Hardware efficient wavelet-based video compression scheme

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1 wherein said intra-frame coding includes: performing a two-dimensional Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) upon one frame in said first sequence of data generating a set of DWT coefficients therefrom; and performing quantization of said set of DWT coefficients, generating a current set of quantized data therefrom.

Claim 4

A method according to claim 2 wherein said intra-frame coding further includes: entropy encoding said quantized data set, said entropy encoding resulting in a intra-frame encoded data set.

Claim 5

A method according to claim 2 wherein said inter-frame coding includes: performing a two-dimensional Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) upon one frame in said first sequence of data generating a set of DWT coefficients therefrom; and performing quantization of said set of DWT coefficients, generating a set of quantized data therefrom.

Claim 6

A method according to claim 4 wherein said inter-frame coding further includes: generating a residue data set from said current quantized data set and from a quantized data set resulting from a previous frame.

Claim 7

A method according to claim 5 wherein said generating of a residue data set includes: delaying said quantized data set resulting from a previous frame until said current quantized data set is generated; and subtracting said quantized data set resulting from a previous frame from said current quantized data set, said difference constituting the residue data set.

Claim 8

A method according to claim 6 wherein said inter-frame coding further includes: entropy encoding said residue data set, said entropy encoding resulting in a inter-frame coded data set.

Claim 9

A method according to claim 6 wherein said delaying is controlled by a signaling switch.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 1 further comprising: decoding said inter-frame coded and inter-frame coded data arranged in a sequence of frames.

Claim 11

A method according to claim 9 further wherein said decoding includes: entropy decoding a current frame of said data, said entropy decoded data constituting intermediate output data if said frame was intra-frame encoded.

Claim 12

A method according to claim 10 wherein if said frame is inter-frame encoded, adding intermediate output data generated by a previous frame with said entropy decoded data from said current frame, the sum constituting said intermediate output data.

Claim 13

A method according to claim 11 wherein said decoding further includes: inverse quantizing said intermediate output data; and performing an inverse two-dimensional Discrete Wavelet Transform upon said inverse quantized intermediate output data, the result constituting an approximation of the video frame prior to encoding.

Claim 16

An apparatus according to claim 13 which further causes: decoding said intra-frame coded and inter-frame coded data.

Claim 19

An apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said subtraction unit subtracts LL sub-bands to control a rate of quantization.

Claim 20

An encoder comprising: a Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) module that transforms by discrete wavelets data of an input video frame; a quantization module coupled to said DWT module that quantizes said transformed data; a subtraction unit coupled to receive said quantized data from a current frame and one of quantized data from a previous frame and a null input, wherein said subtraction unit generates residue data therefrom; and a signaling switch that sends said quantized data from a previous frame to said subtraction unit when said signaling switch is activated.

Claim 21

An encoder comprising: a Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) module that transforms by discrete wavelets data of an input video frame; a quantization module coupled to said DWT module that quantizes said transformed data; a subtraction unit coupled to receive said quantized data from a current frame and one of quantized data from a previous frame and a null input, wherein said subtraction unit generates residue data therefrom; and a signaling switch that sends said quantized data from a previous frame to said subtraction unit when said signaling switch is activated.

Claim 22

An encoder according to claim 17 , wherein said encoder performs intra-frame coding of said residue data when said signaling switch is deactivated.

Claim 23

An encoder according to claim 17 , wherein said encoder performs inter-frame coding of said residue data when said signaling switch is activated.

Claim 24

A decoder comprising: an entropy decoder module coupled to entropy decode a data set; an accumulator unit coupled to receive said entropy decoded data and one of entropy decoded data from a previous frame and a null input, wherein said accumulator unit generates a whole quantized frame of data; a signaling switch that sends said entropy decoded data from a previous frame to said accumulator unit when said signaling switch is activated; an inverse quantization module that inverse quantizes said whole quantized frame of data; and an inverse Discrete Wavelet Transform module that transforms by inverse discrete wavelets said whole quantized frame of data into a whole image frame.

Claim 25

A decoder comprising: an entropy decoder module coupled to entropy decode a data set; an accumulator unit coupled to receive said entropy decoded data and one of entropy decoded data from a previous frame and a null input, wherein said accumulator unit generates a whole quantized frame of data; a signaling switch that sends said entropy decoded data from a previous frame to said accumulator unit when said signaling switch is activated; an inverse quantization module that inverse quantizes said whole quantized frame of data; and an inverse Discrete Wavelet Transform module that transforms by inverse discrete wavelets said whole quantized frame of data into a whole image frame.

Claim 28

A system according to claim 21 wherein said entropy encoder module performs inter-frame encoding when said first signaling switch is deactivated.

Claim 29

A system according to claim 21 wherein said entropy encoder module performs intra-frame encoding when said first signaling switch is activated.

Claim 30

A system according to claim 21 wherein said encoder further comprises a Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) module that transforms by discrete wavelets data of an input image frame.

Claim 31

A system according to claim 24 wherein said encoder further comprises a quantization module coupled to said DWT module that quantizes said transformed data.

Claim 32

A system according to claim 25 wherein said encoder further comprises a subtraction unit coupled to receive said quantized data from a current frame and one of quantized data from said previous frame and a null input, wherein said subtraction unit generates residue data therefrom.

Claim 33

A system according to claim 26 wherein said encoder further comprises an entropy encoder module that entropy encodes said residue data.

Claim 34

A system according to claim 27 wherein said decoder further comprises an entropy decoder module that decodes said entropy encoded data.

Claim 35

A system according to claim 28 wherein said decoder further comprises an accumulator unit coupled to receive said entropy decoded data and one of entropy decoded data from said previous frame and a null input, wherein said accumulator unit generates a reconstructed quantized frame of data.

Claim 36

A system according to claim 29 wherein said decoder further comprises an inverse quantization module that inverse quantizes said reconstructed quantized frame of data.

Claim 37

A system according to claim 30 wherein said decoder further comprises an inverse Discrete Wavelet Transform module adapted to transform by inverse discrete wavelets said reconstructed quantized frame of data into an output image frame.