Abstract: A picture synthesizing apparatus, and method for synthesizing a moving picture of a person’s face having mouth-shape variations from a train of input characters, wherein the method steps comprise developing from the train of input character a train of phonemes, utilizing a speech synthesis technique outputting, for each phoneme, a corresponding vocal sound feature including articulation mode and its duration of each corresponding phoneme of the train of phonemes. Determining for each phoneme a mouth-shape feature corresponding to each phoneme on the basis of the corresponding vocal sound feature, the mouth-shape feature including the degree of opening of the mouth, the degree of roundness of the lips, the height of the lower jaw in a raised and a lowered position, and the degree to which the tongue is seen.

Abstract: It is sought to provide a coding apparatus which permits high efficiency coding of bi-level images with black-and-white pixels halftoned with error diffusion algorithm. An image input/pixel selection unit selects, from an input image as a bi-level image with black-and-white pixels halftoned with error diffusion algorithm, first selected pixels with respect to a pixel "?" to be coded and second selected pixels as peripheral pixels with respect to the first selected pixels. The first selected pixels are fed to a pixel pattern binary scale translator for translation into a binary number. The second selected pixels, on the other hand, is fed to a pixel value adder for counting of black pixels. The count is fed to a binary scale translator for translation into a binary number. The binary number outputs of the pixel pattern binary scale translator and the binary scale translator are combined to be input to an address input terminal of a ROM having a coding information table.

Abstract: A moving image with a plurality of continuous frames is processed by using a plurality of image processing units (5-1 through 5-n), which operate simultaneously. A frame identification designator (4) attaches an identification number cyclically to each frame of the input image signal. A frame identification selector (6) in each image processing unit inputs an image frame selectively based upon the identification number, and transfers the selected frame to a corresponding image processing module. The image processing units (5-1 through 5-n) typically carry out either the same processing on respective image frames, or a plurality of processing to a single frame. An additional processor network (8) may be coupled with the image processing units for high-level processing including recognition and/or understanding of an image.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for forming an interpolated image corresponding to a given temporal distance ratio between a first and a second image including respectively, a first image in which the first and second images include a first and a second 3-D shape model of an object having respective shading values and that there is a 3-D motion vector defining the transformation between the first and the second 3-D shape models. The method includes: a) adjusting the interpolation 3-D motion vector (Vab) to obtain an interpolation 3-D motion vector (vi); b) forming an interpolation 3-D shape model (Mi) from the interpolation 3-D motion vector (Vi) and either the first or the second 3-D shape model (Ma,Mb); and c) forming an interpolation image from the interpolation 3-D shape model and the image shaping values from the first and second 3-D shape models.

Abstract: A system for detecting three-dimensional motion of a three-dimensional object by obtaining, for each block, a velocity vector from two temporally successive images of a moving picture including the three-dimensional object.

Abstract: An intelligent coding system for a picture signal is disclosed, in which a feature picture representing features of a picture is produced on the basis of an input picture signal, information of the position and the shape of each element forming the picture is extracted from the feature picture and then the information thus extracted is organized concisely by a small number of parameters. According to another aspect of the present invention, consistency (or continuity) of variations in the position and the shape of each element can be held throughout a continuation of frames of motion picture signals.

Abstract: A moving image is coded through a waveform coding predictor (2), and a model-based coding predictor (3) which is mainly applicable to a head portion of a person, the coded outputs of said two predictors are compared (5) with an input current image for each block element which has for instance 8.times.8 or 16.times.16 pixels. A block element coded for the smaller difference from an input current image is taken, and is transmitted to a receiving side through differential coding (6,7). As the information compression ratio is high, a moving image can be transmitted through conventional telephone line, or a narrow band circuit.

Abstract: In an image coding system having a plurality of coding characteristics, such as quantization characteristics, information of a digital image signal sequence is monitored in each of a number of predetermined intervals by forming a histogram of a sequence of coefficients which is calculated from the digital image signal sequence in accordance with each of the coding characteristics. The amount of information is calculated by summing up the coefficients in relation to every one of the coding characteristics. An optimum one of the coding characteristics is indicated by the coding control circuit to code the coefficient sequence into a sequence of coded signals in accordance with the optimum coding characteristic. The coefficient sequence in each frame may be divided into a sequence of blocks each of which is judged to be either valid or invalid in relation to each coding characteristic. Results of judgement may be included in the amount of information.

Abstract: A system of coding moving image signals produces a predictive error signal by a predictive coding based on inter-frame correlation and quantizing the predictive error signal for each block of a picture frame constituted by N lines of M pixels. The system includes a block coding/non-coding decision unit for calculating a first evaluation value Sm of the predictive error signal for each block of the picture frame. This unit decides that block non-coding is applicable when the first evaluation value Sm is less than a first threshold value T.sub.1 and that block coding is applicable when the first evaluation value Sm is greater than the first threshold value T.sub.1. The predictive error signal is not transmitted when the result of the decision is for block non-coding, and the predictive error signal is quantized and transmitted when the result of the decision is for block coding.

Abstract: For decoding by the use of a decoder buffer memory an encoded video signal into which an encoder input signal is encoded with data compression on a basis of frames, a decoding device comprises a control signal producing unit for delivering a decoder control signal to a decoder when the frame of data written into the buffer memory coincides with the frame of data read out of the buffer memory. Responsive to the control signal, the decoder produces a supply control signal to the buffer memory to stop delivery of the read-out data to the decoder. Preferably, the decoding device should comprise a processing unit for producing frame pulses at heads of the respective frames of the encoded video signal. A counter counts the frame head pulses to make the write-in data and the read-out data indicate frame numbers for use in the signal producing unit. Alternatively, the decoding device may receive an encoded video signal in which frame number data are included for use in the signal producing unit.

Abstract: A motion vector V.sub.x of a picture block X between a current input picture and a preceding frame picture is corrected to V.sub.p, when said motion vector V.sub.x differs from a motion vector V.sub.r of adjacent blocks of said current input block, and (S.sub.v.sbsb.x <T.sub.hl, and S.sub.v.sbsb.p .gtoreq.T.sub.h2) is not satisfied, where S.sub.v.sbsb.x is a block difference of the block X between the current frame F.sub.0 and the preceding frame f.sub.2 for said motion vector V.sub.x, V.sub.p is one of motion vectors V.sub.r giving the minimum value of S.sub.v.sbsb.r, and S.sub.v.sbsb.p is a block difference for said v.sub.p. The present invention provides correct motion vector of a moving object on a screen irrespective of noise in a picture signal and sudden intensity change. The present invention is applicable to a frame interpolation in a television standard system conversion system, and an efficient coding of a television signal.

Abstract: A coded picture signal re-quantization system, in which a parameter such as a variance or a mean value of picture element values in a region to be re-quantized is calculated on the basis of sub-sampled picture element values and, according to this parameter, a quantizer is adaptively varied for each region and, further, quantization of thinned-out picture elements is performed or stopped as required, thereby effecting conditional re-quantization.

Abstract: A system for detecting the vector of motion of a moving object on a picture screen, in which there is prepared, in addition to a picture memory for storing picture signals, a background memory for storing background picture signals. From the background memory, picture elements of a block #0b which lies at the same position on the screen as the current input block are read out and an inter-block difference B(#0', #0b) between the current input block #0' and the block #0b is calculated. If this gives rise to an uncovered background, then the above inter-block difference B(#0', #0b) between the picture memory and the background memory becomes smaller than any other inter-block differences (that is, the degree of similarity becomes the highest), and consequently, it is possible to judge that a new background portion has appeared.

Abstract: A TV signal median prediction coding system in which a prediction value of a picture element to be coded is obtained from information of an already coded picture element and a difference between the prediction value and the value of the picture element to be coded is coded. In accordance with the present invention there is provided a storage section having a capacity large enough to store input TV signals of at least one frame at all times; an intrafield prediction section which, when supplied with a value X.sub.1 of the latest input picture element of the TV signal, produces a prediction value X.sub.1N of the latest input picture element using a value of a picture element of the same field as the latest input picture element, read out from the storage section; an interfield prediction section which, when supplied with the value X.sub.1 of the latest input picture element, produces a prediction value X.sub.

Abstract: An adaptive predictive coding system for television signals, in which noting the movement of a picture, adopts the inter-frame prediction value in a case of the picture being decided to be a still picture and, in other cases, compares the inter-frame, into-field and intra-field prediction values with each other in terms of magnitude taking into account the quantity of movement of the picture and adopts the prediction value which would not make the coding efficiency the worst, spo that a stable and high coding efficiency can be achieved.

Abstract: An inter-frame adaptive prediction system for television signals is disclosed in which a prediction value P.sub.1 for a picture element 1 in the current field is newly produced, through using prediction values P.sub.OPT and P.sub.MED obtained by the following two procedures.In a first procedure, the intra-field prediction (a prediction value X.sub.N), the inter-field prediction (a prediction value X.sub.K) and the inter-frame prediction (a prediction value X.sub.F) are performed for a picture element temporally ahead of the picture element in the current field F.sub.0, for instance, the picture element 2, and a prediction circuit which yields a prediction value closer to the picture element value X.sub.2 of the picture element 2 than the prediction values of any other prediction parts is selected, and a prediction value X.sub.1S for the picture element 1 obtainable from the selected prediction circuit is obtained and is used as the prediction value P.sub.OPT.

Abstract: A television signal coding system which achieves stable coding efficiency in both stationary and moving picture. This invention is directed to such a predictive coding system in which for predicting a first picture element in a certain field, use is made of sampled values of a second picture element lying next to the first picture element on the left on the same line and picture elements in the same field such as the third and fourth picture elements lying on the line second as counted upwardly from the line of the first picture element and sampled values of picture elements on the line immediately underlying the line of the first and second picture elements but in the previous field. In this invention, a comparison operation is made between restored values obtained by the intra-field predictive coding and the inter-field predictive coding, and one of coders which has provided a restored value closer to a true picture element value is adaptively used as an input signal coder.