INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD AND PROGRAM

• US 20120269451A1
• Filed: 03/26/2012
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: LUO, Jun, Nagumo, Takefumi
• Application Number:
  US13/429,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20120269451A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/182 the unit being a pixel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/184 the unit being bits, e.g. of the compressed video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/521 for estimating the reliability of the determined motion vectors or motion vector field, e.g. for smoothing the motion vector field or for correcting motion vectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/527 Global motion vector estimation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/80 Details of filtering operations specially adapted for video compression, e.g. for pixel interpolation H04N19/635, H04N19/86 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/85 using pre-processing or post-processing specially adapted for video compression

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus including: a low-bit criterion image generation unit that reduces a bit number assigned to a pixel in a criterion image and generates low-bit criterion image data; a low bit reference image generation unit that reduces a bit number of a reference mage and generates low-bit reference image data; and a motion vector information generation unit that detects a block-unit local motion vector from the low-bit criterion/reference images and calculates reliability of the detected local motion vector. By reducing the image bit number, it is possible to detect a local motion vector in a simple configuration. By calculating a global motion vector using a local motion vector according to reliability, even if a local motion vector is detected from an image of the reduced bit number, it is possible to calculate a global motion vector at higher accuracy.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a low-bit image generation unit configured to reduce a bit number assigned to a pixel in a criterion image and a reference image and generate a low-bit criterion image and a low-bit reference image; and

a motion vector information generation unit configured to detect a local motion vector, which is a motion vector for each of blocks constituting an image, from the low-bit criterion image and the low-bit reference image, and calculate a reliability of the detected local motion vector.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the motion vector information generation unit detects the local motion vector by block matching, and calculates the reliability using an evaluation value used to detect the local motion vector and/or the low-bit criterion image.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, in a case of using the evaluation value closer to a predetermined value in a higher similarity between blocks of the low-bit criterion image and the low-bit reference image and calculating the reliability from the evaluation value, the motion vector information generation unit calculates the reliability based on a difference between a first extreme value at which the evaluation value is the closest to the predetermined value and a second extreme value at which the evaluation value is the second closest to the predetermined value.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the motion vector information generation unit provides a higher reliability when the difference becomes larger.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, in a case of calculating the reliability using the low-bit criterion image, the motion vector information generation unit calculates the reliability based on angle information related to a luminance gradient of a block image.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the motion vector information generation unit provides a higher reliability when variability in the angle information becomes less.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, in a case of calculating a reliability based on the evaluation value and a reliability based on the low-bit criterion image, the motion vector information generation unit integrates the two reliabilities to provide one reliability.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein, in a case where the reliability based on the evaluation value and the reliability based on the low-bit criterion image are binary information, the motion vector information generation unit performs a logical operation of the two reliabilities to integrate the reliabilities, and, in a case where the reliability based on the evaluation value and the reliability based on the low-bit criterion image are multivalued information, the motion vector information generation unit multiplies the two reliabilities to integrate the reliabilities.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a global motion vector calculation unit configured to calculate a global motion vector, which is one image-unit motion vector between the criterion image and the reference image, from the local motion vector and the reliability.

10. An information processing method comprising:

reducing a bit number assigned to a pixel in a criterion image and a reference image and generating a low-bit criterion image and a low-bit reference image; and

detecting a local motion vector, which is a motion vector for each of blocks constituting an image, from the low-bit criterion image and the low-bit reference image, and calculating a reliability of the detected local motion vector.

11. A program causing a computer to execute:

reducing a bit number assigned to a pixel in a criterion image and a reference image and generating a low-bit criterion image and a low-bit reference image; and

detecting a local motion vector, which is a motion vector for each of blocks constituting an image, from the low-bit criterion image and the low-bit reference image, and calculating a reliability of the detected local motion vector.