Patent ID: 8102911
Filing Date: 2012-01-24
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A picture coding device that codes picture data by performing pipeline processing, said picture coding device comprising: a motion prediction unit operable to receive an input image, operable to select a reference image for which a sum of absolute differences between pixels of the input image and pixels of the reference image is smallest, and operable to detect a motion vector of the input image with respect to the selected reference image; an intra picture prediction unit operable to receive the input image, operable to select a prediction image for which a sum of absolute differences between the pixels of the input image and pixels of the prediction image is the smallest, and operable to specify a prediction mode for generating the selected prediction image; an input selection unit operable to select a smaller one of a motion total and an intra picture total, the motion total being obtained by adding a motion residual, which indicates a difference between the input image and the reference image, and a value into which the motion vector is coded and the intra picture total being obtained by adding an intra picture residual, which indicates a difference between the input image and the prediction image, and a value into which the prediction mode is coded; an orthogonal transformation unit operable to obtain a first value by orthogonally transforming a differential image, the differential image being formed using a difference (i) between the pixels of the input image and the pixels of the reference image when the motion total is selected by said input selection unit and (ii) between the pixels of the input image and the pixels of the prediction image when the intra picture total is selected by said input selection unit; a quantization unit operable to obtain a second value by quantizing the first value obtained by said orthogonal transformation unit; a binarization unit operable to obtain binary data by binarizing the second value obtained by said quantization unit; an arithmetic coding unit operable to obtain coded data by arithmetically coding the binary data obtained by said binarization unit; a buffer holding I_PCM data corresponding to the input image; a comparison unit operable to compare a cost with a first threshold value before said binarization unit binarizes the second value obtained by said quantization unit, the cost being the smaller one of the motion total and the intra picture total; an output selection unit arranged between said quantization unit and said binarization unit, said output selection unit being operable to receive the second value obtained by said quantization unit and the I_PCM data from said buffer, being operable to select (i) the received second value obtained by said quantization unit when the cost is equal to or less than the first threshold value and (ii) the received I_PCM data when the cost is larger than the first threshold value, and being operable to output a result of the selection as a selection result, the selection result being output to said binarization unit when the second value is selected by said output selection unit; and an output unit operable to output to outside said picture coding device, as data to be outputted, one of the coded data obtained by said arithmetic coding unit and the received I_PCM data, based on the result of the selection performed by said output selection unit, such that said output unit outputs the coded data when the second value is selected by said output selection unit and when the cost is equal to or less than the first threshold value and such that said output unit outputs the received I_PCM data when the received I_PCM data is selected by said output selection unit and when the cost is larger than the first threshold value.