Patent ID: 6026197
Filing Date: 2000-02-15
Classification: G06T,H04N

Abstract:
A coding apparatus for hierarchically coding an image, comprising:input means for entering, line by line, a plurality of consecutive lines of image data representing pixels of the image, the image having a first number of pixels each represented by respective image data;forming means for forming reduced image data representing pixels of a reduced image based on the image data entered by said input means, the reduced image data having a second number of pixels each represented by respective reduced image data, where the second number is smaller than the first number;determining means, which operates in parallel with the formation of the reduced image data by said forming means, for determining whether or not image data of an object pixel to be coded can be predicted from the reduced image data being formed by said forming means and from image data representing surrounding pixels of the object pixel entered by said input means; andcoding means for coding the image data entered by said input means in accordance with a determination result of said determining means,wherein image data which has been determined to be predictable by said determining means is excluded from coding by said coding means so as not to have a respective code corresponding thereto.