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: 11019257
    Abstract: In a system for 360 degree video capture and playback, 360 degree video may be captured, stitched, encoded, decoded, rendered, and played-back. In one or more implementations, a stitching device may be configured to stitch the 360 degree video using an intermediate coordinate system between an input picture coordinate system and a capture coordinate system. In one or more implementations, the stitching device may be configured to stitch the 360 degree video into at least two different projection formats using a projection format decision, and an encoding device may be configured to encode the stitched 360 degree video with signaling that indicates the at least two different projection formats. In one or more implementations, the stitching device may be configured to stitch the 360 degree video with multiple viewing angles, and a rendering device may be configured to render the decoded bitstream using one or more suggested viewing angles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte. Limited
    Inventors: Minhua Zhou, Xuemin Chen, Brian A. Heng
  • Patent number: 10999601
    Abstract: A method of compressing digital image data is provided that includes selecting an entropy code for encoding a line of pixels in the digital image data, wherein the entropy code is selected from a plurality of variable length entropy codes, using spatial prediction to compute a pixel predictor and a pixel residual for a pixel in the line of pixels, and selectively encoding the pixel residual using one of the entropy code or run mode encoding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Ying Chen, Madhukar Budagavi, Minhua Zhou
  • Patent number: 10992948
    Abstract: Motion compensation requires a significant amount of memory bandwidth, especially for smaller prediction unit sizes. The worst case bandwidth requirements can occur when bi-predicted 4×8 or 8×4 PUs are used. To reduce the memory bandwidth requirements for such smaller PUs, methods are provided for restricting inter-coded PUs of small block sizes to be coded only in a uni-predictive mode, i.e., forward prediction or backward prediction. More specifically, PUs of specified restricted sizes in bi-predicted slices (B slices) are forced to be uni-predicted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Patent number: 10992932
    Abstract: A method for encoding a picture of a video sequence in a bit stream that reduces slice header parsing overhead is provided. The method includes determining weighting factors that may be used for weighted prediction in encoding at least one slice of the picture, wherein a total number of the weighting factors is constrained to not exceed a predetermined threshold number of weighting factors, wherein the threshold number is less than a maximum possible number of weighting factors, and signaling weighted prediction parameters including the weighting factors in a slice header in the bit stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20210105489
    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: December 14, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Patent number: 10972734
    Abstract: A method is provided that includes receiving a coded largest coding unit in a video decoder, wherein the coded largest coding unit includes a coded coding unit structure and a plurality of coded quantization parameters, and decoding the coded largest coding unit based on the coded coding unit structure and the plurality of coded quantization parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Minhua Zhou, Mehmet Umut Demircin, Madhukar Budagavi
  • Publication number: 20210099717
    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: December 14, 2020
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20210099719
    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: December 14, 2020
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Patent number: 10965951
    Abstract: A pipeline video decoder with memory latency management includes memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The processor converts a received bitstream into symbol data including pixel data and intra-prediction and inter-prediction control parameters. The processor generates decoder-pipeline region (DPR)-based coarse motion data based on the inter-prediction control parameters. The processor further fetches one or more reference blocks associated with a current prediction unit (PU) of a DPR based on the coarse motion data, and generates decoded motion data based on the inter-prediction control parameters and refined motion data. The refined motion data is generated based on the decoded motion data and the one or more reference blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte. Limited
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20210092419
    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: December 8, 2020
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Patent number: 10939113
    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: June 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20210058645
    Abstract: A method is provided that includes receiving pictures of a video sequence in a video encoder, and encoding the pictures to generate a compressed video bit stream that is transmitted to a video decoder in real-time, wherein encoding the pictures includes selecting a picture to be encoded as a delayed duplicate intra-predicted picture (DDI), wherein the picture would otherwise be encoded as an inter-predicted picture (P-picture), encoding the picture as an intra-predicted picture (I-picture) to generate the DDI, wherein the I-picture is reconstructed and stored for use as a reference picture for a decoder refresh picture, transmitting the DDI to the video decoder in non-real time, selecting a subsequent picture to be encoded as the decoder refresh picture, and encoding the subsequent picture in the compressed bit stream as the decoder refresh picture, wherein the subsequent P-picture is encoded as a P-picture predicted using the reference picture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2020
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Inventors: Ranga Ramanujam Srinivasan, Chaitanya Satish Ghone, Mihir Narendra Mody, Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20210037263
    Abstract: Deblocking filtering is provided in which an 8×8 filtering block covering eight sample vertical and horizontal boundary segments is divided into filtering sub-blocks that can be independently processed. To process the vertical boundary segment, the filtering block is divided into top and bottom 8×4 filtering sub-blocks, each covering a respective top and bottom half of the vertical boundary segment. To process the horizontal boundary segment, the filtering block is divided into left and right 4×8 filtering sub-blocks, each covering a respective left and right half of the horizontal boundary segment. The computation of the deviation d for a boundary segment in a filtering sub-block is performed using only samples from rows or columns in the filtering sub-block. Consequently, the filter on/off decisions and the weak/strong filtering decisions of the deblocking filtering are performed using samples contained within individual filtering blocks, thus allowing full parallel processing of the filtering blocks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Publication date: February 4, 2021
    Inventors: Mangesh Devidas Sadafale, Minhua Zhou
  • Patent number: 10904508
    Abstract: In a system for 360 degree video capture and playback, 360 degree video may be captured, stitched, encoded, decoded, rendered, and played-back. A device for video coding with adaptive projection format may include at least one processor configured to combine at least two different projection formats into a combined projection format and encode a video stream using the combined projection format. The at least one processor may be further configured to decode a video stream that is encoded with a combined projection formation that includes at least two different projection formats.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL SALES PTE. LIMITED
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Patent number: 10893284
    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: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20210006811
    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: September 11, 2020
    Publication date: January 7, 2021
    Inventors: Veeramanikandan Raju, Wei Hong, Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20210006789
    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: September 21, 2020
    Publication date: January 7, 2021
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20200404295
    Abstract: A method for encoding a video sequence is provided that includes signaling in the compressed bit stream that a subset of a plurality of partitioning modes is used for inter-prediction of a portion of the video sequence, using only the subset of partitioning modes for prediction of the portion of the video sequence, and entropy encoding partitioning mode syntax elements corresponding to the portion of the video sequence, wherein at least one partitioning mode syntax element is binarized according to a pre-determined binarization corresponding to the subset of partitioning modes, wherein the pre-determined binarization differs from a pre-determined binarization for the least one partitioning mode syntax element that would be used if the plurality of partitioning modes is used for inter-prediction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2020
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20200396468
    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: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Publication date: December 17, 2020
    Inventor: Minhua Zhou
  • Patent number: 10869064
    Abstract: A method is provided that includes receiving pictures of a video sequence in a video encoder, and encoding the pictures to generate a compressed video bit stream that is transmitted to a video decoder in real-time, wherein encoding the pictures includes selecting a picture to be encoded as a delayed duplicate intra-predicted picture (DDI), wherein the picture would otherwise be encoded as an inter-predicted picture (P-picture), encoding the picture as an intra-predicted picture (I-picture) to generate the DDI, wherein the I-picture is reconstructed and stored for use as a reference picture for a decoder refresh picture, transmitting the DDI to the video decoder in non-real time, selecting a subsequent picture to be encoded as the decoder refresh picture, and encoding the subsequent picture in the compressed bit stream as the decoder refresh picture, wherein the subsequent P-picture is encoded as a P-picture predicted using the reference picture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Ranga Ramanujam Srinivasan, Chaitanya Satish Ghone, Mihir Narendra Mody, Minhua Zhou