Patents by Inventor Minhua Zhou

Minhua Zhou has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11616955
    Abstract: A method includes encoding, by a encoder, a video frame of a versatile-video coding (VVC) video-compression system. The encoder generates/uses tile information associated with a video frame, determines for a slice that the slice is a subset or a superset of a tile based on the tile information, determines slice parameters associated with the slice, and signals the slice parameters associated with the slice. In other aspects, a method may include retrieving, by a decoder of a video-compression system, tile information associated with a video frame, determining, for a slice, that the slice is a subset or a superset of a tile based on the tile information, determining slice parameters associated with the slice, and decoding the video frame using the determined slice parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL SALES PTE. LIMITED
    Inventors: Wade Keith Wan, Minhua Zhou, Timothy Moore Hellman, Peisong Chen, Brian Allen Heng
  • Patent number: 11606580
    Abstract: A method for sample adaptive offset (SAO) filtering and SAO parameter signaling in a video encoder is provided that includes determining SAO parameters for largest coding units (LCUs) of a reconstructed picture, wherein the SAO parameters include an indicator of an SAO filter type and a plurality of SAO offsets, applying SAO filtering to the reconstructed picture according to the SAO parameters, and entropy encoding LCU specific SAO information for each LCU of the reconstructed picture in an encoded video bit stream, wherein the entropy encoded LCU specific SAO information for the LCUs is interleaved with entropy encoded data for the LCUs in the encoded video bit stream. Determining SAO parameters may include determining the LCU specific SAO information to be entropy encoded for each LCU according to an SAO prediction protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Vivienne Sze, Madhukar Budagavi, Woo-Shik Kim, Do-Kyoung Kwon, Minhua Zhou
  • Patent number: 11606573
    Abstract: Methods are provided for inter-prediction candidate index coding independent of the construction of the corresponding inter-prediction candidate list, i.e., a merging candidate list or an advanced motion vector predictor list. A maximum allowed number of inter-prediction candidates for an inter-prediction candidate list is used for encoding the inter-prediction candidate index in an encoded bit stream. The maximum allowed number may be pre-determined or may be selected by the encoder and encoded in the bit stream. A decoder may then decode the index using the maximum allowed number of inter-prediction candidates independent of the construction of the corresponding inter-prediction candidate list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Patent number: 11595673
    Abstract: In some aspects, the disclosure is directed to methods and systems for reducing memory utilization and increasing efficiency during affine merge mode for versatile video coding by utilizing motion vectors stored in a motion data line buffer for a prediction unit of a second coding tree unit neighboring a first coding tree unit to derive control point motion vectors for the first coding tree unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte. Limited
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Patent number: 11589060
    Abstract: A method for coding unit partitioning in a video encoder is provided that includes performing intra-prediction on each permitted coding unit (CU) in a CU hierarchy of a largest coding unit (LCU) to determine an intra-prediction coding cost for each permitted CU, storing the intra-prediction coding cost for each intra-predicted CU in memory, and performing inter-prediction, prediction mode selection, and CU partition selection on each permitted CU in the CU hierarchy to determine a CU partitioning for encoding the LCU, wherein the stored intra-prediction coding costs for the CUs are used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Hyung Joon Kim, Minhua Zhou, Akira Osamoto, Hideo Tamama
  • Patent number: 11589040
    Abstract: A method for derivation of a temporal motion data (TMD) candidate for a prediction unit (PU) in video encoding or video decoding is provided. The derived TMD candidate is for inclusion in an inter-prediction candidate list for the PU. The method includes determining a primary TMD position relative to a co-located PU in a co-located largest coding unit (LCU), wherein the co-located PU is a block in a reference picture having a same size, shape, and coordinates as the PU, and selecting at least some motion data of a secondary TMD position as the TMD candidate when the primary TMD position is in a bottom neighboring LCU or in a bottom right neighboring LCU of the co-located LCU, wherein the secondary TMD position is determined relative to the co-located PU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20230024037
    Abstract: A system for non-reference video-quality prediction includes a video-processing block to receive an input bitstream and to generate a first vector, and a neural network to provide a predicted-quality vector after being trained using training data. The training data includes the first vector and a second vector, and elements of the first vector include high-level features extracted from a high-level syntax processing of the input bitstream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2021
    Publication date: January 26, 2023
    Inventor: Minhua ZHOU
  • Patent number: 11563950
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for parsing friendly and error resilient merge flag coding in video coding are provided. In some methods, in contrast to merging candidate list size dependent coding of the merge flag in the prior art, a merge flag is always encoded in the encoded bit stream for each inter-predicted prediction unit (PU) that is not encoded using skip mode. In some methods, in contrast to the prior art that allowed the merging candidate list to be empty, one or more zero motion vector merging candidates formatted according to the prediction type of the slice containing a PU are added to the merging candidate list if needed to ensure that the list is not empty and/or to ensure that the list contains a maximum number of merging candidates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20220377362
    Abstract: From a bit stream, at least the following are decoded: a stereoscopic image of first and second views; a maximum positive disparity between the first and second views; and a minimum negative disparity between the first and second views. In response to the maximum positive disparity violating a limit on positive disparity, a convergence plane of the stereoscopic image is adjusted to comply with the limit on positive disparity. In response to the minimum negative disparity violating a limit on negative disparity, the convergence plane is adjusted to comply with the limit on negative disparity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2022
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Inventors: Veeramanikandan Raju, Wei Hong, Minhua Zhou
  • Patent number: 11490105
    Abstract: From a bit stream, at least the following are decoded: a stereoscopic image of first and second views; a maximum positive disparity between the first and second views; and a minimum negative disparity between the first and second views. In response to the maximum positive disparity violating a limit on positive disparity, a convergence plane of the stereoscopic image is adjusted to comply with the limit on positive disparity. In response to the minimum negative disparity violating a limit on negative disparity, the convergence plane is adjusted to comply with the limit on negative disparity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Veeramanikandan Raju, Wei Hong, Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20220329808
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for sub-picture based raster scanning coding order. The method includes dividing an image into even sub-pictures, and encoding parallel sub-pictures on multi-cores in raster scanning order within sub-pictures, wherein from core to core, coding of the sub-picture is independent around sub-picture boundaries, and wherein within a core, coding of a sub-picture is at least one of dependent or independent around sub-picture boundaries.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2022
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20220295100
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a low complexity transform unit partitioning structure for High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). The method includes determining prediction unit size of a coding unit, and setting the size of transform unit size of Y, U and V according to the prediction unit size of the coding unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20220286676
    Abstract: A method for encoding a picture of a video sequence in a bit stream that constrains tile processing overhead is provided. The method includes computing a maximum tile rate for the video sequence, computing a maximum number of tiles for the picture based on the maximum tile rate, and encoding the picture wherein a number of tiles used to encode the picture is enforced to be no more than the maximum number of tiles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2022
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20220286698
    Abstract: A method for decoding a compressed video bit stream in a video decoder to recover a video sequence, the video decoder including a plurality of decoder processing cores is provided. The method includes determining that a picture is encoded in the compressed bit stream as a pre-determined number of independently encoded sub-pictures, and dispatching a first encoded sub-picture of the pre-determined number of sub-pictures to a first decoder processing core of the plurality of decoder processing cores and a second encoded sub-picture of the pre-determined number of sub-pictures to a second decoder processing core of the plurality of decoder processing cores, wherein the first encoded sub-picture and the second encoded sub-picture are independently decoded in parallel on the respective first and second decoder processing cores.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2022
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20220272328
    Abstract: A method for derivation of a temporal motion data (TMD) candidate for a prediction unit (PU) in video encoding or video decoding is provided. The derived TMD candidate is for inclusion in an inter-prediction candidate list for the PU. The method includes determining a primary TMD position relative to a co-located PU in a co-located largest coding unit (LCU), wherein the co-located PU is a block in a reference picture having a same size, shape, and coordinates as the PU, and selecting at least some motion data of a secondary TMD position as the TMD candidate when the primary TMD position is in a bottom neighboring LCU or in a bottom right neighboring LCU of the co-located LCU, wherein the secondary TMD position is determined relative to the co-located PU.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2022
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Patent number: 11425383
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for sub-picture based raster scanning coding order. The method includes dividing an image into even sub-pictures, and encoding parallel sub-pictures on multi-cores in raster scanning order within sub-pictures, wherein from core to core, coding of the sub-picture is independent around sub-picture boundaries, and wherein within a core, coding of a sub-picture is at least one of dependent or independent around sub-picture boundaries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20220264116
    Abstract: A method for coding a video sequence is provided that includes encoding a portion of a picture in the video sequence in lossless coding mode, and signaling a lossless coding indicator in a compressed bit stream, wherein the lossless coding indicator corresponds to the portion of a picture and indicates whether or not the portion of the picture is losslessly coded. A method for decoding a compressed video bit stream is provided that includes determining that lossless coding mode is enabled, decoding a lossless coding indicator from the compressed video bit stream, wherein the lossless coding indicator corresponds to a portion of a picture in the compressed video bit stream and indicates whether or not the portion of the picture is losslessly coded, and decoding the portion of the picture in lossless coding mode when the lossless coding indicator indicates the portion of the picture is losslessly coded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2022
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20220232204
    Abstract: Video encoding or decoding includes performing affine motion compensation in an affine mode in which a prediction unit (“PU”) of the digital video coded in the affine mode uses inter prediction and a reference block bounding box size and determining whether the reference block bounding size exceeds a predefined threshold. In response to a determination that the reference block bounding size exceeds the predefined threshold, the affine motion compensation is performed using a first motion compensation operation. In response to a determination that the reference block bounding size does not exceed the predefined threshold, the affine motion compensation is performed using a second motion compensation operation that is different from the first motion compensation operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Publication date: July 21, 2022
    Inventor: Minhua ZHOU
  • Patent number: 11388440
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a low complexity transform unit partitioning structure for High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). The method includes determining prediction unit size of a coding unit, and setting the size of transform unit size of Y, U and V according to the prediction unit size of the coding unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20220210424
    Abstract: In the subject architecture flexible binary arithmetic coding system, coding circuitry of an electronic device may receive video data that is to be coded (e.g., to be encoded or decoded) by binary arithmetic coding. The coding circuitry may also compute at least one of a least probable symbol (LPS) range or a most probable symbol (VIPS) range based on a multiplication operation (e.g., without performing a table look-up operation). The coding circuitry may perform binary arithmetic coding on the video data using the at least one of the LPS range or the MPS range. The computation of the LPS range and/or the MPS range using the multiplication operation may have a lower computational cost than using a table look-up operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2022
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Inventor: Minhua ZHOU