Adaptive Hyperprior Image Compression for Diverse Image Types

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing neural image compression models are not adaptive and struggle to accommodate diverse data distributions of natural images, leading to suboptimal performance on specific image subsets.

Innovation Solution

An adaptive neural image compression framework using meta-learning to dynamically adjust model parameters based on input image characteristics, employing a hyperprior model with meta-learning to generate and decode adaptive encoding and decoding parameters.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a fixed hyperprior model is used in image compression, then the encoder and decoder structures are simple, but the compression performance cannot adapt to different image types and quality requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to different image typesVSAvoidencoder and decoder structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The hyperprior model is segmented into multiple independent components: a shared backbone network that extracts common features, and multiple task-specific head networks (for different compression qualities and image types) that process the shared features independently. This allows the system to adapt to different image types by activating only the necessary head networks while keeping the overall structure manageable through modular design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If multiple hyperprior models are trained for different compression qualities, then compression performance improves across different quality levels, but training time and computational resources increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompression performance across quality levelsVSAvoidtraining time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary training of a shared backbone network that learns general image compression features applicable across all quality levels. This pre-trained backbone serves as a foundation that can be quickly adapted to specific quality requirements by training only the lightweight head networks, thereby reducing the overall training time compared to training multiple complete models from scratch.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The shared backbone network is designed to be universal and multi-functional, capable of serving multiple compression quality levels simultaneously. By extracting features that are applicable across different quality requirements, the backbone network eliminates redundant computations and enables efficient adaptation to various compression scenarios through shared feature representations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Adaptability or versatility

If image compression is performed at multiple quality levels, then user choice and application flexibility improve, but processing time and computational load increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflexibility in quality selectionVSAvoidprocessing speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality adaptation by processing different regions or frequency components of the image with different levels of detail and compression. Important regions retain higher quality while less critical areas are compressed more aggressively, allowing multiple quality levels to be generated efficiently through region-specific processing rather than uniformly processing the entire image at each quality level.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4097581B1Method and apparatus for adaptive image compression with flexible hyperprior model by meta learning
Publication Date: 2026.05.13 TENCENT AMERICA LLC
  • EP4097581B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4097581B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4097581B1 patent drawingFigure 4(a)

AI summary

A method of adaptive neural image compression with a hyperprior model by meta-learning is performed by at least one processor and includes generating a statistic feature, based on an input image and a hyperparameter, and generating a first shared feature and an estimated adaptive encoding parameter, encoding the input image to obtain a signal encoded image, based on the generated first shared feature and the generated estimated adaptive encoding parameter, generating a second shared feature and an estimated adaptive hyper encoding parameter, generating a hyper feature, based on the signal encoded image, the generated second shared feature, and the generated estimated adaptive hyper encoding parameter, and compressing the obtained signal encoded image, the generated statistic feature, and the generated hyper feature.