Buffer Rate Control for JPEG-2000 Image Encoding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image encoding processes face challenges in managing memory usage, particularly for large or high-resolution images, as they require significant buffering that can lead to memory overflow, and existing methods struggle to control buffer rates effectively while maintaining image quality and desired coding rates.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a buffer rate control mechanism that divides transform coefficients into fractional bitplanes, uses entropy encoding, and updates rate statistics to selectively store and discard bitplanes based on target data rates and quality constraints, allowing for efficient encoding of large images in a memory-constrained environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the entire image is encoded and stored in memory before selection, then image quality and coding rate optimization is improved, but memory requirements grow proportionally to image size causing memory overflow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the encoded image data into multiple buffers, where each buffer stores encoded data for a specific portion of the image. This allows the system to process and store only relevant portions of the image in memory at any given time, preventing memory overflow while maintaining the ability to select optimal data for final output based on quality and coding rate constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary encoding of image portions and stores them in buffers before final selection. By pre-processing and buffering encoded data for different image regions, the system can later selectively retrieve and output only the necessary portions that meet quality and rate constraints, avoiding the need to hold the entire encoded image in memory simultaneously.
2Quantity of substance
If buffer size is limited to prevent memory overflow, then memory management is improved, but control over data rate and image quality becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms that monitor the amount of data stored in buffers and adjust encoding parameters accordingly. By feedback-based rate control, the system dynamically adapts the encoding process to maintain desired coding rates and image quality while staying within memory constraints, making buffer management more controllable despite limited buffer size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic buffer management where buffer allocation and data selection are adjusted in real-time based on image content and constraints. The system dynamically determines which image portions to encode and store in buffers, and which to discard, allowing flexible control over data rate and quality while maintaining limited memory usage.
3Manufacturing precision
If encoded data is selected after full encoding, then data selection optimization is improved, but processing time and memory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image into multiple portions and encodes them separately in different buffers. This segmentation allows the system to perform data selection optimization on smaller, manageable chunks of encoded data rather than dealing with the entire encoded image at once, reducing processing time while maintaining optimization effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary encoding and buffering of image portions before final selection. By pre-encoding and organizing data in buffers in advance, the system can later efficiently select and output optimized portions without requiring time-consuming post-processing, thus reducing overall processing time while maintaining data selection optimization.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for performing image encoding and rate control as part of the image encoding process, e.g., a JPEG-2000 compliant image encoding process, are described. As part of the image encoding processes, rate control operations are performed based on rate statistic information at a point where encoded image data in selected for storage in a buffer and based on updated statistic information at a point where encoded image data is selected to be output from the buffer. The statistic information including overhead information used for rate control is also updated after formatting of data to be included in the output set of encoded image data to reflect overhead, e.g., header overhead, associated with formatting the data for storage. Encoding and rate control is applied on an ongoing basis, e.g., as portions of an image are processed, so that buffer size does not grow proportionally with the image size.