Image encoding apparatus

Claim 2

An image encoding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said region detecting means (102) detects a part of the specific region from said input image signal, the movable image including a human body and a background, and said specific region corresponding to a head of the human body.

Claim 3

An image encoding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said region detecting means (102) comprises means (209 and 210) for generating coordinate data corresponding to a plurality of points on the boundary between said specific region and other regions and means (211) for generating said region specifying signal in accordance with said coordinate data.

Claim 4

An image encoding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said region detecting means comprises storing means (201) for sequentially storing input image signals of at least one frame which correspond to a human body and a background, subtracting means (202) for calculating a interframe difference image signal between image signals of one frame read out of the storing means and those of one new frame, means (203 and 204) for forming x-axis and y-axis histograms, with said interframe difference image signal, means (205 through 210) for generating coordinate data corresponding to the top and side of said head with said x-axis and y-axis histograms, and means for generating said region specifying signal with said coordinate data.

Claim 5

An image encoding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said low-pass filter means (103) filters image signals of regions other than said specific region every unit larger than encoding unit with the predetermined size.

Claim 6

An image encoding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said low-pass filter means (103) filters image signals of regions other than said specific region in the space direction.

Claim 7

An image encoding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said low-pass filter means (103) filters image signals of regions other than the specific region detected by said region detecting means (102) in the temporal direction.

Claim 8

An image encoding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said low-pass filter means (103) comprises the first low-pass filter means (501 through 506) for filtering in the space direction, the second low-pass filter means (601 through 604) for filtering in the temporal direction, and means for connecting the output of either said first or second filter with the input of the other filter.

Claim 9

An image encoding apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that said low-pass filter means (103) further comprises means for respectively controlling the filtering intensity of said first and second filter means.

Claim 10

An image encoding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said low-pass filter means comprises multiplying means (505 and 603) for multiplying said image signal by a predetermined coefficient and means for practically setting said coefficient to zero for the image signal of said specific region according to said region specifying signal.

Claim 11

An image encoding apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that said multiplying means (505 and 603) include a read only memory (ROM) to whose address input said input image signal and said region specifying signal are input.

Claim 12

An image encoding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said low-pass filter means (103) comprises nonlinear circuit means (605) for receiving said input image signal and control means for controlling the input-output characteristic of said nonlinear circuit (605) according to said region specifying signal.

Claim 13

An image encoding apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that said control means sets the gain of said nonlinear circuit means (605) for the image signal of said specific region to zero.

Claim 14

An image encoding apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that said nonlinear circuit means (605) includes a read only memory to whose memory address said input image signal and said region specifying signal are input.

Claim 15

An image encoding apparatus for encoding input image signals which correspond to a movable image having a specific region and are sequentially input for every frame, characterized by comprising: region detecting means (102) for detecting the specific region from said input image signals and outputting a region specifying signal for discriminating the specific region from other regions; low-pass filter means (103) for filtering image signals so that image signals of regions other than said specific region will be filtered more strongly than the image signal of said specific region according to said region specifying signal; and encoding means (107) for encoding image signals output from said low-pass filter means (103).

Claim 16

An image encoding apparatus for encoding input image, characterized by comprising: region specifying means (120) for outputting a region specifying signal to discriminate any specific region from other regions in said input image signals; low-pass filter means (103) for selectively filtering image signals of regions other than said specific region in said image signals; and encoding means (107) for encoding the image signal output from said low-pass filter means (103).

Claim 17

An image encoding apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that said region specifying means (120) comprises coordinate input means (801) for inputting at least two optional coordinate data values; and means (802) for generating said region specifying signal in accordance with said coordinate data.

Claim 18

An image encoding apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising: displaying means (710) for displaying images according to image signals output from said low-pass filter means (103); and superimposing means (709) for superimposing the information indicating said specific region on the image to be displayed according to said region specifying signal.

Claim 19

An image encoding/decoding apparatus for encoding and transmitting input image signals at a transmitting side and decoding the encoded image signals at a receiving side, characterized by comprising: region specifying means (120) for specifying a specific region in said input image signal and outputting a region specifying signal for discriminating the specific region from other regions in said input image signals; transmitting means (703) for transmitting the region specifying signal output from said region specifying means (120) from said receiving side to said transmitting side; low-pass filter means (103) for selectively filtering image signals of regions other than the specific region, which are included said input image signals, according to said region specifying signal from the receiving side; and encoding means (103) for encoding the image signal output from said low-pass filter means (103).

Claim 20

An image encoding apparatus for encoding input image signal, characterized by comprising: region specifying means (120) for specifying a specific region in said input image signals and outputting a region specifying signal for discriminating the specific region from other regions in said input image signals; low-pass filter means (103) for selectively filtering image signals of said specific region, which are included in said input image signals, according to said region specifying signal; and encoding means (107) for encoding image signal output from said low-pass filter means (103).