Block Prediction Search Using Shared Data Buffer
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Solution Overview
Problem
High power consumption in display and camera interfaces due to increased data size/data rate with higher resolution, leading to shorter battery life in portable devices, and existing data compression methods are costly due to separate line buffers for pixel data.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for block prediction search using restored sample values from a shared data buffer, reducing hardware costs by computing edge information and block prediction vectors based on bit-depth reduced sample values, eliminating the need for extra storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If higher resolution display/camera is employed, then display quality and image quality are improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the bit depth parameter of sample values stored in the data buffer from conventional high precision (e.g., 10-bit, 12-bit) to reduced precision (e.g., 8-bit). This parameter change reduces the data width required for transmission and processing, directly lowering power consumption while maintaining acceptable image quality through subsequent restoration processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a simplified copy of the original high-precision sample values by storing bit-depth reduced versions in the data buffer. These copied values are then restored to approximate the original values for prediction purposes, eliminating the need to transmit and process the full high-precision original data, thus reducing power consumption
2Measurement precision
If separate line buffers with different bit depth settings are used for pixel data, then block prediction accuracy is improved, but hardware cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple separate line buffers into a single shared data buffer. By storing bit-depth reduced sample values from different pixel lines in the same buffer and restoring them as needed for prediction operations, the patent eliminates the need for multiple dedicated buffers with different bit depth settings, thereby reducing hardware cost while maintaining prediction accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The shared data buffer is designed to serve multiple functions: storing sample values from different pixel lines, accommodating different bit depth requirements through restoration, and supporting block prediction operations. This multi-functional buffer replaces multiple specialized buffers, reducing overall hardware complexity and cost
Data Source
AI summary
A block prediction search method includes at least following steps: utilizing a data buffer to store bit-depth reduced sample values of a plurality of samples in a first pixel line; detecting occurrence of an edge in the first pixel line according to restored sample values derived from stored sample values in the data buffer; and determining a block prediction vector for a pixel group in a second pixel line different from the first pixel line, wherein the block prediction vector is determined based at least partly on a last edge count value indicative of a number of samples in the first pixel line that have gone by since the edge occurs.