Patent ID: 8369629

Claim:
A method of compressing an image block of multiple image elements having a respective feature vector representing a feature associated with said image elements, said method comprising the steps of: determining, based on at least a portion of first vector components of said feature vectors, a first codeword and a second codeword as representations of a first component value and a second component value; determining, based on at least a portion of second vector components of said feature vectors, a third codeword and a fourth codeword as representations of a third component value and a fourth component value; selecting, based on a relation of a distribution of said first vector components and a distribution of said second vector components, a first resolution number N 1 and a second resolution number N 2 , where N 1 is zero or a non-zero integer and N 2 is zero or a non-zero integer with the proviso that N 1 and N 2 are not both zero; generating, based on said first and second codewords or said first and second component values and if N 1 is a non-zero integer, N 1 first additional component values; generating, based on said third and fourth codewords or said third and fourth component values and if N 2 is a non-zero integer, N 2 second additional component values; for each image element of said multiple image elements: providing a first component index indicative of a component value selected from i) said first component value, ii) said second component value and, if N 1 is a non-zero integer, iii) a component value of said N 1 first additional component values; and providing a second component index indicative of a component value selected from i) said third component value, ii) said fourth component value and, if N 2 is a non-zero integer, iii) a component value of said N 2 second additional component values.