Method and apparatus for motion estimation using block matching
US5822007A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 21, 1996 |
| Grant date | Oct 13, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 21, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N19/577
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Block matching is well known as a robust and intuitively simple method of motion estimation for television pictures. However, when the purpose of the motion estimation is to provide accurate interpolation between images, conventional block matching suffers from the problem that the blocks are situated in the original fields rather than in the fields to be interpolated, leading to possible errors in the calculated motion field. The invention uses two-sided block matching. The search window is shared between the two input fields so that the candidate motion vectors related to be candidate pixel blocks all pass through the same points in the field to be interpolated. Thus, the "current block" becomes a notional area in the field to be interpolated, and each of the two search windows extends to half the maximum motion vector in each direction. Each motion vector points forward to the forward field by half its value and backward to the backward field by half its value. Two-sided block matching solves the positional error problem because the current blocks cover the interpolated field and are correctly placed in the interpolated field, and it solves the problem of gaps and conflicts beca…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.