Information loss recovery for block-based image coding techniques-a fuzzy logic approach

A new technique to recover the information loss in a block-based image coding system is developed in this paper. The proposed scheme is based on fuzzy logic reasoning and can be divided into three main steps: (1) hierarchical compass interpolation/extrapolation (HCIE) in the spatial domain for initial recovery of lost blocks that mainly contain low-frequency information such as smooth background (2) coarse spectra interpretation by fuzzy logic reasoning for recovery of lost blocks that contain high-frequency information such as complex textures and fine features (3) sliding window iteration (SWI), which is performed in both spatial and spectral domains to efficiently integrate the results obtained in steps (1) and (2) such that the optimal result can be achieved in terms of surface continuity on block boundaries and a set of fuzzy inference rules. The proposed method, which is suitable for recovering both isolated and contiguous block losses, provides a new approach for error concealment of block-based image coding systems such as the JPEG coding standard and vector quantization-based coding algorithms. The principle of the proposed scheme can also be applied to block-based video compression schemes such as the H.261, MPEG, and HDTV standards. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.