Code converting system and method for band compression of digital signals.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

0001The present invention relates to a code converting system for converting a digital signal consisting of a given number of bits into one consisting of a different number of bits, and more particularly to a code converting system suited to encoders for band compression of television signals or the like.

0002One of the known systems for efficiently encoding multi-level signals including television signals is the predictive encoding system disclosed in the U.S. Patent No. 4,133,006 (Reference 1). This encoding system is provided with a code converting system for further efficient encoding of prediction error signals. Such a code converting system by the prior art comprises, as described in the U.S. Patent No. 4,534,055 (Reference 2), a run-length encoder for run-length encoding of the highest occurrence frequency level (level 0 for instance) of prediction error signals and a variable length encoder for variable length encoding of all other levels. The converter of the prior art, however, has the disadvantage that, when the highest occurrence frequency level consecutively emerges, the quantity of information generated becomes too small, resulting in underflow of the buffer memory used in the predictive encoder.

0003To avoid the underflow, by the prior art, compression encoding, such as predictive encoding, is suspended when the occupancy of the buffer memory falls below a certain level, and input signals are transmitted intact as pulse code modulated (PCM) signals. This method, again, has the following three disadvantages: <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>(a) Based on the great difference in quantity of information generated depending on whether or not compression is achieved, the occupancy of the buffer memory will sharply increase. As a result, a rough encoding mode is selected to avoid overflow of the buffer memory, and invites a deterioration of the picture quality of decoded signals.</li><li>(b) The hardware structure is complicated by the control which alters the encoding method.</li><li>(c) The alteration of the encoding method cannot be finely controlled.</li></ul>

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

0004An object of the present invention is to provide a code converting system cleared of the disadvantages stated above and capable of preventing underflow by finely controlling the occupancy of the buffer memory.

0005A converter according to the invention has first code converting means for converting a first code resulting from the encoding of multi-level signals in a prescribed manner into a variable length code, and second converting means for converting the first code into a run-length code. A selector selects either the variable length code or the run-length code in response to a selection signal, and supplies the selected code to a memory. The memory stores the output of the selector, supplies it to a transmission line at a constant speed, and at the same time generates a signal of the memory occupancy by counting the quantity of codes stored therein. A control circuit controls the selector to output the variable length code when the memory occupancy is below a prescribed level.

0006The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

0007<ul id="ul0002" list-style="none"><li>FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one preferred embodiment of the invention;</li><li>FIGS. 2A and 2B are tables showing examples of variable length codes and run length codes for use in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1;</li><li>FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating an example of a controller used in FIG. 1; and</li><li>FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams for describing the operation of the converter according to the invention.</li></ul>

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

0008Referring to FIG. 1, an input terminal 1 receives a prediction error signal e resulting from predictive encoding of a television signal. The prediction error signal corresponds, for instance; to the output of the quantizer 13 shown in FIG. 1 of Reference 1. A variable length encoder 2 converts the prediction error signal e into a variable length code, and supplies it to a multiplexer 3 consisting of a selector.

0009FIG. 2A shows examples of variable length codes. In FIG. 2A, level numbers 0, 1, 2, .... correspond, for instance, to levels 0, 1, 2, ...., and the V code collectively refers to variable length codes V0, V1, V2, .... S in a V code is a polarity bit showing whether the code is positive or negative. Referring again to FIG. 1, a decision making circuit 4 decides whether or not a given prediction error signal is zero, and supplies the decision to a gate circuit 5. Herein, when it is zero, "1" is supplied. The gate circuit 5, in response to an underflow signal supplied from a controller 8 to be described below, feeds the output of the decision making circuit 4 to a run-length encoder 6. The gate circuit 5 also supplies its output as a control signal to the multiplexer 3. The run-length encoder 6 run-length-encodes the output of the decision making circuit 4 according to the table shown in FIG. 2B, and supplies its encoded output to the multiplexer 3. In FIG. 2B, RL represents the run length showing how many bits of the input signal to the run-length encoder 6 stay at a level "1". The multiplexer 3, in response to the control signal from the gate circuit 5, supplies the output of either the run-length encoder 6 or the variable length encoder 2 to a buffer memory 7. Hereupon, the encoder 6 is selected in response to "1", and the endoder 2 is in response to "0". The buffer memory 7, after temporarily storing the encoded outputs of the encoder 6 and 2, outputs them to a transmission line 9 at a constant speed. The buffer memory 7 counts the occupancy from the difference between the write address and the read address, and feeds it to the controller 8. For details on such a buffer memory, reference may be made to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the U.S. Patent No. 4,215,369. The controller 8, when the buffer occupancy is smaller than a first value Tl, supplies an underflow indication signal (0") showing underflow of the buffer memory 7 to the gate circuit 5. This underflow signal continues to be supplied until the occupancy reaches a second value T2 (Tl &lt; T2). Incidentally, the variable length encoder 2 consists of a read only memory (ROM) for storing the table of FIG. 2A, and the decision making circuit 4, of a comparator circuit.

0010Referring now to FIG. 3, the controller 8 comprises a comparator 81 for comparing the first value T1 and the occupancy, an inverter 83 for inverting the output of the comparator 81, another comparator 82 for comparing the occupancy and the second value T2, and a flipflop 84 responding to the outputs of these two comparators 81 and 82. In this structure, when the occupancy is smaller than Tl, the flipflop 84 is set, and produces "1" in its Q-terminal. In this state, when the occupancy increases between Tl and T2, the flipflop 84 continues to produce "1". When the occupancy further increases beyond T2, the comparator 82 resets the flipflop 84, which then produces "0".

0011FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams for describing the control of the buffer occupancy. In these figures, V2, V5, V4 and RL represent variable length codes and. the run-length code in FIGS. 2A and 2B, respectively. In normal operation, since the controller 8 produces the underflow indication signal "1" showing that the buffer memory 7 is not underflow, the signal "1" takes control of the gate 5 which is enabled to respond to the output of the decision making circuit 4. Therefore, the gate 5 supplies the output from the decision making circuit 4 to the multiplexer 3 which selects non-zero variable codes V2, V5, V4, .... or the run length code depending upon whether the prediction error signal is zero or not, as in section A of FIG. 3B.

0012However, when underflow of the buffer memory 7 is detected, the controller 8 supplies the underflow indication signal "0" to the gate 5. It flows that the gate 5 is disabled to provide the control signal "0" to the multiplexer 3 which selectsthe output of the variable length encoder 2 such as variable length codes Vl, V0, V0, .... as shown in section B, irrespective of the detection of the level zero signal in the decision making circuit 4. As long as only variable length codes are selected, even if the level zero signal consecutively appears, the occupancy of the buffer memory 7 will increase, as shown in FIG. 4A. After that, when the buffer occupancy reaches the prescribed level T2, either a run-length code or a variable length code is selected again as in section A.

0013As hitherto described, the present invention makes it possible to realize a system free of picture quality deterioration, as it enables encoded information stored in the buffer memory to be gradually increased by variable length-encoding all the input signals in response to an underflow indication signal from the controller. The invention further makes it possible to set the length of section B as desired by adequatelly determining the two thresholds Tl and T2 and thereby to control the buffer memory occupancy more finely.