ENCODING AND/OR DECODING SYSTEM FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL COLOR ULTRASONIC IMAGE

A three-dimensional color ultrasonic encoding and/or decoding system is provided in which a three-dimensional color ultrasonic image is classified into zero pixel data, gray pixel data and indexed color pixel data, to thereby perform encoding and decoding based on the classification data. The encoding and/or decoding system includes an encoding system including a classifier, a first encoder for encoding gray pixel data and a second encoder for encoding indexed color pixel data, a run-level encoder, a pixel separator and a multiplexer, and a decoding system including a demultiplexer, a run-level decoder, a first decoder for decoding gray pixel data, a second decoder for decoding indexed color pixel data and an image mixer. The inventive system classifies the three-dimensional color ultrasonic image into classes in which pixels having higher correlation belong to the same classes, and encodes and decodes each pixel based on the classification data, with a result that an image can be losslessly encoded at a hight compression rate than in the conventional lossless encoding. The indexed color pixel data is separately classified from the gray pixel data and is separately encoded therefrom, which enables a three-dimensional color ultrasonic lossy encoding which is not possible in the conventional methods.