

Image processing apparatus implemented in IC chip

An imaging device () includes: an imaging element () which outputs a signal expressing an optical image of an imaging object upon an imaging process; a particular object detection unit () which successively acquires a frame image based on an output signal of the imaging element and detects the position of the particular object contained in the imaging object on the frame image according to the image signal of the frame image; a cut-out unit () which sets in the frame image, a cut-out region smaller than the entire region of the frame image according to the detected position and extracts the image in the cut-out region as a cut-out image; and an image quality compensation unit () which improves the resolution of the cut-out image.

Imaging device and image reproduction device for correcting images

A wavelet transform unit performs a wavelet transform on original images and a quantization unit quantizes wavelet transform coefficients. A ROI selector selects a region of interest or regions of interest in the original image, and a ROI mask generator generates ROI masks with which the wavelet transform coefficients (which are also called ROI transform coefficients) corresponding to the regions of interest are specified. By referring to the ROI masks, a lower-bit zero substitution unit substitutes low-order bits of non-ROI transform coefficients with zeros. An entropy coding unit entropy-codes the wavelet transform coefficients sequentially from high-order bit-planes, after the substitution. A coded data generator turns coded data into streams together with parameters and then outputs coded images.

Image coding apparatus, image decoding apparatus, image display apparatus and image processing apparatus

In an image coding apparatus, a ROI setting unit sets a ROI region in an image. An entropy coding unit entropy-codes the image. A ROI information coding unit encodes information for specifying the ROI region. A codestream generator generates a codestream in a manner that the coded image and the coded information are explicitly included in the codestream. When a plurality of ROI regions are set in the image, the information may include a degree of priority.

Image coding method and apparatus, and image decoding method and apparatus

In a digital camera, when snapshot shooting is instructed during recording of a moving image, a shot still image is temporarily pushed aside in a memory area for use in pushing aside () in a frame buffer (). A currently shooting motion image and a still image are displayed in parallel on a display (), so that a user can confirm a content of a snapshot. The moving image continues to be recorded even during a push-aside operation. After a moving image processing is completed, the still image is processed by an image correcting circuit (). The frame buffer () comprises a plurality of frame recording areas, and is shared on the occasions of a moving image processing and a still image processing. In a normal moving image processing, these areas are utilized in a cyclic manner, and when the still image is shot, any of areas will be utilized. Thereafter, the rest of areas are utilized in the cyclic manner for the moving images. The recording function for the moving image and still image is improved at low cost, it becomes easy to take a snapshot, and the merchandise size is not increased.

Digital camera for recording a still image while shooting a moving image

The moving images under reproduction are displayed in a main screen and a plurality of thumbnail images that serve as indexes by which to search for a desired scene are displayed. Moreover, the thus displayed thumbnail images are updated at a predetermined timing according as the moving images progress.

Method and apparatus for processing images, method and apparatus for recording and reproducing images, and television receiver utilizing the same

A correlation evaluation unit evaluates a correction between a predetermined region in a targeted picture and a region corresponding to the region in a picture differing from the targeted picture in a temporal direction. A quantization control unit adaptively controls quantization processing for the predetermined region in the targeted picture, according to an evaluation obtained by the correlation evaluation unit. For example, when it is determined by an evaluation value obtained by the correlation evaluation unit that the correlation is weaker than a predetermined threshold value, the quantization control unit enlarges a quantization step used for quantization of the predetermined region.

Image processing method, image processing apparatus and image pickup apparatus using the same

The image processing apparatus comprises a wavelet transform unit, a frame buffer, a quantization unit, a bit plane coding unit, an arithmetic coding unit, and a stream generating unit, and converts an original image into coded image data hierarchically by using these units. A copyright level management table manages copyright levels to be permitted to users who use the coded image data. A copyright level recording unit records copyright level information on the corresponding profile into a header or other areas of the coded image data in consideration of such factors as users and regions to be provided.

Image processing apparatus and method for processing image having hierarchical structure

An MPEG encoder performs, in compliance with the MPEG-2 standard, intra-image coding compression on thumbnail images, selected by an image selector, whose data amount has been reduced by a data reducing unit. The thus compressed thumbnail images together with a record address recorded as coded data in a coded image data area is recorded in a thumbnail image data.

Method and apparatus for recording images, method and apparatus for recording and reproducing images, and television receiver utilizing the same

A frame memory holds a reference frame that is to be referenced for motion detection for a target block of a coding target frame in motion images. A motion compensation unit that includes a motion detecting unit and a motion compensated prediction unit. The motion detecting unit detects the motion of said target block by repeated motion estimation with reference to said reference frame stored in said frame memory, and the motion compensated prediction unit performs motion compensation processing for the target block using information on the detected motion. A coding unit that performs coding processing for the subtraction image and the information on the detected motion and thereby creates a coded stream. The motion compensation unit includes a pre-reading memory which stores pixel data beforehand, where said pixel data is part of pixel data in said reference frame, which is to be frequently referenced for motion detection, and which has been transmitted from said frame memory.

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Ogaki, Japan

Shigeyuki Okada