Image Processing Method and Related Apparatus for Calculating Target Motion Vector Used for Image Block to be Interpolated

• US 20090322957A1
• Filed: 06/25/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MStar Semiconductor Incorporated (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MStar Semiconductor Incorporated (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Su-Chun, Chen, Chung-Yi
• Application Number:
  US12/491,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20090322957A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/699
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/145 Movement estimation for video coding H04N19/51

Abstract

An image processing method includes: detecting a motion vector of a source image block within a first video image to determine a flag value of the source image block, wherein the flag is used for indicating whether image content of the source image block correspondingly includes sight variations; and determining a target motion vector used for an interpolated image block according to the flag value.

Claims

1. An image processing method, comprising steps of:

providing a first video image having a source image block;

detecting a motion vector of the source image block to determine a flag value of the source image block, wherein the flag value indicates whether the source image block has a relatively-smaller variation; and

determining a target motion vector for interpolating a target image block according to the flag value.

2. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interpolated image block is located at a corresponding position as the source image block.

3. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of determining comprises steps of:

(a) optionally setting the motion vector of the source image block as a candidate motion vector of the interpolated image block according to the flag value; and

(b) selecting the target motion vector from a plurality of candidate motion vectors of the interpolated image block.

4. The image processing method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the step (a) comprises:

setting the motion vector of the source image block as the candidate motion vector when the flag value indicates the source image block has the relatively-smaller variation.

5. The image processing method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the step (a) further comprises:

when the flag value indicates the source image block has the relatively-smaller variation, determining a candidate block difference used for the interpolated image block by using the motion vector of the source image block, decreasing the candidate block difference relative to others; and

the step (b) further comprises;

selecting a smallest block difference among the candidate block differences of the interpolated image block, and setting a motion vector corresponding to the smallest block difference as the target motion vector.

6. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising steps of:

within the first video image, determining the number of image blocks having motion vectors greater than a predetermined vector, and determining whether the number of the image blocks having the motion vectors greater than the predetermined vector is greater than a specific value; and

the step of determining the flag value of the source image block, comprising;

when the number of the image blocks having the motion vectors greater than the predetermined vector is greater than the specific value and differences among a plurality of motion vectors are in a predetermined range, comparing the motion vector of the source image block with the predetermined vector to determine the flag value of the source image block.

7. The image processing method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step of comparing the motion vector of the source image block with the predetermined vector to determine the flag value of the source image block, comprises:

when the motion vector of the source image block is smaller than the predetermined vector, determining whether a motion vector of a least one image block adjacent to the source image block is smaller than the predetermined vector to determine the flag value of the source image block.

8. The image processing method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step of comparing the motion vector of the source image block with the predetermined vector to determine the flag value of the source image block, further comprises:

when the motion vector of the source image block is smaller than the predetermined vector, determining a first block difference between the source image block and an image block having a motion vector smaller than the predetermined vector;

determining a second block difference between the source image block and an image block having a motion vector greater than the predetermined vector; and

determining the flag value of the source image block by determining whether the first block difference is smaller than the second block difference.

9. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

within a second video image subsequent to the first video image, determining the number of image blocks having a motion vector greater than a predetermined vector, and determining whether the number of the image blocks having the motion vectors greater than the predetermined vector is smaller than a specific value; and

determining the flag value of the source image block to indicate the source image block having the relatively smaller variation when the number of the image blocks having a motion vector greater than the predetermined vector is smaller than the specific value.

10. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

determining the flag value of the source image block to indicate the source image block having the relatively-smaller variation when a scene change is detected after the first video image.

11. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

a processing circuit, for detecting a motion vector of a source image block within a first video image to determine a flag value of the source image block, wherein the flag value indicates whether the source image block has a relatively-smaller variation; and

a computing circuit, coupled to the processing circuit, for determining a target motion vector of an interpolated image block according to the flag value.

12. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the interpolated image block is located at a corresponding position as the source image block.

13. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the computing circuit optionally sets the motion vector of the source image block as a candidate motion vector of the interpolated image block according the flag value, and selecting the target motion vector from a plurality of candidate motion vectors of the interpolated image block.

14. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the flag value indicates the source image block having the relatively-smaller variation, and the computing circuit sets the motion vector of the source image block as the candidate motion vector.

15. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein when the flag value indicates whether the source image block has the relatively-smaller variation, the computing circuit calculates a candidate block difference of the interpolated image block by using the motion vector of the source image block, decreases the candidate block difference relative to others;

and the computing circuit selects a smallest block difference from the plurality of candidate block differences of the interpolated image block, and sets a motion vector corresponding to the smallest block difference as the target motion vector.

16. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a statistical circuit, coupled to the processing circuit, for determining the number of image blocks having a motion vector greater than a predetermined vector;

wherein, the processing circuit further determines whether the number of image blocks having a motion vector greater than the predetermined vector is greater than a specific value; and

when the number of the image blocks having a motion vector greater than the predetermined vector is greater than the specific value and differences among the plurality of motion vectors are in a predetermined range, the processing circuit determines the flag value of the source image block by comparing the motion vector of the first image with the predetermined vector.

17. The processing apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein when the motion vector of the source image block is smaller than the predetermined vector, the processing circuit determines the flag value of the source image block by determining whether a motion vector of at least one image block adjacent to the source image block is smaller than the predetermined vector.

18. The processing apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein when the motion vector of the source image block is smaller than the predetermined vector, the processing circuit calculates a first block difference between the source image block and an image block having a motion vector smaller than the predetermined vector and a second block difference between the source image block and an image block having a motion vector greater than the predetermined vector, and determines the flag value of the source image block by determining whether the first block difference is smaller than the second block difference.

19. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a statistical circuit, coupled to the processing circuit, for determining the number of image blocks having a motion vector greater than a predetermined vector within a second video image subsequent to the first video image;

wherein, the processing circuit determines whether the number of image blocks having the motion vectors greater than the predetermined vector is smaller than a specific value; and

when the number of image blocks having the motion vectors greater than the predetermined vector is smaller than a specific value, the processing circuit determines the flag value of the source image block to indicate the source image block does not have the relatively-smaller variation.

20. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein when a scene change is detected after the first video image, the processing circuit determines the flag value of the source image block to indicate image content does not have the relatively-smaller variation.