Patent Publication Number: US-10313715-B2

Title: Transmission method for video data and device employing same

Description:
FIELD 
     The subject matter herein generally relates to communication technology. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A large amount of uncompressed video data needs to be transmitted between video source (e.g., video camera, DVD, mobile phone, or tablet PC) and video receiver (e.g., computer, television, display, or DVR). When transmitting the uncompressed video data, it is sometimes necessary to simultaneously transmit data which is compressed. At present, the uncompressed video data and the compressed data are transmitted separately, which increases power consumption and transmission costs. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Implementations of the present technology will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a video data transmission system; 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart of a video data transmission method; and 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a receiving device receiving video data. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant feature being described. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts may be exaggerated to better illustrate details and features of the present disclosure. 
     References to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean “at least one.” 
     In general, the word “module” as used hereinafter, refers to logic embodied in computing or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, written in a programming language, such as, Java, C, or assembly. One or more software instructions in the modules may be embedded in firmware, such as in an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM). The modules described herein may be implemented as either software and/or computing modules and may be stored in any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium or other storage device. Some non-limiting examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include CDs, DVDs, BLU-RAY, flash memory, and hard disk drives. The term “comprising”, when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in a so-described combination, group, series, and the like. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment of a video data transmission system  2 . In the illustrated embodiment, the video data transmission system  2  includes two video data transmission devices, a transmitting device  10  and a receiving device  20 . The transmitting device  10  and the receiving device  20  transmit uncompressed video data and compressed data through a wired and a wireless network. The transmitting device  10  may be a mobile device, such as a mobile phone or a tablet computer. The receiving device  20  may be a computer, a television, and so on. 
     In one embodiment, the transmitting device  10  includes a determining module  101 , a calculating module  102 , a comparing module  103 , an analyzing module  104 , an obtaining module  105 , an inserting module  106 , a transmitting module  107 , a first storage unit  108 , and a first processor  109 . The receiving device  20  includes a separating module  201 , a display module  202 , a data storage module  203 , a second storage unit  204 , and a second processor  205 . One or more of the function modules can include computerized code in the form of one or more programs that are stored in the first storage unit  108  or the second storage unit  204 , and executed by the first processor  109  or the second processor  205  to provide functions of the video data transmission system  2 . The first storage unit  108  or the second storage unit  204  can be a dedicated memory, such as an EPROM, or a flash memory. Descriptions of the functions of the modules are given with reference to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 2  presents a flowchart of a method for transmitting video data. The transmission method is provided by way of example, as there are a variety of ways to carry out the transmission method. The transmission method described below can be carried out using the configurations illustrated in  FIG. 1 , for example, and various elements of these figures are referenced in explaining the transmission method. Each block shown in  FIG. 2  represents one or more processes, methods, or subroutines, carried out in the exemplary transmission method. Additionally, the illustrated order of blocks is by example only and the order of the blocks can change. The transmission method can begin at block S 10 . 
     At block S 10 , the determining module  101  determines whether compressed data needs to be transmitted when transmitting uncompressed video data. In one embodiment, whenever the transmitting device  10  transmits uncompressed video data to the receiving device  20 , the determining module  101  determines whether there is compressed data which needs to be transmitted to the receiving device  20  together with the uncompressed video data. 
     At block S 11 , the calculating module  102  calculates an operating frequency when the compressed data needs to be transmitted. In one embodiment, the operating frequency is a frequency of a user input operation received by the transmitting device  10  when the uncompressed video data is transmitted, such as a finger sliding operation and/or clicking frequency on a touch screen of the transmitting device  10 . 
     At block S 12 , the comparing module  103  compares the operating frequency with a preset value. In one embodiment, the preset value is K. The comparing module  103  compares the operating frequency and the preset value K, to determine whether the operating frequency is less than K. The preset value K can be set according to an actual situation. If the operating frequency is not less than the preset value K, a current workload of the transmitting device  10  is deemed heavy and the transmission of the compressed data is not performed. 
     At block S 13 , the analyzing module  104  analyzes all pixels in each frame of the uncompressed video data when the operating frequency is determined as being less than the preset value K. In one embodiment, if the operating frequency is less than K, the analyzing module  104  analyzes colors of each pixel in each frame of the uncompressed video, to obtain a number of each color of the pixels. 
     At block S 14 , the obtaining module  105  obtains dominant color pixels in the frame. For example, if most of the pixels in the frame are white pixels, the obtaining module  105  obtains the white pixels. Further, the obtaining module  105  obtains the number of the obtained pixels in the frame and an error-tolerance rate of each pixel, to determine an amount of the compressed data that can be transmitted in the frame. For example, the obtaining module  105  obtains the number of the white pixels in the frame and their error-tolerance rate. If the number of the white pixels in the frame is N, the size of each white pixel is 10 bits, and the error-tolerance rate of each white pixel is 20%, then 10*20%*N=2N bits of the compressed data can be determined to be transmittable in the frame. 
     At block S 15 , the inserting module  106  inserts the compressed data into the obtained pixels. In one embodiment, the inserting module  106  inserts the compressed data into the obtained pixels of the frame by reference to the amount determined as transmittable. For example, the inserting module  106  inserts 2N bits of the compressed data into the white pixels of the frame, that is, the 2N bits data in the white pixels are replaced by the 2N bits of the compressed data. The corresponding amount of the compressed data can be inserted into each frame of the uncompressed video data in the manner described above. 
     At block S 16 , the transmitting module  107  transmits the uncompressed video data after the compressed data is inserted. 
       FIG. 3  presents a flowchart of a method for receiving the video data. The receiving method is provided by way of example, as there are a variety of ways to carry out the receiving method. The receiving method described below can be carried out using the configurations illustrated in  FIG. 1 , for example, and various elements of these figures are referenced in explaining the receiving method. Each block shown in  FIG. 3  represents one or more processes, methods, or subroutines, carried out in the exemplary receiving method. Additionally, the illustrated order of blocks is by example only and the order of the blocks can change. The receiving method can begin at block S 20 . 
     At block S 20 , the separating module  201  separates the compressed data from the uncompressed video data after receiving the video data into which the compressed data is inserted. 
     At block S 21 , the display module  202  displays the uncompressed video data after separating out the compressed data. 
     At block S 22 , the data storage module  203  stores the compressed data which is separated from the received video data. 
     The embodiments shown and described above are only examples. Many details are often found in the art such as the other features of a video data transmission system. Therefore, many such details are neither shown nor described. Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present technology have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the present disclosure, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in the detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of the parts within the principles of the present disclosure, up to and including the full extent established by the broad general meaning of the terms used in the claims. It will therefore be appreciated that the embodiments described above may be modified within the scope of the claims.