Patent ID: 6205175
Filing Date: 2001-03-20
Classification: G06T,H04N

Abstract:
A method for encoding a contour of an object in a video signal based on a vertex information representing a position and an index of an octant corresponding to each vertex of the contour by using an octant-based vertex coding technique, wherein a plurality of vertices are determined on the contour and each of contour segments defined two adjacent vertices is approximated by corresponding one of line segments joining the two adjacent vertices, the method comprising the steps of:(a) detecting a maximum length line segment (MLLS) among the line segments for the contour based on the vertex information;(b) encoding an initial vertex position information (IVPI) and a final vertex position information (FVPI) for the contour, wherein the initial vertex and the final vertex are two vertices constituting the MLLS;(c) setting a first bit number (FBN) and a second bit number (SBN) for the contour, wherein the FBN is the number of bits required to encode the MLLS and the SBN is the number of bits calculated by using the FBN in accordance with a preset calculation rule, the SBN being smaller than the FBN;(d) classifying, based on the SBN and the vertex information, each of the vertices either as a first vertex or as a second vertex in accordance with a preset classification rule to thereby provide first vertices (FV's) and second vertices (SV's);(e) producing an escape signal (ECS) for each second vertex to thereby supply a plurality of ECS's for the SV's; and(f) calculating the number of the FV's (NFV) and the number of the SV's (NSV) for the contour.