Cell-Based Digital Image Compression for Storage Efficiency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Modern printing devices face high storage requirements and slow data transfer due to large electronic documents, necessitating efficient compression techniques to reduce storage needs and enhance transfer speeds.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of cell-based compression methods, such as D1, G4, P2, P4, and DCT compression, which divide pixel cells into m x n blocks and apply appropriate compression techniques based on cell content, allowing for efficient storage and transmission of electronic documents.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If image data is stored in uncompressed format, then image quality is preserved, but storage space is excessively large

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage spaceVSAvoidimage quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The image is divided into multiple blocks of pixels, where each block is independently classified and compressed. This segmentation allows different compression techniques to be applied to different regions based on their content characteristics, achieving high compression ratios while preserving image quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different compression methods are applied to different blocks based on their local content characteristics. Smooth regions use more aggressive compression while detailed regions use preservation-focused methods, optimizing the balance between compression ratio and quality retention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Quantity of substance

If compression techniques are applied to reduce storage needs, then storage efficiency improves, but data transfer speed decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage efficiencyVSAvoiddata transfer speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The image data is compressed before being stored or transmitted. This preliminary compression reduces the amount of data that needs to be transferred, ultimately speeding up the overall data transfer process despite the additional compression step.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If traditional compression methods are used, then implementation is simple, but compression ratio is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimplementation complexityVSAvoidcompression ratio
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The image is divided into multiple blocks of pixels, where each block is independently classified and compressed. This segmentation allows different compression techniques to be applied to different regions based on their content characteristics, achieving high compression ratios while preserving image quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically selects different compression parameters and methods based on the content classification of each block. By changing parameters adaptively rather than using fixed compression settings, the system achieves superior compression ratios without requiring overly complex implementation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2675149B1Cell-based compression of digital images
Publication Date: 2020.07.29 KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC
  • EP2675149B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2675149B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2675149B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An m x n pixel cell may be obtained from an input image, each of the pixels having a respective color value (1000). A characterization of the cell is determined, including determining a lowest color value and a highest color value of the pixels cell (1002). A difference between the highest color value and the lowest color value is calculated (1004). If the difference is less than or equal to a threshold difference, an output color value inclusively between the highest color value and the lowest color value may be selected, and a first representation of the output color value is written to an output medium (1008). If the difference is greater than the threshold difference, multiple output color values may be selected, and a second representation of the multiple output color values is written to the output medium (1010).