Thomson Consumer Electronics S.a.

Thomson Multimedia S.a.

Michael Knee

Andrew D Hackett

Nadine Bolender

Michel Kerdranvat

Nelly Bruneau

Andreas Zipp

Francedillaois Albin

Michael Kerdranvat

A device for estimating motion between a current image and a previous image by block matching, the images being split into blocks. The device includes a processing circuit for each candidate motion vector and at least one memory. Each processing circuit calculates errors between a block of the current image and the block designated by a respective candidate motion vector in the previous image. The processing circuit successively receives pixels of the current image according to a line scan at a first input and corresponding pixels of the previous image identified by the associated candidate motion vector at a second input. The processing circuit calculates partial sums at the end of line of each block of the current image corresponding to accumulated errors for this block. The processing circuits further include an output for delivering the partial sums and a third input for receiving the partial sums. The output and third input of the processing circuit is coupled to the memory such that, when processing a block and line scanning, partial sums of the block preceding the processed block are transmitted from the output to the memory and partial sums of the block following the processed block are received from the memory at the third input.

Device for estimating motion by block matching

Method and apparatus for motion estimation using block matching

Motion vectors resulting from block matching are corrected for periodic structures by taking a more reliable vector from an edge of a moving object containing the periodic structure. This is done by calculating and comparing different error combinations to identify periodic structures and replacing a current motion vector with one of an adjacent pixel block either from the block to the left or from the block above, which ever yields the smaller error in the current block, or by taking a combination (e.g., mean) of both vectors. Advantageously, artifacts such as phase reversal of information in interpolated fields due to the presence of an erroneous vector in a periodic structure are reduced and very little additional processing is required after the block matching itself.

Method and apparatus for correcting motion vectors

An appearance of a double image around moving objects may be reduced or removed by generating motion compensated 100 Hz fields with the objects in correct positions. When, however, the results of this technique are applied to motion compensated upconversion, objects or parts of the picture which fall outside the range of measurable velocities appear on the upconverted display with a very strong double image, resulting from the display of information in the wrong temporal position generated by uncompensated or `fallback processing`. The subjective strength of the double image may be reduced by low pass filtering in a horizontal direction the components in the new fields of the upconverted signal which cause this double image.

Method and apparatus for motion compensated interpolation of

Motion compensated video output signal (SO) produced by a soft switching or 'fading' (SSW) between the a motion compensated interpolation (MCI) and a 'fallback' mode (FFI) (e.g., intra-field), controlled by a 'measure of confidence' (CF) in the reliability of the estimated motion vector. The confidence measure includes the following two components, namely: (i) a 'basic confidence measure' (e.g., a block based, minimum motion estimation error (BME) and (ii) a measure based on the motion velocity or 'speed' of movement of the motion vector or its horizontal (MVX) and vertical components (MVY).

Method and apparatus for forming a video signal using motion estimation

Method and apparatus for ghost cancelling and/or equalizing

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Petersfield, United Kingdom

Michael Knee