Superpixel spatial merging for implicit neural representation

Abstract

Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed for performing superpixel spatial merging for implicit neural representation (INR). A signal may be encoded, for example, using partitions and INRs. Merging or grouping parts of a signal may be enabled and / or allowed. Information from merging parts of the signal may be used for training representation parameters (e.g., INR parameters) for grouped parts of the signal. The information may be encoded in video data (e.g., bitstream). The video data (e.g., encoded video data) may be decoded to determine the information

Description

SUPERPIXEL SPATIAL MERGING FOR IMPLICIT NEURAL REPRESENTATIONCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATOINS

[0001] The application claims the benefit of European Patent Application Number 23306407.0, filed August 24, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.BACKGROUND

[0002] Video coding systems may be used to compress digital video signals, e.g., to reduce the storage and / or transmission bandwidth needed for such signals. Video coding systems may include, for example, block-based, wavelet-based, and / or object-based systems.SUMMARY

[0003] Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed for performing superpixel spatial merging for implicit neural representation (INR). A signal may be encoded, for example, using partitions and INRs. Merging or grouping parts of a signal may be enabled and / or allowed. Information from merging parts of the signal may be used for training representation parameters (e.g., INR parameters) for grouped parts of the signal. The information may be encoded in video data (e.g., bitstream). The video data (e.g., encoded video data) may be decoded to determine the information

[0004] A device (e.g., video encoder or video decoder) may be configured to perform partitioning and merging for signals. For example, a device may determine a partition (e.g., first partition and / or second partition) associated with an input signal. The device may determine a partition group. The device may determine a first partition group and / or a second partition group. For example, the first partition group may include the first partition. The second partition group may include the second partition. The partition(s) included in the partition group(s) may be determined. For example, a partition may be determined to be in a partition group based on a distance between partitions (e.g., distance between a first partition and a second partition). A partition may be determined to be in a partition group based on an impact associated with grouping partitions. An impact associated with grouping partitions may be determined, for example, based on an optimization of encoding performance associated with grouping of partitions. The optimization of encoding performance associated with grouping partitions may be associated with using one or more of the following: a greedy search, a brute force approach, reinforcement learning, genetic algorithms, etc. A model may be used to generate partition grouping predictions. The model may be trained. The device may determine a representation parameterassociated with a partition group (e.g., determine a first representation parameter associated with the first partition group and / or determine a second representation parameter associated with the second partition group). The device may determine an encoding technique associated with the partition group (e.g., first encoding technique associated with the first partition group and / or a second encoding technique associated with the second partition group). The device may encode information associated with the partitions, for example, such as one or more of the following: the first partition, the second partition, the first partition group, the second partition group, the first representation parameter, the second representation parameter, a first encoding technique associated with the first partition group, a second encoding technique associated with the second partition group, etc. The device may include in video data (e.g., a bitstream) the encoded information (e.g., one or more of the encoded first partition, second partition, first partition group, second partition group, first representation parameter, second representation parameter, first encoding technique associated with the first partition group, second encoding technique associated with the second partition group, etc.). The device may include in video data (e.g., the bitstream) an indication to use coding group units. The device may include in video data (e.g., the bitstream) a group information index. The group information index may indicate group information associated with a partition (e.g., the first partition and / or the second partition).

[0005] A device (e.g., video encoder or video decoder) may be configured to perform partitioning and merging for signals. The device may obtain an input signal. The device may determine partitions for the input signal. The device may determine groupings for the determined partitions. The device may determine a respective representation parameter for each group of partitions. The device may determine an encoding technique associated with a group of partitions. The device may encode partitions, the groups of partitions, the representation parameters associated with each group of partitions, etc. The device may include in video data the encoded partitions, groups of partitions, and representation parameters associated with each group of partitions. The video data may include the determined encoding technique(s) associated with a group of partitions. The video data may include an indication indicating to use coding unit groups.

[0006] The groups of partitions may be determined. For example, the groups of partitions may be determined based on distances between partitions. The groups of partitions may be determined based on impacts of grouping on encoding performance (e.g., based on using a greedy search, brute force approach, reinforcement learning, genetic algorithms, etc.). The groups of partitions may be determined based on a trained model (e.g., machine learning model). The device may train the model to generate the partition grouping predictions.

[0007] The device (e.g., video encoding device or video decoding device) may decode video data to determine partition information. The partition information may indicate partitions, groups of partitions, respective group encoding technique information associated with each group of partitions, etc. The device may determine a decoding technique for a group of partitions based on the partition information. The device may determine signal value(s) for the group of partitions based on the determined decoding technique. The device may reconstruct the signal, for example, based on the signal value(s).

[0008] Systems, methods, and instrumentalities described herein may involve a decoder. In some examples, the systems, methods, and instrumentalities described herein may involve an encoder. In some examples, the systems, methods, and instrumentalities described herein may involve a signal (e.g., from an encoder and / or received by a decoder). A computer-readable medium may include instructions for causing one or more processors to perform methods described herein. A computer program product may include instructions which, when the program is executed by one or more processors, may cause the one or more processors to carry out the methods described herein.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented.

[0010] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0011] FIG. 1C is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0012] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating a further example RAN and a further example CN that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates an example video encoder.

[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates an example video decoder.

[0015] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a a system in which various aspects and examples may be implemented.

[0016] FIG. 5 illustrates an example simple neural network used for implicit neural representation (INR).

[0017] FIG. 6 illustrates an example process to encode a signal using an INR.

[0018] FIG. 7 illustrates an example encoding process.

[0019] FIG. 8 illustrates an example encoding procedure of an input for a sequential encoding.

[0020] FIG. 9 illustrates an example flow of generating a reconstructed signal.

[0021] FIG. 10 illustrates example results achieved on an image.

[0022] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of superpixel segmentation before merging.

[0023] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of superpixel segmentation after merging.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0025] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communications system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word DFT- Spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a RAN 104 / 113, a ON 106 / 115, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a "station” and / or a "STA”, may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0027] The communications systems 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, a NR NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0028] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a wireless service to a specific geographical area that may be relatively fixed or that may change over time. The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0029] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0030] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 / 113 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA mayinclude High-Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed UL Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0031] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE- Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0032] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR Radio Access , which may establish the air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0033] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for instance using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., a eNB and a gNB).

[0034] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1 X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[0035] The base station 114b in FIG. 1 A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106 / 115.

[0036] The RAN 104 / 113 may be in communication with the CN 106 / 115, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as differing throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, and the like. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may be utilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0037] The CN 106 / 115 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit-switched telephone networks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and / or the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communications networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT.

[0038] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1 A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0039] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1 B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138, among others. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any subcombination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0040] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG. 1 B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0041] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0042] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 1 B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0043] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11 , for example.

[0044] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0045] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0046] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 116 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determine its location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0047] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a Virtual Reality and / or Augmented Reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. The peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors, the sensors may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor; an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0048] The WTRU 102 may include a full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit to reduce and or substantially eliminate self-interference viaeither hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WRTU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or the downlink (e.g., for reception)).

[0049] FIG. 1C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0050] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0051] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0052] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1C may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (or PGW) 166. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0053] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0054] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0055] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0056] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0057] Although the WTRU is described in FIGS. 1 A-1 D as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments that such a terminal may use (e.g., temporarily or permanently) wired communication interfaces with the communication network.

[0058] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0059] A WLAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have an access or an interface to a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic in to and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that originates from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to respective destinations. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where the source STA may send traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. The traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. The peer-to-peer traffic may be sent between (e.g., directly between) the source and destination STAs with a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use an 802.11e DLS or an 802.11z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs (e.g., all of the STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may sometimes be referred to herein as an "ad-hoc” mode of communication.

[0060] When using the 802.11 ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operations, the AP may transmit a beacon on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a dynamically set width via signaling. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, Carrier Sense Multiple Access withCollision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example in in 802.11 systems. For CSMA / CA, the STAs (e.g., every STA), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0061] High Throughput (HT) STAs may use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, for example, via a combination of the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or nonadjacent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0062] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. The 40 MHz, and / or 80 MHz, channels may be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining 8 contiguous 20 MHz channels, or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data, after channel encoding, may be passed through a segment parser that may divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing, and time domain processing, may be done on each stream separately. The streams may be mapped on to the two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the above described operation for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be sent to the Medium Access Control (MAC).

[0063] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11 af and 802.11 ah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11 af and 802.11 ah relative to those used in 802.11 n, and 802.11ac. 802.11 af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11 ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11 ah may support Meter Type Control / Machine-Type Communications, such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities including support for (e.g., only support for) certain and / or limited bandwidths. The MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0064] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11 n, 802.11 ac, 802.11 af, and 802.11 ah, include a channel which may be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the largest common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA, from among all STAs in operating in a BSS, which supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode. In the example of 802.11 ah, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for STAs (e.g., MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1 MHz mode, even if the AP, and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes.Carrier sensing and / or Network Allocation Vector (NAV) settings may depend on the status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to a STA (which supports only a 1 MHz operating mode), transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency bands may be considered busy even though a majority of the frequency bands remains idle and may be available.

[0065] In the United States, the available frequency bands, which may be used by 802.11 ah, are from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency bands are from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11 ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the country code.

[0066] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 113 may employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 113 may also be in communication with the CN 115.

[0067] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 108b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0068] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframe or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., containing varying number of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time).

[0069] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without alsoaccessing other RANs (e.g., such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c). In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as a mobility anchor point. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with / connect to gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating with / connecting to another RAN such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In the non-standalone configuration, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may serve as a mobility anchor for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for servicing WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0070] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards User Plane Function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 182a, 182b and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with one another over an Xn interface.

[0071] The CN 115 shown in FIG. 1 D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 115, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0072] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N2 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, support for network slicing (e.g., handling of different PDU sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, management of the registration area, termination of NAS signaling, mobility management, and the like. Network slicing may be used by the AMF 182a, 182b in order to customize CN support for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the types of services being utilized WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communication (MTC) access, and / or the like. The AMF 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown)that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0073] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via an N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to a UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115 via an N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating UE IP address, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing downlink data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP based, Ethernet-based, and the like.

[0074] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet- switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0075] The CN 115 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 115 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 115 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 115 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to a local Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b through the UPF 184a, 184b via the N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0076] In view of Figures 1A-1 D, and the corresponding description of Figures 1A-1 D, one or more, or all, of the functions described herein with regard to one or more of: WTRU 102a-d, Base Station 114a-b, eNode-B 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF 182a-b, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b, and / or any other device(s) described herein, may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all, of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0077] The emulation devices may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, the one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices withinthe communication network. The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device may be directly coupled to another device for purposes of testing and / or may performing testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0078] The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, including all, functions while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in a testing scenario in a testing laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network in order to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0079] This application describes a variety of aspects, including tools, features, examples, models, approaches, etc. Many of these aspects are described with specificity and, at least to show the individual characteristics, are often described in a manner that may sound limiting. However, this is for purposes of clarity in description, and does not limit the application or scope of those aspects. Indeed, all of the different aspects may be combined and interchanged to provide further aspects. Moreover, the aspects may be combined and interchanged with aspects described in earlier filings as well.

[0080] The aspects described and contemplated in this application may be implemented in many different forms. FIGS. 5-12 described herein may provide some examples, but other examples are contemplated. The discussion of FIGS. 5-12 does not limit the breadth of the implementations. At least one of the aspects generally relates to video encoding and decoding, and at least one other aspect generally relates to transmitting a bitstream generated or encoded. These and other aspects may be implemented as a method, an apparatus, a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions for encoding or decoding video data according to any of the methods described, and / or a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a bitstream generated according to any of the methods described.

[0081] In the present application, the terms "reconstructed” and "decoded” may be used interchangeably, the terms "pixel” and "sample” may be used interchangeably, the terms "image,” "picture” and "frame” may be used interchangeably.

[0082] Various methods are described herein, and each of the methods comprises one or more steps or actions for achieving the described method. Unless a specific order of steps or actions is required for proper operation of the method, the order and / or use of specific steps and / or actions may be modified or combined. Additionally, terms such as "first”, "second”, etc. may be used in various examples to modify an element, component, step, operation, etc., such as, for example, a "firstdecoding” and a "second decoding”. Use of such terms does not imply an ordering to the modified operations unless specifically required. So, in this example, the first decoding need not be performed before the second decoding, and may occur, for example, before, during, or in an overlapping time period with the second decoding.

[0083] Various methods and other aspects described in this application may be used to modify modules, for example, decoding modules, of a video encoder 200 and decoder 300 as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. Moreover, the subject matter disclosed herein may be applied, for example, to any type, format or version of video coding, whether described in a standard or a recommendation, whether preexisting or future-developed, and extensions of any such standards and recommendations. Unless indicated otherwise, or technically precluded, the aspects described in this application may be used individually or in combination.

[0084] Various numeric values are used in examples described the present application. These and other specific values are for purposes of describing examples and the aspects described are not limited to these specific values.

[0085] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example video encoder. Variations of example encoder 200 are contemplated, but the encoder 200 is described below for purposes of clarity without describing all expected variations.

[0086] Before being encoded, the video sequence may go through pre-encoding processing (201), for example, applying a color transform to the input color picture (e.g., conversion from RGB 4:4:4 to YCbCr 4:2:0), or performing a remapping of the input picture components in order to get a signal distribution more resilient to compression (for instance using a histogram equalization of one of the color components). Metadata may be associated with the pre-processing, and attached to the bitstream.

[0087] In the encoder 200, a picture is encoded by the encoder elements as described below. The picture to be encoded is partitioned (202) and processed in units of, for example, coding units (CUs). Each unit is encoded using, for example, either an intra or inter mode. When a unit is encoded in an intra mode, it performs intra prediction (260). In an inter mode, motion estimation (275) and compensation (270) are performed. The encoder decides (205) which one of the intra mode or inter mode to use for encoding the unit, and indicates the intra / inter decision by, for example, a prediction mode flag. Prediction residuals are calculated, for example, by subtracting (210) the predicted block from the original image block.

[0088] The prediction residuals are then transformed (225) and quantized (230). The quantized transform coefficients, as well as motion vectors and other syntax elements, are entropy coded (245) to output a bitstream. The encoder can skip the transform and apply quantization directly to the non-transformed residual signal. The encoder can bypass both transform and quantization, i.e., the residual is coded directly without the application of the transform or quantization processes.

[0089] The encoder decodes an encoded block to provide a reference for further predictions. The quantized transform coefficients are de-quantized (240) and inverse transformed (250) to decode prediction residuals. Combining (255) the decoded prediction residuals and the predicted block, an image block is reconstructed. In-loop filters (265) are applied to the reconstructed picture to perform, for example, deblocking / SAO (Sample Adaptive Offset) filtering to reduce encoding artifacts. The filtered image is stored at a reference picture buffer (280).

[0090] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a video decoder. In example decoder 300, a bitstream is decoded by the decoder elements as described below. Video decoder 300 generally performs a decoding pass reciprocal to the encoding pass as described in FIG. 2. The encoder 200 also generally performs video decoding as part of encoding video data.

[0091] In particular, the input of the decoder includes a video bitstream, which may be generated by video encoder 200. The bitstream is first entropy decoded (330) to obtain transform coefficients, motion vectors, and other coded information. The picture partition information indicates how the picture is partitioned. The decoder may therefore divide (335) the picture according to the decoded picture partitioning information. The transform coefficients are de-quantized (340) and inverse transformed (350) to decode the prediction residuals. Combining (355) the decoded prediction residuals and the predicted block, an image block is reconstructed. The predicted block may be obtained (370) from intra prediction (360) or motion-compensated prediction (i.e., inter prediction) (375). In-loop filters (365) are applied to the reconstructed image. The filtered image is stored at a reference picture buffer (380).

[0092] The decoded picture can further go through post-decoding processing (385), for example, an inverse color transform (e.g. conversion from YCbCr 4:2:0 to RGB 4:4:4) or an inverse remapping performing the inverse of the remapping process performed in the pre-encoding processing (201). The post-decoding processing can use metadata derived in the pre-encoding processing and signaled in the bitstream. In an example, the decoded images (e.g., after application of the in-loop filters (365) and / or after post-decoding processing (385), if post-decoding processing is used) may be sent to a display device for rendering to a user.

[0093] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a system in which various aspects and examples described herein may be implemented. System 400 may be embodied as a device including the various components described below and is configured to perform one or more of the aspects described in this document. Examples of such devices, include, but are not limited to, various electronic devices such as personal computers, laptop computers, smartphones, tablet computers, digital multimedia set top boxes, digital television receivers, personal video recording systems,connected home appliances, and servers. Elements of system 400, singly or in combination, may be embodied in a single integrated circuit (IC), multiple ICs, and / or discrete components. For example, in at least one example, the processing and encoder / decoder elements of system 400 are distributed across multiple ICs and / or discrete components. In various examples, the system 400 is communicatively coupled to one or more other systems, or other electronic devices, via, for example, a communications bus or through dedicated input and / or output ports. In various examples, the system 400 is configured to implement one or more of the aspects described in this document.

[0094] The system 400 includes at least one processor 410 configured to execute instructions loaded therein for implementing, for example, the various aspects described in this document. Processor 410 can include embedded memory, input output interface, and various other circuitries as known in the art. The system 400 includes at least one memory 420 (e.g., a volatile memory device, and / or a non-volatile memory device). System 400 includes a storage device 440, which can include non-volatile memory and / or volatile memory, including, but not limited to, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), flash, magnetic disk drive, and / or optical disk drive. The storage device 440 can include an internal storage device, an attached storage device (including detachable and non-detachable storage devices), and / or a network accessible storage device, as non-limiting examples.

[0095] System 400 includes an encoder / decoder module 430 configured, for example, to process data to provide an encoded video or decoded video, and the encoder / decoder module 430 can include its own processor and memory. The encoder / decoder module 430 represents module(s) that may be included in a device to perform the encoding and / or decoding functions. As is known, a device can include one or both of the encoding and decoding modules. Additionally, encoder / decoder module 430 may be implemented as a separate element of system 400 or may be incorporated within processor 410 as a combination of hardware and software as known to those skilled in the art.

[0096] Program code to be loaded onto processor 410 or encoder / decoder 430 to perform the various aspects described in this document may be stored in storage device 440 and subsequently loaded onto memory 420 for execution by processor 410. In accordance with various examples, one or more of processor 410, memory 420, storage device 440, and encoder / decoder module 430 can store one or more of various items during the performance of the processes described in this document. Such stored items can include, but are not limited to, the input video, the decoded video or portions of the decoded video, the bitstream, matrices, variables, and intermediate or final results from the processing of equations, formulas, operations, and operational logic.

[0097] In some examples, memory inside of the processor 410 and / or the encoder / decoder module 430 is used to store instructions and to provide working memory for processing that is needed during encoding or decoding. In other examples, however, a memory external to the processing device (for example, the processing device may be either the processor 410 or the encoder / decoder module 430) is used for one or more of these functions. The external memory may be the memory 420 and / or the storage device 440, for example, a dynamic volatile memory and / or a non-volatile flash memory. In several examples, an external non-volatile flash memory is used to store the operating system of, for example, a television. In at least one example, a fast external dynamic volatile memory such as a RAM is used as working memory for video encoding and decoding operations.

[0098] The input to the elements of system 400 may be provided through various input devices as indicated in block 445. Such input devices include, but are not limited to, (i) a radio frequency (RF) portion that receives an RF signal transmitted, for example, over the air by a broadcaster, (ii) a Component (COMP) input terminal (or a set of COMP input terminals), (iii) a Universal Serial Bus (USB) input terminal, and / or (iv) a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) input terminal. Other examples, not shown in FIG. 4, include composite video.

[0099] In various examples, the input devices of block 445 have associated respective input processing elements as known in the art. For example, the RF portion may be associated with elements suitable for (i) selecting a desired frequency (also referred to as selecting a signal, or bandlimiting a signal to a band of frequencies), (ii) downconverting the selected signal, (iii) band-limiting again to a narrower band of frequencies to select (for example) a signal frequency band which may be referred to as a channel in certain examples, (iv) demodulating the downconverted and band-limited signal, (v) performing error correction, and / or (vi) demultiplexing to select the desired stream of data packets. The RF portion of various examples includes one or more elements to perform these functions, for example, frequency selectors, signal selectors, band-limiters, channel selectors, filters, downconverters, demodulators, error correctors, and demultiplexers. The RF portion can include a tuner that performs various of these functions, including, for example, downconverting the received signal to a lower frequency (for example, an intermediate frequency or a near-baseband frequency) or to baseband. In one set-top box example, the RF portion and its associated input processing element receives an RF signal transmitted over a wired (for example, cable) medium, and performs frequency selection by filtering, downconverting, and filtering again to a desired frequency band. Various examples rearrange the order of the above-described (and other) elements, remove some of these elements, and / or add other elements performing similar or different functions. Adding elements can include inserting elements in between existing elements, such as, for example, inserting amplifiers and an analog-to-digital converter. In various examples, the RF portion includes an antenna.

[0100] The USB and / or HDMI terminals can include respective interface processors for connecting system 400 to other electronic devices across USB and / or HDMI connections. It is to be understood that various aspects of input processing, for example, Reed-Solomon error correction, may be implemented, for example, within a separate input processing IC or within processor 410 as necessary. Similarly, aspects of USB or HDMI interface processing may be implemented within separate interface ICs or within processor 410 as necessary. The demodulated, error corrected, and demultiplexed stream is provided to various processing elements, including, for example, processor 410, and encoder / decoder 430 operating in combination with the memory and storage elements to process the datastream as necessary for presentation on an output device.

[0101] Various elements of system 400 may be provided within an integrated housing, Within the integrated housing, the various elements may be interconnected and transmit data therebetween using suitable connection arrangement 425, for example, an internal bus as known in the art, including the Inter-IC (I2C) bus, wiring, and printed circuit boards.

[0102] The system 400 includes communication interface 450 that enables communication with other devices via communication channel 460. The communication interface 450 can include, but is not limited to, a transceiver configured to transmit and to receive data over communication channel 460. The communication interface 450 can include, but is not limited to, a modem or network card and the communication channel 460 may be implemented, for example, within a wired and / or a wireless medium.

[0103] Data is streamed, or otherwise provided, to the system 400, in various examples, using a wireless network such as a Wi-Fi network, for example IEEE 802.11 (IEEE refers to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). The Wi-Fi signal of these examples is received over the communications channel 460 and the communications interface 450 which are adapted for Wi-Fi communications. The communications channel 460 of these examples is typically connected to an access point or router that provides access to external networks including the Internet for allowing streaming applications and other over-the-top communications. Other examples provide streamed data to the system 400 using a set-top box that delivers the data over the HDMI connection of the input block 445. Still other examples provide streamed data to the system 400 using the RF connection of the input block 445. As indicated above, various examples provide data in a non-streaming manner. Additionally, various examples use wireless networks other than Wi-Fi, for example a cellular network or a Bluetooth® network.

[0104] The system 400 can provide an output signal to various output devices, including a display 475, speakers 485, and other peripheral devices 495. The display 475 of various examples includes one or more of, for example, a touchscreen display, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, acurved display, and / or a foldable display. The display 475 may be for a television, a tablet, a laptop, a cell phone (mobile phone), or other device. The display 475 can also be integrated with other components (for example, as in a smart phone), or separate (for example, an external monitor for a laptop). The other peripheral devices 495 include, in various examples, one or more of a stand-alone digital video disc (or digital versatile disc) (DVD, for both terms), a disk player, a stereo system, and / or a lighting system. Various examples use one or more peripheral devices 495 that provide a function based on the output of the system 400. For example, a disk player performs the function of playing the output of the system 400.

[0105] In various examples, control signals are communicated between the system 400 and the display 475, speakers 485, or other peripheral devices 495 using signaling such as AV. Link, Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), or other communications protocols that enable device-to-device control with or without user intervention. The output devices may be communicatively coupled to system 400 via dedicated connections through respective interfaces 470, 480, and 490. Alternatively, the output devices may be connected to system 400 using the communications channel 460 via the communications interface 450. The display 475 and speakers 485 may be integrated in a single unit with the other components of system 400 in an electronic device such as, for example, a television. In various examples, the display interface 470 includes a display driver, such as, for example, a timing controller (T Con) chip.

[0106] The display 475 and speakers 485 can alternatively be separate from one or more of the other components, for example, if the RF portion of input 445 is part of a separate set-top box. In various examples in which the display 475 and speakers 485 are external components, the output signal may be provided via dedicated output connections, including, for example, HDMI ports, USB ports, or COMP outputs.

[0107] The examples may be carried out by computer software implemented by the processor 410 or by hardware, or by a combination of hardware and software. As a non-limiting example, the examples may be implemented by one or more integrated circuits. The memory 420 may be of any type appropriate to the technical environment and may be implemented using any appropriate data storage technology, such as optical memory devices, magnetic memory devices, semiconductor-based memory devices, fixed memory, and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. The processor 410 may be of any type appropriate to the technical environment, and can encompass one or more of microprocessors, general purpose computers, special purpose computers, and processors based on a multi-core architecture, as non-limiting examples.

[0108] Various implementations involve decoding. "Decoding”, as used in this application, can encompass all or part of the processes performed, for example, on a received encoded sequence inorder to produce a final output suitable for display. In various examples, such processes include one or more of the processes typically performed by a decoder, for example, entropy decoding, inverse quantization, inverse transformation, and differential decoding. In various examples, such processes also, or alternatively, include processes performed by a decoder of various implementations described in this application, for example, decoding video data to determine partitioning information, determine partitions, groups of partitions, and group encoding technique information associated with each group of partitions, determine a decoding technique for a group of partitions based on the partition information, determine a signal value for the group of partitions based on the determined decoding technique, and reconstruct the signal based on the determined signal value, etc.

[0109] As further examples, in one example "decoding” refers only to entropy decoding, in another example "decoding” refers only to differential decoding, and in another example "decoding” refers to a combination of entropy decoding and differential decoding. Whether the phrase "decoding process” is intended to refer specifically to a subset of operations or generally to the broader decoding process will be clear based on the context of the specific descriptions and is believed to be well understood by those skilled in the art.

[0110] Various implementations involve encoding. In an analogous way to the above discussion about "decoding”, "encoding” as used in this application can encompass all or part of the processes performed, for example, on an input video sequence in order to produce an encoded bitstream. In various examples, such processes include one or more of the processes typically performed by an encoder, for example, partitioning, differential encoding, transformation, quantization, and entropy encoding. In various examples, such processes also, or alternatively, include processes performed by an encoder of various implementations described in this application, for example, determining partitions of an input signal, determining groups of partitions, determining representation parameter(s) for each group of partitions, encoding the partitions, the groups of partitions, and the representation parameter(s), including in video data the encoded information, etc.

[0111] As further examples, in one example "encoding” refers only to entropy encoding, in another example "encoding” refers only to differential encoding, and in another example "encoding” refers to a combination of differential encoding and entropy encoding. Whether the phrase "encoding process” is intended to refer specifically to a subset of operations or generally to the broader encoding process will be clear based on the context of the specific descriptions and is believed to be well understood by those skilled in the art.

[0112] Note that syntax elements as used herein, for example, coding syntax on coding unit groups, INR parameters, etc., are descriptive terms. As such, they do not preclude the use of other syntax element names.

[0113] When a figure is presented as a flow diagram, it should be understood that it also provides a block diagram of a corresponding apparatus. Similarly, when a figure is presented as a block diagram, it should be understood that it also provides a flow diagram of a corresponding method / process.

[0114] The implementations and aspects described herein may be implemented in, for example, a method or a process, an apparatus, a software program, a data stream, or a signal. Even if only discussed in the context of a single form of implementation (for example, discussed only as a method), the implementation of features discussed can also be implemented in other forms (for example, an apparatus or program). An apparatus may be implemented in, for example, appropriate hardware, software, and firmware. The methods may be implemented in, for example, a processor, which refers to processing devices in general, including, for example, a computer, a microprocessor, an integrated circuit, or a programmable logic device. Processors also include communication devices, such as, for example, computers, cell phones, portable / personal digital assistants ("PDAs"), and other devices that facilitate communication of information between end-users.

[0115] Reference to "one example” or "an example” or "one implementation” or "an implementation”, as well as other variations thereof, means that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, and so forth described in connection with the example is included in at least one example. Thus, the appearances of the phrase "in one example” or "in an example” or "in one implementation” or "in an implementation”, as well any other variations, appearing in various places throughout this application are not necessarily all referring to the same example.

[0116] Additionally, this application may refer to "determining” various pieces of information. Determining the information can include one or more of, for example, estimating the information, calculating the information, predicting the information, or retrieving the information from memory. Obtaining may include receiving, retrieving, constructing, generating, and / or determining.

[0117] Further, this application may refer to "accessing” various pieces of information. Accessing the information can include one or more of, for example, receiving the information, retrieving the information (for example, from memory), storing the information, moving the information, copying the information, calculating the information, determining the information, predicting the information, or estimating the information.

[0118] Additionally, this application may refer to "receiving” various pieces of information. Receiving is, as with "accessing”, intended to be a broad term. Receiving the information can include one or more of, for example, accessing the information, or retrieving the information (for example, from memory). Further, "receiving” is typically involved, in one way or another, during operations such as, for example, storing the information, processing the information, transmitting the information, moving the information,copying the information, erasing the information, calculating the information, determining the information, predicting the information, or estimating the information.

[0119] It is to be appreciated that the use of any of the following 7”, "and / or”, and "at least one of, for example, in the cases of “A / B”, "A and / or B” and "at least one of A and B”, is intended to encompass the selection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of the second listed option (B) only, or the selection of both options (A and B). As a further example, in the cases of "A, B, and / or C” and "at least one of A, B, and C”, such phrasing is intended to encompass the selection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of the second listed option (B) only, or the selection of the third listed option (C) only, or the selection of the first and the second listed options (A and B) only, or the selection of the first and third listed options (A and C) only, or the selection of the second and third listed options (B and C) only, or the selection of all three options (A and B and C). This may be extended, as is clear to one of ordinary skill in this and related arts, for as many items as are listed.

[0120] Also, as used herein, the word "signal” refers to, among other things, indicating something to a corresponding decoder. Encoder signals may include, for example, partitions, groups of partitions, representation parameters, encoding techniques, etc. In this way, in an example the same parameter is used at both the encoder side and the decoder side. Thus, for example, an encoder can transmit (explicit signaling) a particular parameter to the decoder so that the decoder can use the same particular parameter. Conversely, if the decoder already has the particular parameter as well as others, then signaling may be used without transmitting (implicit signaling) to simply allow the decoder to know and select the particular parameter. By avoiding transmission of any actual functions, a bit savings is realized in various examples. It is to be appreciated that signaling may be accomplished in a variety of ways. For example, one or more syntax elements, flags, and so forth are used to signal information to a corresponding decoder in various examples. While the preceding relates to the verb form of the word "signal”, the word "signal” can also be used herein as a noun.

[0121] As will be evident to one of ordinary skill in the art, implementations may produce a variety of signals formatted to carry information that may be, for example, stored or transmitted. The information can include, for example, instructions for performing a method, or data produced by one of the described implementations. For example, a signal may be formatted to carry the bitstream of a described example. Such a signal may be formatted, for example, as an electromagnetic wave (for example, using a radio frequency portion of spectrum) or as a baseband signal. The formatting may include, for example, encoding a data stream and modulating a carrier with the encoded data stream. The information that the signal carries may be, for example, analog or digital information. The signalmay be transmitted over a variety of different wired or wireless links, as is known. The signal may be stored on, or accessed or received from, a processor-readable medium.

[0122] Many examples are described herein. Features of examples may be provided alone or in any combination, across various claim categories and types. Further, examples may include one or more of the features, devices, or aspects described herein, alone or in any combination, across various claim categories and types. For example, features described herein may be implemented in a bitstream or signal that includes information generated as described herein. The information may allow a decoder to decode a bitstream, the encoder, bitstream, and / or decoder according to any of the embodiments described. For example, features described herein may be implemented by creating and / or transmitting and / or receiving and / or decoding a bitstream or signal. For example, features described herein may be implemented a method, process, apparatus, medium storing instructions, medium storing data, or signal. For example, features described herein may be implemented by a TV, set-top box, cell phone, tablet, or other electronic device that performs decoding. The TV, set-top box, cell phone, tablet, or other electronic device may display (e.g. using a monitor, screen, or other type of display) a resulting image (e.g., an image from residual reconstruction of the video bitstream). The TV, set-top box, cell phone, tablet, or other electronic device may receive a signal including an encoded image and perform decoding.

[0123] Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed for performing superpixel spatial merging for implicit neural representation (I NR). A signal may be encoded, for example, using partitions and INRs. Merging or grouping parts of a signal may be enabled and / or allowed. Information from merging parts of the signal may be used for training representation parameters (e.g., INR parameters) for grouped parts of the signal. The information may be encoded in video data (e.g., bitstream). The video data (e.g., encoded video data) may be decoded to determine the information.

[0124] A device (e.g., video encoder or video decoder) may be configured to perform partitioning and merging for signals. The device may obtain an input signal. The device may determine partitions for the input signal. The device may determine groupings for the determined partitions. The device may determine a respective representation parameter for each group of partitions. The device may determine an encoding technique associated with a group of partitions. The device may encode partitions, the groups of partitions, the representation parameters associated with each group of partitions, etc. The device may include in video data the encoded partitions, groups of partitions, and representation parameters associated with each group of partitions. The video data may include the determined encoding technique(s) associated with a group of partitions. The video data may include an indication indicating to use coding unit groups.

[0125] The groups of partitions may be determined. For example, the groups of partitions may be determined based on distances between partitions. The groups of partitions may be determined based on impacts of grouping on encoding performance (e.g., based on using a greedy search, brute force approach, reinforcement learning, genetic algorithms, etc.). The groups of partitions may be determined based on a trained model (e.g., machine learning model). The device may train the model to generate the partition grouping predictions.

[0126] The device (e.g., video encoding device or video decoding device) may decode video data to determine partition information. The partition information may indicate partitions, groups of partitions, respective group encoding technique information associated with each group of partitions, etc. The device may determine a decoding technique for a group of partitions based on the partition information. The device may determine signal value(s) for the group of partitions based on the determined decoding technique. The device may reconstruct the signal, for example, based on the signal value(s).

[0127] Systems, methods, and instrumentalities described herein may involve a decoder. In some examples, the systems, methods, and instrumentalities described herein may involve an encoder. In some examples, the systems, methods, and instrumentalities described herein may involve a signal (e.g., from an encoder and / or received by a decoder). A computer-readable medium may include instructions for causing one or more processors to perform methods described herein. A computer program product may include instructions which, when the program is executed by one or more processors, may cause the one or more processors to carry out the methods described herein.

[0128] The SympAI project may include superpixel spatial merging for implicit neural representation. Approaches for neural compression may be developed. Implicit neural representations (INR) may be used for image and / or video coding. INR based compression techniques may be used. INR may be investigated for 2D, video compression, and / or many other signals (e.g., 3D scenes or objects). These approaches may use (e.g., have) a (e.g., far) lower computational complexity, for example, as compared to end-to-end neural compression approaches.

[0129] FIG. 5 illustrates an example simple neural network used for implicit neural representation (INR). Such a neural network used for INR may be referred to as an INR network. INR may be used for signals of a (e.g., any) dimension (e.g., an example illustration of a 2D signal such as an image is shown in FIG. 5). INR may be used to parameterize a signal as a function (e.g., as shown at 500 in FIG. 5), which may take coordinates (e.g., as shown as 510 in FIG. 5) as input and outputs potentially approximated values (e.g., as shown as 520 in FIG. 5) of a signal at these coordinates. INR may be applied to images, 2D videos, or 3D objects among other applications. In the image case, the inputs (e.g., as shown at 510 in FIG. 5) may include pixel coordinates (x,y) and the INR outputs (e.g., asshown at 520 in FIG. 5) may include the color values (r,g,b) or (y,u, v) of the input pixels. In the video case, the output may be similar and the input may include the frame index t, for example, in addition to pixel coordinates.

[0130] The INR may be used to reconstruct a signal by computing the signal values for coordinate input(s). The input coordinate(s) may be modified by a transformation, for example, before being used as input for the neural network. This transformation may be a Fourier mapping, coordinate transformation, normalization etc.

[0131] An INR network (e.g., as shown at 500 in FIG. 5) may be (e.g., typically) a neural network, composed of multiple neural layers, for example, such as fully connected layers. As shown in FIG. 5, the network may include four layers. Intermediate outputs may be represented by circles. A (e.g., each) neural layer may be described as a function that may (e.g., first) multiply the input by a tensor, add a vector called the bias, and / or (e.g., then) apply a nonlinear function on the resulting values. The shape and / or other characteristics of the tensor and the type of non-linear functions may be called the architecture of the network. The values of the tensor and the bias may be denoted by the term weights. The weights and the parameters (e.g., if applicable) of the non-linear functions may be called the parameters 9 of the network. The architecture and the parameters may define a model. Function f_9 may denote an INR function parameterized by 9.

[0132] FIG. 6 illustrates an example process to encode a signal (e.g., as shown at 610 in FIG. 6) using an INR. This may be done by optimizing the weights 9 (e.g., or a subset of weights) of the INR network to reconstruct the signal (e.g., as shown at 620 in FIG. 6). In some examples, the weights may be encoded (e.g., as shown at 630 in FIG. 6) to create the output video data (e.g., a bitstream) (e.g., as shown at 650 in FIG. 6). For an image I of size (M*N), the weights 9 may for example be optimized by minimizing the following loss function according to Eqs. 1 and 2:where D may indicate a distortion which quantifies the difference between the reconstructed image by fe to the original image I, R may indicate the bitrate of the encoded parameters, and K may be a trade-off parameter between D and R. D could be a (e.g., any) differentiable distortion measure, for example, such as mean squared error as in the second equation. M and N may be the width and height of an image. Other metrics such as learned perceptual image patch similarity (LPIPS) may (e.g., also) beused. The optimization of the weights 9 may be (e.g., typically) performed by a machine learning approach, for example, such as a batch gradient descent method.

[0133] To decompress the signal, fe may be evaluated at the relevant coordinates. These coordinates may be selected (e.g., at decoding). A (e.g., typical) choice may include the pixel coordinates for an image or video. In an example (e.g., for a 256x256 pixel image), these coordinates may be (e.g., all) pairs (x,y) for (e.g., all) x G {0,1 ,... ,255} and y G {0,1 , ... ,255}. Other choices may be possible, for example, to upsample, downsample or extend the original image.

[0134] In some examples, input coordinates may be preprocessed, for example, before being used as input to the implicit neural network. Preprocessing may involve one or more of the following operations: normalization of the coordinates between 0 and 1 , between -1 and 1 , or between other values; transformation to another coordinate system (e.g., polar or Euclidian); mapping to other values (e.g., using a Fourier mapping); etc. The Fourier mapping of a pixel coordinate v=(x,y) may be defined as accordingly based on Eq. 3: y(v) = [a cos(2nb v), sin(2nb v), ... , amcos(2nb^lv), amsin(2nb^lv)]TEq. 3

[0135] The mapping may depend on the coefficients ai.bi, for example, where the coefficients bi may be the Fourier basis frequencies if (e.g., when) the mapping is seen as a Fourier approximation of a kernel function. The preprocessed coordinates may be denoted by p(x,y).

[0136] In some examples, using a (e.g., single) INR network for the whole signal may be (e.g., often) suboptimal. The domain of the input signal may be partitioned in connected parts (e.g., coding units (CU)). This partition may take any form, for example, such as fixed-sized partitions, superpixels, codingtree, etc. FIG. 7 illustrates an example encoding process. The input signal (e.g., as shown at 710 in FIG. 7) is first partitioned (e.g., as shown at 720 in FIG. 7). The signal may (e.g., then) be encoded using INR representation(s) (e.g., a collection of INR representations). There may be a bijection between the INR representations of the collection and the parts of the signal domain. A (e.g., each) part of the signal domain may be encoded by its associated INR representation and the associated INR representation may be trained on that part of the signal (e.g., as shown at 730 in FIG. 7)). The signal may be encoded (e.g., as shown at 740 in FIG. 7) into video data (e.g., a bitstream) by encoding the partition (e.g., if necessary) and the parameters of the different INR representations.

[0137] Encoding the signal may include optimizing the parameters of a (e.g., each) INR network. The weights can for example be optimized by a loss function involving the following distortion measure according to Eq. 4:where L may indicate the number of parts of the signal domain, Ci may indicate the part of the signal domain indexed by i and 9i the parameters associated to Ci. The notation pci may highlight that (e.g., some) preprocessing operations may depend on Ci. In examples, normalization may be done with respect to the values of the coordinates in that part (e.g., only). The rate may be adjusted to measure the bit length of the encoding of the parameters, for example, in the resulting loss function.

[0138] Multiple parts of a signal may be encoded together. For example, one object may (e.g., partially) occlude another object and therefore the occluded object may be covered by disjointed parts of the signal. Encoding these parts of the signal together may achieve a better coding efficiency, for example, by reusing (e.g., some or all) the parameters of the INR or by encoding the parts together.

[0139] Within the context of encoding a signal (e.g., a 2D picture) by partitioning it and using a collection of INRs one of the following may be used, enabled, and / or provided: merging or grouping parts of the signal (e.g., including disjoint ones); encoding approaches that exploit this information if (e.g., when) training the INR parameters for grouped parts of the signal; mechanisms to encode these pieces of information in the video data (e.g., bitstream); and / or an associated decoding procedure; etc.

[0140] Superpixels may be used as part of the signal (e.g., and / or other use cases).

[0141] The encoder may be enabled and / or allowed to group or merge parts of the signal and to process them together for the encoding, for example, in the context of encoding a signal (e.g., a 2D video) by partitioning it and using a collection of INRs (e.g., to further improve the encoding). Such grouped or merged parts of the signal may be referred to as a group of parts. Some parts of the signals (e.g., even if they are not connected or have been partitioned separately) may be similar and may share (e.g., some or all) parameters of the INR. For example, some objects or texture in the background may be (e.g., partially) occluded and split by another object in the front. Parts of the background objects may be encoded together.

[0142] FIG. 8 illustrates an example encoding procedure, of an input (e.g., as shown at 810 in FIG. 8) for a sequential encoding. The sequential encoding may include one or more of the following.

[0143] The signal domain may be partitioned (e.g., as shown at 820 in FIG. 8). The signal may be taken as an input and the output may include a partition of the signal domain. Different partitioning approaches may be used / chosen (e.g., many off-the-shelf approaches are possible for partitioning). A choice may include the type of parts that is considered. Part or cells of the parts of the signal induced by the partition may be denoted by CU. Possible choices may include quadtree, superpixels, binarytree, ternary-tree partitioning, Multi-Type Tree, etc. A choice may include the optimizing algorithm used. Brute force approach may be used (e.g., where the possible partitions are considered). An approach may include a greedy search where an initial Coding Unit (CU) covering the whole signal may be (e.g., incrementally) divided by evaluating the impact of a CU split. Splitting may be performed (e.g., done), for example, if the impact in terms of rate / distortion is positive. A CU may be split further if its encoding (e.g., together with its INR) is less advantageous in terms of rate distortion than encoding its children. The CU partition may be built, for example, without learning INR networks. For example, both a brute force or a greedy search approach could optimize other characteristics of the CUs, such as pixel mean, variance, texture and / or any other statistics of the signal within the considered CUs. A model (e.g., a machine learning model) that has been trained to output a partition of an input signal may be used.

[0144] Partitions (e.g., parts) may be grouped (e.g., as shown at 830 in FIG. 8). Grouping parts may involve creating groups of parts of the signal. The goal may include creating groups of parts that may lead to a more efficient encoding later in the procedure. Several approaches may be used (e.g., possible) for grouping parts.

[0145] A example approach may include computing a distance between parts and (e.g., then) grouping parts based on these distances.

[0146] This distance may be a (e.g., any) distance between the subset of coordinates belonging to each CU, for example, including one or more of the following: the shortest distance between any element of one CU and one element of the other CU or the distance between the centers of gravity of each CU; a distance measuring similarities in signal values in these CUs, for example, a (e.g., any) Wasserstein distance over the distributions of these signal values, an average of the Wasserstein distance over the distributions of each dimension of these signal values, quadratic distance between histograms of these signal values, or KL divergence between an approximation of these signal values; a possibly weighted combination of these distances; and / or the like.

[0147] Groups of CUs may be created, for example, based on the computed pairwise distances between CUs. Different approaches may be used (e.g., possible). For example, a threshold 5 may bechosen. Groups of CUs may (e.g., then) be created by iterating through CUs and adding to a group the CUs that are not part of a group and whose distance to the currently considered CU is lower than 5. Groups of CUs may be defined as the largest groups such that all pairwise distances between CUs in the group are lower than 5. Groups of CUs may be created by sorting the pairwise distances lower than 5 by ascending order, iterating over these distances and, if at least one CU is not already part of a group, adding that CU to the group of the other. Additional constraints may also be used, for example a limit on group size, a constraint over the connectivity of the groups, a constraint over the ratio between the largest and smallest CU etc.

[0148] An example approach may include directly considering the impact of the grouping on encoding performance and to optimize these grouping by any optimization algorithm (e.g., greedy search, brute force approach, reinforcement learning, genetic algorithms, etc.)

[0149] An example approach may include training a machine learning model to predict whether two CUs should be grouped.

[0150] INR networks may be trained (e.g., as shown at 840 in FIG. 8). An (e.g., one) INR may be trained (e.g., independently) for a (e.g., each) group of CUs. An INR may be trained for a (e.g., each) CU not in a group. Learning the parameters of an INR for a CU that does not belong to a group may be identical or similar to learning a network for a CU without using groups. The CU itself may be considered as a signal.

[0151] Learning the INR network weights for a group of CUs may be done to exploit the similarity between the CUs. An option may include one or more of the following.

[0152] The CUs in a CU group may be encoded together as if they were forming a single CU. In that case, the preprocessing step may be shared between all the CUs.

[0153] The CUs may share some of the parameters of the INRs, for example, some layers of the INRs. This may include choosing the parameters that are shared, and learning both shared and nonshared parameters. Choosing the parameters may include evaluating the performance of different possible choices on the encoding of the group, comparing these performances to other choices, choosing one set of parameters (e.g., directly) based on the characteristics of the group and individual CUs, for example through an expert designed algorithm or a machine learning model. Learning the parameters can then be performed, for example, by jointly learning the parameters for the CUs in the group, or by learning the parameters of the INRs for a subset of CUs in the group and then reusing the values of the shared parameters for the INRs of other CUs in the group.

[0154] Encoding may be performed (e.g., as shown at 850 in FIG. 8). The partition of the signal, the group, the encoding technique at the group level, and the parameters of the associated INRs may beencoded to create a bitstream for transmission or for later use. This may involve the use of entropy coders. The partition of the signal and the INR parameters may be encoded. INR parameters may be encoded using an example codec (e.g., such as MPEG-NNC). For the groups, several encodings are possible.

[0155] An indication (e.g., a flag) may be included in video data (e.g., a bitstream) to indicate the use of CU groups and potentially the encoding used for the groups.

[0156] The groups may be encoded by indices with a value reserved for the CU(s) not in a group. For example, the bitstream may include a (e.g., entropy coded) vector of indexes, where the length of the vector may be the number of CU.

[0157] The groups may be encoded by associating indices to CU and encoding the groups by listing the indices of the CUs in the group. The size of the groups may be signaled by reserving an (e.g., one) index value for an end of group signal or by including the size of the groups explicitly in the bitstream.

[0158] The encoding techniques at the group level may be standardized and known both to the encoder and decoder. The encoder may (e.g., may be allowed to) choose the encoding technique. For example, the chosen technique may be included in the bitstream and (e.g., potentially) entropy coded. This information may be indicated (e.g., included) at the signal level, at the group level or for a set number of groups. Additional encoding may be necessary for some techniques. A description of the shared parameters may be included in the bitstream, for example, if (e.g., when) parameters are shared between CU in a group.

[0159] In some examples, a sequential approach may be used to optimize the grouping and the encoding. In some examples, several elements may be optimized at the same time. The partition, the grouping, the parameters and / or the encoding length may be optimized together using any optimization algorithm such as greedy search, gradient descent of a specific loss, genetic algorithms, the use of machine learning algorithms etc. For example, grouping CUs may be based on the result of the encoding of previous groups, for example, using a reinforcement learning or an active learning algorithm. For example, one or multiple steps may also involve some computation that can be beneficial or reused for another step. Some approaches for partitioning the signal or forming groups may use the computation and the evaluation of one INR per possible part, to evaluate the quality of such a partitioning and / or grouping. In that case, these computations may be reused in another step or the results of that other step may be directly obtained from said computation or the two steps merged.

[0160] The resulting bitstream (e.g., as shown at 860 in FIG. 8) may include (e.g., in an indication) the partition, the groups, the encoding technique for a (e.g., each) group and the INR parameters.

[0161] Such a bitstream can be decoded, for example, to obtain a reconstructed signal (e.g., as shown at 960 in FIG. 9). FIG. 9 illustrates an example flow of generating a reconstructed signal.

[0162] From the input bitstream (e.g., as shown at 910 in FIG. 9), the partition, the groups, the encoding techniques and the sets of parameters may be decoded (e.g., as shown at 920 in FIG. 9). This may involve the use of entropy decoder and dequantization operations.

[0163] For a (e.g., each) group of CUs a decoding technique may be selected, for example, based on the encoding technique used for this group and the associated parameters (e.g., as shown at 930 in FIG. 9) and / or the signal values for these CUs may be computed, for example, based on appropriate decoding technique (e.g., as shown at 940 in FIG. 9).

[0164] For example, if the group was encoded by encoding the CUs in the group together as if they were forming a single CU, the signal may be decoded as follows. For a (e.g., each) input coordinate associated to the group, the signal values may be computed for these coordinates, for example, by performing inference using the reconstructed INR with these coordinates as input.

[0165] For example, if the group was encoded to share some of the parameters of the INRs for all the CUs in the group, the group may be decoded as follows.

[0166] A (e.g., one) network may be initialized with the values of the shared parameters. For a (e.g., each) group of CUs Ci, the non-shared parameters of this network may be set to their values for this CU, and the signal values may be computed for the coordinates of this CU by performing inference using the INR with these coordinates as input.

[0167] In some examples, multiple groups may be decoded at the same time. Multiple CUs may be decoded at the same time. Multiple networks may be constructed at once and then the values may be generated. The networks may be constructed and the values per CU may be computed sequentially, one at a time. The order of the input coordinates within a CU may be modified. For example, batches of coordinates may be used as input to perform parallel computation of values.

[0168] Experimental results may show that the approach described herein may lead to better rate / distortion performances (e.g., as compared to not merging parts of a signal). The approaches may be applied on 24 images where the signal domain was partitioned into non overlapping parts. The parts may be then merged based on the similarity of the pixel colors in the parts. A (e.g., each) group of parts of the signal may be then encoded independently from the others by training one INR. FIG. 10 illustrates example results achieved on one image for various values of A for the proposed approach and a baseline where superpixels are not merged. FIG. 10 shows the approach (e.g., as described herein) achieved a BD-rate of -4.3% against the baseline. Bit per pixel may be reported withoutcompression of the network weights. These performances may correspond to what could be achieved in intra mode(s).

[0169] FIGs. 11 and 12 provide an example of image partitioning respectively before and after merging for one image of the data set.

[0170] FIG. 10 illustrates example compression performance of encoding using the proposed invention (cross, red) against a baseline where parts are not merged (circle, blue). The proposed approach (e.g., as described herein) may achieve a BD-rate of -4.3% against the baseline.

[0171] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of superpixel segmentation before merging. FIG. 12 illustrates an example of superpixel segmentation after merging.

[0172] The approaches (e.g., described herein) may be related to learning based compression.

[0173] Furthermore, these approaches may use (e.g., have) a far lower computational complexity than end-to-end neural compression approaches. INR approaches may become local (e.g., collection of local INR) to reach an acceptable performance.

[0174] INR-based approaches may offer enhancements to image / video compression using Al.

[0175] Although features and elements are described above in particular combinations, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. In addition, the methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted over wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a register, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor in association with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat Is Claimed Is:1 . A video encoding device, comprising: a processor configured to: determine a first partition associated with an input signal and a second partition associated with the input signal; determine a first partition group and a second partition group, wherein the first partition group comprises at least the first partition, and wherein the second partition group comprises at least the second partition; determine a first representation parameter associated with the first partition group and a second representation parameter associated with the second partition group; and encode the first partition, the second partition, the first partition group, the second partition group, the first representation parameter, and the second representation parameter; and include in video data, the encoded first partition, the encoded second partition, the encoded first partition group, the encoded second partition group, the encoded first representation parameter, and the encoded second representation parameter.

2. The video encoding device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: determine a distance between the first partition and the second partition, wherein the first partition group and the second partition group are determined based on the distance between the first partition and the second partition.

3. The video encoding device of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine an impact associated with grouping partitions, wherein the impact associated with grouping partitions is determined based on an optimization of encoding performance associated with grouping of partitions, wherein the first partition group and the second partition group are determined based on the impact associated with grouping partitions.

4. The video encoding device of claim 3, wherein the optimization of encoding performance associated with grouping of partitions comprises using one or more of a greedy search, a brute force approach, reinforcement learning, or genetic algorithms.

5. The video encoding device of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the processor is further configured to: train a model to generate partition grouping predictions, wherein the first partition group and the second partition group are determined based on the trained model.

6. The video encoding device of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine a first encoding technique associated with the first partition group and a second encoding technique associated with the second partition group; and include in the video data the first encoding technique and the second encoding technique.

7. The video encoding device of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the video data comprises an indication that indicates to use coding unit groups.

8. The video encoding device of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the video data further comprises a group information index, wherein the group information index indicates group information associated with the first partition and the second partition.

9. A video decoding device comprising: a processor configured to: obtain partition information associated with a video, wherein the partition information indicates partition group information; determine a decoding technique for a partition group based on the partition information; determine a signal value associated with the partition group based on the decoding technique; and reconstruct a signal based on the determined signal value.

10. The video decoding device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine a distance between a first partition and a second partition; and determine the partition group based on the distance between the first partition and the second partition.

11. The video decoding device of any one of claims 9 to 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:determine an impact associated with grouping partitions, wherein the impact associated with grouping partitions is determined based on an optimization of encoding performance associated with grouping of partitions; and determine the partition group based on the impact associated with grouping partitions.

12. The video decoding device of claim 11 , wherein the optimization of encoding performance associated with grouping of partitions comprises using one or more of a greedy search, a brute force approach, reinforcement learning, or genetic algorithms.

13. The video decoding device of any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the processor is further configured to: train a model to generate partition grouping predictions; and determine the partition group based on the trained model.

14. The video decoding device of any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the partition information indicates a first partition group, a second partition group, a first partition associated with the first partition group, a second partition associated with the second partition group, first encoding technique information associated with the first partition group, second encoding technique information associated with the second partition group, a first representation parameter associated with the first partition group, and a second representation parameter associated with the second partition group.

15. The video decoding device of any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the processor is further configured to: decode video data, wherein the partition information associated with the video is obtained based on the decoded video data, wherein the video data includes an indication that indicates to use coding unit groups.

16. The video decoding device of any one of claims 9 to 15, wherein the processor is further configured to: decode video data, wherein the partition information associated with the video is obtained based on the decoded video data, wherein the video data includes indices associated with group information.

17. A video encoding method, the video encoding method comprising: determining a first partition associated with an input signal and a second partition associated with the input signal; determining a first partition group and a second partition group, wherein the first partition group comprises at least the first partition, and wherein the second partition group comprises at least the second partition; determining a first representation parameter associated with the first partition group and a second representation parameter associated with the second partition group; and encoding the first partition, the second partition, the first partition group, the second partition group, the first representation parameter, and the second representation parameter; and include in video data, the encoded first partition, the encoded second partition, the encoded first partition group, the encoded second partition group, the encoded first representation parameter, and the encoded second representation parameter.

18. The video encoding method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises: determining a distance between the first partition and the second partition, wherein the first partition group and the second partition group are determined based on the distance between the first partition and the second partition.

19. The video encoding method of any one of claims 17 to 18, wherein the method further comprises: determining an impact associated with grouping partitions, wherein the impact associated with grouping partitions is determined based on an optimization of encoding performance associated with grouping of partitions, wherein the first partition group and the second partition group are determined based on the impact associated with grouping partitions.

20. The video encoding method of claim 19, wherein the optimization of encoding performance associated with grouping of partitions comprises using one or more of a greedy search, a brute force approach, reinforcement learning, or genetic algorithms.

21. The video encoding method of any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the method further comprises: training a model to generate partition grouping predictions, wherein the first partition group and the second partition group are determined based on the trained model.

22. The video encoding method of any one of claims 17 to 21 , wherein the method further comprises: determining a first encoding technique associated with the first partition group and a second encoding technique associated with the second partition group; and including in the video data the first encoding technique and the second encoding technique.

23. The video encoding method of any one of claims 17 to 22, wherein the video data comprises an indication that indicates to use coding unit groups.

24. The video encoding method of any one of claims 17 to 23, wherein the video data further comprises a group information index, wherein the group information index indicates group information associated with the first partition and the second partition.

25. A video decoding method, the video decoding method comprising: obtaining partition information associated with a video, wherein the partition information indicates partition group information; determining a decoding technique for a partition group based on the partition information; determining a signal value associated with the partition group based on the decoding technique; and reconstructing a signal based on the determined signal value.

26. The video decoding method of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises: determining a distance between a first partition and a second partition; and determining the partition group based on the distance between the first partition and the second partition.

27. The video decoding method of any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein the method further comprises: determining an impact associated with grouping partitions, wherein the impact associated with grouping partitions is determined based on an optimization of encoding performance associated with grouping of partitions; and determining the partition group based on the impact associated with grouping partitions.

28. The video decoding method of claim 27, wherein the optimization of encoding performance associated with grouping of partitions comprises using one or more of a greedy search, a brute force approach, reinforcement learning, or genetic algorithms.

29. The video decoding method of any one of claims 25 to 28, wherein the method further comprises: training a model to generate partition grouping predictions; and determining the partition group based on the trained model.

30. The video decoding method of any one of claims 25 to 29, wherein the partition information indicates a first partition group, a second partition group, a first partition associated with the first partition group, a second partition associated with the second partition group, first encoding technique information associated with the first partition group, second encoding technique information associated with the second partition group, a first representation parameter associated with the first partition group, and a second representation parameter associated with the second partition group.31 . The video decoding method of any one of claims 25 to 30, wherein the method further comprises: decoding video data, wherein the partition information associated with the video is obtained based on the decoded video data, wherein the video data includes an indication that indicates to use coding unit groups.

32. The video decoding method of any one of claims 25 to 31 , wherein the method further comprises: decoding video data, wherein the partition information associated with the video is obtained based on the decoded video data, wherein the video data includes indices associated with group information.

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