Patent · US Expired

Spatial and temporal filtering mechanism for digital motion video signals

US6281942A · kind A · utility

142Cited by
21References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateAug 11, 1997
Grant dateAug 28, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 11, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N21/426
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Frames of a digital video signal are spatially filtered to remove impulse and other noise from the video signal. The spatially filtered frame is temporally filtered to further remove noise from the digital video signal. The spatial filter is adaptive, heavily filtering portions of low detail in the represented subject matter while lightly filtering or not filtering portions of moderate to high detail in the represented subject matter. As a result, clarity and detail in the subject matter of the digital video signal are preserved. The temporal filter is similarly adaptive and determines if and to what degree the subject matter of portions of the spatially filtered frame correlate with corresponding portions of a previous frame. By previously spatially filtering the frame, determinations regarding the correlation of the current frame with corresponding portions of the previous, which is also spatially and temporally filtered, are more accurate. Accordingly, temporal filtering can be performed more aggressively without temporally blurring the digital video signal. The result of spatial and temporal filtering of the digital video signal is significant reduction in noise without degrada…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.