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Information transmission method and encoding/decoding apparatus and encoding-multiplexing/decoding-demultiplexing apparatus in information transmission system to which information transmission method is appliedRelated Patent Categories: Multiplex Communications, Communication Techniques For Information Carried In Plural Channels, Combining Or Distributing Information Via Time Channels, SynchronizingInformation transmission method and encoding/decoding apparatus and encoding-multiplexing/decoding-demultiplexing apparatus in information transmission system to which information transmission method is applied description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060062257, Information transmission method and encoding/decoding apparatus and encoding-multiplexing/decoding-demultiplexing apparatus in information transmission system to which information transmission method is applied. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a data transmission method of transmitting an encoded video picture/still picture by using a wire communication network such as an ISDN or Internet or a radio communication network such as a PHS network or a satellite communication network and an encoding/decoding apparatus in a data transmission system to which the method is applied. BACKGROUND ART [0002] With the recent advances in the techniques of performing digital encoding of various types of information such as picture information and the broadband network techniques, applications using these techniques have been increasingly developed, and systems for transmitting compress-encoded pictures and the like by using communication networks have been developed. [0003] For example, a videophone, a teleconference system, and a digital television broadcast use a technique of compress-encoding video information and speech information to small information amounts, multiplexing the compressed video code stream, the compressed voice code stream, and other data code streams into one code stream, and transmitting/storing it. [0004] As video signal compress-encoding techniques, motion compensation, discrete cosine transform (DCT), sub-band encoding, pyramid encoding, variable word-length encoding, and the like and schemes combining these techniques have been developed. The national standard schemes for video encoding include ISO MPEG1, MPEG2, ITU-T H.261, H.262, and H.263. The national standard schemes for multiplexing code streams obtained by compressing video signals and speech/audio signals and other data include the ISO MPEG system, ITU-TH.221 and H.223. [0005] In a conventional video encoding scheme such as one of the above video encoding national standard schemes, a video signal is segmented into frames, and each frame is further segmented into small regions, thus encoding the signal in units of GOBs, macroblocks, or the like. Header information indicating the encoding mode and the like is added to each frame, GOB, and macroblock. These pieces of header information are always required to decode the overall GOBs and the like. If, therefore, a transmission path/storage medium error is introduced into header information to cause a decoding failure in a video decoder, the overall frame, GOB, or the like to which the header information is added cannot be properly decoded. As a result, the quality of the reconstructed picture in the video decoder greatly deteriorates. [0006] When compress-encoded picture data is to be transmitted by using a communication network, the reception side must decode the data to reconstruct significant information from the transmitted bit stream of "0"s and "1" s. For this purpose, the above header information plays a very important role as information indicating a specific rule under which a predetermined block of bit streams is encoded. Such header information contains, for example, information indicating the prediction type of the currently encoded frame (intraframe encoding, interframe encoding, or the like), information indicating the display timing (time reference) of the frame, step size information required for quantization, and the like. If these pieces of header information are lost, information transmitted afterward cannot be properly decoded. [0007] Assume that an error is introduced into a bit stream owing to some cause to change information indicating the prediction type of a frame from interframe encoding to intraframe encoding. In this case, even if actual information is properly transmitted afterward, since it is determined on the decoding side that the signal is obtained as a result of intraframe encoding, the signal is not properly decoded in the end. The quality of the reconstructed picture in the video decoder therefore greatly deteriorates. [0008] Systems using wire communication networks have been prevalent to date. Even systems using radio communication systems have been built on the assumption that they use satellite communication with very low error rates. Sufficient consideration has not therefore been given to error robustness of the structure of a code stream to be transmitted, and satisfactory protection has not been given against transmission path errors in important information such as header information. [0009] In a PHS system which is part of the mainstream of mobile communication, the error rate is about hundred thousand or one million times that in satellite communication. For this reason, sufficient correction cannot be performed by only error correction with respect to bit streams encoded by a conventional technique. In an Internet system which is expected to become part of the mainstream of communication like a PHS system, the types of errors that are likely to occur in data have not been statistically clarified, and hence proper error correction cannot be performed in some case. Furthermore, in the PHS and Internet systems, part of information in a code stream may be lost. Theoretically, error correction cannot cope with such a case. For this reason, the structure of a code stream itself needs to have error robustness. [0010] As described above, satisfactory consideration has not been given to error robustness of the structure of a code stream to be transmitted. Satisfactory consideration about transmission path errors has not been given to important information such as header information, in particular, whose picture quality greatly deteriorates when a transmission path error is introduced therein. [0011] It is an object of the present invention to provide an information transmission method capable of decoding a picture signal with high quality, even if a transmission path error is introduced into important information such as header information, by providing error robustness for the structure of a code stream itself, and an encoding/decoding apparatus in an information transmission system to which the method is applied. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION [0012] According to the present invention, there is provided an information transmission method comprising causing a transmission side to transmit reconstruction information required to reconstruct contents of header information or part of the header in formation upon adding the reconstruction information to encoded information, causing a reception side to perform an error check with respect to the header information or part of the header information, and decoding the encoded information by using the reconstruction information as a substitute when an error is detected by the error check. [0013] According to the present invention, there is provided an information transmission method of transmitting reconstructing information for reconstructing the contents of header information required to reconstruct encoded information or the contents of part of the information after adding the reconstruction information to a data stream, and decoding the data stream by using the reconstruction information as a substitute when an error is detected in the header information or part of the information on a reception side. [0014] According to this information transmission method, even if an error is introduced into header information, and the header information cannot be used for decoding processing, the decoding processing can be properly continued by using information designated by designation information as a substitute. As reconstruction information, header information or part of the header information may be used, the difference information between previously transmitted header information or part thereof and important information to be currently transmitted, or the like may be used. [0015] In addition, according to the present invention, in an information transmission system for segmenting information into two or more layers (e.g., a picture layer, a GOB layer, a macroblock layer, and a block layer), and transmitting a sync signal and header information required for decoding upon adding the sync signal and the header information to each layer, there are provided an encoding apparatus comprising means for inserting designation information having a predetermined pattern in the header information, and means capable of transmitting information which has already been transmitted from an upper layer or part of the information, information which has already been transmitted within the same layer or part of the information, or information capable of reconstructing the contents (the contents of a picture, e.g., a human figure or face) of information which has already been transmitted from the upper layer or within the same layer or the contents of part of the information, and a decoding apparatus corresponding to the encoding apparatus. [0016] According to the present invention, in an information transmission system for transmitting a sync signal and header information required for decoding upon adding the sync signal and the information, there are provided an information transmission system encoding apparatus comprising an insertion section for inserting designation information having a predetermined pattern in the header information, and a transmission section capable of transmitting information which has already been transmitted or part of the information or information capable of reconstructing contents of the information or part of the information, and a decoding apparatus corresponding to the encoding apparatus. [0017] According to the present invention, in an information transmission system for transmitting a sync signal and header information required for decoding upon adding the sync signal and the information, there are provided an encoding apparatus comprising an insertion section for inserting designation information having a predetermined pattern in the header information, and a transmission section capable of transmitting information for changing encoding processing of a portion associated with the header information from encoding processing of a portion before the portion associated with the header information, wherein error robustness is provided for a code stream itself to allow proper decoding processing even if an error occurs in the header information, and a decoding apparatus corresponding to the encoding apparatus. [0018] In the above apparatus, as reconstruction information, transmission of which is indicated by designation information, information required for decoding processing on all the layers is preferably used. In addition, the reconstruction information, transmission of which is indicated by the designation information and information decoded in another section may be combined into information which is required for decoding processing on all the layers. Furthermore, as the bit pattern of designation information, a pattern, of the bit patterns defined as header information other than the designation information, which is not used can be used. Moreover, in transmitting picture information, information that can be transmitted owing to designation information is preferably information indicating the display timing of a frame, information indicating the prediction type of the frame, quantization step size information, or information indicating the time of the picture frame. [0019] According to the present invention, in an encoding apparatus comprising one or more picture encoders for receiving and compress-encoding a picture signal, and a multiplexer for multiplexing a picture code stream output from each of the picture encoders and other data information code streams, and outputting a multiplexing code stream containing a multiplexed header and a multiplexed payload, there is provided an information transmission apparatus comprising an insertion section for inserting header information in the picture code stream or part thereof in the multiplexed header, and a transmission section for adding an error correction/detection code generated from information in the multiplexed header to the multiplexed header, providing error protection for the header information in the picture code stream together with other information associated with multiplexing in the multiplexed header by using an error correction/detection code, and transmitting the header information and other information. [0020] In this encoding apparatus, strong error protection using error correction/detection codes is provided for header information, in a picture code stream, which causes a great deterioration in the quality of the decoded picture upon introduction of an error, together with a multiplexed header. Even if, therefore, a compressed picture is transmitted through a corrupted transmission path/storage medium, high reconstructed picture quality can be obtained. [0021] The header information in the picture code stream which is contained in the multiplexed header may be information indicating the time of the picture frame. With this information, even if the information indicating the time of the picture frame, which is contained in the header information in the picture code stream, is lost, the time information of the picture frame can be decoded from the multiplexed header. Therefore, the decoded picture can be displayed/reconstructed at a proper time, and the correct boundaries between the picture frames in the picture code stream can be detected. Continue reading about Information transmission method and encoding/decoding apparatus and encoding-multiplexing/decoding-demultiplexing apparatus in information transmission system to which information transmission method is applied... 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