Adaptive Material Appearance Coding for Diffuse and Specular Reflections

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for compressing material appearance data, such as those described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-149390, can degrade image quality when selecting representative values for components with similar feature amounts but different appearances.

Innovation Solution

An apparatus that selects coding methods based on the type of material appearance data, either providing scalability of bit planes for diffusion reflection data or scalability of resolution for specular reflection data, to maintain image quality during compression.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a single coding method is used for all material appearance data, then the coding process is simple, but image quality degrades for certain data types

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoding process complexityVSAvoidimage quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different coding methods to different types of material appearance data based on their specific characteristics. Diffuse reflection data uses one coding approach while specular reflection data uses another, ensuring each data type is processed with the most appropriate method for maintaining its quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the coding parameters and methods based on the type of material appearance data being processed. By identifying whether the data represents diffuse or specular reflection, the system adjusts the coding approach to optimize for the specific properties of that data type.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Quantity of substance

If data compression is applied to material appearance data, then data amount is reduced, but image quality may degrade

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata amountVSAvoidimage quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies compression selectively based on data type characteristics. By recognizing that diffuse and specular reflection data have different properties, the system applies appropriate compression techniques to each, reducing overall data size while preserving the quality characteristics specific to each data type.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Quantity of substance

If representative values are used for components with similar feature amounts, then data compression is achieved, but appearance accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata compression ratioVSAvoidappearance accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent avoids using representative values for specular reflection data, recognizing that this data type requires higher precision. Instead, it applies coding methods that preserve the detailed information in specular reflection components, while using representative values only for diffuse reflection data where this approach is more acceptable.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS12439025B2Apparatus, system, method, storage medium, and file format

Publication Date: 2025.10.07 CANON KK

AI summary

An apparatus acquires data representing a material appearance of a surface of an object, selects, based on the data, one of a coding method for coding by providing a scalability of a bit plane and a coding method for coding by providing a scalability of resolution, and outputs the data encoded by the selected coding method.