Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

U.S. Philips Corporation

Trident Microsystems (far East) Ltd.

Robert Jan Schutten

Abraham Karel Riemens

Gerard De Haan

Kornelis Antonius Vissers

Anna Pelagotti

Jeroen Hubert Christoffel Jacobus Stessen

Olukayode Anthony Ojo

Christian Hentschel

Erwin Ben Bellers

Fransiscus Wilhelmus Sijstermans

Jeroen Maria Kettenis

Estimating and/or compensating motion in a video image is provided wherein an image segment of the video image is selected, a search area is defined around the image segment, the defining being based on a range of possible motion vectors for the image segment, and image data related to said search area is retrieved. The search area is defined to have its center offset from a center of the image segment. The offset may be determined by a global motion parameter.

Motion estimation and/or compensation

Signal processing device for providing multiple output images by processing input images of an interlaced video signal, comprising a temporal interpolater circuit () and a memory buffer () connected to the temporal interpolater circuit. The memory buffer ()is arranged for storing at least part of a previous input image () and a current input image (). The temporal interpolater circuit () is arranged for receiving at least the previous and current input image from the memory buffer () and for providing multiple interlaced or de-interlaced frame data () at temporal positions between the previous input image temporal position and the current input image temporal position.

Signal processing device for providing multiple output images in one pass

The invention relates to a motion-compensated interpolation of a data-signal, which data-signal comprises successive images wherein each image comprises groups of pixels, in which motion vectors are generated (), each motion vector corresponding to a group of pixels of one image, between a group of pixels of said one image and a second group of pixels of another image in the data-signal, and interpolated results are obtained () as a function of these motion vectors. In accordance with the present invention, the reliability of each motion vector corresponding to a particular group of pixels is estimated (), weights are calculated as a function of the reliability of the motion vectors, and interpolated luminous intensities of groups of pixels are generated for an interpolated image by calculating, on the basis of these weights, weighted averages of the interpolated results.

Reducing halo-like effects in motion-compensated interpolation

An apparatus and method for facilitating a subsequent choice of a motion vector from a plurality of candidate motion vectors in a motion estimation method, include receiving video image data from first, second and third consecutive groups () of image data. A first image part () of the first group of image data (), a second image part () of the second group of image data (), and a third image part () of the third group of image data () are identified, wherein the positions of the three image parts () correspond to a motion trajectory that is indicated by a candidate motion vector. A first error measure is then calculated by testing for differences between the first image part () and the third image part () and quantified as a first error measure. A second error measure is calculated by testing for differences between either the first image part () and the second image part () or the second image part and the third image part and quantified as a second error measure. An output error measure is then quantified, wherein the output error measure is derived from either the first or the second or a combination of both error measures.

Facilitating motion estimation

The image processor () for motion compensated image processing comprises a motion compensation unit () for calculating an output image based on a particular motion vector field and based on a first input image and a second input image. The particular motion vector field can be calculated by a motion estimator () which is part of the image processor () or by an external unit (). The image processor () is designed to select from which source, i.e. the motion estimator () or the external unit (), the particular motion vector field is taken to calculate the output image. The external source is designed to calculate the particular motion vector field based on a motion vector field which was provided by the motion estimator () of the image processor ().

Image processor and image display apparatus provided with such image processor

A control signal (k_lum) derived from the luminance component (Y) of a video signal is used to adaptively control a temporal noise reduction filter () according to the level of motion in a video image. To compress the control signal for storage in a memory (), the control signal is averaged over each 2&#xd7;2 pixel area, and then a non-linear compression function is applied. The non-linear compression function preferably selects quantization values of the control signal which correspond to a perceptually substantially linear response in the noise reduction factor (NRF) of the noise filter ().

Video signal processing

A video apparatus includes a circuit for reducing noise in applied input video signals. The noise reducing circuit is provided with a temporal noise filter (S , LUT, M), a down-sample unit (D) for obtaining a spatial down-sampling of video signals (Vi) of subsequent pixels, these down-sampled video signals being supplied to the temporal noise filter (S , LUT, M), and an up-sample unit (U) for generating, in response to noise output signals obtained in the temporal noise filter (S , LUT, M), noise signals of the pixels, and a subtractor (S ) for subtracting the noise signals from the respective input video signals (Vi).

Video-apparatus with noise reduction

Sub-pixel accurate motion estimation from digital video requires interpolation of data. In a symmetrical motion estimator that shifts the neighboring images over complementary fractions (&minus; /2, /2) of the vector ( ), two such interpolating filters are required. In case of block-matching motion estimation algorithms, the match error of various candidate vectors depends on the quality of the sub-pixel interpolation filter(s). As these filters differ per fractional value of the vector, unintentional preferences for some fractional vector values over other may result. The candidate vectors ( ) are split into an integer part (Rnd( /2)) and a generally non-integer part (D-Rnd( /2)), as this gives a better accuracy and a lower cost than splitting the candidate vectors ( ) exactly conform the temporal position at which the vectors need to be valid.

Sub-pixel accurate motion vector estimation and motion-compensated interpolation

In a method of estimating motion, at least two motion parameter sets are generated (PE1-PEn) from input video data (n, n&minus;1), a motion parameter set being a set of parameters describing motion in an image, by means of which motion parameter set motion vectors can be calculated. One motion parameter set indicates a zero velocity for all image parts in an image, and each motion parameter set has corresponding local match errors. Output motion data are determined from the input video data (n, n&minus;1) in dependence on the at least two motion parameter sets, wherein the importance of each motion parameter set in calculating the output motion data depends on the motion parameter sets' local match errors.

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Campbell, CA, United States of America

Robert Jan Schutten