Method and apparatus for compressing and decompressing image data

Claim 2

A data compression apparatus for compressing multi-bit pixel data comprising: first memory means for detecting a position at which there is a change in successively entered multi-bit pixel data and storing one-bit data for each pixel, the one-bit data representing, pixel by pixel, whether a pixel which is currently of interest is at the detected position; holding means for holding at least one item of multi-bit pixel data prior to the change at previously detected positions; comparing means which, when a position at which an entered multi-bit pixel data change has been detected, is for comparing said entered multi-bit pixel data and the multi-bit pixel data that has been stored in said holding means; second memory means for storing a result of a comparison performed by said comparing means; third memory means which, when the result of comparison performed by said comparing means is that multi-bit pixel data held by said holding means is different from said entered multi-bit pixel data, is for storing said entered pixel data as multi-bit data; and updating means for updating the multi-bit pixel data held by said holding means to multi-bit pixel data prior to the change at said position.

Claim 3

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first through third memory means store each item of information as continuous data on a shared storage medium.

Claim 4

The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: counting means for counting the total number of items of pixel data, which are stored by said third memory means, before processing for compressing the image data; and deciding means for deciding bit length of image data, which is outputted by said third memory means, based upon a result from said counting means and memory capacity for storing the compressed data; wherein when the result of comparison performed by said comparing means is that all pixel data held by said holding means is different from said entered pixel data, said third memory means stores said entered pixel data upon limiting it to the bit length decided by said deciding means.

Claim 5

The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising searching means which, when the result of comparison performed by said comparing means is that all pixel data held by said holding means is different from said entered pixel data, is for searching a storage unit, which stores a plurality of items of pixel data, based on said entered pixel data; wherein if a result of retrieval performed by said searching means is that pixel data identical with said entered pixel data resides in said storage unit, said third memory means stores information indicative of the storage location, and if a result of search performed by said searching means is that pixel data identical with said entered pixel data does not reside in said storage unit, said third memory means stores said entered pixel data in said storage unit and stores information indicative of the storage location.

Claim 6

The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information indicative of the storage location stored in said third memory means comprises a number of bits that is changed in dependence upon the number of items of pixel data stored in said storage unit.

Claim 7

A data decompression apparatus for decompressing multi-bit pixel data comprising: first output means for entering first data representing a position at which multi-bit pixel data changes, and outputting a plurality of multi-bit pixel data having the same level until said position is detected based upon the first data, the first data being one-bit data indicating, pixel by pixel, whether a pixel which is currently of interest is at the position; holding means for holding at least one item of multi-bit pixel data prior to the change at said position already detected; discriminating means for entering second data which represents holding status of said holding means when said position has been detected based upon the first data, and for discriminating, based upon the second data, whether the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted is being held in said holding means; second output means which, when it has been discriminated by said discriminating means that said holding means is holding the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted, is for extracting the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted from said holding means based upon the second data and outputting the extracted multi-bit pixel data; updating means for updating the multi-bit pixel data held by said holding means to multi-bit pixel data prior to the change at said position when said position has been detected; and third output means entering third data, which is multi-bit pixel data to be outputted, is entered when it has been discriminated by said discriminating means that said holding means is not holing the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted, and outputting said third data.

Claim 8

A data decompression apparatus for decompressing multi-bit pixel data comprising: first output means for entering first data representing a position at which multi-bit pixel data changes, and outputting a plurality of multi-bit pixel data having the same level until said position is detected based upon the first data, the first data being one-bit data indicating, pixel by pixel, whether a pixel which is currently of interest is at the position; holding means for holding at least one item of multi-bit pixel data prior to the change at said position already detected; discriminating means for entering second data which represents holding status of said holding means when said position has been detected based upon the first data, and for discriminating, based upon the second data, whether the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted is being held in said holding means; second output means which, when it has been discriminated by said discriminating means that said holding means is holding the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted, is for extracting the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted from said holding means based upon the second data and outputting the extracted multi-bit pixel data; updating means for updating the multi-bit pixel data held by said holding means to multi-bit pixel data prior to the change at said position when said position has been detected; and third output means entering third data, which is multi-bit pixel data to be outputted, is entered when it has been discriminated by said discriminating means that said holding means is not holing the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted, and outputting said third data.

Claim 9

The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising storage means for storing each of the first data, second data and third data.

Claim 10

The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising storage means for storing the first data, second data and third data as continuous data.

Claim 11

The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein bit length of the third data is shorter than bit length of the pixel data to be outputted, and further comprising generating means, to which the third data is entered when it has been discriminated by said discriminating means that said holding means is not holding the pixel data to be outputted, for supplementing the third data with bit data to generate pixel data having a prescribed bit length; said third output means outputting the pixel data generated by said generating means.

Claim 12

The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the status of the bit data supplemented in said generating means is decided based upon the status of the most significant bit of the third data.

Claim 13

The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when it has been discriminated by said discriminating means that said holding means is not holding the pixel data to be outputted, third data, which represents storage location of the pixel data to be outputted, is entered in said third output means and said third output means, on the basis of said third data, reads pixel data out of a storage unit, in which a plurality of items of pixel data have been stored, and outputs the pixel data read out.

Claim 14

The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein bit length of the third data changes based upon the number of items of pixel data read out of said storage unit, and further comprising generating means for supplementing bit data in dependence upon the bit length of the entered the third data, and generating position information for reading pixel data out of the storage unit storing a plurality of items of pixel data; wherein when it has been discriminated by said discriminating means that said holding means is not holding the pixel data to be outputted, said third output means reads the pixel data out of the storage unit, which stores a plurality of items of pixel data, based upon the position information generated by said generating means, and outputs the pixel data read out.

Claim 15

A data compression method for compressing multi-bit pixel data comprising: a first memory step of detecting a position at which there is a change in successively entered multi-bit pixel data and storing one-bit data for each pixel in a first memory, representing, pixel by pixel, whether a pixel which is currently of interest is at the detected position; a comparing step of comparing said entered multi-bit pixel data and the multi-bit pixel data that has been stored in holding means which holds at least one item of multi-bit pixel data prior to the change at previously detected position when a position at which entered multi-bit pixel data changes has been detected; a second memory step of storing a result of comparison performed in said comparing step, in a second memory means; a third memory step of storing said entered multi-bit pixel data when the result of comparison performed in said comparing step is that multi-bit pixel data held by the holding means is different from said entered multi-bit pixel data as multi-bit data; and an updating step of updating the multi-bit pixel data held by the holding means to multi-bit pixel data prior to the change at said position.

Claim 16

A data compression method for compressing multi-bit pixel data comprising: a first memory step of detecting a position at which there is a change in successively entered multi-bit pixel data and storing one-bit data for each pixel in a first memory, representing, pixel by pixel, whether a pixel which is currently of interest is at the detected position; a comparing step of comparing said entered multi-bit pixel data and the multi-bit pixel data that has been stored in holding means which holds at least one item of multi-bit pixel data prior to the change at previously detected position when a position at which entered multi-bit pixel data changes has been detected; a second memory step of storing a result of comparison performed in said comparing step, in a second memory means; a third memory step of storing said entered multi-bit pixel data when the result of comparison performed in said comparing step is that multi-bit pixel data held by the holding means is different from said entered multi-bit pixel data as multi-bit data; and an updating step of updating the multi-bit pixel data held by the holding means to multi-bit pixel data prior to the change at said position.

Claim 17

The method according to claim 13, wherein said first through third memory steps are steps of storing each item of information as continuous data on a shared storage medium.

Claim 18

The method according to claim 13, further comprising: a counting step of counting the total number of items of pixel data, which are stored at said third memory step, before processing for compressing the image data; and a deciding step of deciding bit length of image data, which is outputted at said third memory step, based upon a result from said counting step and memory capacity for storing the compressed data; wherein when the result of comparison performed at said comparing step is that all pixel data held by said holding means is different from said entered pixel data, said third memory step is a step of storing said entered pixel data upon limiting it to the bit length decided at said deciding step.

Claim 19

The method according to claim 13, further comprising a searching step which, when the result of comparison performed at said comparing step is that all pixel data held by said holding means is different from said entered pixel data, is a step of searching a storage unit, which stores a plurality of items of pixel data, based on said entered pixel data; wherein if a result of search performed at said searching step is that pixel data identical with said entered pixel data resides in said storage unit, said third memory step stores information indicative of the storage location, and if a result of search performed by said search means is that pixel data identical with said entered pixel data does not reside in said storage unit, said third memory step stores said entered pixel data in said storage unit and stores information indicative of the storage location.

Claim 20

The method according to claim 16, wherein the information indicative of the storage location stored at said third memory step comprises a number of bits that is changed in dependence upon the number of items of pixel data stored in said storage unit.

Claim 21

A data decompression method for decompressing multi-bit pixel data comprising: a first output step of entering first data representing a position at which multi-bit pixel data changes, and outputting a plurality of multi-bit pixel data having the same level until said position is detected based upon the first data, the first data being one-bit data indicating, pixel by pixel, whether a pixel which is currently of interest is at the position; a discriminating step of entering second data which represents holding status of holding means which holds at least one item of multi-bit pixel data prior to the change at previously detected position when said position has been detected based upon the first data, and discriminating, based upon the second data, whether the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted is being held in said holding means; a second output step of extracting the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted from the holding means based upon the second data and outputting the extracted multi-bit pixel data when it has been discriminated in said discriminating step that the holding means is holding the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted; an updating step of updating the multi-bit pixel data held by the holding means to multi-bit pixel data prior to the change at said position when said position has been detected; and a third output step of entering third data, which is multi-bit pixel data to be outputted, when it has been discriminated in said discriminating step that the holding means is not holding the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted, and outputting said third data.

Claim 22

A data decompression method for decompressing multi-bit pixel data comprising: a first output step of entering first data representing a position at which multi-bit pixel data changes, and outputting a plurality of multi-bit pixel data having the same level until said position is detected based upon the first data, the first data being one-bit data indicating, pixel by pixel, whether a pixel which is currently of interest is at the position; a discriminating step of entering second data which represents holding status of holding means which holds at least one item of multi-bit pixel data prior to the change at previously detected position when said position has been detected based upon the first data, and discriminating, based upon the second data, whether the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted is being held in said holding means; a second output step of extracting the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted from the holding means based upon the second data and outputting the extracted multi-bit pixel data when it has been discriminated in said discriminating step that the holding means is holding the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted; an updating step of updating the multi-bit pixel data held by the holding means to multi-bit pixel data prior to the change at said position when said position has been detected; and a third output step of entering third data, which is multi-bit pixel data to be outputted, when it has been discriminated in said discriminating step that the holding means is not holding the multi-bit pixel data to be outputted, and outputting said third data.

Claim 23

The method according to claim 18, further comprising a storage step of storing each of the first data, second data and third data.

Claim 24

The method according to claim 18, further comprising a storage step of storing the first data, second data and third data as continuous data.

Claim 25

The method according to claim 18, wherein bit length of the third data is shorter than bit length of the pixel data to be outputted, and further comprising a generating step of entering the third data when it has been discriminated at said discriminating step that said holding means is not holding the pixel data to be outputted, and supplementing the third data with bit data to generate pixel data having a prescribed bit length; said third output step outputting the pixel data generated at said generating step.

Claim 26

The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the status of the bit data supplemented at said generating step is decided based upon the status of the most significant bit of the third data.

Claim 27

The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein when it has been discriminated at said discriminating step that said holding means is not holding the pixel data to be outputted, said third step enters third data, which represents storage location of the pixel data to be outputted, reads pixel data out of a storage unit, in which a plurality of items of pixel data have been stored, based on said third data, and outputs the pixel data read out.

Claim 28

The method according to claim 23, wherein bit length of the third data changes based upon the number of items of pixel data read out of said storage unit, and further comprising a generating step of supplementing bit data in dependence upon the bit length of the entered the third data, and generating position information for reading pixel data out of the storage unit storing a plurality of items of pixel data; wherein when it has been discriminated at said discriminating step that said holding means is not holding the pixel data to be outputted, said third output step reads the pixel data out of the storage unit, which stores a plurality of items of pixel data, based upon the position information generated at said generating step, and outputs the pixel data read out.