Coding method for notion-image data, decoding method, terminal equipment executing these, and two-way interactive system

Abstract

This invention relates to a coding method for motion-image data and others effective in a special interactive environment for transmitting motion-image data with information concentrated on only a partial region of a display image as in a two-way interactive system implementing real-time two-way interaction. The coding method involves dividing an image frame forming motion-image data into a plurality of rectangular regions, and grouping each of these rectangular regions into a preset ROI and a non-ROI. These rectangular regions are sequentially compressed so that a code length of a rectangular region grouped into the ROI is larger than a code length of a rectangular region grouped into the non-ROI, thereby generating coded data of each image frame.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an image processing technology suitably applicable to interactive environments specific to two-way interactive systems constructed of a plurality of terminal equipments connected to a network and, more particularly, to coding and decoding methods for motion-image data transmitted and received between the terminal equipments, and other techniques. [0003] 2. Related Background Art [0004] Proposals have been made in recent years about two-way interactive systems for realizing intimate dialogue interactions such as video conferencing and counseling between or among interlocutors at remote places while displaying an image of an each other's partner interlocutor in an eye contact state with each other on a monitor. A variety of techniques have been proposed heretofore about this eye contact technology, and eye contact is achieved by placing an imaging device such as a CCD camera at a prede...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] On the other hand, the Inventors introduced psychological speculations on the dialogues in the state of eye contact as in the above-described two-way interactive systems, and found out that the visual axis of the interlocutors during the dialogues was mostly concentrated on the face of the interactive partner and or on motion of hands as a nonverbal expression in order to observe expressions of the interactive partner. The Inventors discovered that in this case there was no need for sequentially transmitting the entire screen including the interactive partner image during a dialogue but the motion-image transmission could be made with focus on an important observation region during the dialogue, i.e., a Region of Interest (ROI) for the interlocutor, such as the interlocutor's face or motion of hands, thereby reducing the volume of data transmitted, and that it was very effective to achieve implementation of fast responsiveness in the two-way interaction.

[0021] Furthermore, the coding method for motion-image data according to the present invention may comprise a step of embedding an image obtained from an information source different from the motion-image data being an object to be transmitted (i.e., a part of a still image or a part of an image frame of a motion image not causing any trouble in the interaction even at a low compression level) in a portion of an image frame to be coded, e.g., a rectangular region corresponding to the non-ROI, whereby a more realistic interaction can be realized without being limited by the current communication environments such as the bandwidth or image processing performance.

Problems solved by technology

Namely, for mutually transmitting motion-image data of interlocutors through predetermined transmission means, the current communication environments have limitations of line transmission capacity and image processing capability, and it is common practice to effect data compression.

However, since this MPEG method involves compression in the time-axis direction as well, it inevitably causes a delay of display in a real-time interactive dialogue, and it thus had the problem that it could not achieve a smooth interactive dialogue between remote places.

Thus, it is unable to lighten the coding process itself and also unable to reduce the volume of resultant coded data to be transmitted.

In addition, the ROI coding is implemented by adjustment of wavelet coefficients, but the wavelet coefficients are calculated using a plurality of spatial pixels, which caused the problem that a boundary was blurred between the ROI and the region of no interest in a decoded still image and it did not allow an image processing operation such as a work of embedding only the ROI in another image.

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