US 7,574,062 B2
Image processing apparatus and method capable of finely adjusting data compression rate
Yutaka Sato, Osaka (Japan); Yukio Kadowaki, Nara (Japan); and Kazuhiro Miyazaki, Kanagawa (Japan)
Assigned to Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)
Appl. No. 10/495,855
PCT Filed Jun. 03, 2003, PCT No. PCT/JP03/07034
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date May 17, 2004,
PCT Pub. No. WO2004/004313, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 08, 2004.
Claims priority of application No. 2002-187543 (JP), filed on Jun. 27, 2002.
Prior Publication US 2004/0264783 A1, Dec. 30, 2004
Int. Cl. G06K 9/36 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 382—239  [382/251; 382/232] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image processing apparatus comprising:
a coding part that performs coding on image data based on a result or decomposing the image data into bit planes block by block;
a quantization part that reduces values of image data of a predetermined block to be compressed at an increased rate, the quantization part being provided at an earlier stage than the coding part; and
a transform part configured to perform a discrete wavelet transform to said image data to obtain wavelet coefficients including first blocks of higher-frequency components and second blocks of lower-frequency components,
wherein said quantization part includes a multiplier part configured to multiply a wavelet coefficient by a scaling factor,
wherein said multiplier part multiplies wavelet coefficients in said second blocks of lower-frequency components by a second scaling factor, and multiplies wavelet coefficients in the blocks of higher-frequency components by a first scaling factor that is lower than said second scaling factor applied to wavelet coefficients in said second blocks of lower-frequency components, and
wherein the quantization part further comprises:
a counter configured to receive said wavelet coefficients and output a count value;
a first comparator configured to receive said count value and a first reference value and output a first comparator signal;
a second comparator configured to receive said count value and a second reference value and output a second comparator signal; and
a selector configured to receive the first comparator signal and the second comparator signal, and outputs a scaling factor to said multiplier part in accordance with the first comparator signal and the second comparator signal.