Patent ID: 8320686
Filing Date: 2012-11-27
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image decoding device that, while taking pieces of image encoded data sequentially received from outside into a reception buffer, sequentially (i) reads the pieces of image encoded data from the reception buffer, (ii) decodes the read pieces of image encoded data into frames of image data and (iii) outputs the frames of image data, the image decoding device comprising: a frame memory operable to temporarily hold a frame of the image data; a judgment unit operable to make a judgment of whether or not underflow of the reception buffer is being caused, or whether or not the underflow is highly likely to be caused, based on a current value of or a temporal change in an image encoded amount stored in the reception buffer at the time of the judgment; a composite image generation unit operable, when a result of the judgment is affirmative, to generate a frame of composite image data by (i) extracting a frame of the image data stored in the frame memory, (ii) decoding a part of the image encoded data stored in the reception buffer, and (iii) replacing a part of the extracted frame of the image data with the decoded part of the image encoded data; and an output unit operable to output the frame of the composite image data which has been generated, wherein during a period when the judgment maintains an affirmative result, the composite image generation unit repeatedly generates frames of the composite image data such that an occupancy ratio of the replaced part to the frame of the image data increases each time a frame of the composite image data is newly generated, and wherein the output unit outputs the frames of the composite image data which have been generated in order of generation so that the frame of the image data is changed to the next frame gradually during the period when the judgment maintains an affirmative result.