Patent ID: 9445094
Filing Date: 2016-09-13
CPC Classification: H04N

Claim Text:
1. An image encoding apparatus configured to divide an image into divisional blocks and to perform encoding on the image in units of divisional blocks, the image coding apparatus comprising: an acquiring unit configured to acquire information on a block size of a target block to be encoded; a setting unit configured to set information on a minimum quantization size indicating a block size used to control a quantization of the image; and an encoding unit configured to encode a first quantization parameter used to control a quantization of the target block, the first quantization parameter corresponding to encoding the target block to be encoded, in a case where the block size of the target block to be encoded is greater than or equal to the minimum quantization size, and to encode a second quantization parameter used to control a quantization of a plurality of blocks in a block group which contains the target block to be encoded, the second quantization parameter corresponding to encoding a block of a block size smaller than the minimum quantization size, in a case where the block size of the target block to be encoded is smaller than the minimum quantization size, and the second quantization parameter used to control the quantization of the plurality of blocks has not been encoded.